The “Pope” of Holland House
John Whishaw to Thomas Smith, 10 July 1818
London, July 10, 1818.
It is time to say something of what has been passing in our own
country, which has been a scene of great interest ever since you left us.1 The season
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| Romilly and Westminster |
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closed with great éclat on the part of the Opposition. Romilly in particular distinguished himself, and
pronounced a memorable and most appropriate funeral oration over the expiring
Parliament. This circumstance probably suggested the fortunate thought of starting
him as a candidate in the Whig interest for Westminster—a project rather
hazardous at the time, but fully justified by the event, and a great triumph has
been gained, on the part of rational liberty, over the Court of Rabble, the parties
of St. James and St. Giles. Such, one may say, is the fanaticism of the latter party, that Bentham, who has been intimately connected with
Romilly near forty years, refused to support him and gave
no vote. Mill voted singly for Burdett; and Ricardo at first hesitated, but at length voted for
Romilly, and gave him a cordial support. Douglas Kinnaird was a competitor with Hobhouse for the honour of being proposed by the
Westminster committee as Burdett’s colleague, and
fortunately for Hobhouse succeeded in his object. “By merit raised To that bad eminence.” |
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After three days, at which Burdett was constantly losing at the poll, the committee found it
necessary to throw Kinnaird overboard, and
were obliged to resort to what they term the art of corruption, and to spend money
and use every effort on behalf of Burdett, whom they were not
able to place at the head of the poll. Kinnaird vented his
spleen in a very discreditable manner, by a series of petulant
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| The Elections |
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speeches on the hustings against the Whigs. The election of
three Opposition candidates for the City, and of
Sir Robert Wilson for the Borough, the
defeat of the veteran Curtis, and Barclay the great brewer, are prodigious triumphs
for the popular cause, and were wholly unexpected by Government. The return of
Lord Ebrington for Devonshire, and
Mr. Phillips, of Garendon Park, for
Leicestershire, counties hitherto devoted to the Tory interest, must also be
enumerated amongst the “signs of the times”; and it must be observed in
general that the contested elections in which Tories have succeeded have been
carried by great exertions and expense.
It is highly gratifying to think that this series of ministerial
failures is mainly to be attributed to the opinions entertained by the great body
of the electors to the suspension of the Habeas Corpus and the other strong
measures of the late Parliament. I hope that the Opposition will conduct themselves
prudently, and make a rational and proper use of the important advantages they have
gained. Changes of Ministry in consequence of votes of Parliament are now out of
the question; but the Court has received a useful lesson, and may perhaps be taught
by experience the impolicy of harsh proceedings and the solid advantages of a mild
system of government.
It may be worth mentioning that the Saints have suffered greatly
in the last elections. Three or four of their strenuous adherents have been thrown
out, none of whom is at all to be lamented, except Babington. The rest of the party are the devoted supporters of
Lord Castlereagh.
Thomas Babington (1758-1837)
Educated at Rugby and St John's College, Cambridge, he was an evangelical,
philanthropist, independent MP for Leicester (1800-18), and the uncle of Thomas Babington
Macaulay.
Charles Barclay (1780-1855)
Brewer and politician; he was partner in the brewery once owned by Henry Thrale and was a
Tory MP for Southwark in 1815.
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
The founder of Utilitarianism; author of
Principles of Morals and
Legislation (1789).
Sir Francis Burdett, fifth baronet (1770-1844)
Whig MP for Westminster (1807-1837) who was imprisoned on political charges in 1810 and
again in 1820; in the 1830s he voted with the Conservatives.
Sir William Curtis, first baronet (1752-1829)
A banker and friend of George IV; he was Lord Mayor of London (1795) and as Tory MP for
London (1790-1818) was a target of Whig mockery.
John Cam Hobhouse, baron Broughton (1786-1869)
Founder of the Cambridge Whig Club; traveled with Byron in the orient, radical MP for
Westminster (1820); Byron's executor; after a long career in politics published
Some Account of a Long Life (1865) later augmented as
Recollections of a Long Life, 6 vols (1909-1911).
James Mill (1773-1836)
English political philosopher allied with the radical Joseph Hume; he was the father of
John Stuart Mill.
Charles March Phillipps (1779-1862)
Of Garendon Park, son of Thomas March; he was educated at Eton and Trinity College,
Cambridge, and was a Whig MP for Leicestershire (1818-20, 1831-32, 1832-37).
David Ricardo (1772-1823)
English political economist, the author of Principles of Political Economy and Taxation
(1817); he was a Whig MP for Portarlington (1819-23).
Sir Samuel Romilly (1757-1818)
Reformer of the penal code and the author of
Thoughts on Executive
Justice (1786); he was a Whig MP and Solicitor-General who died a suicide.
Elizabeth Smith [née Chandler] (1767 c.-1859)
The daughter of Richard Chandler of Gloucester and wife of Thomas Smith of Easton Grey in
Wiltshire; she was a Unitarian and friend of John Whishart.
Thomas Smith (1767 c.-1822)
Of Easton Grey in Wiltshire; he was a county magistrate and friend of John Whishart,
David Ricardo, and Robert Southey.
Sir Robert Thomas Wilson (1777-1849)
Soldier, author, radical Whig MP for Southwark (1818-31), and diplomat; he wrote
History of the British Expedition to Egypt (1802) and was governor
of Gibraltar (1842).
