The Creevey Papers
Thomas Creevey to Elizabeth Ord, 18 August 1820
“York St., 18th Aug.
“. . . Brougham’s speech (the last hour of which I did not hear)
is allowed on all hands to have been excellent. We had a full Brooks’s
last night, and much jaw; Grey affable,
quite sure the bill will be knocked up sooner or later, and offering to take [?
lay] ten to one it will disappear, even in the Lords, before Saturday
fortnight. He knows the cursed folly he committed yesterday in forsaking the
Duke of Leinster. . . . Western is first rate in his decision that it
won’t do, and that Grey never can shew his face as a
public man again. . . .”
“House of Lords, 12 o’clock.
“. . . Denman is
speaking as well as possible, tho’ I am all against his introducing
jokes, which he has been doing somewhat too much. I was much astonished at
their lordships being so much and so universally tickled as they were by some
of his stories. Denman, holding the bill in his hand,
said:—‘Levity of manner is one of its charges. Why this
charge, applies to all Royal people: they are all good-tempered and
playful.’ Then he gave a conversation which took place between
his present Majesty and Sam Spring, the waiter at the
Cocoa Tree, where Sam cracked his jokes and was very
familiar with the Prince; upon which the
latter said:—‘This is all very well between you and me,
Sam, but beware of being equally familiar with
Norfolk and Abercorn.’ All the Lords recognised
the story and snorted out hugely—Bishops and all.
“I thought the Lords rose to receive the Queen with a better grace to-day than
yesterday. Everything respecting her coming to the House is now as perfect as
possible. She has a most superb and beautiful
* The barrier described on p. 306. |
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| 1819-20.] | THE CASE FOR THE CROWN. | 311 |
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coach with six
horses—the coachman driving in a cap, like the old king’s coachman;
and a good coach of her own behind for Craven and Gell. . .
.”
“Brooks’s, 5 o’clock.
“. . . Nothing can be more triumphant for the
Queen than this day altogether. . . .
The truth is the Law Officers of the Crown are damnably overweighted by
Brougham and Denman. . . .”
Henry Peter Brougham, first baron Brougham and Vaux (1778-1868)
Educated at Edinburgh University, he was a founder of the
Edinburgh
Review in which he chastised Byron's
Hours of Idleness; he
defended Queen Caroline in her trial for adultery (1820), established the London University
(1828), and was appointed lord chancellor (1830).
Queen Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1768-1821)
Married the Prince of Wales in 1795 and separated in 1796; her husband instituted
unsuccessful divorce proceedings in 1820 when she refused to surrender her rights as
queen.
Hon. Keppel Richard Craven (1779-1851)
A Chamberlain to the Princess of Wales (1814), he was a friend of Sir William Drummond,
Sir William Gell, and the Countess of Blessington while residing at Naples. He published
A Tour through the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom of Naples
(1821).
Thomas Denman, first baron Denman (1779-1854)
English barrister and writer for the
Monthly Review; he was MP,
solicitor-general to Queen Caroline (1820), attorney-general (1820), lord chief justice
(1832-1850). Sydney Smith commented, “Denman everybody likes.”
Sir William Gell (1777-1836)
English traveler and archaeologist; author of the
Topography of
Troy (1804),
Geography and Antiquities of Ithaca (1807),
the
Itinerary of Greece, with a Commentary on Pausanias (1810),
Itinerary of the Morea (1817),
Narrative of a
Journey in the Morea (1823), and
Itinerary of Greece
(1827).
Charles Grey, second earl Grey (1764-1845)
Whig statesman and lover of the Duchess of Devonshire; the second son of the first earl
(d. 1807), he was prime minister (1831-34).
Charles Callis Western, baron Western (1767-1844)
Of Rivenhall in Essex, politician and agricultural reformer; he was educated at Eton and
Queens' College, Cambridge and was MP for Maldon (1790-1812) and Essex (1812-32). He was a
school friend of Thomas Creevey.
