The Creevey Papers
Thomas Creevey to Elizabeth Ord, 28 April 1823
“28th.
“. . . Ward (John
William)† met me in the street yesterday, and begged me,
after all his estrangement from me, to turn about with him, as he wished much
to have some talk; and so, as I declined, he turned
* Implying that Canning, who had always advocated emancipation of the
Catholics, had consented, as the price of his admission, not to press
the question. † Louis
XVIII. ‡ Created Earl of
Dudley in 1827. |
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| 1823-24.] | THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. | 69 |
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about himself, putting his arm
thro’ mine; and his discourse was that the Government must be
strangled—that the Opposition, with the least management in the world,
must destroy them—that Peel was
lower and lower every day, quite incompetent, and that Canning, with all his talents and superiority,
had no support—that Peel had all the Tories, and
Canning no one of any party with him. A pleasant
statement this to be made by a man who calls Canning his
master, or at least who has called him so. . . . Sefton and I were walking in the streets two days ago, when we
saw my Lady Holland’s carriage
standing at a shop door; so Sefton
said—‘Now’s your time! go and get it over.’
So I did: I put my head into the carriage as if nothing had
happened—shook hands and cracked my jokes as usual. . . . So when I left
her she squeezed Sefton’s hand with the greatest
tenderness and said—‘Nothing could be better done!’ .
. .
“Og* told me a
story of the Duke of Buckingham which
Canning had told him in confidence,
and which ought to be preserved to perpetuate the base, intriguing spirit of
this genuine noble Grenville. . . . Upon Castlereagh’s death this said Duke,
altho’ Canning and he had never been on very good
terms, wrote the most nauseous complimentary letter to
Canning, taking for granted the government would never
let so distinguished a statesman leave the country,† and urging him by
all he owed to his country to accept the offer when made to him.
Canning shewed this letter to
Kensington at the time, convulsed with laughter at its
style and mean contents. Not content with this, the Duke wrote another letter
to Lord Morley, still more extravagant in
Canning’s praises, well knowing the latter was
sure to see the letter, hoping Canning would not run any
risque of serving his country by claims made for any of his friends, for that,
when once Minister, all would be at his feet.
“Well—upon Canning’s first interview with Lord Liverpool after his acceptance of office, the latter
said—‘What is to become of India?’ to which
Canning replied it was an appointment to which he was
quite
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| 70 | THE CREEVEY PAPERS | [Ch. III. |
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indifferent, the only object he had at heart being an
arrangement for putting Huskisson in a
high and responsible official situation. Upon which
Liverpool said he knew the Speaker* was desirous of going to India, and if
Canning would see and sound the Directors—if
they were agreeable to appoint him Governor General, then Wynne† might be placed in the chair and
Huskisson have the Board of Controul.
Canning accordingly saw the Directors, but tho’
they were very desirous of Wynne being removed from the
Board of Controul, as being perfectly inefficient, still they had the greatest
possible objections to the Speaker as Governor General. However,
Huskisson’s appointment was so very agreeable to
them, that at a second conference they struck. Wynne, who
hitherto had shown no reluctance to this arrangement, being now called upon for
its execution, declared his fixed determination not to give up the Board of
Controul unless the Duke of Buckingham had that office, or
was one of the Secretaries of State, and of course in the Cabinet. This claim
being universally scouted, all was at an end.”
George Canning (1770-1827)
Tory statesman; he was foreign minister (1807-1809) and prime minister (1827); a
supporter of Greek independence and Catholic emancipation.
Elizabeth Fox, Lady Holland [née Vassall] (1771 c.-1845)
In 1797 married Henry Richard Fox, Lord Holland, following her divorce from Sir Godfrey
Webster; as mistress of Holland House she became a pillar of Whig society.
William Huskisson (1770-1830)
English politician and ally of George Canning; privately educated, he was a Tory MP for
Morpeth (1796-1802), Liskeard (1804-07), Harwich (1807-12), Chichester (1812-23), and
Liverpool (1823-30). He died in railway accident.
Louis XVIII, king of France (1755-1824)
Brother of the executed Louis XVI; he was placed on the French throne in 1814 following
the abdication of Napoleon.
John Parker, first earl of Morley (1772-1840)
The son of John Parker, first baron Boringdon (1735-1788); educated at Christ Church,
Oxford, he was a supporter of George Canning in Parliament, created earl of Morley and
Viscount Boringdon in 1815.
John William Ward, earl of Dudley (1781-1833)
The son of William Ward, third Viscount Dudley (d. 1823); educated at Edinburgh and
Oxford, he was an English MP, sometimes a Foxite Whig and sometimes Canningite Tory, who
suffered from insanity in his latter years.
Charles Watkin Williams Wynn (1775-1850)
The son of Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, fourth baronet; educated at Westminster and Christ
Church, Oxford, Robert Southey's friend and benefactor was a Whig MP for Old Sarum (1797)
and Montgomeryshire (1799-1850). He was president of the Board of Control (1822-28).
