/ 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY, 
 Dorset Street, Fleet Street, 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 OF 
 
 SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, 
 
 BART. G. C. H. 
 KEEPER OF THE PRIVY PURSE 
 
 DURING THE REIGN OF HIS MAJESTY 
 
 KING GEORGE THE FOURTH. 
 
 INCLUDING HIS CORRESPONDENCE WITH MANY 
 DISTINGUISHED PERSONAGES. 
 
 BY LADY KNIGHTON. 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES. 
 VOL. L 
 
 LONDON: 
 RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, 
 ^ubli£(l;n- in #itJtnarj) to fetr IMajrtitj). 
 
 1838. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 Though the Editor was assured by 
 many attached friends of the late Sir Wil- 
 liam Knighton that a Memoir of his Life 
 would not be unacceptable to the public, 
 still numerous difficulties would have 
 prevented the undertaking, had not his 
 posthumous papers, on examination, fur- 
 nished such ample materials in the form 
 of journals, notes, and letters, that a 
 history of his Life, with some slight ad- 
 ditions, might be collected from his own 
 words, and although advised to place 
 these manuscripts in more experienced 
 and abler hands, the Editor has thought 
 
vi 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 it more desirable to send the work 
 into the world in its present unpre- 
 tending form, from a belief that its evi- 
 dent authenticity will thus afford greater 
 interest to the reader than a more elabo- 
 rate Memoir, and that a truer esti- 
 mate may be formed of the sentiments 
 and character of an individual from his 
 unreserved correspondence, written with- 
 out the slightest view to publication, than 
 from a biographical narrative of more 
 methodical arrangement. 
 
 Of the professional life of Sir William 
 Knighton, his success is the best criterion. 
 As regards his services to his Majesty 
 George the Fourth, there are probably 
 few who will now deny that they were 
 fulfilled to the utmost of his power, in 
 the spirit of devoted attachment and in- 
 tegrity to his royal Master. 
 
 To the young and inexperienced, just 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. vii 
 
 entering on the arduous duties of life, 
 this Memoir will, it is hoped^ be instruct- 
 ive and encouraging ; for they may hence 
 learn that great disadvantages and many 
 difficulties may be overcome by steady 
 perseverance and diligent application, and 
 that virtuous and religious principles 
 afford the best security from those evils 
 which too often prevent the attainment 
 of honourable success. 
 
 D. K. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Birtli of William Knighton. — Death of his Father. — His 
 Mother. — He studies Medicine under his Uncle. — Predilec- 
 tion for Poetry. — Letter on the Death of a Child. — Mr. 
 Knighton's acquaintance with Dr. Geach. — Correspondence 
 with the Doctor and other Friends. . . Page 1 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 Mr. Knighton's return to Devonshire. — Appointed Assist- 
 ant-Surgeon to the Royal Naval Hospital. — Correspondence 
 in Rhyme. — Death of Dr. Geach. — Mr. Knighton's Law-suit 
 against his Uncle. — He settles in Devonport — His Medical 
 Practice. — Extracts from Letters to Mrs. T. . . 20 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 Dr. Knighton's removal to London. — Letter from Dr. 
 Hawker. — Difficulties in establishing a Medical Practice. — 
 Letter to Mrs. T. — Unexpected embarrassment. — Removal 
 to Edinburgh. — Letter from the late Mr. Northcote. . 51 
 
 b 
 
viii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 from Sir William to his own Family. — Letters from Sir 
 Thomas Lawrence, Dr. Gooch, and the King. — Extracts 
 from Sir William's Journal. . . . Page 261 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Letter from the King to Sir William Knighton, — Letters 
 from Sir Walter Scott. — Sir William on another Journey. — 
 Memorandum of his route. — Letter from Sir David Wilkie. 
 — Letters from the King, the Bishop of Chichester, the 
 Duke of York, and Mr. Canning. . . . . 285 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Claims upon the bounty of the King made to Sir William 
 Knighton. — Death of the Duke of York. — Sir William's visit 
 to the royal vault to select the spot for placing the Duke's 
 remains. — Letter from the late Lord Vernon ; From Sir Wil- 
 liam to his family, on his recovery from indisposition. 354 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 Sir William Knighton's dangerous relapse. — Interest taken 
 by the King in his recovery. — Letter to his Daughter. — 
 Letters from Mr. Canning and Lord (then Mr.) Brougham. 
 — Letter from the King, stating his own infirmities — From 
 Mr. Stapleton on Mr. Canning's illness — From Basil Mon- 
 tagu, Esq. ; Sir Walter Scott; the Duke of Clarence, &c. 366 
 
 CHAPTER XVIL 
 
 Letters from the Duke of Clarence and Lord Bexley. — 
 Extract from Sir William's Journal of his route to Rotter- 
 dam. — Letter from the Earl of Aberdeen. — Letters from Sir 
 William to his Family. 400 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 OF 
 
 SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, BART. 
 
 CFIAPTER I. 
 
 Birth of William Knighton. — Death of his Father.— His 
 Mother. — He studies Medicine under his Uncle. — Predi- 
 lection for Poetry. — Letter on the Death of a Child. — Mr. 
 Knighton s acquaintance with Dr. Geach. — Correspond- 
 ence with the Doctor and other Friends. 
 
 William Knighton was born in the 
 parish of Beer Ferris in the county of De- 
 von, in the year 1776. He was the grand- 
 son of William Knighton, Esq. of Grenoven 
 in the parish of Whitchurch in the same 
 county. His father, William Knighton, 
 was cut off from the family property, hav-^ 
 ing by irregular conduct and an imprudent 
 marriage incurred the displeasure of his 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 B 
 
2 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 father. He died at the early age of twenty- 
 nine, leaving his son and an infant daugh- 
 ter to the care of the young widow, in very 
 limited circumstances. By the will of his 
 grandfather, a sum of five hundred pounds 
 was left for his grandson's education. 
 
 His mother, who was a person of excel- 
 lent principles and strong common sense, 
 formed another alliance, and had a second 
 family ; but ample justice was done to the 
 children of the first marriage. William 
 Knighton had the advantage of such in- 
 struction as the country afforded at a re- 
 spectable school at Newton Bushel in De- 
 vonshire, and at an early age was placed 
 with his uncle, Mr. Bredall, who was esta- 
 blished as a surgeon and apothecary at 
 Tavistock, for the purpose of studying me- 
 dicine. It appears by an old diary, that 
 he endeavoured to keep up the scholastic 
 knowledge he had acquired, and further to 
 improve his mind ; as, besides the study of 
 physic and surgery, each of the six days 
 in the w^eek was alloted either to reading 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 3 
 
 Greek, Latin, poetry, or obtaining general 
 information ; and Sundays were appro- 
 priated to religion, and to a retrospect 
 of what had been done in the preceding 
 week. He seems to have had a strong 
 predilection for poetry ; and there are 
 many specimens extant written at this pe- 
 riod, which, though not without merit, are 
 not of sufficient interest to insert in these 
 volumes. 
 
 The following extract of a letter ad- 
 dressed to his aunt when he was quite 
 a youth, on the death of a little cousin 
 about two years of age, marks the pecu- 
 liar feeling and sensibility of the writer's 
 mind even from an early age. 
 
 " MY DEAR AUNT, 
 
 " This epistle comes from one who con- 
 templates the pleasing hope that you are 
 comforted, under your affliction for the 
 loss of your dear little babe, with the happy 
 and consoling reflection that she is now in 
 a state of bliss and happiness with Christ 
 
 B 2 
 
4 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and lovely angels in the heavenly kingdom 
 of her Father and Redeemer ; which doubt- 
 less must be the case. And, as a small 
 testimony of my regard for that dear lovely 
 little infant, I have written the few en- 
 closed lines, which, though simple as to 
 language, as well as bad as to verse, will, 
 I hope, at this youthful period, be over- 
 looked by your generous heart. 
 
 " Hard it must certainly be to part with 
 such dear little angels at the age of in- 
 nocence and harmless simplicity ; yet we 
 ought not for one moment to wish to de- 
 bar the wise and kind dispensation of Pro- 
 vidence, which no doubt so kindly pro- 
 tects those harmless little doves from the 
 vice and miseries which in age might befal 
 them ; for the life of mortals on earth is 
 subject to daily defilement. Their early 
 removal prevents many a sorrow and dis- 
 tress of mind, many an agony and sharp 
 pain to which by disease the body is sub- 
 ject, and saves many from the languishing 
 weaknesses of old age, and from tasting the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 5 
 
 dregs of mortality. When, therefore, the 
 wise Disposer of events foresees some huge 
 and heavy sorrows ready to fall on them, 
 he lays his hand upon them in the midst 
 of life, and hides them in the grave. This 
 has been the safe landing-place of many 
 ^ lovely babe from a future day of tempta- 
 tion and overspreading misery. Dear little 
 Mary, whom Providence has been pleased 
 to take from us, was certainly, for such an 
 infant, possessed of quickness and sensibi- 
 lity superior to any child I have ever seen ; 
 and God must undoubtedly have had some 
 great and wise design in performing what 
 he has done. Under such circumstances, 
 then, ought we not to comfort ourselves 
 for so valuable a loss ?" 
 
 Mr. Bredall's practice was very exten- 
 sive, which enabled his nephew to acquire 
 a good deal of experience. During the 
 latter period of his residing at Tavistock, 
 he had the appointment of serjeaiit-major 
 of a volunteer corps, commanded by his 
 
6 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 uncle, Colonel Bray ; but he found the ex- 
 ertion it required, together with the ordi- 
 nary fatigue attendant on the medical con- 
 cerns of Mr. Bredall, more than either his 
 constitution would bear or his profes- 
 sional improvement admit of. 
 
 In his nineteenth year he left his uncle, 
 (of whose kindness towards him he always 
 spoke with the greatest gratitude,) and 
 repaired to London, with the intention of 
 completing his medical education, by the 
 usual course of attendance at the hospitals 
 and dissecting-rooms. Previously, how- 
 ever, to this period, it appears from letters 
 (which seem to have been preserved with 
 affectionate care) that he had become 
 known to Dr. Geach, at that time the chief 
 surgeon of the Royal Naval Hospital at 
 Plvmouth, and who was also in extensive 
 private practice. He was a man of supe- 
 rior learning and discernment, and he early 
 discovered an unusual degree of talent and 
 ability in his youthful acquaintance ; for in 
 a letter dated in 1796 are the following 
 extracts : 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 7 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I have long intended to thank you for 
 your verses, which I cannot but approve of, 
 and which may be considered as an earnest 
 of what is to follow. I thank you for the 
 trouble you liave taken in transcribing my 
 observations, and the very good preface 
 you have been so kind as to prefix. I 
 thank you also for your own cases and 
 remarks, which do you great credit." 
 
 The correspondence was kept up during 
 Mr. Kni^liton's stay at Tavistock, and on 
 liis removal to London ; and, from the doc- 
 tor's ai>e and liigli estimation, it w^as par- 
 ticularly gratifying to so young a man, as 
 well as most advantageous. It tended to 
 excite in liim an ardent desire to qualify 
 himself l)y indefatigable labour for any 
 station in wliich he might afterwards be 
 placed ; which may be observed by further 
 extracts from letters at the time. 
 
8 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 TO FRANCIS GEACH, ESQ. 
 
 "dear sir, 
 
 " I felt real happiness on the receipt of 
 your most kind letter, with the admirable 
 lines enclosed.^ The imagery, the conspi- 
 
 * The Amphion frigate. Captain Pellew, was accidentally 
 blown up on the 24th of September 1796. The captain, the 
 first lieutenant, and fifteen only of the crew were saved, out 
 of two hundred and twenty men. Many women and children 
 were also killed. The limbs and bodies of the unfortunate 
 victims were floating in all directions. 
 
 ON SEEING THE DROWNED SAILORS OF THE AMPHION 
 
 FLOATING. 
 
 In imitation of Horace^ Lib. L Ode 15. 
 
 Sons of Amphion ! by one general sweep 
 HurFd into air, and deluged in tlie deep ; 
 What boots it now, ye gallant sons of war, 
 Ye show'd in England's cause a boasted scar I 
 But death awaits us all. E*en he, who now 
 Wears a green garland on his warrior-brow. 
 Must yield to death ; and Howe shall be no more 
 Than Albion's chief and Caesar were before ! 
 Whoe'er shall haply tread the rocky shore. 
 Or spread the sail, or ply the nimble oar. 
 Oh ! furl the sail, the nimble oar lay by, 
 Whene'er thou seest a sailor floating lie ; 
 Lay on his poor remains a pious hand ; 
 Tow gently the sad bloated corpse to land ; 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. Q 
 
 cuous humanity, sympathy, and advice to 
 those who may chance to witness any of 
 the unfortunate victims, merit the warmest 
 praise. I also have humbly attempted to 
 express my feelings in verse on the occa- 
 sion. I am afraid it cannot be deemed 
 poetry ; but I trust to your candour and 
 goodness to excuse all inaccuracies. 
 
 I was on Saturday elected, according to 
 your advice, member of the Physical So- 
 Safe in the bosom of a hallow'd grave 
 Let each his last sad funeral rites receive. 
 This pious toil demands no long delay ; 
 See dust thrice sprinkled on the breathless clay, 
 Then go, — and may thy little vessel ride 
 Safe o'er the rising surge or rapid tide ! 
 When moon and stars afford no glimmering light, 
 Veird with the gloom of some tempestuous night; 
 Wlien East, with West contending, terror brings, 
 Or, South controlling, shakes his dripping wings ; 
 Such moral acts a tempest may assuage, 
 Or woods receive its unrelenting rage. 
 
 Much do our sailors claim, who raise their sails 
 To catch on eastern shores the spicy gales ; 
 Brave, in the west, the foe, disease, and storm. 
 Where Death tyrannic rules in every form ; 
 They guard our commerce, and no toils forego 
 To shield their menaced country from its foe ; 
 Preserve a gracious monarch on his throne, 
 Who makes Britannia's happiness his own. 
 
10 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ciety ; but mark, my dear sir, what I now 
 write, that neither the vain hypothesis and 
 imaginary theory, nor the folly and fashion 
 of the practice of physic by prejudiced per- 
 sons in the present age, will ever eradicate 
 the wise and practical advice laid down by 
 you to me, whilst I have life ; and further- 
 more, for all theory, knowledge, and prac- 
 tice of empty sound, I w^ould not give a 
 straw. There is a wide difference in the 
 practice followed by you, founded on ex- 
 perience, and in the principle of assisting 
 nature in her endeavours, rather that of 
 
 this wild of the age. But it is a 
 
 melancholy reflection that prejudice and 
 self-conceit should reign in the mind of 
 man to such a degree, even to the destruc- 
 tion of his fellow-creatures." 
 
 As the letters written by Mr. Knighton 
 during his residence in London to his 
 friends at Tavistock, are illustrative of his 
 character, the following extracts are taken 
 from them. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. H 
 
 " I SHALL now give you some account of 
 my proceedings. Plunged into bustle and 
 tumult on my arrival at this place, I began 
 at the first instant to wish almost that I 
 was walking in the peaceful streets Qf Ta- 
 vistock, instead of in those of London ; but, 
 on casting my eyes around, and seeing the 
 various advantages which I might derive 
 from my professsional improvement, and in 
 every other branch of study, these thoughts 
 soon left me, and others more eligible sup- 
 plied their place, and I now find myself 
 equally at home here as at Tavistock. 
 
 " Improvement in my profession is, as 
 you may suppose, the grand object I aim 
 at ; and I endeavour to overcome the diffi- 
 culties which are daily falling in my way 
 with all the perseverance my disposition 
 will allow. With this, I combine the study 
 of classical and universal knowledge, which 
 I conceive to be very useful in the toilsome 
 pursuits of life. I had almost forgotten to 
 say, that a little poetical effusion (if it may 
 be called poetical) slips in now and then 
 
12 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to relax the mind, and unclog the fatigued 
 wheels of existence from the continual 
 grinding ; for I attend four lectures on 
 anatomy, two on surgery, three on mid- 
 wifery, two on the practice of physic : I 
 take notes and transcribe from all, which 
 is rather laborious. This is the work of 
 the first course. To this must be added 
 dissections and attendance at the hospitals. 
 So you may suppose that, by the time these 
 things are concluded, in the course of the 
 day and night, little rest can be pro- 
 cured." 
 
 TO ANOTHER FRIEND. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " Filled with a due sense of the obli- 
 gation I am under for your gratifying 
 epistle, for which permit me to return my 
 thanks, and more particularly for your care 
 in recommending me to study the ideas 
 and works of these learned men, which will 
 fit me for companionship to all ranks and 
 degrees, from the highest to that of the 
 clown, it now behoves me to answer your 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON- 13 
 
 inquiry with respect to my professional 
 improvement. 
 
 " The study of anatomy I find truly dif- 
 ficult to be attained ; nor had I any idea 
 that it was so before experience taught me 
 in this place. To obtain a thorough know- 
 ledge of anatomy requires indefatigable 
 labour and industry ; but it lays the 
 basis for success in the practice, and un- 
 veils the mystery of the operation, of medi- 
 cine. It is a noble science in itself, a les- 
 son to man, and to be viewed not with a 
 less degree of curiosity than wonder. The 
 various processes pursued by nature, the 
 wonderful combination of parts, and that 
 noble structure throughout, replete with 
 symmetry and beauty, I was not a little 
 pleased to examine at first in the dead sub- 
 ject. Many curious and peculiar reflec- 
 tions with respect to man took place, as 
 you may suppose ; and perhaps the various 
 and complicated thoughts of learned men 
 concerning the machine and its existence 
 were awakened at such a time. 
 
 " Here is a field for moralising ; and per- 
 
14 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 haps, were that useful part of our commU' 
 nity^ the clergy, to produce such a scene as 
 this before their audience, it would be the 
 means of establishing the dreadful effects 
 of futurity more than all the pathetic rhe- 
 toric they are masters of. But, perhaps, to 
 handle such a subject, they would be as 
 much frightened as their audience, and 
 think that the ghost of the man was al- 
 ways laying hold of the tail of their black 
 gown. 
 
 " I dissect a good deal, and shall conti- 
 nue to do so as the only way to get a tho- 
 rough knowledge of the component parts 
 of the human frame ; and unless I have 
 a thorough knowledge, I shall not be 
 content to return into Devonshire. I do 
 not say that this is absolutely necessary 
 for a country surgeon ; but it is what I 
 shall aim at. As for their practice of phy- 
 sic, I value it very little ; and in my last 
 letter from Dr. Geach, he expressly says, 
 ' Let not that doctrine with respect to 
 physic which has been inculcated in you 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 15 
 
 ever be forgotten.' My answer was, that 
 hypothesis and theory should never over- 
 come those doctrines instilled into me by 
 him and Mr. Bredall, the result of prac- 
 tical experience, long observation, and Na- 
 ture's methods in curing diseases. 
 
 " The operations performed here are exe- 
 cuted in the most masterly manner. Cline, 
 whom I attend in anatomy, and Cooper in 
 surgery, are men of the first abilities." 
 
 The next letter is advice to a young 
 friend, written whilst studying in London 
 in 1796. 
 
 " I SHALL not apologise for the liberty I 
 take on the subject of this letter, as it is in 
 friendship that I offer these youthful ex- 
 hortations to my much younger friend, 
 though I am convinced that your merit 
 and sobriety need now no admonition ; but 
 at a future period, when plunged into 
 scenes such as I am in, you may by chance 
 think on the epistle of your most sincere 
 friend. 
 
16 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " First, then, let it be your greatest care 
 (which I hope strictly to adhere to myself) 
 and chief study through life to make the 
 declining years of your parents sink with 
 pleasure into the grave, by the comfortable 
 reflection that they leave a son behind 
 worthy of the trust and confidence of the 
 care and support of his sisters. That you 
 may be able to perform this, you must 
 diligently apply yourself to those studies 
 which form the man of science, and make 
 a man respectable in society, and esteemed 
 by his friends, by becoming eminent in his 
 profession. Having grounded yourself in 
 this, you will then be armed at all points 
 by fearing your God. 
 
 " ' Wisdom,' says Seneca, ' is a right un- 
 derstanding, a faculty of discerning good 
 from evil, what is to be chosen and what 
 rejected ; it sets a watch over our word^ 
 and deeds ; it informs us of all the duties 
 of life, as piety to our parents, faithfulness 
 to our friends, charity to the miserable, 
 judgment in counsel : it searches nature, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 17 
 
 gives laws to life, and tells us that it is not 
 enough to know God or His will, unless we 
 obey Him.' 
 
 " This I conceive to be the true defini- 
 tion. Let us both with eagerness endeavour 
 to attain it ; for we are told in the Proverbs 
 of Solomon that wisdom is of more value 
 than gold. Let us in our youth endeavour 
 to learn, although it be painful ; for it is 
 less pain for a man to learn in his youth, 
 than in his age to be ignorant. Sobriety 
 is another grand point, a virtue of which 
 permit me to congratulate you in the 
 possession ; for wine and wisdom cannot 
 agree, they being two contraries. 
 
 " I had a very affectionate letter last 
 week from Dr. Geach. He is an invaluable 
 man, and of genius and learning not to be 
 equalled in the whole world. 
 
 " I was yesterday over Bedlam Hospital : 
 it is a favour to be admitted. I was some 
 time since introduced to the governor, 
 whose name is Rixon, He yesterday call- 
 ed, and very politely offered to take me in 
 
 VOL. I. c 
 
18 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his carriage, and invited me to dine ; but 
 I have no time to spare for dinners. I saw 
 Margaret Nicholson, who, you know, made 
 an attempt to kill the king. She is a hand- 
 some woman, has black eyes, and is of 
 middling stature. She talked very ration- 
 ally with me for some time, and I sat down 
 in her cell. Speaking of the extreme cold, 
 she said she supposed it was January in 
 London as well as there. — I likewise saw 
 Stone, who, if you recollect, fell in love 
 with the Princess Royal. Although he is 
 perfectly mad, he makes very neat straw 
 mats, some of which I bought as curiosi- 
 ties, and intend taking them, if I live to 
 return, to Devonshire with me." 
 
 In a letter to his sister he says, "Re- 
 turn my thanks for my dear mother's bless- 
 ing, with my affectionate duty. If you 
 have been introduced to Dr. Geach, I 
 think it is a great honour. I had a few 
 days since a most valuable letter from him. 
 
 " You will not in this letter find a scrap 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 19 
 
 of poetry, to let you see I can write with- 
 out ; which, from former experience, might 
 be doubted. . , . Study is the delight and 
 soul of man : it keeps the mind in active 
 energy, and prevents evil. I do therefore 
 conceive that the close application to study 
 in youth is essentially necessary to the 
 health and welfare of mankind, as well as 
 to one's own happiness, and therefore to 
 be carefully pursued. 
 
 " Improve yourself as much as you can : 
 read deliberately, and think on what you 
 read. Let the generality of novels pass by ; 
 and the few which the fashion of the age 
 may compel you to read, let reason and 
 judgment preside over. The romantic love- 
 sick tales related to fill up the book make 
 it pleasing to the tender, foolish female. 
 But stop; — I am not paying due respect 
 to the sex, and could I blot out the ex- 
 pression, I would do so ; therefore regard 
 it not, my dear sister." 
 
 c 2 
 
20 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Mr. Knighton's return to Devonshire. — Appointed Assist- 
 ant-Surgeon to the Royal Naval Hospital. — Correspond- 
 
 ' ence in Rhyme. — Death of Dr. Geach. — Mr. Knighton's 
 Law-suit against his Uncle. — He settles in Devonport — 
 His Medical Practice. — Extracts from Letters to Mrs. T. 
 
 On Mr. Knighton's return to Devon- 
 shire, his excellent friend Dr. Geach took 
 him entirely under his own protection and 
 roof, with the intention, as his own words 
 expressed, " to model you as I like, intro- 
 duce you into life and business, and make 
 your talents known." 
 
 In the beginning of the year 1797 he 
 procured him an appointment as assistant- 
 surgeon to the Royal Naval Hospital, and 
 also obtained a diploma from the Univer- 
 sity of Aberdeen for an essay on putrid 
 fever by his young friend. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 21 
 
 About this period of Mr. Knighton's life, 
 it was his custom to correspond with a very 
 talented young friend in rhyme. The fol- 
 lowing is extracted from a rough copy of 
 one of these letters, which was probably 
 the last, as the composition required more 
 time and study than could be bestowed 
 after his professional duty commenced with 
 Dr. Geach and the hospital : 
 
 " Since me the Muses thus forsake, 
 An humbler beaten track I take: 
 Disease in every dreadful form 
 Bids me the healing art perform. 
 Oh ! how I wish for deeper skill, 
 For science suited to my will I 
 An anguished mother sends a prayer, 
 And makes her infant child my care ; 
 The child, her languid mother nigh, 
 Calls tearful sorrow from my eye. 
 To enter still the cave of pain, 
 Though direful all, I ne'er refrain ; 
 Where crowded sons together lie. 
 Frail sons and heirs to misery, — 
 W' here woes descend from race to race, 
 And heed not either time or place/' 
 
 The weakness and infirmities of age 
 were fast stealing on his benefactor, and he 
 had the gratification of relieving him from 
 
22 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 much fatigue; whilst at the same time he 
 had the prospect of laying in a store of in- 
 formation, from the doctor's learning and 
 experience. Within a few months, how- 
 ever, and before he had time and oppor- 
 tunity to be introduced to many of Dr. 
 Geach's most important and influential 
 friends, he was deprived of him in a mo- 
 ment by sudden death, and was left with- 
 out patron, guide, or money, and with the 
 additional embarrassment of a suit at law, 
 which he had been obliged to undertake 
 against his uncle Knighton, who, though 
 in great affluence, refused to give up a 
 small estate, which, having been purchased 
 by his grandfather, and not given by will 
 to his son, was the right of the grandson, 
 as heir-at-law, and was in the end yielded 
 up to him. 
 
 It now became necessary that Dr. Knigh- 
 ton should settle, and at the end of 1797 
 he purchased a small house in the best 
 part of Devonport, and commenced his 
 professional career, being then at the age 
 
SIR WILLIAxM KNIGHTON. £3 
 
 of twenty-one. His person was handsome, 
 and he bore a thoughtful cast of counte- 
 nance, which gave the impression of more 
 advanced maturity ; and this impression 
 was most favourable to his immediate and 
 rapid success, for with youth is naturally 
 associated inexperience — and his youth had 
 l)een one of the objections started against 
 him. 
 
 His learned and benevolent predecessor* 
 was much beloved and esteemed by his 
 patients, but, from some cause or other, 
 was very unpopular with his medical bre- 
 tliren ; and Dr. Knigliton, as his protege 
 and successor, had to undergo some oppo- 
 sition from tlie least liberal of the profes- 
 sion. But lie overcame all the ill-founded 
 
 * Dr. Gcarli luul ])y Ins kindness and humanity the power of 
 strongly attaching to himself tlic poor sick and wounded sailors 
 in the hospital ; and to this feeling he on one occasion probably 
 owed the preservation of his life. He was proceeding alone at 
 a late hour one night to a patient at the outskirts of the town, 
 where a murder and frequent robberies liad been committed, 
 when he was stopped by two men, and nearlj^ dragged off his 
 horse. On seeing his fiice, one of the men exclaimed, It 
 is Dr. Geach ! ' and they immediately left him and ran oif. 
 
24 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 reports of disqualification, inexperience, 
 &c. and was soon received by some of the 
 most respectable families in the town and 
 country, by whom, and by the occasional 
 naval, military, and other visitants to the 
 place, his time was completely occupied. 
 
 Amongst those friends of his late patron 
 to whom he was at this period most in- 
 debted, was the family of P. T. Esq. resid- 
 ing some miles distant from Devonport. 
 Mrs. T. sister to the late Sir Harry T. was 
 a person highly educated, and of superior 
 sense and judgment. Dr. Knighton was 
 early honoured by her confidence and 
 friendship ; and his appreciation of her 
 character, and his sense of his obligations 
 to her, are expressed in his correspondence 
 with that lady, with which the editor has 
 been kindly entrusted. The following ex- 
 tracts tend to show that the general ad- 
 vancement of his career was not won with- 
 out persevering industry, nor without the 
 penalties which talent and success so fre- 
 quently bring on their possessors. It 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 25 
 
 should be previously mentioned, that in 
 the year 1800 Dr. Knighton married the 
 youngest daughter of the late Captain 
 Hawker, of the Royal Navy. 
 
 The following are extracts from letters 
 written to Mrs. T. 
 
 " DEAR MADAM, 
 
 " CoMPM.MKNTs are so nearly allied to 
 falsehood, that they seldom appear to ad- 
 vantage U])on ])aper ; for who can bear to 
 read fiction unless it tends to some good 
 purpose ? Tlie face of sincerity and truth 
 is easily discovc^red by its superior dignity 
 and mien : tlie tah^ tliat I liave already 
 told you with honesty 1 now tell you again, 
 that I am ever delighted when I hear from 
 you ; and this delight has been renewed by 
 your admirable letter of to-day. 
 
 " ]\)ur hours' sleep strengthens me suffi- 
 cientlv for the labours of another dav ; and 
 it is thus that I gain that time which others 
 lose. 1 liave had a long and tedious day : I 
 have listened to the stories of between fifty 
 
2G MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and sixty sick-beds. Some I have found 
 well stored with honesty and candour, 
 some with duplicity and deceit, some with 
 caprice, others with violence and vexation ; 
 in fact, I found in all — almost all — Pope's 
 beautiful and comprehensive line, 
 
 * Hate, fear i and grief y — the family of pain.* 
 
 Here are instructive views for the observ- 
 ing mind. I think I seldom pass a day 
 among them but I learn something useful. 
 By a good fire, and with a peaceful mind, 
 then, I shall throw off everything to con- 
 verse with you for an hour. I wish you 
 lived at the next door. Yes, Mrs. Knighton 
 can tell you of what use is your superior 
 understanding, — to give instruction to 
 your daughters, and delight to yourself ; to 
 add a lasting pleasure to those whose minds 
 are congenial with your own, with whom 
 you are in the bonds of friendship ; to im- 
 prove the understanding of the young 
 whom you regard, and to stimulate to the 
 pursuit of useful knowledge ; to bring you 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 27 
 
 comfort in your more serious moments, and 
 pious satisfaction in your last. 
 
 "When Dr. Johnson (that wonder of 
 wonders) was suddenly seized in the night 
 with a paralytic affection, and thus de- 
 prived of the power of speech, the first 
 thing he did was to compose a prayer in 
 Latin verse; and when he found his un- 
 derstanding and genius perfect, he was sa- 
 tisfied, and waited with pious fortitude for 
 the restoration of that which Providence 
 had thought proper to take away. 
 
 " I shall be pleased and thankful to see 
 what Mrs. Greville says to Indifference. I 
 have never met with it. In fact, the busi- 
 ness of my leisure hours in the last three 
 years of my life has been with volumes of 
 the ancients : from them I have formed my 
 mind ; from them my plans for the con- 
 templation of nature has been formed ; and 
 what further knowledge I possess in medi- 
 cine I have derived from persevering in 
 the laconic answer given me by Dr. Geach, 
 when I asked what further I should do 
 
28 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 with respect to it. ' Scan your patient well ; 
 and/ said he, ' when you have done that, 
 take Sydenham's advice to Dr. Blackmore, 
 and read with great attention Don Quix- 
 ote/ And I think his advice was almost 
 right. 
 
 " What you say of the pieces addressed 
 to Miss O. is just 
 
 * Some, to whom heaven in wit has been profuse, 
 Want as much more to turn it to its use ; 
 For wit and judgment often are at strife^ 
 Though meant each other's aid, hke man and wife/ 
 
 . . . . " There is one part of your let- 
 ter that deserves my particular attention — 
 nay, it deserves my thanks ; and that part I 
 am now come to. It is the advice you so 
 kindly impress on my mind respecting 
 piety ; and it is impressed in such a way, 
 and with such elegance, that I shall not 
 easily forget it. So that I hope, whenever 
 I may ask myself where my country lies, 
 like Anaxagoras I may answer by pointing 
 with my finger to the heavens.'' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 29 
 
 " DEAR MADAM, 
 
 " The folio paper you notice was pro- 
 cured that I might have room to commu- 
 nicate my thoughts whenever I wrote to 
 you ; the golden edge I thought a decora- 
 tion you richly deserve ; and by the folio 
 size I wish to be understood that it con- 
 tains the very largest edition of my friend- 
 ship ; and by its breadth, the wide extent 
 of pleasure I feel by being indulged to re- 
 ceive and communicate with one in whose 
 thoughts and conversation I delight. Many 
 a folio sheet, I hope, will pass before it 
 proves ' the last.' 
 
 "Dr. Johnson observes, there is some- 
 thing truly affecting in the idea and ex- 
 pression of " the last'' If you do not just 
 recollect what he says in his final paper of 
 the Idler, turn to it, read it, and suffer the 
 melancholy which he must have felt at the 
 time he wrote it. Whether it was his wife's 
 or his mother's death that put a stop to 
 this valuable periodical paper, I do not now 
 
30 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 recollect. In the history of his life I am 
 not well versed. BoswelPs account I have 
 never read, and Murphy's essay I have 
 almost forgotten. 
 
 " To the question of your friend relating 
 to me, ' Do you know his Jiistoi^y I answer. 
 Few do, I believe, and scarcely he himself 
 He is indebted to Providence for what he 
 possesses, and to industry and application 
 for what he may else have obtained. At one 
 time he was in a measure deserted by the 
 world, and a consultation was held whether 
 he and his infant sister should be commit- 
 ted to the care of the parish. Before the 
 sun had shone two years on one, and one 
 year on the other, they were left orphans ; 
 and the father that was thus deprived of 
 life had spent in irregularity and intemper- 
 ance a comfortable independence, and died 
 at the age of twenty-nine. Reflection was 
 the inheritance of those he left behind, — 
 probably of more value than gold. My 
 grandfather, whose death immediately fol- 
 lowed my father's, died, possessed of much 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 31 
 
 wealth, in misery, because his fancy sug- 
 gested that he had done nothing for us 
 orphans : but it proved otherwise. To him 
 I am indebted for the fortune I possess, 
 which educated me, and brought me to 
 that whicli I now attempt to profess. A 
 part of this fortune was attempted to be 
 kept from me by my father's younger bro- 
 ther ; but it has been happily recovered 
 since I have l3een in this place. 
 
 " The stories that have been told of me 
 have been beyond everything wonderful. 
 'Tis l)ut of little consequence. The motlier 
 of Euripides sold greens for her livelihood, 
 and tlie fatlior of Demosthenes sold knives 
 for tlie same purpose; but does it lessen 
 tlic worth of the men ? Yet, as Johnson 
 observes, ' tlierc is no pleasure in relating 
 stories of })overly ; and when I tell them 
 that my father was an old bookseller, let 
 them l)c content without further inquiry.' 
 Wliat man, now he is dead, did not rejoice 
 at the honour of his acquaintance ? Many 
 w^ould be as proud to handle the pencil of 
 
32 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Titian as the sceptre of the emperor he 
 painted. 
 
 " And now, perhaps you will say, what 
 necessity was there for all this ? To which 
 I reply. Not to satisfy public curiosity, nor 
 to be told again ; but you will perceive that 
 as I write you creep into my confidence, 
 and that when I converse or write to you, 
 I appear to be prating about myself. It 
 will be the better way, when you have read 
 this letter, to burn and forget it, with this 
 reflection on me, — that I from my child- 
 hood have been obliged to think. 
 
 " God bless you ! 
 
 " Ever yours, &c. 
 
 "W. K." 
 
 TO MRS. T. 
 
 « Dear Madam, 
 
 Tell me, is this not a curse ? 
 Say, is their anger or their friendship worse ? 
 To laugh were want of goodness and of grace, 
 And to be grave exceeds all power of face. 
 I sit with sad civility, I read 
 With honest anguish and an aching head. 
 And drop at last, though in unwilling ears, 
 This saving counsel, Keep your peace nine years. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 33 
 
 "As I find you have already had an ac- 
 count how the doctor or doctors intended 
 to disgrace me, a recapitulation of the glo- 
 rious event would be superfluous. The 
 circumstance, as might be expected, has 
 been of much service to me ; and those 
 who intended by this weak and silly con- 
 duct to clip my wings, have found that 
 the mischief has fallen on themselves. Oh ! 
 how often do I find dear Dr. Geach's sen- 
 tence verified, ' Everything that is wrong 
 punishes itself!' From the man who offered 
 me this insult I have received what may 
 be called three apologies, and an invitation 
 to dine. He has told me the estimation in 
 which he holds my professional talents, the 
 great regard he has for me, and the ge- 
 neral good opinion he entertains of me. I 
 listened; but I consider a slanderer less 
 hurtful than a flatterer : 
 
 * For of all creatures, if the learn'd are right, 
 It is the siaver kills, and not the bite.' 
 
 His conduct may be passed by ; and I hope 
 I shall ever retain the wise maxim, ^ Wis- 
 
 VOL. I. D 
 
34 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dom is first pure, then peaceable.' During 
 the whole of this affair I have remained 
 quiet, and suffered the public to draw their 
 own conclusions. Whatever you may hear, 
 dear madam, let not your friendship say 
 one word in my favour. 
 
 " I must decline your kind invitation. I 
 cannot be absent at this time, on account 
 of poor Mrs. J. R. The happiness of a 
 whole family depends upon the welfare of 
 this amiable young lady.* 
 
 * The case of this lady excited general commiseration. 
 Her husband, a captain in the Royal Navy, sailed to cruise 
 in the Channel a few weeks after his marriage, and his 
 ship was supposed to have been upset in a heavy gale which 
 occurred shortly after. Hope against probability was long 
 in preventing the termination of that state of terrible sus- 
 pense which had nearly proved fatal to the unhappy widow. 
 She gave birth to a son, and withdrawing entirely from so- 
 ciety, she devoted herself to him. He proved in every sense 
 all she could have desired : he entered the Church, was ap- 
 pointed to a living in Devonshire, and his great happiness 
 was in establishing his beloved mother in his own home. 
 But mysterious are the ways of Providence! Within a 
 short period after, he took leave of her for a day or two to 
 visit a friend, and was found dead on the following morning, 
 from the rupture of a vessel connected with the heart. The 
 bereaved parent has survived him several years ; and though 
 the bodily frame is wasted and the solace of health has been 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 35 
 
 " The life of Petrarch is before me, and 
 he writes thus to his Laura : ' I began 
 this letter with the day, and with the day 
 I will end it. I have prolonged my con- 
 versation with you, because it is delightful 
 to me thus to enjoy your presence, not- 
 withstanding the mountains that separate 
 us.' This I would say to you with as much 
 sincerity as it was ever uttered by Petrarch. 
 Thank Mr. T. with my kind regards for his 
 letter. Young David is a prodigy. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 "dear madam, 
 
 " At this period of my life, (as my face is 
 not yet sanctioned by years,) much delicacy 
 and difficulty often arises within myself 
 in delivering my opinion to medical men, 
 whose understandings may be matured by 
 
 long unfelt, the mind is full of peace and resignation, and 
 the amiable sufferer has been enabled to acknowledge, that 
 in the most trying dispensations of Providence the afflicted 
 Christian may call on the promised Comforter, and will not 
 call in vain. 
 
 VOL. I. r> 2 
 
36 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 age or ignorance. Often to my recollection 
 does it bring this happy epigram of Plato, 
 and as happily translated, 
 
 * If length of beard much wisdom doth denote. 
 Yield, yield, great sire, your wisdom to the goat.' 
 
 " That experience in the practice of phy- 
 sic is of service, I believe no one will deny ; 
 but if diseases are not watched with the 
 strictest observance to the rules, efforts, 
 and laws of nature, great practice will not 
 much increase knowledge, nor years bring 
 skill. A man may be richer, but not wiser. 
 In this country, (with sorrow be it men- 
 tioned,) the old school of physicians, that 
 were guided by reason and influenced by 
 facts, tottered when Huxham died, and 
 vanished when Geach fell. In those, as 
 learning presided over their judgment, na- 
 ture felt the influence of their skill. There 
 are not many of that denomination, I be- 
 lieve, remaining in London ; and in those 
 ' the keepers of the house begin to tremble.' 
 
 " Will you tell Mr. T. that I wish much 
 to see him by accident, that I may inquire 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 37 
 
 if he has ever experienced the good effects 
 of salting damaged hay ? 
 
 " I am attending the President of the 
 Board of Agriculture, who is quite full of 
 it (as most men are full of new things) ; 
 and I know not, if I were to write an essay 
 on the good effects of salt, if it might not 
 bring me into furtlier repute. We might 
 hand it down from the ancients, with most 
 veiieral)lc memory, for Lucretius, from its 
 wonderful use, named it panacea ; and the 
 ancient pagans had flour and salt mixed 
 togetlier to l)e thrown upon their victims ; 
 and you know it was a command also given 
 to the cliildren of Israel, never to offer sa- 
 crifices without salt. Mr. Pitt seems to 
 have had a wisli to preserve it sacred by 
 his taxation on it." 
 
 " DEAR MRS. r. 
 
 " Whenkvlr 1 hear from you, it is an 
 inexpressible source of happiness ; for it 
 often makes me pleased with myself. 
 
38 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " I wish I could see Captain again. 
 
 He is just the man I should have wished 
 to talk to Mrs. K. because he does not 
 praise without observation, nor criticise 
 without leading to improvement. I think 
 him a person with a superior mind, labour- 
 ing under hypochondriacal affections. He 
 says he shall travel through Italy and Hol- 
 land, as well as France, to see all the ca- 
 pital collections of pictures. I think that 
 will do him good ; because knowledge is 
 certainly one of the means of pleasure, as is 
 confessed by the natural desire which every 
 mind feels of increasing its ideas. Igno- 
 rance is mere privation, by which nothing 
 is produced : it is a vacuity, in which the 
 soul sits torpid and motionless for want of 
 attraction ; and, without knowing why, we 
 always rejoice when we learn, and grieve 
 when we forget. I am therefore inclined 
 to conclude, that if nothing counteracts the 
 natural consequence of learning, we grow 
 more happy as our minds take a wider 
 range. .... 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 39 
 
 " We have nearly lost our dear little boy 
 this week from convulsion fits ; but, thank 
 God, he is now better. 
 
 " Believe me ever, &c. 
 
 " DEAR MADAM, 
 
 ^^When I once said something on the 
 word last^ and reflected on its melancholy 
 sound, I then felt what I now feel, — a dis- 
 tress that this correspondence must at some 
 time cease When Mr. rob- 
 bed Ambrose Philips of his royal dignity as 
 prince of namby-pamby, which was be- 
 stowed on him by Pope, perhaps he forgot 
 the good lines contained in Shenstone's 
 ' Schoolmistress and surely his pastoral 
 ballad demands particular notice ' In the 
 first part,' says Dr. Johnson, ' are two pass- 
 ages, to which if any mind denies its sym- 
 pathy, it has no acquaintance with love or 
 nature.' I allude to where it begins. 
 
40 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 < I prized every hour that went by 
 
 Beyond all that had pleased me before ; 
 But now they are past, and I sigh, 
 
 And I grieve that I prized them no more." 
 
 I quote from memory ; but I believe it is 
 correct. 
 
 " The violets are carefully enfolded in 
 the letter to which they belong. They 
 came to me quite withered, and brought to 
 my recollection Prior's beautiful garland, 
 
 ' Such as they are to-day, 
 Such we, alas ! may be to-morrow.' 
 
 " I am a little distressed in mind at the 
 loss of a very ingenious friend, who by ac- 
 cident was on board the Queen Charlotte 
 when she blew up. Melancholy and dread- 
 ful catastrophe ! 
 
 * Sons of Amphion ! by one general sweep 
 Hurl'd into air, and deluged in the deep.' 
 
 " To-day is Thursday. This is written 
 and quite ready to deliver to the office ; 
 but I shall delay it till to-morrow, that you 
 may not receive it on Friday. To-morrow 
 is a sacred day ; and that day three years, 
 poor Dr. Geach and I rose at five o'clock 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 41 
 
 in the morning to visit the sick in the hos- 
 pital, that we might attend divine worship. 
 When I went to his bedside, he took me 
 by both hands, and said, ' I thank God for 
 the blessings we enjoy, and that we are 
 both alive ; and hope, through the merits of 
 our blessed Lord and Saviour, we shall ob- 
 tain life everlasting.' It was his constant 
 custom on all high festivals that none of 
 his numerous avocations should prevent 
 his attendance on divine worship. Believe 
 me, whatever the whispers of malice and 
 calumny may say, he was venerable for his 
 piety. 
 
 " If you can with propriety, and from 
 yourself, will you ask the following ques- 
 tions of Miss : From whence the ca- 
 nonical hours in use in the Roman Church 
 had their beginning? and whether each 
 canonical hour does not contain three 
 lesser hours, so that in the whole night and 
 day there are eight canonical hours ? . . . 
 
 " I ask these questions, because by the 
 division of the day into four quarters, or 
 
42 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 greater hours, the Evangelists are recon- 
 ciled touching our Saviour s passion. He 
 was crucified at the third hour, Mark xv. 
 25. St. John intimates his examination be- 
 fore Pilate to have been at the sixth hour. 
 In the first place, we must understand by 
 His crucifying, not his hanging on the 
 cross, which was not till the sixth hour, 
 Luke xxiii. 44 ; nor his expiration, which 
 was not till the ninth hour, Mark xv. 34 ; 
 but his examination under Pilate, at which 
 time the people cried out, ' Crucify him, 
 . crucify him and the third and sixth hour 
 will be easily reconciled : for, these two 
 hours immediately following each other, 
 what was done on the third might truly 
 be said to be done on the sixth. This 
 shows, however, that the hours of the J ews 
 were of two sorts, — the lesser containing 
 twelve hours in the day, the other four. 
 But there appears to have been, notwith- 
 standing what you tell me, but three hours 
 of prayer, — the third, sixth, and ninth ; the 
 third instituted by Abraham, the sixth by 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 43 
 
 Isaac, and the ninth by Jacob. The third 
 hour, the Holy Ghost descended upon the 
 apostles ; about the sixth, Peter went up 
 to the house-top to pray ; at the ninth, 
 Peter and John went into the temple. 
 
 " Providence has given, no doubt, almost 
 to all some peculiar talent, whereby they 
 may become useful to mankind. All in 
 general feel that peculiar influence. Mr. 
 Hammick (if I may be allowed the expres- 
 sion) was born with the knife in his hand ; 
 and I hope it will be deemed neither va- 
 nity nor presumption to say, that I have 
 ever felt a peculiar talent for the study of 
 physic. In the practice of it I always feel 
 at home. The common routine adapted 
 to common complaints never cost me an 
 hour's trouble ; but the investigation of 
 the ancient physicians (without which ex- 
 cellence dare not be aimed at) has cost me 
 many a night's toil, and will cost me still 
 many more. All this you may readily be- 
 lieve, when you know, and you only^ that 
 I was but twenty when Dr. Geach died. 
 
44 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 When he was alive, his assistance in dis- 
 tress could always be had ; when he was 
 no more, the Stoic maxim, which you have 
 before heard me apply on a different occa- 
 sion, I was obliged to have recourse to, 
 ' that what I wanted, I was forced to bor- 
 row from myself.' 
 
 " It is somewhat strange, that though in 
 many arts and sciences improvement has 
 advanced in a step of regular progression 
 from the first moment of their invention ; 
 in others, it has kept no pace with time, 
 and we look back to ancient excellence 
 with wonder not unmixed with awe. Me- 
 dicine seems to be one of these ill-fated 
 arts whose improvement bears no propor- 
 tion to its antiquity. This is lamentably 
 true, although anatomy has been better 
 illustrated, the materia medica enlarged, 
 and chemistry better understood." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 45 
 
 " MY DEAR MRS. T. 
 
 "Since the commencement of my sin- 
 cere friendship for you, I have in no in- 
 stance felt your kindness more than by the 
 inclosure of your letter to Sir Harry. After 
 reading it, I can say nothing of your mind 
 nor your resignation ; they surpass all praise. 
 Lipsius, the great master of the Stoic phi- 
 losophy, in his admirable treatise on stea- 
 diness of mind, endeavours to fortify the 
 breast against too much sensibility of mis- 
 fortune by relating the evils and calamities 
 wliicli liave at all times fallen upon all ages 
 of tlie world ; and I think the voice of the 
 multitude seems to justify the procedure : 
 ' for one of the first comforts,' savs Dr. 
 Johnson, ' which one neighbour adminis- 
 ters to another is a relation, of the like in- 
 felicity, combined with circumstances of 
 greater bitterness/ 
 
 * How oft in vain the son of Theseus said, 
 The stormy sorrows be with patience laid. 
 Nor are thy fortunes to be wept alone : 
 Weigh others' woes, and learn to bear thy own.* 
 
46 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " I am but just returned from the grave 
 wherein have been deposited this morning 
 the remains of poor Captain Twisden of 
 the Revolutionnaire frigate. 
 
 " Mrs. Twisden was confined about five 
 weeks since, and with difficulty came here 
 about ten days since to see her husband, 
 who was in tolerable health and good spi- 
 rits. On Thursday week she took leave of 
 him (alas ! never to meet again on this 
 earth). The next day, Captain Twisden 
 went to sea: on Saturday about twelve 
 o'clock he dropt down and died ; on Sun- 
 day he was brought in here, and, as I have 
 just told you, to-day his funeral rites were 
 performed. 
 
 " Thus, when w^e look abroad and behold 
 the multitudes that groan under miseries 
 as heavy, or heavier than those we our- 
 selves have experienced, we shrink back to 
 our own state, and, instead of repining that 
 so much must be felt, learn to rejoice that 
 we have not more to feel. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 47 
 
 "The good opinion, the anxiety, the 
 everything I had formed about your dear 
 hoy^ arose from a thousand circumstances 
 and little traits, that strongly marked in 
 my mind something superior in his way of 
 proceeding, and something desirable in his 
 heart ; but all is now past.* I trust God 
 will support you and Mr. T. under this 
 bitterness of grief. 
 
 " God bless you ! Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K," 
 
 " DEAR MRS. T. 
 
 " How little do we know what we shall 
 do on the morrow ! That morrow on 
 which I promised to write to you in my 
 last letter, my dearest little boy was taken 
 ill, and this night he closed his eyes for 
 ever. The affliction of his poor parents is 
 
 * This lady's son, a midshipman^ a very fine boy^ went 
 to sea in the Courageaux, fell overboard^ and could not be 
 saved. 
 
48 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 very great. I can at present write nor say 
 more ; but pray believe me 
 
 " Your affectionate friend, 
 
 Jan. 20th, 1 802." 
 " dear MRS. T. 
 
 " You ought to have received my thanks 
 for your many kind letters before now ; but 
 my spirits have been so oppressed, that I 
 have not had sufficient power of myself to 
 do that which I wished, and what I ought 
 to have done. Frequently have I told you 
 that I never received one of your letters 
 but with indescribable gratification. Be- 
 lieve me, to the full extent did I feel this 
 when I received your first letter after the 
 death of my dearest dear little boy. 
 
 " The most afflicting miseries that attend 
 mankind are in general, I think, produced 
 by death ; yet we form schemes and pro- 
 jects as if we could command that life 
 which Almighty power can alone give or 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 49 
 
 take. The duties of my profession ought, 
 I confess, to teach me consolation in my 
 present affliction, when every day's expe- 
 rience shows me the uncertainty of human 
 life, and how little is attached to human 
 skill and human wisdom. Perhaps scarcely 
 half the babes that see the light survive 
 their first, second, or third year ; and if we 
 weigh well this instance of Providence, I 
 think the eye of mercy is visible ; for what 
 can be greater goodness than to bless the 
 innocent, and to secure still more happi- 
 ness to the happy ? 
 
 " Yet, notwithstanding all this, death 
 and separation are terrible indeed to the 
 fond parent and friend. The cultivation 
 of religion, however, can somewhat soften 
 these afflictions. Zeno rejoiced that a ship- 
 wreck had thrown him on the Athenian 
 coast, as he owed to the loss of his fortune 
 the acquisition which he made of religion, 
 virtue, wisdom, and immortality. Resigna- 
 tion to the will of God is true magnani- 
 mity. When afflictions fail to have their 
 
 VOL. I. E 
 
50 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 due effect, the case is desperate. They 
 may be considered as the last remedy of a 
 benevolent Providence. The beautiful lines 
 of an ancient poet (but w^hich lose some of 
 their beauty by the translation) are, 
 
 ' Parent of good ! master of the world I 
 Wherein thy providence directs, behold 
 My steps with cheerful resignation turn. 
 Why should I grieve, when grieving I must bear 
 Or take with guilt, what guiltless I might share ?' 
 
 " As we both are now suffering alike, my 
 dear friend, I hope I have not tired you by 
 this strain of writing. My kind regards to 
 Mr. T. Mrs. K. desires to be most kindly 
 remembered to you. 
 
 " Believe me, &c. 
 
 " W. K.'' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 5I 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Dr. Knighton's removal to London. — Letter from Dr. 
 Hawker. — Difficulties in establishing a Medical Practice. 
 — Letter to Mrs. T. — Unexpected embarrassment. — Re- 
 moval to Edinburgh. — Letter from the late Mr. North- 
 cote. 
 
 It will be seen by some of the foregoing 
 extracts that the difficulties were various 
 which Dr. Knighton had to contend with ; 
 but all were subdued by firmness and the 
 most scrupulous correctness of conduct. 
 In 1803 he determined to remove to Lon- 
 don. To this he was partly induced by 
 the great fatigue of country practice, and 
 by a wish for a more extensive sphere of 
 occupation ; but what perhaps chiefly in- 
 fluenced him was a desire of change of 
 scene, after the death of his little boy. On 
 this occasion a letter found amongst Sir 
 
 E 2 
 
52 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 William's papers may probably be read 
 with interest. It was from a late emi- 
 nent and learned divine. Though there 
 may have been some diversity of opi- 
 nion respecting his doctrinal views, it 
 may be said that he was a sincere and 
 pious Christian. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 "Be assured that I never heard till yes- 
 terday that death had made a breach in 
 your family ; otherwise I should have as- 
 sumed the freedom of a friend, and paid 
 you somewhat more than the ceremonious 
 visit of condolence. 
 
 " It struck me just now that that part of 
 my Pilgrim where the paper is put in 
 might say somewhat, under grace, to soothe 
 dear Mrs. Knighton's mind and yours un- 
 der this bereaving providence. It is said 
 that music sounds sweetest upon the wa- 
 ters ; and sure I am, by experience, that 
 the melody of the gospel is most pleasingly 
 felt when the soul is on the billows of 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 53 
 
 affliction, and the natural harp is hung 
 upon the willows. 
 
 " I beg you to accept the accompanying 
 copy of my little work, in token of my 
 esteem. And very earnestly desiring the 
 God of all grace to make this call of His 
 to minister to His glory, and yours and 
 Mrs. Knighton's welfare, 
 " I remain, dear sir, 
 
 " In the humblest of words, 
 " Your servant in Christ, 
 
 " Robert Hawker." 
 
 Lord's Day, noon, July 24, 1802." 
 
 It was a serious risk to quit an esta- 
 blished practice for one merely prospective ; 
 more particularly as Dr. Knighton was 
 known only to a limited number of per- 
 sons in town. His difficulties proved, 
 indeed, to be greater than he had antici- 
 pated; though he had every reason to be 
 grateful for the exertion and patronage of 
 those who had encouraged his removal 
 from Devonshire. 
 
54 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The annexed letter to his friend Mrs 
 T. gives a curious but true account of his 
 first arrival. 
 
 ^' MY DEAR MRS. 
 
 " I MUST crave your forgiveness for in- 
 tentionally deceiving you. It is the first 
 time, and in all probability will be the last : 
 but when I said I should see you speedily 
 at Goodamoor, I knew I should not ; for 
 indeed I could not take leave of you. 
 Friendship (the brightest virtue) has kin- 
 dled in my breast a regard so sincere and 
 affectionate, that I chose to take leave of 
 Goodamoor by looking steadily towards it 
 as I passed, rather than by a nearer ap- 
 proach. In doing this, I had time suffi- 
 cient to contemplate the numberless in- 
 stances of yours and Mr. T.'s kindness, 
 friendship, and goodness towards me. If 
 the heart could explain its feelings, it 
 would say sufficient. Farewell, Devonshire ; 
 but not, I hope, to your friendship. I trust 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 55 
 
 I may hear its sound in many diXidi frequent 
 sheets. Pray let it be so. 
 
 " Well, my dear Mrs. T. here I am, bent 
 for what purpose I know not. This I am 
 certain of, that if I am to cut a conspicuous 
 figure in this world of worlds, it cannot be 
 more so than on my arrival at Blake's 
 Hotel in Jermyn-street. I think I looked 
 like Fag the actor, or the Vicar of Wake- 
 field's Moses ; for having only one coat 
 (and that not very new), I had the misfor- 
 tune to divide part of the sleeve from the 
 body, and in that trim I made my entree. 
 The people hesitated to receive me ; but 
 at last my voice got the better of my figure, 
 and I desired the waiter not to be fright- 
 ened. The man stared, for he looked like 
 a nobleman compared to me. He inquired 
 of the servant if I did not belong to the 
 navy; for they had had many arrivals 
 lately of gentlemen in that line with very 
 similar costumes. The servant had sense 
 enough to say I was a gentleman living on 
 
56 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 my fortune ; which perhaps just now is 
 true enough. I have, however, metamor- 
 phosed my head and my dress, and I do 
 assure you ' I am now a very, very re- 
 spectable-looking figure/ 
 
 An unexpected embarrassment arose 
 from the Royal College of Physicians, 
 which Dr. Knighton thus related in a 
 letter to his wife, then on a visit to her 
 mother in Devonshire. 
 
 " I MUST now mention a circumstance of 
 no small anxiety in the incidents of our 
 life ; namely, that of the college : for, having 
 pushed everything as far as I can, and 
 taken the most serious advice of my own 
 judgment and reflection on the subject, I 
 have resolved forthwith to go to Edin- 
 burgh, there to remain and take my doc- 
 tor's degree according to the statutes of 
 the Royal College of Physicians. Some 
 temporary loss we may sustain ; but I am 
 aware we shall in the end be well repaid. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 57 
 
 Oppression (and it is agreed on all hands 
 that this is most oppressive) generally 
 rouses the breast of the virtuous and in- 
 dustrious with indignation, and determined 
 zeal to overcome all difficulties. This, I 
 confess, I now feel in a stronger degree 
 than ever ; and nothing but the cessation 
 of life shall ever make me relinquish the 
 object I have in view. I am in pursuit, I 
 know, of fame and fortune, and virtue 
 and industry must obtain them. 
 
 " The world may laugh at the folly of 
 ambition ; but it appears to me that the 
 purposes for which we were sent upon this 
 planet are to prepare for that place of 
 purity and immortal bliss which will be 
 enjoyed by the pure hereafter ; and what 
 remains to be done after this is to fill up 
 the vacuity of time in the most useful 
 manner to ourselves and society. 
 
 " In doing this, all that counteracts indo- 
 lence and depravity must be meritorious. 
 If I acquire fame, something that renders 
 
58 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 me famous must be useful to mankind : if 
 I acquire riches, they will be pleasant, if 
 not necessary, to those that follow me. It 
 has been said that riches can keep out but 
 one evil, namely, poverty ; but it has been 
 well observed by a sensible woman, ' What 
 good can they not let in ?' 
 
 " I know that everything that is valu- 
 able must have its price. To that I sub- 
 mit, as every virtuous mind must wish to 
 do, to gain that which of all things is most 
 desirable,— pre-eminence in that profession 
 which one has chosen to undertake. Dr, 
 
 told me in his carriage to-day, that 
 
 he had no doubt whatever of my success, 
 and that this journey would operate 
 strongly to my advantage. What a store 
 of knowledge shall I add ! 
 
 " Industry and determined application 
 must succeed. There is always a gap in 
 the hedge that a man may step into : for 
 some men are indolent from having a small 
 competency, some are entirely so from in- 
 clination or constitution ; others may be 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 59 
 
 industrious, but success is counteracted by 
 grossness of manner, or some low vice. So, 
 you see, vacancies will always occur, and the 
 man who brings himself contrary to all 
 this must and will gain his object. When 
 Erskine began to study the law, he was 
 thirty, and surrounded by poverty; but 
 that made him successful, for necessity al- 
 ways begets power. Sir Joshua Reynolds 
 began late; and the present Dr. D. who 
 is now at the head of his profession and 
 worth ninety thousand pounds, had no 
 practice whatever until he had passed the 
 age of forty. Records without number 
 might be told. Thus, then, my dearest D. 
 you see the road that lies before us, and 
 what we have to do. We must go on with- 
 out dismay, and never look behind until 
 we have gained the summit. 
 
 " I can attach no blame to myself what- 
 ever respecting the want of foresight, as 
 the college never carried this oppressive 
 law into execution until my arrival in 
 London, nor until after my application ; 
 
60 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 nor, farther, did they even intimate in 
 the annual publication of their licentiates, 
 that men possessed of degrees that had 
 not resided should be prevented the be- 
 nefit of their examination, and the li- 
 cence that follows. The same degree 
 that I practise under is held by Sir Wal- 
 ter Farquhar, Dr. Denman, Drs. Clarke, 
 Croft, Batty, Halifax, Babington, and 
 many others. 
 
 " Sir Francis Milman did all he could to 
 serve me. I saw his letter to the Presi- 
 dent : he called me 'a worthy deserving 
 man, a man of talent, and his particular 
 friend.' This was kind, flattering, and 
 pleasing ; but all w^ould not do. However, 
 I am very happy, and in good spirits about 
 it ; and if you meet it with the same firm- 
 ness that I do, it is not worth a thought 
 more. We can live cheaply and comfort- 
 ably, and return to town with new zeal and 
 vigour ; and I can then demand what I have 
 before solicited." 
 
 The resolution once formed, no time 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 was lost by Dr. Knighton in the execution 
 of it. A house which had been purchased 
 and furnished in Argyle-street was dis- 
 posed of, and Dr. and Mrs. Knighton re- 
 paired to Edinburgh, where his studies 
 were pursued with the most unremitting 
 zeal ; volumes of notes and remarks were 
 made from the various lectures of the 
 professors ; and thus was the theoretical 
 knowledge of that science completed, 
 which had before been practically learnt 
 by the bedside of the sick and suffering. 
 
 During Dr. Knighton's residence in 
 Edinburgh he received much attention 
 from some of the principal persons there ; 
 and he had also the gratification of obtain- 
 ing warm expressions of friendship and ap- 
 proval in the correspondence of his friends 
 in England. A letter from the late Mr. 
 James Northcote may probably be read 
 with interest, as it relates principally to 
 the extraordinary excitement which was 
 caused in its day by the young Roscius, 
 Master Betty. 
 
62 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "my dear friend, 
 
 " To write, or not to write ? has been the 
 question : whether it was best to put you to 
 the expense of a letter to Scotland, in 
 which I should not be able to give you 
 matters either interesting or useful, as you 
 are now removed into another world, as it 
 were, and cannot be much concerned in 
 what is passing here ; or, on the contrary, 
 not to write would give you an idea that I 
 had forgotten you and all your kindnesses 
 to me, and nothing can be farther from the 
 reality than such a return : but I hope, if 
 ever that should be in your head, that you 
 will recollect that I have a mortal aversion 
 to write letters, though nobody loves better 
 to receive them ; and if I could with any 
 face desire it, I would beg you to let me 
 know about you very often, for I am more 
 interested about you than your modesty 
 makes you think. I have a thousand and 
 a thousand times since you have been 
 gone found myself in great want of your 
 good advice, your most friendly assistance 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 63 
 
 and most pleasant society ; and I do assure 
 you that I look forward with much impa- 
 tience to the time when you and dear Mrs. 
 Knighton may return to London, which 
 will be no small addition to the happiness 
 of my life. 
 
 I hope Mrs. Knighton does not neglect 
 her studies, and that she meets with oppor- 
 tunities for both study and improvement. 
 I shall expect to see some grand Scotch 
 subjects from her on her return to Lon- 
 don. As to your own progress, I have no 
 doubt but your merits will meet their re- 
 ward. 
 
 "As to news, I do not know what to 
 give you that would be such. Of public 
 affairs you know as much as myself ; and 
 of domestic, perhaps you know all that I 
 can tell you. 
 
 " You know there has been a sad fire at 
 Plymouth, which burnt down the two next 
 houses adjoining to my brother's, and that 
 his house has been nearly demolished, in 
 order to save the whole street ; that all his 
 
64 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 books and fine philosophical instruments 
 have been most terribly broken and lost, 
 and that he cannot live in his house again 
 for some months. But, thank God, his 
 health and spirits are in a good state. 
 
 " The whole attention here has been of 
 late entirely taken up by the young Ros- 
 cius : he and Buonaparte now divide the 
 world, though in our region he has by far 
 the largest part. He has now fifty pounds 
 a night ; but when this short engagement 
 is expired, he is to have a hundred pounds 
 a night, and one or two benefits. He at 
 present gets between four and five thou- 
 sand a year. This is, I believe, the first 
 instance that ever happened in the world 
 since the Creation, of a child so much under 
 age getting such an income by any ability, 
 
 " I think he is very excellent ; his grace- 
 fulness is unparalleled ; and the violence of 
 the desire to see him either on or off the 
 stage is like a madness in the people. I 
 have, by means of Mr. Parker, had him to 
 sit for a full-length portrait, which is now 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 65 
 
 finished. I much wish you and Mrs. 
 Knighton could see it, as it is thought 
 the best picture T have done, and a strong 
 likeness ; but I found him a most impa- 
 tient, restless sitter. It is to be engraved 
 by Heath in the line manner ; the plate to 
 be the sole property of the father of the 
 boy. He is to give Heath eight hundred 
 pounds for doing it, who will be more than 
 a twelvemonth working on it. He says he 
 shall make it the finest plate that has ever 
 been done in England, as he thinks the 
 picture is better calculated for a print than 
 any picture he ever saw. 
 
 " I hope you will not hurt your health 
 by too close an application to your studies. 
 From seven in the morning till five in the 
 evening is much too long ; and then to 
 have nothing but oatmeal to live on, which 
 is the only food to be got, they say, in 
 Scotland. 
 
 " Perhaps you might like I should de- 
 scribe the picture which I have done of the 
 young Roscius. It is a full-length figure, 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
66 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 dressed in a black Vandyke dress, such as 
 he has in acting the character of Hamlet : 
 he is in the action of going up steps to a 
 kind of altar, on which is placed the bust 
 of Shakspeare ; at the bottom of the steps 
 is a tripod, with the smoke of incense burn- 
 ing ; at the other side are the implements 
 of tragedy, viz. dagger, cup, &c. I have 
 seen a good deal of the young Roscius ; 
 have dined in his company several times ; 
 went to the Tower with him and Sir George 
 and Lady Beaumont, where we spent the 
 whole day in seeing sights ; and it was cu- 
 rious to see what a mob of people gathered 
 when he was known : and at the time he 
 goes to the playhouse, a much greater mob 
 is seen than ever there was to see the king 
 pass. 
 
 I do not recollect any more to say, but 
 that I desire my best compliments and 
 love to Mrs. Knighton, and that my sister 
 joins in the same, and that it will always 
 be a very high gratification to us both if 
 you would favour us with a letter now and 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, (37 
 
 then, when it does not intrude too much 
 on your and Mrs. Knighton's time. 
 
 " I think I have novv^ made out a very 
 long letter upon nothing. T wish I could 
 have continued it so as to give you more 
 amusement ; but it will only serve to show 
 my love, and that I think of you all, 
 though absent ; and if I do not write of- 
 ten, pray do not take it ill. 
 
 "If you and Mrs. Knighton see Rae- 
 burn the painter, let me have your opinion 
 of his works. I believe he knows a little of 
 me ; T dined once with him at Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds's. I should like to know if there 
 are many fine portraits in Ilolyrood House, 
 or in any of tlie palaces of the nobility ; 
 and if tliere is anything striking in the at- 
 titudes or desiijns, I wisli Mrs. Knighton 
 would just mark it in her pocket-book with 
 a black-lead pencil. 
 
 " Please to tell Michel the engraver that 
 I wish much to see a proof of the plate of 
 Abercromby, as 1 have never seen anything 
 
 F ^ 
 
68 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of it. We are, thank God, in good health ; 
 and so is Duke (the dog). We pray for 
 you all, and remain, my dear friend, 
 - " Most truly and affectionately yours, 
 
 "James Northcote/' 
 
 Argyll-street, 
 July 28, 1805." 
 
SIR WILLIAM 
 
 KNIGHTON. 
 
 69 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Letters from Dr. Knighton to Mrs. T. — Letter to another 
 Friend. — Return to London. — Dr. Knighton rapidly es- 
 tablished in practice. — Letter to the late Sir Michael 
 Seymour. — Increased practice. 
 
 Dr. Knighton's sudden removal from 
 London to Edinburgh naturally excited 
 much anxiety on the part of his friends : 
 this, however, was greatly allayed by the 
 firmness with which he met so unexpected 
 a necessity. In a letter from Edinburgh 
 to his friend Mrs. T., Dr. Knighton says, 
 
 " Perhaps you were surprised at my leav- 
 ing London. I confess at the time it was 
 not a little distressing to my feelings to 
 be obliged to do so ; but I am most tho- 
 roughly satisfied that I have done right, as 
 it will give me an opportunity of demand- 
 
70 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ing that which I alone seem to have been 
 refused. I most cheerfully persevere, there- 
 fore, against what I have no doubt will be 
 advantageous severities ; and if every effort 
 of human industry, combined with all that 
 an honest and laudable ambition can in- 
 - spire, will lead to success and high emi- 
 nence in my profession, I have little doubt 
 but that 1 shall obtain it ; and I shall then 
 have a further opportunity of acknowledg- 
 ing to you and Mr. T. my great obliga- 
 tions, as two of my first, best, and most 
 sincere friends. 
 
 " I hope to return to town with tenfold 
 advantages. Few people, I believe, who are 
 determined to carry any particular point 
 fail in its accomplishment ; and mine I shall 
 never give up but with my life. 
 
 " The cold at this season is here very 
 severe indeed, which makes it not a little 
 unpleasant ; but Sir Harry would have re- 
 minded me with great propriety, that no- 
 thing should be considered unpleasant at 
 this blessed season." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 71 
 
 The confident anticipations of success 
 entertained in the foregoing letter by Dr, 
 Knighton, were destined to be realized, as 
 will appear in the following extract from a 
 letter to Mrs. T., dated " London.'' 
 
 " Your letters are always delightful to 
 me, and never fail to give me infinite plea- 
 sure. Whilst you can write them, (and I 
 trust God will grant that power to a great 
 length of years,) I hope that you will not 
 suffer this delight to cease, nor the friend- 
 ship with which you have honoured me. 
 How often have I thought of that happy 
 fall which induced you so kindly to inquire 
 after me, and by which I believe I was first 
 encouraged to invite you to that corre- 
 spondence, from which I have derived so 
 much happiness, and I can with truth and 
 much honesty say, refinement and instruc- 
 tion to my mind ! 
 
 " With respect to great learning in the 
 study of physic, I hold it to be the most 
 invaluable friend a man can have ; not 
 
72 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 in the cure of diseases, because many an 
 eminent physician, eminent really in the 
 science, has been formed without it ; as, for 
 instance, the accurate Dr. Hunter, who. 
 Sir Francis Milman told me, could scarcely 
 write a common prescription. The aid it 
 gives, then, is a firmness and self-conse- 
 quence to the mind in difficulties, which 
 notliing can shake, lessen, or overturn. I 
 need not tell you how little depends on 
 learning in recommending you to the 
 fashionable world as a physician ; and I 
 have often thought it was a fine answer of 
 Diogenes, who being asked in mockery 
 why philosophers were the followers of 
 rich men, and not rich men of philosophers, 
 replied, ' Because the one knew what they 
 had need of, and the other did not.' 
 
 "Sir Richard Steele has in one of his 
 papers the following excellent observa- 
 tions : ' It would certainly be difficult to 
 prove that a man of business, or a pro- 
 fession, ought not to be what we call a 
 gentleman ; but yet few of them are so. 
 Upon this account they have little con- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 73 
 
 versation with those who might do them 
 much service, but upon such occasions 
 only as application is made to them in 
 their particular calling ; and for any- 
 thing they can do or say in such matters 
 they have their reward, and therefore 
 rather receive than confer an obligation : 
 whereas he that adds his being agree- 
 able to his being serviceable is constantly 
 in a capacity of obliging others. The cha- 
 racter of a beau is, I think, what the men 
 that pretend to learning please themselves 
 in ridiculing : and yet, if we compare these 
 persons as we see them in public, we shall 
 find that the lettered coxcombs without 
 good breeding give more just cause for rail- 
 lery than the unlettered coxcombs with 
 it ; as our behaviour falls within the judg- 
 ment of more persons than our conversa- 
 tion, and our failure in it is therefore more 
 visible. In short, I am convinced, whether 
 a man intends a life of business or pleasure, 
 it is impossible to pursue either in an ele- 
 gant manner without the help of good 
 breeding. It is our behaviour and address 
 
74 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 upon all occasions that prejudice people in 
 our favour or to our disadvantage ; and the 
 more substantial parts, as our learning and 
 industry, cannot possibly appear but to few. 
 It is not justifiable, then, to spend so much 
 time in that of which so very few are 
 judges, and utterly neglect that which falls 
 within the censure of so many.' 
 
 " But, however, do not think from this 
 that I am become a gay coxcomb ; because 
 I really hope I am every day improving in 
 learning, as I never studied harder, with 
 more satisfaction, or more determined in- 
 dustry. With respect to my practice, my 
 progress surpasses what I expected, and 
 kind fortune seems to have laid fast hold 
 of me. — But stop, — I feel no security, as 
 something new may arise, the least expect- 
 ed perhaps, and turn the scale ; so that I 
 may have reason to say, in these lines of 
 Roscommon's, which he has so prettily 
 translated from Horace, 
 
 ' When you begin with so much pomp and show. 
 Why is the end so little and so low ?' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 75 
 
 " A day or two since, I was sent for to the 
 Earl of M. E.'Sj to see the governess ; and, 
 on my entrance, an old lady came up and 
 said, ' Dr. Knighton, the Countess Dowager 
 of M. E. is very happy to see you.' Dr. K. 
 gave one of his best bows. After going 
 through the case, I was about to take my 
 departure ; when the countess took me into 
 another room, and desired to know what 
 confidential man was left at Plymouth ; 
 how much she should lament my absence 
 when she went to the Mount; and con- 
 cluded by calling poor Geach ' the oracle of 
 oracles.' This gave me, of course, an op- 
 portunity of pronouncing a eulogy on the 
 living oracle, for so I called Mr. Hammick. 
 The old lady seemed pleased, and I took 
 my leave until Saturday. 
 
 " I think I said, a few days ago, that I 
 should give you a general answer to many 
 observations which your affectionate friend- 
 ship towards me induced you to make ; but 
 I shall forego the promise, and merely say 
 that the word ' despondency' is by no means 
 
76 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 applicable to the disposition of mind which 
 generally bears the term in the English 
 language. You tell me, my good friend, 
 very seriously, that you feel actual surprise 
 when you consider what I have done, con- 
 sidering ray years. My answer is, that ac- 
 cording to the common pursuits of young 
 men in general, it may be so ; but I myself 
 am not the least surprised, when I reflect 
 on the sleepless nights and weary days, 
 and the scanty pittance of necessity, which 
 induced it. You will inquire if others are 
 not placed in a similar situation. It may 
 be so ; and the same will always attend the 
 pursuit if no gross vice or constitutional 
 infirmity arises to counteract it. My great- 
 est blessing in early life was my wholesome 
 share of good common sense, which en- 
 abled me on the spur of the moment to act 
 with propriety, which always came unask- 
 ed, and was therefore always more valuable. 
 When the mind sinks, then, — or I should 
 rather say, feels the weight of the continual 
 struggle with the contending world for a 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 77 
 
 small share of its blessings,— it is no wonder, 
 when it recurs to the rugged road behind, 
 and looks at the weary length of the dis- 
 tant prospect before, that it should ask it- 
 self, ' Have you not attempted too much T 
 Where is the heart to be found, that pos- 
 sesses virtue, sensibility, or talent, that in 
 answering the question during the ardu- 
 ous pursuit, (on which, thank God, only 
 his earthly existence depends,) can give it 
 without the sigh of deep oppression ? 
 
 " If, my dear friend, you think the word 
 ' despondency' right to be applied to me, I 
 beg you will let its meaning be drawn from 
 the feelings which I have just given you. 
 I do not wait for you to remind me, my 
 good friend, of that beautiful image com- 
 prehended under our blessed Saviour's mi- 
 racle of the storm. It is indeed quite im- 
 possible to conceive that, without the in- 
 fluence of holiness, the mind can struggle 
 on against the storms of human existence ; 
 for, even with the assistance and influence 
 of others, it requires some bright spot of 
 
78 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 splendid virtue, which no tempest can 
 destroy, no cloud darken, or it would be 
 difficult to enter into the terrible gulf." 
 
 PART OF A LETTER TO ANOTHER FRIEND. 
 
 " I RESIDED in Devonshire nearly six 
 years after my return from London. The 
 first nine months of that time were spent 
 with Dr. Geach, and were consequently 
 dedicated not to mercenary gain, but to 
 improvement in my profession. After his 
 death, some months passed away before I 
 was much noticed by the public ; but at last 
 some successful cases occurring, gave me 
 that sanction w^hich produced a fatiguing 
 and considerable practice. The period of 
 time which this comprehended may pro- 
 bably be little more than four years and 
 a half ; and, notwithstanding the tumult 
 which was made by inferior and trifling 
 people in the profession, few young men 
 can look back with greater satisfaction. 
 
 " To begin life early is often a misfor- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 79 
 
 tune, more especially where the mind is 
 called upon to exercise the judgment, 
 which, for the most part, can be only ac- 
 quired by time. But it is no trifling gratifi- 
 cation to me, (now that I am more capable 
 of judging,) when I retrace with what suc- 
 cess I followed the exercise of my profession, 
 and how much a rigid application of the 
 mind can supersede the necessity of time. 
 As my thoughts had ever been turned to 
 the attainments of medical knowledge, it 
 was natural I should look to that place 
 where, when they were acquired, they alone 
 could be well estimated: I mean London." 
 
 In 1806, after completing the requisite 
 period of residence in Edinburgh, Dr. 
 Knighton returned to London, passed 
 through the ordeal of the Royal College of 
 Physicians, and took the house previously 
 occupied by Dr. Halifax, in Hanover- 
 square, which was fitted up and furnished 
 with that attention to economy which the 
 uncertainty of professional success and the 
 
80 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 apprehension in an honest mind of incur- 
 ring debts without the means of liquidat- 
 ing them naturally excited. 
 
 The anxieties and difficulties of the 
 first outset in a profession in which are so 
 many able competitors are very great ; but 
 the kind patronage and influence of a li- 
 mited number of persons of rank and con- 
 sequence, to whom Dr. Knighton's ability 
 had become know^n during his residence in 
 Devonshire, tended essentially to his suc- 
 cess ; and after a little time he rapidly got 
 into practice, contrary to the expectations 
 of his relations and connexions in the 
 country, by whom he was strongly urged 
 to return. The following letter to his bro- 
 ther-in-law, the late Sir Michael Seymour^ 
 completely relieved their doubts. 
 
 " MY DEAREST FRIEND, 
 
 " You have heard before this, from my 
 letter to dear Dorothea, of the determina- 
 tion I have made to persevere in my pro- 
 fessional pursuits in this town. The more 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. gl 
 
 I consider the subject, the more confident 
 I feel in the hopes that I am pursuing the 
 right path. Indeed, long before my arrival, 
 I felt that I ought not for a moment to 
 hesitate which road I was to follow ; but 
 the kindness of the people in general had 
 in some degree got the better of these feel- 
 ings, which I hope I shall ever possess, — a 
 determination to enjoy the highest reputa- 
 tion the line of practice I am engaged in 
 will allow ; and if labour, application, and 
 perseverance are requisites that lead to it, 
 I am decided that these shall entitle me 
 to it. 
 
 " In viewing the situation in which I 
 should be placed if I returned to Devon- 
 shire, I am well aware it is what most men 
 would be content with. I should have a 
 good house, good meat and drink, and as 
 good clothes as my neighbours, and pro- 
 bably, after a series of years, might with 
 great economy save a small competency ; 
 but the price I should pay for this is not 
 equivalent to the value. 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
82 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ^' The time would come when I should 
 not be able to move with that velocity 
 which I do at present. Novelty soon 
 ceases, and the place can maintain but one 
 medical favourite ; and how long he may 
 be well thought of is very uncertain. Abi- 
 lity or superiority of mind is not in the 
 calculation. A volunteer idler, a borough 
 freeman, are all courted by their different 
 votaries ; and the distinction of skill and 
 application, if considered at all, is the 
 effect of accident. Happily, perhaps, for 
 the w^orld, the greater part are involved in 
 ignorance ; and such is their levity, that 
 they seem content to remain so. In this 
 town, if it should please God to give me 
 health and the common chance which ap- 
 plication produces, I can have nothing to 
 fear. Wherever I look, the prospect is 
 fair. Every day brings me some new con- 
 nexions ; and I feel confidence as to the 
 result of my labours. 
 
 "I have had so far to wade through a 
 sea of difficulties ; but, the occurrences of 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. §3 
 
 this year conquered, I hope I shall have 
 paid the price for future success. As what 
 is to come, therefore, will be valuable, the 
 purchase cannot be considered dear. A 
 well-earned reputation, wealth to do good, 
 to bestow and to enjoy, ease in the decline 
 of life, and the reflection that the short 
 stay here has not been idly spent, cannot 
 but rouse the feelings of the most indolent 
 mind, and detain even the most unkind in 
 doubt respecting their censure. This is 
 what I hold out to myself, — whether it be 
 delusion or not, must be left to time ; but 
 I am not to be dismayed by the prodigal 
 and thoughtless; and it is a chance, if I do 
 succeed, whether it may be equally said in 
 my prosperity, ' 1 thought it would come 
 to this.' 
 
 " After this declaration, my dear friend, 
 I turn my back on Devonshire. The idea 
 of ever returning, let the event be what it 
 may, is now at an end. William would 
 never have conquered this island if he had 
 not burnt his ships. 
 
 G 2 
 
84 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " From the immensity of this metropolis 
 your character is kept up by a repetition 
 of fame, and one circle hands you over to 
 another ; so that the first may be lost with- 
 out injury, and the second is often more 
 valuable than the first. No petty incidents 
 of life are inquired into : a man is paid his 
 price for his labours, and the obligation 
 considered mutual. You are less exposed 
 to the tricks of the trader and the fire of 
 the brandy-merchant." 
 
 The result of the determination ex- 
 pressed in the above letter fulfilled the 
 hopes of the writer : his practice continued 
 to increase. He was soon obliged to add a 
 carriage to his establishment, and had no 
 longer any apprehension of an inability to 
 meet the increased expenditure. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 85 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Dr. Knighton chosen as Medical Attendant by the Marquis 
 Wellesley on his Embassy to Spain. — Journal. — Anec- 
 dotes of Pitt and Fox. — Embark on board the Donegal. — 
 Capture of three Galiots. — Pitt's Speech on the Slave- 
 trade. — Bay of Biscay. — Cape Finisterre. — Rock of Lis- 
 bon. — Cape St. Vincent. — Arrival in the Bay of Cadiz — 
 Letters to Mrs. Knighton. 
 
 In the year 1809, Dr. Knighton had the 
 honour of being chosen as medical attend- 
 ant by that distinguished nobleman and 
 statesman, the Marquis Wellesley, to ac- 
 company him on his embassy to Spain ; and 
 his lordship's liberality enabled him to risk 
 the inconvenience which might be the con- 
 sequence of this interruption to his pro- 
 fessional career. Fortunately this absence 
 proved of shorter duration than had been 
 anticipated ; and a fragment of a journal, 
 with some extracts from Dr. Knighton's 
 
86 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 letters to his wife, will best describe his 
 feelings, and the circumstances attending 
 his situation with the embassy. 
 
 "July 22nd, 1809. — On this day, about 
 five, I left my house in Hanover Square to 
 proceed to Portsmouth, there to embark 
 with Lord Wellesley for Spain. 
 
 "From London I was accompanied by 
 Mr. Sydenham, a man of interesting man- 
 ners, a benevolent heart, and a good un- 
 derstanding : to this he had added consi- 
 derably by different attainments. His edu- 
 cation, however, had been irregular, and 
 the necessities of life had obliged him early 
 to practise industry. He possessed most 
 justly Lord Wellesley 's entire confidence; 
 and, on the other hand, his affection was 
 completely with his lordship. 
 
 " The first night we slept at Godalming, 
 and the next morning proceeded to Pe- 
 tersfield. 
 
 "July 23rd, Sunday. — The day was ex- 
 cessively hot, and the journey afforded 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 87 
 
 much instructive and interesting conversa- 
 tion. Sydenham informed me that — — 
 had told him that Mr. Pitt and Fox had 
 both examined the records of Scripture 
 with scrupulous care, with a view of satis- 
 fying their minds as to a future state ; 
 that the result on Mr. Pitt's mind was 
 perfect conviction, but the effect on Mr. 
 Fox's he could not find out. In private 
 Mr. Pitt's wit was as conspicuous and bril- 
 liant as in public. The power of arrange- 
 ment was the leading point of his mind ; 
 and by this arrangement it was that he 
 became possessed of such a mass of ac- 
 quirement. On no subject did he seem 
 wanting. A canal company waited on him : 
 he heard them all, and in answering them, 
 he so entirely satisfied them on every 
 point, that the persons were astonished in 
 discovering that his information quite 
 equalled their own, though they had long 
 been devoted to the exclusive investiga- 
 tion of the subject. Mr. Pitt's habits 
 with respect to his speeches consisted in 
 
88 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 making his arrangements in his mind be- 
 fore he went to the House, and supposing 
 every possible point that could be urged 
 by his adversaries. This was his habit of 
 study in his bed, before he arose in the 
 morning. 
 
 "At Petersfield I was obliged to wait 
 Lord Wellesley's arrival, and Sydenham 
 went on. About two his lordship arrived. 
 We dined. I observed that this place was 
 celebrated by having given birth to Gibbon 
 the historian. It is a borough town, and 
 formerly belonged to his family. Lord 
 Wellesley gave no decided opinion of Gib- 
 bon's works as an historian ; but I could 
 discover he thought him too loose to be 
 admired. 
 
 " We proceeded to Portsmouth, where 
 we found the whole of our suite, consisting 
 of Major Armstrong, Captain Camac, Mr. 
 Forbes, Mr. Bathurst, Mr. Gaily Knight. 
 The scene was so new to me, that my spi- 
 rits were quite oppressed. 
 
 " Monday, July 24th. — The morning 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. gg 
 
 was very fine ; the bells rang a merry 
 peal ; the port-admiral and officers paid 
 their respects to his excellency. At twelve 
 we embarked, being accompanied to the 
 boat by Sir Roger Curtis and others. 
 About a quarter before one we reached the 
 Donegal, which, as soon as we were on 
 board, fired the usual salute. We weighed 
 anchor at half-past one ; at four, Syden- 
 ham took his leave, and I was without any 
 acquaintance except Lord Wellesley, who 
 was all kindness to me. The wind was 
 fair, and in the morning about eight we 
 were off Plymouth. 
 
 "Tuesday, July 25th. — I passed an un- 
 comfortable night, but was not sick. I saw 
 Lord Wellesley twice this day. In the 
 evening we passed the Cornish coast, and 
 at night the Land's End, the ship run- 
 ning seven and eight knots an hour after 
 dusk. This day I wrote to my dearest 
 Dorothea. 
 
 " Wednesday, 26th. — I passed a miser- 
 able night : it blew fresh, my cot broke : 
 
90 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I awoke with a violent headache. The 
 motion of the ship was painfully disa- 
 greeable. 
 
 This day we made prizes of three ga- 
 liots, and I had an opportunity of writing 
 three or four lines to Dorothea. I was 
 struck with the countenance of one of the 
 masters of the captured vessels. I am cer- 
 tain he had an interest in the cargo. I 
 never witnessed a face more expressive of 
 distress. He acknowledged himself a 
 Prussian ; but I am sure he understood 
 English well, though he pretended not. 
 They hoisted Danish colours, and their 
 
 course was from Bordeaux to , laden 
 
 with wine. 
 
 "I was obliged to go to my cot at six, 
 unable to dine ; but an hour's sleep acted 
 like a charm, and I awoke comparatively 
 well. In the evening I was amused by a 
 concert in the ward-room, and I passed the 
 night in great comfort. 
 
 " July 27th. — This morning, thanks be 
 to God, I awoke in perfect health : the day 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 91 
 
 was fine, with a fair breeze. Soon after 
 breakfast I saw Lord Wellesley, who was 
 not quite well, and prescribed for him. 
 
 " At the dinner on this day, Lord WeL 
 lesley spoke of the brilliancy of Mr. Pitt's 
 speech on the slave-trade. He said he had 
 never heard anything equal to it ; that his 
 adversaries with uplifted hands acknow- 
 ledged its power ; that Fox during the pro- 
 gress of it could not help exclaiming in 
 terms of admiration. His lordship men- 
 tioned the ridicule of Lord Carhampton 
 against the project of emancipating slavery, 
 which he did very successfully, although 
 Mr. Pitt would not allow himself to laugh 
 at his jokes. On the rest of the House the 
 speech was irresistible. 
 
 " In the evening we fell in with the 
 Amazon frigate, Captain Parker : the effect 
 beautiful ; last from Corunna, but brought 
 no particular news. 
 
 " Whilst I was with Lord Wellesley in 
 his cabin this morning, we observed the 
 beauty of the water: it was tinged with 
 
92 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 green, purple, white, and a variety of co- 
 lours. This was in the ship's wake, and 
 was no doubt the effect of light. 
 
 " We were this day on the skirts of 
 the Bay of Biscay : in the evening, about 
 eight, forty-five leagues from Corunna, and 
 one hundred and forty from Cape Finis- 
 terre. 
 
 "July 28th, Friday. — This morning his 
 lordship was much indisposed, and recom- 
 mended by me not to dine at the mess. At 
 five this day we were in the latitude of 
 Cape Finisterre. The wind was aft, which 
 gave the ship much motion ; but I felt 
 quite well. 
 
 " July 29th. — Lord Wellesley was better 
 this morning. 
 
 " July 30th, Sunday. — This day com- 
 menced by divine service. The ceremony 
 was awfully impressive. 
 
 " I had the opportunity this morning of 
 investigating the ship throughout, and was 
 much delighted with the cleanliness, order, 
 and regularity which pervaded every part. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 93 
 
 This morning, at eight, land was seen, 
 which proved to be the rock of Lisbon. 
 The weather still continued. Yesterday, 
 our distance from land was eighty miles : 
 to-day birds and several porpoises have 
 been seen. In the evening, the Portuguese 
 shore, bold and rocky, with an immense 
 ridge of hills, began to appear ; the effect 
 was grand in the extreme. At three o'clock 
 Cape St. Vincent was in sight, on the top 
 of which is a monastery containing about 
 two thousand persons. 
 
 " It was ten at night before we weather- 
 ed the Cape. Cape St. Vincent is a pro- 
 montory, but beyond it a tract of land 
 runs out into the sea ; and as we came 
 abreast of this, the moon made her appear- 
 ance, and the effect was wonderfully grand. 
 The separation from my wife and child 
 gave me very painful sensations. The 
 band was playing a melancholy air, and 
 the effect on my mind was indescribable. 
 
 "Monday, July 31st. — This morning I 
 had the comfort of finding Lord Wellesley 
 
94 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 quite well. At eleven, fishing-boats ap- 
 peared on the Portuguese coast ; the wea- 
 ther was mild, and the influence of the 
 climate was already evident. Orders were 
 issued for the different officers this day to 
 appear in uniform ; and in the course of 
 the afternoon, the Donegal arrived in the 
 Bay of Cadiz, and on the 1st of August his 
 excellency landed. The royal standard was 
 borne by his lordship's barge ; a royal sa- 
 lute was fired from all the ships in the 
 bay, and this was answered from the gar- 
 rison. 
 
 "A vast number of spectators were as- 
 sembled to witness Lord Wellesley's ap- 
 proach from the ship to the shore ; and on 
 stepping from the barge to the carriage, a 
 French flag was so placed, that on first 
 touching Spanish ground the French flag 
 was trampled on. The populace drew him 
 in his carriage to the hotel prepared for 
 his reception. On alighting, his excellency 
 addressed the people, — expressed the plea- 
 sure he felt at the respect and attention 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 95 
 
 shown towards the most gracious sovereign 
 whom he had the honour to represent, and 
 also for these marks of kindness shown to 
 his own person. He begged to return his 
 most grateful thanks, assuring them also 
 that the august sovereign whom he had 
 the honour to represent felt as earnestly as 
 the most zealous of them. At the conclu- 
 sion of this speech he offered to the mob 
 a handful of gold; when instantly one 
 amongst them refused it, and addressed 
 his companions in a most energetic and 
 patriotic harangue, which was received 
 with the loudest bursts of applause and 
 acclamation." 
 
 No more of the journal having been 
 found, the account of the proceedings of 
 the embassy is continued from Dr. Knight 
 ton's letters. The editor was disposed to 
 suppress more of the affectionate expres- 
 sions contained in this correspondence, 
 but has yielded to the judgment of others, 
 that the feelings so natural to the heart 
 
96 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of the writer under this separation from 
 his home were such as most persons could 
 understand and sympathise in. 
 
 "Kiss my little darling. I have now 
 been at sea twenty-four hours, am quite 
 free from sea-sickness, and am this morn- 
 ing, thanks be to Almighty God, in per- 
 fect health. I am writing this in my 
 cabin, which is indeed very comfortable ; 
 and all the officers are very attentive to 
 me, particularly the first lieutenant, and 
 the captain is all I could wish. Lord 
 Wellesley's kindness is very gratifying; 
 and I trust in God the voyage altogether 
 will produce all we could wish. You 
 may rely, my dearest, that I will take 
 all possible care of myself, for your sake 
 and my dear little Dora's. Take care 
 of the easterly winds with the darling. 
 I hope she talks about me, and that the 
 picture will prevent her from forgetting 
 me. 
 
 " I trust, as I said in my first letter, if it 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 97 
 
 pleases God to spare us, we shall soon have 
 the means of enjoying our own cottage 
 and a little bit of land. The happiness is 
 too great to think of; but I trust God will 
 permit it. Captain Brenton is a very good 
 young man, and allows no sailor to swear. 
 The ship is a very fine one, and there is a 
 very good band on board. We dine at 
 five, have coffee at half-past six, tea at 
 eight, and breakfast at half-past eight in 
 the morning. 
 
 "I must conclude by desiring you to 
 receive my sincerest love and affection, and 
 my blessing and the utmost of parental 
 affection to dear little Do. 
 
 "Give me your daily prayers for our 
 preservation, — that is, if it should seem 
 fitting to the Almighty. Ever yours, &c. 
 
 "W. K." 
 
 " Cadiz, Aug. '2, 1809. 
 
 " If I was certain at this moment that 
 you and my dear Dora were well, I 
 should be tolerably happy; but until 
 
 VOL. I. „ 
 
98 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 hear from you, my mind will not be at 
 ease. 
 
 " I will now proceed to tell you of my- 
 self and this country, since I wrote you 
 six lines from the Bay of Biscay. After 
 a pleasant voyage, then, of seven days, we 
 arrived on Monday night off Cadiz. On 
 our approach, the city and distant hills 
 appeared more beautiful than I can de- 
 scribe ; the evening was fine, and the sun 
 about to set. We lay to that night for a 
 pilot, and the next morning, about eight, 
 came to anchor a mile from the shore. 
 Soon after, Admiral Purvis and all the 
 officers of the fleet came on board the 
 Donegal to pay their respects to his 
 Excellency. 
 
 "About half-past ten, Lord Wellesley 
 landed under the royal standard. Cadiz 
 contains about sixty-five thousand inhabit- 
 ants. It is in vain to attempt to depict 
 the scene which now took place : no lan- 
 guage can describe it. All the English 
 and Spanish ships saluted. This was fol- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 99 
 
 lowed by the garrison ; and I am certain 
 that not less than five-and-thirty thousand 
 persons lined the shore for two or three 
 miles. 
 
 " Four carriages were provided ; his Ex- 
 cellency in the first, and the suite followed. 
 Mr. Duff, a very fine old man, upwards of 
 eighty, was at the water's edge to receive 
 Lord Wellesley. We then moved up to 
 the hotel provided for us, all the carriages 
 drawn by the populace ; and, what is wor- 
 thy to be told. Lord Wellesley offered 
 those who drew his carriage a handful 
 of gold, which they refused, exclaiming, 
 " Our gratitude to England induces this." 
 Would an English mob have done this ? 
 
 " On our arrival at the hotel, a guard of 
 honour received us ; and every avenue was 
 lined with sentinels in the house, which 
 resembles an old castle. We then pro- 
 ceeded to the governor, a very fine-looking 
 old man, who is in a bad state of health, 
 to whom I am to go at his particular re- 
 quest this morning. On returning to the 
 
 H 2 
 
100 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 hotel, we received the compliments of the 
 garrison. At three, we dined with the con- 
 sul, and partook of a very splendid enter- 
 tainment ; but, to show you how much I 
 attend to your injunctions, although there 
 was every delicacy on the table, I simply 
 ate of fish and boiled chicken. 
 
 " In the evening, a play and opera were 
 given on our arrival, and the Bolera 
 was danced. The whole city was illumi- 
 nated at night. The theatre is not quite 
 so large as that of the late Covent Garden, 
 but neat and pretty. The women are not 
 allowed to sit in the pit, and no men in 
 the galleries. The governor's box was pre- 
 pared for us ; and on our entrance we were 
 greeted with huzzas, and " God save the 
 King." This was followed by several pa- 
 triotic songs. 
 
 It is now right to tell you, that the 
 splendour of our arrival was heightened by 
 intelligence, received three hours previous- 
 ly to our landing, that Sir Arthur Welles- 
 ley had defeated the French armies under 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. IQl 
 
 Sebastiani and Victor. The detailed ac- 
 counts had not yet been received; but 
 our loss was said to be nearly four thou- 
 sand in killed and wounded. The French 
 have been completely defeated, and al. 
 most all their cannon taken from them. 
 
 " What stay we shall make, it is not pos- 
 sible to conjecture at present. To-morrow 
 or the next day we begin our journey to 
 Seville; but the difficulty of moving in 
 this country you cannot at all understand 
 without witnessing it. I do not feel the 
 heat as yet. The comfort of my portable 
 bed is incalculable : whilst others are in- 
 fested with vermin, I am quite free. 
 
 " We have one of the best houses ; but 
 there is no describing the dirt and incon- 
 venience. Our garret is princely, com- 
 pared to the bed-room in which I am 
 writing; and yet it is impossible not to 
 like the beauty of this place, and the inter- 
 esting novelty constantly before one. I 
 have, however, as yet, seen hardly any- 
 thing. I have not been into any of the 
 
102 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 convents or churches ; but my journal will 
 tell you all, I trust in God, by a comfort- 
 able fireside in Old England. I should be 
 quite happy at this moment if you and 
 dearest little Do. were with me. Pray re- 
 mind her of me ; and do you both take 
 care of your health for my sake, as I do 
 for yours. 
 
 " In my next despatch, I shall, I trust, 
 be enabled to state the probable length of 
 our stay, and consequently that will decide 
 your journey to Devonshire. However, do 
 not wait for that ; if you feel disposed to 
 go, pray do so. I have no objection to 
 any plan that will make you most com- 
 fortable during my absence. All I beg is, 
 that you will take care of little Dora and 
 yourself. 
 
 " Lord Wellesley is very kind to me. 
 There are only three persons able to 
 sleep in this house, and I am one of 
 them. 
 
 " God bless you. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 103 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Resurnption of Dr. Knighton's Journal i„ Spain.-Ro.an 
 Catholic Procession—Leave Cadiz for Seville.-The Ca 
 valcade. La Isla.-Port St. Mary.-Despatches fron, Sir' 
 Anhur Wellesley.-Uncle and Cousin of Ferdinand th 
 Seventh._Journey to Xeres.-Beauty of the Country.- 
 Unwholesome Water._Mr. Gordon, his Wife, and Daugh- 
 ter._Antrouva.-Seville.-The Cathedral.-Major Arn,- 
 strong.-General Whittingham.-The Heroine of Sara 
 
 sr-nir --^^ - 
 
 Fkom time to time, Dr. Knighton con- 
 tinued to send accounts to his family of 
 his progress in Spain. The following is 
 the resumption of his correspondence. 
 
 "Cadiz, August 4th, 1809. 
 
 "As my whole thoughts are directed 
 towards you and my ever-dearest Do I 
 shall avail myself of all the opportunities 
 I have to write, and scribble all I do and 
 feel during my absence. The date of this 
 
104 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 letter will apprise you of the anniversary it 
 brings with it. How happy I should be if 
 you and my little darling were now with 
 me ! Pray give her many kisses for me ; 
 I hope she will not forget me. Pray God 
 preserve you both ! 
 
 " I am writing this about six in the 
 evening. Lord Wellesley is gone to bed 
 very unwell, from the fatigue of the last 
 few days. His lordship and I dined alone." 
 
 " Seville, August 12th. 
 
 " MY DEAREST, 
 
 " I WAS unable to proceed according to 
 my intention of writing from day to day, 
 in consequence of the baggage, with pen, 
 ink, and paper, being sent off many days 
 previously to our quitting Cadiz ; but I 
 have put in this bit to show you my inten- 
 tion. 
 
 "August 14th. — I write till the last 
 moment ; the despatch is detained an hour 
 or two longer. This morning one of the 
 grand Roman Catholic processions has 
 taken place, in honour of the Virgin Mary, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 105 
 
 who in the form of waxwork was carried 
 around the cathedral, dressed in a beau- 
 tiful robe, and sitting in a most superb 
 chair, accompanied by the archbishop and 
 the whole host of priests. Thousands of 
 people bowed down to this image as it 
 passed, and the organ and full choir re- 
 ceived it on its re-entrance into the 
 church." 
 
 " Seville, August 13th. 
 
 "We arrived at this place on Friday, 
 after a three days' journey from Cadiz, and 
 I thank God I am at this moment in per- 
 fect health. I shall have an opportunity 
 of writing again in about ten days by the 
 Donegal, when I trust I shall be enabled 
 to give you some certain ideas with respect 
 to our movements. At present everything 
 is in confusion ; and such is the state of 
 affairs, that, lest this letter should mis- 
 carry, I dare not say another word. 
 
 " The whole of the embassy are now in 
 health. I go on very quietly, and keep as 
 much to myself as I can. I am very cau- 
 
106 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tious in all I say, all I eat, and all I 
 drink. 
 
 " With Cadiz I am delighted ; but Cadiz 
 appears to me in no respect Spain. I must, 
 however, refer you to my journal when I 
 return for an account of it, and proceed to 
 give you a detail of our journey as fast as 
 I can. We left Cadiz, then, on the 8th, at 
 five in the morning : our suite consisted 
 of four carriages, two caravans, and two 
 baggage-carts. These vehicles were drawn 
 by mules, amounting in all to thirty-four ; 
 twenty-eight servants, and six muleteers : 
 so you may suppose what a cavalcade we 
 made, and how great was the difficulty 
 of providing accommodations through the 
 different towns we had to pass. 
 
 " The distance from Cadiz to Seville is 
 about ninety miles ; but the dreadful heat 
 of the weather makes it equal to three 
 hundred in England. Our first stage was 
 to Port St. Mary ; but in the interme- 
 diate distance is a little town called La 
 Isla, It is very pretty, and much resembles 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 107 
 
 a picture you may have seen of an Indian 
 town. 
 
 " I travelled with Lord Wellesley in his 
 carriage the first day. On our arrival 
 at La Isla, we stopped a few minutes to 
 refresh the mules ; and this time I spent 
 with Lord Wellesley in visiting the con- 
 vent and chapel. From the upper part we 
 saw Cape Trafalgar, the place of Nelson's 
 battle, and also the rock of Gibraltar. The 
 monks inhabiting this convent were of the 
 Carthusian order. They treated us with 
 great civility, and gave us some bread and 
 Paxarete wine. In the chapel I saw one 
 good picture only, and that was a Mag- 
 dalen by Murillo. 
 
 " From this place we proceeded to Port 
 St. Mary. Here we were met by the po- 
 pulace, who took the mules from the car- 
 riage, and drew us into the town. We 
 dined at a miserable little inn, where we 
 received despatches from Sir Arthur Wel- 
 lesley, giving a detailed account of the 
 late sanguinary battle, the particulars of 
 
108 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 which must have reached England before 
 this. 
 
 "After we had dined, we proceeded 
 to the palace, to which the uncle of Fer- 
 dinand the Seventh and his female cou- 
 sin had fled from Madrid. The uncle 
 is a bishop, a heavy stupid man : he was 
 dressed in his robes to receive us. The 
 princess appeared a lively person, though 
 with a face quite worn with grief. This 
 amiable woman was compelled to marry 
 the infamous Godoy, the Prince of Peace, 
 through whose means the present calami- 
 ties of Spain have principally arisen. This 
 visit lasted about ten minutes, and we pro- 
 ceeded on our journey to Xeres. 
 
 " In our way through this place we 
 passed for the first time through pine and 
 olive plantations, and I also saw a garden 
 of oranges and lemons growing luxuriant- 
 ly ; but the barrenness of the country in 
 general is dreadful. The heat is intoler- 
 able, and the weary traveller seeks in vain 
 for shelter from the sun, accommodation 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 109 
 
 at an inn, or even for water to allay his 
 thirst ; for although wells are dug on the 
 road, it is dangerous to drink, — -first, from 
 the heat ; and next, from the peculiar qua- 
 lities of the water : but it often happens 
 at this season that the wells are dry. 
 
 " At Xeres, Lord Wellesley and myself 
 were lodged at a Mr. Gordon's, a person of 
 Scotch extraction, but now a Spaniard. 
 He spoke English well, but his wife not a 
 word. His daughter, a beautiful woman 
 about nineteen, spoke English, having been 
 educated at a convent near York. She 
 had one little boy about two months old. 
 Her husband, a colonel in the Spanish 
 service, was with the army, and had been 
 lately engaged. Poor soul ! her anxiety 
 had disordered her infant, and I just ar- 
 rived in time to lessen this part of her 
 distress of mind by my advice ; so we were 
 soon great friends. I showed her yours 
 and little dear Do.'s pictures, with which 
 she was much delighted- 
 
 " After passing a better night than usual 
 
110 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 with these hospitable people, we proceeded 
 
 to . Here we arrived in the heat 
 
 of the day, much fatigued with our jour- 
 ney. Nothing can convey to your mind 
 the miserable beggary of this poor little 
 town ; but such as our dinner was, we had 
 it accompanied by a marchioness and her 
 lord, the village doctor, and a priest of 
 course. Here I warned the party against 
 the use of the water, which I discovered in 
 a moment was bad. 
 
 " In the evening we continued our jour- 
 ney to Antrouva ; and in four hours after 
 we left this place, all who had drunk of 
 the water were seized with violent pains 
 in the stomach and bowels. Lord Welles- 
 ley himself was very ill ; but in four-and- 
 twenty hours they all recovered, and are 
 now well. We arrived at Antrouva at 
 night, which was passed most miserably. 
 No one but Lord Wellesley had a bed ; all 
 the rest were obliged to sit up. The next 
 morning we proceeded for Seville, where 
 we arrived about twelve o'clock. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. lH 
 
 " On our entrance to this town, a salute 
 was fired from the batteries ; the populace 
 again took the mules from the carriage; 
 and bonfires, as demonstrations of joy, were 
 kindled before our palace in the evening ; 
 and at twelve at night we were serenaded. 
 I neither like the place nor the inhabit- 
 ants of Seville. Of the latter I must say 
 no more ; but of the place, nothing can 
 exceed the heat, the dust, and the total 
 want of comfort. It was crammed full of 
 unfortunate people from all parts of Spain, 
 and, indeed, of the world. 
 
 " The original number of its inhabitants 
 is about sixty thousand; but it now ex- 
 ceeds one hundred and thirty thousand, 
 and about six thousand foreigners. The 
 streets are so narrow in many instances 
 as not to admit of a carriage ; and even 
 where they do, you are obliged to step in 
 at a door whilst it passes. 
 
 " The cathedral is most magnificent, and 
 I am certain no description can convey to 
 your mind the sublimity of this building. 
 
112 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 It contains five large aisles, and some of 
 the choicest pictures of Murillo. There is 
 one of St. Anthony, that exceeds all that 
 can be fancied of painting. 
 
 " How I wish you with me ! But I 
 hope and trust we shall soon meet never 
 to part again. I have felt this separation 
 so much, that nothing shall tempt me to 
 
 consent to it a second time I 
 
 trust in God nothing will happen to de- 
 tain Lord W. ; but at present all is uncer- 
 tain. I think, however, by the Donegal I 
 shall be enabled to say when our return 
 may be possible. 
 
 " Pray remember me to every one. I 
 have been, as you will perceive, obliged 
 to write this in a great hurry ; and this 
 house is in such confusion, and so entirely 
 without furniture or comfort, that I have 
 been obliged to write on my knee, and in 
 bustle and tumult, just as opportunity has 
 offered within the last day. 
 
 " God bless you," &c. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. US 
 
 " Seville, August 23. 
 
 ^'I HAVE yet another opportunity to 
 write to you previously to the sailing of 
 the Donegal, which may probably exceed 
 another fortnight. I am still silent on 
 the subject of Lord Wellesley's plans; 
 but my present hope is, that his stay will 
 not extend to any length. I thank God I 
 still continue in good health; and I trust 
 the Almighty will preserve you and my 
 darling child in the same manner. Kiss 
 her, and remind her of me continually, 
 that I may not be forgotten. 
 
 " I cannot tell you how I long for a line 
 from England. I forget how many times 
 I have written,— but several times, and by 
 every opportunity. When you write, ac- 
 knowledge all the letters you receive. My 
 next by the Donegal, please God, will be 
 sent by a most amiable and excellent 
 young nobleman, Lord Jocelyn, son of the 
 Earl of Roden. He has been out three 
 years, and is now on his return. I first 
 met with him at Cadiz ; he afterwards re- 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
114 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 turned to Seville, and we were in the same 
 house together. By-the-bye, I forgot to 
 mention that I have not yet slept at Lord 
 Wellesley's, as the upper rooms are so 
 hot ; but in a day or two I believe I must 
 do so. I have been at a Mr. Wiseman's, 
 an Irish gentleman, a very kind, good- 
 hearted man. He wishes me to remain 
 with him whilst we stay ; but I do not 
 think it right, although I should be very 
 glad to do it. 
 
 " The heat, instead of lessening, gets, I 
 think, worse and worse ; and no care and 
 attention will prevent the misery of the 
 musquitoes. I am not at liberty to say 
 anything respecting this unhappy coun- 
 try; but the word I use will convey to 
 you the feelings of my mind on the sub- 
 ject. Poor Major Armstrong is very ill, 
 under the influence of fever, arising from 
 extreme fatigue in going to the army, in 
 order to communicate Lord Wellesley's 
 thoughts to Sir Arthur. The English 
 army is at this moment about one hun- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. II5 
 
 tired and eighty miles from us; the French, 
 about two hundred. The late action of 
 Talavera was most sanguinary. The 
 French lost not fewer than twelve thou- 
 sand men, and our loss was very consi- 
 derable. 
 
 " I have a very amiable, sensible, gentle- 
 manly man here. Brigadier-general Whit- 
 tingham, who has a very singular wound. 
 Whilst he was in the act of speaking, a 
 musket-shot entered his mouth without 
 touching either of his lips, and passed out 
 by the ear. The only consequence was 
 the fracture of the lower jaw, and he is 
 getting well. I have been consulted by 
 several persons. The day before yesterday 
 I saw Augustina, the heroine of Saragossa, 
 a young woman of about two-and- twenty, 
 rather pretty, and of a very interesting ap- 
 pearance. She wears on her arm several 
 badges of honour. The courage of this 
 young woman really surpasses all belief. 
 
 " I believe since I last wrote to you I 
 have visited the Caridad, which is a cha- 
 
 I 2 
 
116 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 rity for old and infirm men. In the 
 chapel of this building are Murillo's best 
 and most celebrated pictures ; but the 
 subjects, and a thousand other things, I 
 must delay telling until we meet happily 
 in England, which God grant may be soon, 
 and in health and peace. Your pictures 
 are a great comfort to me. . . . 
 
 " When you see Miss T. will you tell 
 her that I almost despair of being able to 
 effect anything respecting the Carmelite 
 nun ? All communication is cut off with 
 Segovia ; and, indeed, at this moment any 
 intercourse with the different provinces is 
 almost entirely impracticable. These diffi- 
 culties have accumulated tenfold within 
 the last three weeks. 
 
 " August 27th. — The only thing I could 
 wish you here for, as regards Spain, would 
 be to see the cathedral and pictures, which 
 are indeed well worth the attention. The 
 more I see of the cathedral, the more 
 magnificent it appears ; and the pictures 
 of Murillo are indeed a wonderful effort 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. II7 
 
 of genius. Lord Wellesley continues his 
 kindness in a very satisfactory manner; 
 and if I fulfil speedily and safely the du- 
 ties attached to the mission, it will, I hope, 
 be a very interesting year of my life. 
 
 "August 28th.— I hope when I next 
 write, which may perhaps be in a fort- 
 night, I shall be enabled to state some 
 certain account as to the time of our re- 
 turn, which I trust in God may be soon, 
 as I am very anxious that our sepa- 
 ration should be at an end. I am look- 
 ing with earnest and daily hope for a 
 letter from you. It seems an age since we 
 parted ; but I trust all will contribute to 
 give us the facility of retiring sooner to 
 some peaceful and happy cottage with our 
 darling little Dora, to live in virtuous 
 retirement. 
 
 "The present exercise of my mind is 
 fatiguing, but, I have no doubt, will be 
 useful. I am not at liberty to say one 
 word respecting Spain. Lord Wellesley's 
 orders are so strong and binding, that I 
 
1 J8 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 do not write to Sydenham by this packet, 
 because I should only be at liberty to 
 speak of the oppressive heat and unfa- 
 vourable temperature of this climate, 
 which would be neither new nor inter-^ 
 esting. When I return, I shall have a 
 great deal to tell you. What odd coinci- 
 dences happen ! The General Whitting- 
 ham I mentioned in a former letter is 
 well acquainted with your brother James : 
 they sailed in the same ship to Buenos 
 Ayres. He speaks very highly of him/' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 119 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Continuation of the Journal—Lord Wellesley's kindness.- 
 Manner of spending the day.-Statue of St. Jerome.- 
 The British Army.-Festival of St. Francis.- Extreme 
 Heat.-Cause of the Delay of the Mission.-Misrepre- 
 sentations of the public Prints. -News from Home - 
 Approaching Departure from Spain.-Lord Wellesley's 
 kindness. 
 
 Seville, September 2. 
 
 "I SUSPECT that this letter will reach 
 you with another packet of older date by 
 way of Lisbon. I have also written by 
 the Porcupine, in which Lord Jocelyn 
 sails. He will convey to you a hurried let- 
 ter, and tell you personally that I am well. 
 
 " It was this day six weeks that I left 
 you : the time seems very long and very 
 distant. I wish I could tell you when I 
 may hope to return ; but at this moment 
 it is impossible, and perhaps conjecture 
 would only lead to disappointment. Whe- 
 
120 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ther it be long or whether it be short, (I 
 think it will be the latter,) I hope every- 
 thing will tend for the best. At any rate, 
 my most ardent endeavours have been 
 exercised to render you and my darling 
 Dora a little more independent ; and 
 feeling conscious of this, it takes off the 
 load of anticipated ills. 
 
 * He that has light within his own clear breast 
 May sit i' the centre and enjoy bright day/ 
 
 " It will give you great satisfaction to 
 hear from me that Lord Wellesley's kind- 
 ness and confidence increase every day ; 
 and I have reason to be much gratified by 
 his attention. I am also well satisfied with 
 my habits of life, which are good and vir- 
 tuous. I have an opportunity of continu- 
 ing my French, which I hope and believe 
 will now be attainable. Major Armstrong 
 is recovering from a severe illness. 
 
 " I will give you the history of my day. 
 I rise at five, and ride. You will be sur- 
 prised to hear I am becoming a good 
 horseman. I am almost tempted to bring 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 121 
 
 a little Spanish pony to England for my 
 dearest Do. At eight I return, the influ- 
 ence of the sun then becoming powerful. 
 I lie down till half-past nine, when I dress, 
 and breakfast at ten. Immediately after 
 this Lord W. always sees me. At twelve 
 I am at leisure to go to my avocations of 
 reading, writing, or digesting thoughts 
 given me by Lord W. At four we dine ; 
 two or three glasses of claret with my din- 
 ner, one afterwards, and vm de Grave and 
 water with my food. At six, coffee. I 
 frequently accompany Lord Wellesley at 
 eight to the cathedral to hear vespers : 
 the music is grand and solaces the heart ; 
 the light of the lamps, the stillness of the 
 service, all conspire to influence the mind. 
 There I think of yourself and my darling 
 child, and hope and pray that you may 
 both be preserved to me. I am always in 
 bed by ten : and this is the uniform tenor 
 of my day, with the exception of some 
 attempts to pick up a picture, or any other 
 curiosity. 
 
122 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " General Whittingham"^ and myself are 
 become great friends. It is on his little 
 horse that I daily ride. This morning we 
 went to the convent of St. Jerome, about 
 four miles from this. It contains one of 
 the finest pieces of sculpture I have ever 
 beheld. It is the statue of St. Jerome 
 kneeling, and holding a crucifix in his 
 hand, in the cell of a hermit. I had no 
 idea of sculpture till I saw this. It is said 
 to be the finest specimen in Spain ; but I 
 believe Spain does not abound in this 
 species of art. 
 
 " We have had here, within these few 
 days, the Marquis of Tweedale and Co- 
 lonel Stopford, and before them Lord 
 Burghersh. 
 
 " The British army at this moment is 
 one hundred and twenty miles from us, 
 and we hear from it frequently ; but be- 
 yond this I dare not say one word to you, 
 although Spain at this instant is a very 
 
 * This gentleman visited Sir W. Knighton constantly dur- 
 ing the period of his last illness. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 123 
 
 interesting picture, if all the accounts we 
 receive be true. 
 
 " How happy to look forward to meeting 
 and a cottage ! I never felt so much de- 
 sire for domestic retirement. 
 
 " Seville, September 9tli. 
 
 "Your letters by the packet, and by 
 the vessel expressly despatched, came to 
 hand this week ; and it was no small de- 
 light and happiness to me when I found 
 you and my ever darling Dora were well 
 up to the 14th of August. 
 
 " The Donegal still remains, and is a 
 matter of surprise to us all ; but on no 
 political subject do I dare to communicate, 
 although I might say much of an interest- 
 ing nature. 
 
 " Yesterday was the festival of St. Fran- 
 cis ; it was observed in the different 
 churches with grand magnificence. I think 
 a man who sang in the Franciscan convent 
 was finer in voice than anything I ever 
 heard in all my life. 
 
124 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "September 17th. — Two days since I 
 despatched three packets by a messenger. 
 These different letters had accumulated 
 from the delays and alterations in the 
 intentions of sending to England. The 
 heat of this place continues extreme, nor 
 will it subside for three weeks to come, 
 by which time I hope to have done with 
 it ; for I am indeed most anxious to return 
 to you, although I am as comfortable as, 
 being separated from you, I have a right 
 to expect. 
 
 " General Whittingham rides with me 
 every morning at five, which contributes 
 to keep up my health. Tell my little 
 Dora I must contrive to bring her a pretty 
 thing, though it is very difficult to tell 
 what, for this place affords nothing but 
 heat and dust, I believe I must get her a 
 gold chain, which may be procured here 
 tolerably cheap with caution ; for nothing 
 can equal the knavery and imposition of 
 the tradespeople. 
 
 Mr. Frere still continues here, and so 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 125 
 
 does the Donegal ; nor have we any idea 
 when that ship will quit us. It would be 
 very pleasant to keep her for ourselves ; 
 which is just possible." 
 
 Seville, October 8th. 
 
 "Your letter under the dates of the 
 12th, 19th, and 20th of September, marked 
 No. 10, reached me yesterday by Sylvester, 
 the messenger, who left London on the 
 evening of the 21st. I was sincerely re- 
 joiced to find you were well, and happily 
 returned from your pleasant excursion, 
 which I am very glad you have under- 
 taken, and I very much prefer it to the 
 long journey into Devonshire. 
 
 " Our delay is in consequence of the 
 unhappy differences that have arisen in 
 the cabinet at home. We are, of course, 
 apprised of the duel between Mr. Canning 
 and Lord Castlereagh, as it must have 
 happened the very day the messenger was 
 despatched in the evening. 
 
 " Previously to the arrival of our last 
 
126 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 despatch, we had received the newspapers, 
 and with them the periodical code of blas- 
 phemy and falsehood. It is not easy to 
 convey to you the sensation produced in 
 one's mind on reading the mis-statements, 
 the gross abuse, and direct lies, &c. con- 
 tained in the public prints on the affairs 
 of Spain. I was at the trouble of looking 
 attentively to the paragraphs and letters 
 said to be received from this country rela- 
 tive to its situation ; and I believe, with- 
 out one exception, from the beginning to 
 the end, they are quite incorrect, and in 
 some instances entirely false. The toast 
 which his Excellency is stated to have 
 given at the public dinner was given by 
 the Pope's nuncio, (a very fine old man,) 
 who was present; and, with this single 
 exception, every other toast was delivered 
 by four gentlemen, who were deputed so 
 to do, as stewards, by the body of mer- 
 chants who gave this public entertain- 
 ment. The speech which his Excellency 
 made is mis-stated from the beginning to 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 127 
 
 the end. It is painful and cruel in the 
 extreme to see the public character of 
 Lord Wellesley and his brother traduced 
 by wretches whose every principle is ob- 
 noxious to virtue. The skill and exquisite 
 talent of every kind which Lord Welling- 
 ton has displayed in the care and conduct 
 of his army, placed as they have been, 
 exceed all praise ; and nothing but the 
 basest ingratitude could prevent every 
 British heart from acknowledging it. 
 
 " With respect to his Excellency, every 
 day raises his ability and extraordinary 
 talents in my estimation. It is impossible 
 to serve under his direction without loving 
 him. 
 
 "The Donegal is still at Cadiz, and I 
 believe it is settled that we shall return in 
 her, which will be pleasant ; but whether 
 by way of Cadiz or Lisbon is uncertain. 
 If by the latter, it will be that Lord Wel- 
 lesley and Lord Wellington may have a 
 meeting ; and in that case, we shall pass 
 through the south-west part of Spain, in 
 
128 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 order to avoid the French army, and get 
 to the English headquarters. Whether 
 this journey will be undertaken I know 
 not ; but I think it will not add to our 
 delay or detention. 
 
 " October 27th. — To my great surprise 
 and joy, Mr. Sydenham arrived here late 
 last night, by whom I received your two 
 kind letters, the last dated the 4th of 
 October, and I was truly rejoiced to find 
 by your written, and his oral, testimony 
 that you and my beloved Dora were well : 
 indeed, he tells me that you appear in 
 better health than when I left you, and 
 that little Do. is a sweet child, and grow- 
 ing more like me. 
 
 " We are still in the midst of heat, but 
 it is lessening. Yesterday, previously to 
 Mr. Sydenham's arrival, we were all busily 
 employed in packing, and were to have 
 left to-morrow morning. We shall now, 
 probably, be detained two or three days 
 longer ; but this, I am certain, may be 
 reckoned on as the utmost ; and after 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 129 
 
 which, if it pleases God, a fortnight will 
 take us in safety to the shores of Old 
 England. 
 
 " What adds very much to our comfort 
 is, that we return in the Donegal, where 
 we shall enjoy all that a ship can ever 
 have ; and above all, Sydenham will be a 
 valuable acquisition. 
 
 " Nothing can exceed Lord Wellesley's 
 kindness ; and Sydenham says he express- 
 ed his entire approbation of me with 
 warmth and affection, I have had an 
 arduous, anxious, and delicate situation ; 
 but I hope I have well fulfilled the dif- 
 ferent things entrusted to me. 
 
 " Tell my little Dora that she shall have 
 a gold chain and a pretty canary bird. 
 Wherever I land, which I dare say will be 
 Falmouth, I shall proceed directly with all 
 expedition to London, without stopping a 
 moment anywhere. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 "W. K." 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
130. 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Dr. Knighton's return from Spain. — Created a Baronet, and 
 appointed Physician to the Prince Regent. — Appointed 
 Auditor to the Duchy of Cornwall. — Letters of George 
 the Fourth relative to his Journey to Ireland. 
 
 In October 1809, the Marquis Wellesley 
 returned from his embassy to Spain. Dr. 
 Knighton now resumed his professional 
 duties, and soon repaired the inconveni- 
 ence occasioned by his temporary absence, 
 which had fortunately proved of shorter 
 duration than had been anticipated. His 
 medical practice was soon satisfactorily 
 established. Dr. Knighton was intro- 
 duced and recommended by his noble 
 patron to the Prince of Wales, was event- 
 ually appointed one of his Royal High- 
 ness's physicians, and in 1812 made a 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 131 
 
 baronet. At this period he had attained 
 extensive employment, and was in the 
 receipt of a considerable income. 
 
 In the year 1817 the death of the 
 lamented Princess Charlotte took place. 
 No event ever occasioned more general 
 sympathy. The extract which follows, 
 from a letter of Mr. Southey, well ex- 
 presses the feeling then existing. 
 
 " The death of the Princess Charlotte 
 has been felt in a manner very honourable 
 to the national character. Individuals, as 
 far as my observation goes, feel concern- 
 ing it as they would upon a similar case 
 occurring in private life, and within the 
 circle of their own acquaintance. 
 
 " The manner in which I have heard 
 Prince Leopold spoken of on the occasion 
 impressed me a good deal : he was called 
 "poor man" and " poor fellow" His afflic- 
 tion has brought him down to our level, 
 and rank was forgotten in the sympathy 
 of humanity. 
 
 K 9, 
 
132 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 "I do not like to write anything upon 
 the mournful occasion in the commonplace 
 form of threnodial verses, which would be 
 read only to be criticised and forgotten, 
 and, under the appearance of respect, are 
 in reality the most disrespectful of all 
 things. But I would fain so treat the 
 subject as to combine with it something 
 which might aim at present utility, and 
 possess some permanent value, as far as I 
 am capable of giving it. I hope I see the 
 way of doing this ; but I compose slowly, 
 and not without some previous medita- 
 tion. 
 
 " Many causes have led me to look far 
 forward and widely around me ; and if I 
 could teach others to see things as they 
 appear distinctly to myself, it would be do- 
 ing the State some service. Great changes 
 in the very constitution of society are go- 
 ing on — almost as great as the human 
 system undergoes when all its physical 
 powers are developed, and the time is as 
 critical. In proportion as this is properly 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 133 
 
 understood, government will be strength- 
 ened or endangered^ — perhaps overthrown ; 
 and in that word " government " the best 
 interests of the human race are at this 
 time included. If I can assist in strength- 
 ening it, I shall not be an unprofitable 
 servant ; and I am a very disinterested 
 one, for I look for no reward." 
 
 In 1818 the Prince Regent appointed 
 Sir William to the auditorship of the 
 Duchy of Cornwall. On this occasion he 
 received the following letter from the 
 Marquis Wellesley. 
 
 Richmond, January 7, 1818. 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I SINCERELY Congratulate you on the 
 mark of gracious justice which the Prince 
 Regent has conferred upon you. This act 
 is certainly the offspring of his own mind, 
 untainted by malignant or interested ad- 
 vice ; and is of that spirit of generosity 
 and goodness which blesses him that gives 
 
134 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and him that takes. You may be assured 
 that I always feel warmly interested in 
 your prosperity and honour, and that my 
 happiness in the progress of both will 
 ever be augmented in proportion as your 
 advancement shall tend to increase the 
 lustre of the Prince Regent's personal 
 character. 
 
 " Believe me, dear Sir William, with the 
 most sincere sentiments of friendship, 
 " Yours affectionately and faithfully, 
 
 " Wellesley." 
 
 It was thought on this occasion that Sir 
 William would relinquish the practice of 
 his profession, but a part of it only was 
 given up. It is satisfactory to his family 
 to find amongst his papers testimonies like 
 the following, from the then member for 
 Somersetshire, expressive of the estima- 
 tion in which he stood in his medical life. 
 
 " I NEVER had the least notion that 
 you were about to relinquish your profes- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 135 
 
 sion on account of the auditorship. You 
 have given yourself what no man in Eng- 
 land could give you, a station at the head 
 of a learned profession, with the suitable 
 emoluments ; and had you changed this 
 for a mere place about court, I should 
 have thought you cracked. I am glad, 
 however, to see that the Regent can give 
 situations to the preservers of mankind as 
 well as to the destroyers, for the military 
 carry away most of the good things now ; 
 but I hope this may be the means of ele- 
 vating the character of your useful pro- 
 fession through you, and opening new 
 honours. 
 
 " I am, &c. 
 
 " W. D." 
 
 It required great consideration to aban- 
 don a position in which Sir William was 
 so rapidly acquiring an independence for 
 his family ; and it is difficult for any 
 other tlian the party interested to judge 
 of the expediency of such a step. The 
 
136 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 continued fatigue and anxiety, night and 
 day, and year after year, — the complete 
 interruption of domestic comfort, and the 
 gratification (so natural to the human 
 heart) arising from the unbounded fa- 
 vour, kindness, and liberality of his sove- 
 reign, — overcame all scruples, and in 1822 
 Sir William became the devoted servant 
 of his Majesty. It may be seen from 
 the annexed letter, written in 1820, that 
 George IV. even at that period derived 
 great comfort in having recourse to his 
 judgment when under any difficulty or 
 embarrassment. 
 
 FROM THE KING. 
 
 " MY DEAR KNIGHTON, 
 
 " Let me entreat of you, if you possibly 
 can, to call upon me to-morrow morning, 
 if your health will in any way admit of it, 
 at latest by eleven o'clock. I am so over- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 137 
 
 burthened, that I must absolutely see 
 you. 
 
 " Always most affectionately yours, 
 
 " G. R." 
 
 C. H. 
 
 ** Friday niglu, or rather Saturday morning, 
 ''May 12-13, 1820. 
 
 " P.S. — B tells me that he has 
 
 obeyed my orders in writing to you to the 
 same effect ; but I cannot, notwithstand- 
 ing, resist writing this short line myself." 
 
 Sir William's secession from his medi- 
 cal avocations had been gradual, in conse- 
 ([ucnce of his frequent absence from town 
 with the Regent. It was naturally a mat- 
 ter of concern to many by whom he had 
 been considered as a friend, as well as a 
 professional attendant ; but he left a most 
 able successor in his friend Dr. Gooch. 
 
 There is nothing remarkable to men- 
 tion until the year 1821, and only a few 
 letters have been preserved, which show 
 the strong parental feeling of love for his 
 
138 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 children, which ceased only with his ex- 
 istence. The following is to his daughter. 
 
 New-Year s Day. 
 
 " I WISH you many happy returns of this 
 day. I have sent you a little Testament to 
 commemorate my approbation of your con- 
 duct during the last year ; and I hope and 
 believe, my beloved child, that you will 
 not fail to give me the same consolation 
 every succeeding year whilst I live. I wish 
 you to read a chapter in this little book 
 every day of your life before breakfast, 
 and by degrees to get all the leading 
 points by heart. As it is a book derived 
 from God, so it is the only thing to be 
 relied upon, and to give you happiness in 
 pain, sickness, or sorrow. 
 
 " God bless you, my beloved Dora ! 
 
 " Believe me ever your attached and 
 affectionate papa, 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 During the dangerous illness under 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 189 
 
 which the Prince Regent was suffering at 
 the time of the death of his father George 
 the Third, the watchful attention of Sir 
 William was justly appreciated by his 
 royal master, and it tended to lessen the 
 anxiety of his medical friends during the 
 intervals in which they were necessarily 
 obliged to be absent from their patient. 
 Sir William was in attendance in the night 
 wlien the intelligence from Windsor was 
 brought of the termination of the King's 
 life. The fatal tidings were received by 
 the Prince with a burst of grief that 
 was very alfecting. 
 
 It was generally known that, from 
 various causes, the pecuniary affairs of 
 (Jeorge the Fourth were previously to his 
 accession in an embarrassed state ; and, 
 of course, continual circumstances occur- 
 red in which such a mind as Sir William's 
 (which was always remarkable for firm- 
 ness and judgment) could not fail to be 
 acceptable, and, as it appeared, necessary 
 to his royal master. Any unusual absence, 
 
140 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 in consequence of illness or other acci- 
 dental causes, seldom failed to bring a 
 command for his presence, such as is an- 
 xiously expressed in the subjoined letter. 
 It respects the death of the infant Princess 
 Elizabeth, daughter of the late King Wil- 
 liam the Fourth and Queen Adelaide. 
 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " For God's sake come down to me to- 
 morrow morning. The melancholy tidings 
 of the almost sudden death of my poor 
 little niece have just reached me, and have 
 overset me beyond all I can express to 
 you. Poor William's letter, which is all 
 affection, and especially towards you, refers 
 me to you for all the particulars ; there- 
 fore pray come to me with as little delay 
 as possible. I have not time to add a word 
 more about myself. You will be a great 
 coUvSolation to me. 
 
 " Ever your most affectionate friend, 
 
 " Brighton, March 4th, 182]." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 141 
 
 About this time Sir William received 
 the following characteristic letter from Mr. 
 Southey, which will be read with pleasure 
 by those who take an interest in literary 
 questions. 
 
 " Keswick, 30tli March, 1821. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I AM greatly obliged to you for pre- 
 senting my "Vision of Judgment" to the 
 King, and for communicating to me the 
 very gratifying manner in which his Ma- 
 jesty has been pleased to mention it. In 
 writing upon public occasions, it has been, 
 and will be, my earnest desire to produce 
 something which may inculcate and en- 
 force right opinions, with the hope that it 
 may prove of some immediate utility, and 
 be not unworthy of being read hereafter. 
 His Majesty's approbation is the best proof 
 which could be obtained that this desire 
 will not be disappointed. 
 
 " The opinions which have as yet reach- 
 ed me concerning the metre of the poem 
 
142 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 are exactly what private trials had taught 
 me to expect. Women are at first per- 
 plexed at the appearance of the verse ; 
 but upon reading it aloud, they presently 
 perceive the rhythm, and then they like it. 
 My friend Charles Wynn, avowing that his 
 prejudice against it is inveterate, acknow- 
 ledges that he dislikes it less than he ex- 
 pected. Young poets admire it with en- 
 thusiasm, and endeavour to persuade me 
 that it is a finer measure than blank verse. 
 Their elders, whom I call my peers, appre- 
 ciate fairly its merits and defects ; and, 
 giving a decided verdict in its favour, pro- 
 nounce it a legitimate and powerful metre, 
 and think that our literature is enriched 
 by its introduction. 
 
 " Twenty years ago I planned a poem 
 upon the Deluge, with the intention of 
 writing it in this measure, meaning to 
 show in what manner the wickedness of 
 mankind was produced in the Old World 
 by the two opposite extremes of political 
 evil, — such a tyranny on the one hand as 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 143 
 
 Bonaparte afterwards went far towards 
 establishing, and such a spirit of Jacobin- 
 ism on the other as is at this day at work 
 here at home, as well as over the whole 
 Continent, The design has long been laid 
 aside ; but the course of events has tended 
 to show that it was not ill conceived in 
 this respect. 
 
 " Believe me, my dear sir, 
 " With many thanks, 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 " Robert Southey." 
 
 To Sir Wm. Knighton, 
 
 The following letters from George the 
 Fourth, relative to his Majesty's visit to 
 Ireland, will also probably be read with 
 interest ; and, as they express his Majes- 
 ty's feelings towards the subject of this 
 memoir, they may not be considered irre- 
 levant. 
 
144 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " OfF Holyhead, August lOtli, 1821 . 
 " DEAREST FRIEND, 
 
 " As I know you like brevity in writing, 
 I shall endeavour to be as concise as pos- 
 sible, and shall try to convey to you all 
 the matter possible in the smallest com- 
 pass. 
 
 " I must first thank you for your kind 
 letters, the last of which I have now just 
 received. You need not be under any ap- 
 prehension that every regard to decorum 
 and decency will not be strictly observed. 
 
 " I have now been at anchor in this har- 
 bour ever since Monday night at half-past 
 eleven, when we received the first intima- 
 tion of the Queen's indisposition. 
 
 " On Tuesday at noon, as I had heard 
 nothing from my friend Lord Sidmouth, 
 who had passed over to the other coast 
 some hours before, we took up our anchor- 
 age here. We had reason to know he had 
 heard the report before he left Holyhead ; 
 and it was determined, as the best medium- 
 line that could be adopted until I could 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 145 
 
 hear from him, that I should proceed for 
 twelve hours to Lord Anglesea's. 
 
 " Accordingly I wrote to Lord Sidmouth 
 and Bloomfield, to acquaint them with the 
 communication I had received respecting 
 the Queen, to account for the delay in my 
 not proceeding to Ireland, and desiring 
 Lord Sidmouth's advice as to what I had 
 best do, and that he would make all the 
 arrangements which might be necessary 
 under existing circumstances. 
 
 " I returned from Plasnewydd to my 
 yacht here about four o'clock on the next 
 day (Wednesday), and found Lord Sid- 
 mouth just disembarked and ready to re- 
 ceive me. He stayed about two hours with 
 me on board, and then again took his pass-- 
 age in the steam-boat, having arranged 
 with me, that if the accounts from London 
 of the Queen the next day should repre- 
 sent her to be in an improved state, that 
 then we should set sail as quickly as pos- 
 sible, and land at Dunleary, and make my 
 public entree at Dublin on that day (Fri- 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 1. 
 
146 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 day) ; although he had already taken mea- 
 sures for a private entry if matters should 
 be worse, as it was utterly impossible for 
 me under any circumstances not to pro- 
 ceed now to Ireland, where public notice 
 would be given that I should observe the 
 strictest privacy for some days, until we 
 were acquainted either with the Queen's 
 recovery or her demise, and till after the 
 body should be interred. 
 
 " Lord Londonderry fortunately arrived 
 the next morning after Lord Sidmouth left 
 me, — that is to say, yesterday, Thursday, 
 before seven o'clock in the morning, — and 
 has remained with me, and will continue 
 to do so till I have set my foot on the 
 Irish shore. He approved of all the ar- 
 rangements I had made with Lord Sid- 
 mouth as the best possible, and with every 
 view I had taken of the whole circum- 
 stance ; and it is now determined that 
 either in the course of the day, or as soon 
 as possible as the wind and weather will 
 permit, (but which at present does not ap- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 147 
 
 pear very encouraging,) we are to set sail, 
 either in the yacht alone or by steam, to 
 Ireland ; to make Howth (about five miles 
 from Dublin), and to proceed without any 
 sort of show or display to the Phcsnix 
 Park, without entering or passing through 
 Dublin at all. My arrival there will then 
 be publicly announced, and that the strict- 
 est privacy for a few days will be observed, 
 as far as proper decency and decorum may 
 require ; and that after that, the day will 
 be announced when I shall make my pub- 
 lic entree, and when all public ceremonies 
 and rejoicings will commence. 
 
 " Continue, T conjure you, from time to 
 time, and constantly if you can, to let me 
 hear from you, be it only that ' all is 
 well for even this is a security and com- 
 fort to me that you cannot imagine : it is 
 utterly impossible for me to tell you how 
 uncomfortable and how miserable I always 
 feel when I have you not immediately at 
 my elbow. You may, then, judge what I 
 do now at this moment feel, and what I 
 
 L 2 
 
148 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 have gone through without you near me, 
 during all these recent perplexities and 
 difficulties. You are too well acquainted 
 with the warmth of my feelings towards 
 you to render it necessary for me to add a 
 syllable more upon that head, dear and 
 best of friends, except that I am always 
 " Most affectionately yours, 
 
 " G. R." 
 
 " DEAREST FRIEND, 
 
 " I AM sure that you will be quite sur- 
 prised, after the long letter which I hope 
 you received safe from me by this even- 
 ing's post, dated from hence the day be- 
 fore yesterday, at receiving another from 
 me, and also from the same place, but 
 which, I hope, will be the last ; for I have 
 now determined, by whatever inconveni- 
 ence it may be attended, upon proceeding 
 directly by land for London, and we finally 
 start at five o'clock to-morrow morning, 
 and hope to be with you before four o'clock 
 on Saturday at Carlton House. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 149 
 
 " There is no time for a florid descrip- 
 tion. We sailed again yesterday morning 
 between four and five o'clock, with a most 
 promising breeze in our favour, to make 
 the Land's End. About two or three in the 
 evening the wind shifted immediately in 
 our teeth ; a violent hurricane and tempest 
 suddenly arose ; the most dreadful possible 
 of nights and of scenes ensued, the sea 
 breaking everywhere over the ship. We 
 lost the tiller, and the vessel was for some 
 minutes down on her beam-ends ; and no- 
 thing, I believe, but the undaunted pre- 
 sence of mind, perseverance, experience, 
 and courage of Paget preserved us from a 
 watery grave. The oldest and most expe- 
 rienced of our sailors were petrified and 
 paralysed : you may judge somewhat^ then, 
 of what was the state of most of the pas- 
 sengers ; every one almost flew up in their 
 shirts upon deck in terrors that are not 
 to be described. 
 
 " Most aflectionately yours, 
 
 " G. R." 
 
150 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Royal George Yacht, 
 "Milford Haven, September 10, 1821. 
 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " So many unexpected circumstances 
 have taken place since I wrote to you, 
 that I scarce know where I am to take up 
 matters to put you au fait of everything in 
 all quarters. It is rather a difficult task to 
 undertake, particularly as I know you are 
 not partial to long letters. I will, how- 
 ever, endeavour to do my best, and be as 
 concise as possible. 
 
 " My last letter told you I was to em- 
 bark (as I did) that day at Dunleary. We 
 made since that two efforts to stand out 
 on our homeward voyage, but were driven 
 back by change of wind. However, on 
 Friday last we stood out suddenly upon a 
 change of wind in our favour, and perse- 
 vered ; but we encountered a most formi- 
 dable tempest for nearly forty-eight hours, 
 such as has been hardly known by the 
 most veteran sailor, and, with the blessing 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 151 
 
 of God, arrived safe in this port about 
 eleven o'clock in the forenoon of yester- 
 day. Not to be prolix, but in order to 
 give you some little idea of our state, most 
 of our fleet were separated, except the 
 Royal Sovereign yacht, the Liffey frigate, 
 and ourselves. The Grecian sloop of war, 
 reckoned one of the best schooners in the 
 service, sprung her mast, and was obliged 
 entirely to part company from us in dis- 
 tress, and to make for the very first an- 
 chorage she could, where it is hoped she is 
 long before this in safety, though as yet 
 no intelligence of her has been received. 
 
 " Most even of our crew and company 
 were deadly sick, but the very worst of all 
 was my poor self ; and I am now for the 
 first time, since we are again at anchor in 
 smooth water, risen from my bed, and not 
 without considerable exertion and incon- 
 venience to myself. I have suffered so 
 much solely for the purpose of writing to 
 you ; for I too gratefully feel the warmth 
 of your affectionate heart towards me at 
 
152 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 all times, not only not to neglect you, but 
 to prove to you that you are always pre- 
 sent to my mind ; and I felt quite sure, 
 that if any part of our history of the last 
 week should reach you, that the short note 
 
 which F wrote you yesterday would 
 
 not in the least answer the purpose of 
 quieting your affectionate anxieties and 
 
 cares about me. When F wrote, it 
 
 was in the utmost haste, to save the post, 
 which leaves here before three in the af- 
 ternoon, that you might know something 
 decidedly of us, and we had then thoughts 
 of pursuing our return overland, as he ac- 
 quainted you ; but, upon thorough consi- 
 deration, we found this scheme next to 
 impracticable, what from the very moun- 
 tainous and bad state of the roads through 
 this part of South Wales, the scarcity of 
 horses, the dreadful length of the stages, 
 and, after all, the formidable length of the 
 journey itself to London, being above two 
 hundred and seventy-two miles, and this, 
 too, unattended with any sort of comfort 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 153 
 
 or accommodation on the road, at any rate 
 until we reached Gloucester. Upon the 
 best calculation, therefore, we could not 
 have reached our destination at earliest 
 till Thursday night. We have therefore 
 determined, all matters considered, to sum- 
 mon up resignation and patience to our 
 aid, to wait the first steady and favourable 
 wind, and which is now very promising, 
 that will carry us round the Land's End in 
 about eight hours ; after which we shall 
 make Portsmouth at the very latest twelve 
 hours afterwards, let the wind be then al- 
 most whatever it may. 
 
 " In addition to this, I must also say 
 that it was quite out of the question my 
 being able, for two or three days at least, 
 to encounter so tedious a journey by land ; 
 I am so completely shattered and torn to 
 pieces by the effects and sickness of an 
 eight-and-forty hours' tempest. Up to this 
 moment, then, you are acquainted with 
 everything upon which it is in my power 
 to give you any information by letter. 
 
154 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The veriest minutiae of the details of what 
 has passed since we met, you shall have 
 from me when we meet. 
 
 " N0W5 then, God bless you ! 
 
 " Ever yours, &c. 
 
 " G. R." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 155 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Sir William Knighton's Account of the King's Journey to 
 Hanover. — Brussels. — Namur. — The King's reception at 
 Dusseldorf. — Osnabruck. — Hanover. — The King's public 
 entry into the City. — Bulletin of his Health. — Return. — 
 Gottingen. — Cologne. 
 
 No further account than that given in 
 the foregoing chapter has been found of 
 the King's visit to and return from Ire- 
 land, nor is there any journal of his Ma- 
 jesty's journey to Hanover ; but' as he was 
 accompanied on this occasion by Sir Wil- 
 liam Knighton, his letters to his family 
 will in some measure supply the defi- 
 ciency. 
 
 September 25th, 1821. Calais. 
 
 " Here we are safe at Calais, thank God, 
 all well, — a rough passage towards the 
 
156 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 close. Our reception at the embarkation 
 this morning at Ramsgate was magnifi- 
 cent, and the same at this place. I am 
 working hard, — much writing and little 
 rest. But nothing can equal the affection 
 and the kindness of the King towards me. 
 You know what I determine to do, I do 
 well : this, I hope, will be the case in this 
 instance. 
 
 " The King has been at the theatre to- 
 night. The music was very agreeable, and 
 I was much amused and gratified. I be- 
 lieve you would hardly know me in my 
 new costume ; the whole of it is so comi- 
 cal, that I can scarcely believe my own 
 history. It is more like a romance than 
 anything else. 
 
 " To-morrow night we propose to sleep 
 at Lisle, and the next to reach Brussels, 
 from which place I hope to write to you 
 again. You must not expect long letters ; 
 but when I return, I hope to have the hap- 
 piness of telling you everything. The dear 
 King leaves me not a moment. You can- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 157 
 
 not understand it, unless you were pre- 
 sent. 
 
 " Ever yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K. 
 
 Dessin's, Calais, 
 ^' Tuesday after midnight." 
 
 " Wednesday morning, six o'clock. 
 
 " I have just been with the Kmg, and 
 am putting everything in motion for our 
 departure ; which is no joke. Adieu." 
 
 Brussels, Friday, September 28th, 1821. 
 
 " We reached this place in safety at 
 half-past six last night. The Duke of 
 Wellington, Lords Londonderry and Clan- 
 carty, were in waiting to receive us. In 
 about half an hour after our arrival, the 
 King of the Netherlands, the Prince of 
 Orange, and Prince Frederick paid their 
 respects to his Majesty. We were all in- 
 troduced. We then sat down to dinner, 
 amounting to twenty-eight persons. I had 
 one of my bad headaches ; but I am now 
 
158 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 quite well. The truth is, I have so much 
 to do, I am almost worked to death. Sir 
 B. precedes us. 
 
 " My king, God bless him ! never gives 
 me a moment. The pen is never out of 
 my hand by day, and it is his vrish that 
 I sleep in his dressing-room at night ; so 
 that he has access to me at all hours. 
 You will not, therefore, be surprised that 
 you do not get long letters from me. It 
 will be impossible for me to give you any 
 details of my journey until I return, when 
 I hope to tell you everything. It is, I 
 confess, very interesting. 
 
 " Saturday night. — The messenger sets 
 off early to-morrow morning. Yesterday 
 was a very fatiguing day. We were at 
 court, and dined with the king and queen 
 and all the royal family. It was very 
 amusing : sixty persons of the first dis- 
 tinction were invited to meet us. After 
 dinner we went to the private theatre of 
 the palace of Lacken. This edifice is 
 most splendid : it is four miles from Brus- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 159 
 
 sels. The opera was very amusing, and 
 the music delightful. I enclose you the 
 play-bill as a curiosity. 
 
 " Brussels is a beautiful town, and so is 
 Lisle. At this latter place seven thousand 
 troops lined the streets. I went into the 
 town with his Majesty in an open carriage. 
 We leave this early to-morrow morning 
 for the field of Waterloo, and then pro- 
 ceed on our journey. Previously to our 
 setting off, we shall have divine service in 
 the throne-room of the palace we occupy, 
 at eight in the morning. You see I am 
 attentive to everything. We shall sleep at 
 Namur to-morrow night, on Monday night 
 at Aix-la-Chapelle, and on Tuesday night 
 at Dusseldorf : four days after that, we 
 hope to reach Hanover. 
 
 " You will scarcely believe that, al- 
 though I have been here two days, I have 
 never been able to stir outside the doors, 
 except yesterday, to go and dine at court. 
 This is unavoidable, there is so much to 
 do. Kiss my beloved darlings again and 
 
160 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 again. The bundle at Blendworth Cot- 
 tage, amidst ail my grandeur, are my only 
 comforts. 
 
 " God bless you. 
 
 "W. K." 
 
 " Naraur, Monday, October 1st, 
 ^' Eleven at night. 
 
 " F1RST5 let me thank you for your dear 
 letter, which reached me on my way hi- 
 ther. This has been a busy and an inter- 
 esting day. Early this morning we quit- 
 ted Brussels for this place. We reached 
 the little village of Waterloo about twelve 
 o'clock, accompanied by Prince Frederick 
 of Holland, the Duke of Wellington, Lord 
 Clancarty, and a number of persons of 
 minor distinction. The King went into 
 the little church of the village, examined 
 all the tablets of inscription upon the 
 walls, then visited the willow tree under 
 which was buried the shattered limb of 
 Lord Anglesea, and seemed greatly im- 
 pressed with all around him. The day 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. J6l 
 
 was very unfavourable — it rained torrents ; 
 but, notwithstanding this, the King went 
 to the plain of Waterloo, accompanied by 
 the Duke, and examined every part of the 
 various positions occupied by the army in 
 that dreadful battle. 
 
 " When I saw the verdure of this plain 
 in full and luxuriant vegetation, I could 
 not help dwelling on many of the extraor- 
 dinary thoughts which Lord Byron has 
 advanced in his poem, when speaking of 
 this tremendous engagement. The blades 
 of grass on which we tread might be a 
 part of some warrior's frame who had died 
 on this plain,— some friend, perhaps, whom 
 we had known and admired. 
 
 " Tell dearest W. I bought some relics 
 for him, and was on the spot where Buo- 
 naparte stood the greatest part of the day. 
 About one o'clock we left the field ; and 
 at Sambrief the Duke and all the other 
 grandees took leave of the King, and we 
 proceeded on our journey. 
 
 " We reached this place about six. I 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
162 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 stole away to the cathedral whilst his Ma- 
 jesty retired to adjust himself ; for the 
 carriages had not come up. It was almost 
 dark ; a few glimmering lamps served me 
 to observe its beauties. Some dozen fe- 
 males in various corners were at their de- 
 votions, and the stillness of the place had 
 on my mind a most inspiring effect. I 
 thought of you and my little darlings ; 
 and although separated by so great a dis- 
 tance, my feelings carried me swiftly back 
 to the dear cottage at Blendworth. I have 
 much to do, much to contend with ; but I 
 hope to do it well. 
 
 " We left Namur for Aix-la-Chapelle on 
 Tuesday the 2nd. I should mention that 
 nothing can exceed the beauty of the road 
 and scenery from Namur to Liege. We 
 accompany the Meuse for forty miles, and 
 on each side are woods and hanging rocks. 
 I should like to pass my days amidst this 
 scenery. We reached Aix-la-Chapelle 
 about six. Early in the morning I visited 
 the baths, the hall where the congress was 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 163 
 
 held, and the cathedral, in which I saw 
 the tomb of Charlemagne. The reliques 
 are curious, inasmuch as they have re- 
 mained in the same place for a thousand 
 years." 
 
 " Dusseldorf, Wednesday, October 3rd. 
 
 " To-DAY we reached this place, all well. 
 The roads we passed have been tremen- 
 dous. At Dusseldorf you cross the Rhine, 
 and this is done by means of a flying 
 bridge. It is in fact a bridge thrown over 
 two boats, and a line of boats sway it from 
 one side of the bank to the other. The 
 carriage and horses drive up at once, and 
 everything remains passive* It amused us 
 all very much. 
 
 " Thursday, 4th. — To-day we halted for 
 a day's rest. We are now in the Prussian 
 dominions. The king reviewed the troops 
 this morning. To-morrow we continue 
 our journey over what they call the De- 
 sert, which seems to be a trackless space 
 of sand. This operation will take us 
 
 M 2 
 
164 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 twelve hours. On Monday we hope to 
 reach Hanover. 
 
 " About seven last evening, the whole 
 garrison marched out by torch-light to 
 serenade the King on his arrival. The 
 effect was beautiful : I never heard such 
 bands. The style in which they played 
 ' God save the King ' was enough to elec- 
 trify one. 
 
 " I get but little sleep. I am, however, 
 thanks be to the Almighty, quite well. 
 You may judge what I have to do. Sir B. 
 is at Hanover, or nearly so, by this time. 
 Our suite consists of nearly forty horses, 
 besides the escort; and all this moves 
 without the slightest confusion. I have 
 now two large Prussian grenadiers at my 
 bed- room door. It would make you laugh. 
 
 " 1 despatch this at four in the morning, 
 at which time we start. God grant this 
 may find you all well. 
 
 " Heaven bless you ! 
 
 " W. K." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 165 
 
 " Palace of Osnabruck, 
 " Saturday, Oct. 6, twelve at night. 
 
 "We met at Munster a courier on his 
 way to England with despatches frora St. 
 Petersburgh. The King ordered him to 
 follow us hither, and to-morrow I shall 
 despatch him for England. 
 
 " We are now in the King's own domi- 
 nions. The country through which we 
 have passed this day has been beautiful 
 in the extreme ; but the roads are so bad, 
 that nothing can equal the fatigue of tra- 
 velling. We are obliged to change our 
 horses every five miles, notwithstanding 
 we have eight horses attached to each 
 carriage. 
 
 " The Hanoverians are a happy, delight- 
 ful people. Through every village we 
 passed to-day, the most beautiful tri- 
 umphal arches, composed of evergreens 
 and flowers were erected to do honour 
 to their King, some happy device affixed 
 to the centre. The arch seems to be 
 a sacred emblem with the Hanoverians, 
 
166 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 for we generally found the pastor in his 
 robes standing, and the whole parish on 
 either side, the women carrying their 
 Bibles under their arms. This in the 
 country was always the case ; on the ap- 
 proach to populous towns, less so. These 
 people have a simplicity in all they do 
 which delights one. 
 
 " I travel always with the King. We 
 are lodged in a palace belonging to his 
 Majesty : it is magnificent, but old. Tell 
 dearest D. the room in which I am now 
 writing is such as are found in ancient 
 tales of romance, where you might expect 
 a ghost to start up every moment. George 
 the First died here. 
 
 " It is a beautiful night, and the moon 
 shines on the Westphalian mountains, at 
 the foot of which is the palace where 
 George the First was born : this we passed 
 to-day. Eight thousand people with 
 torches came into the yard of the palace 
 to-night to serenade the King. The ef- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 167 
 
 feet was striking and beautiful. They 
 sang a national hymn : it brought tears 
 from my eyes, it was so affecting. We are 
 made very much of. I am improving in 
 my French fast, as I hear nothing else 
 spoken. 
 
 " To-morrow we have ninety miles to 
 travel, over very bad roads ; and the day 
 following completes, I trust in God, our 
 journey. The city has been most beauti- 
 fully illuminated to-night : the people 
 seem almost mad with joy. It is no won- 
 der : sixty-three years have elapsed since 
 they have seen their King. I saw many 
 an old person weep as we passed. 
 
 " There is a great simplicity in the cha- 
 racter of this nation. Crime is very little 
 known among them ; and when it does 
 exist, is marked by no particular severity 
 of punishment, which is always almost li- 
 mited to the hard labour of the fortress 
 or the public roads. When his present 
 Majesty ascended the throne, he found 
 
168 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that the instrument of torture formed a 
 part of the law of this country : it was 
 almost his first act to abolish it." 
 
 " Palace at Hanover, 
 "Tuesday, October 8th, 1821. 
 
 " We arrived here yesterday about five 
 o'clock, and are lodged in one of the most 
 magnificent palaces you ever beheld. It 
 is beautifully fitted up ; and the garden- 
 walks and water-spouts make it look like 
 enchantment. This Hanover has been 
 much underrated by the English ; and 
 the King here lives really like a king. 
 The palace is full of servants ; and the 
 whole thing is in a state of grandeur that 
 I never before witnessed. I shall, how- 
 ever, eyitre nous^ be most heartily glad 
 when our stay is over ; and I really hope 
 it will not be protracted beyond a fort- 
 night from this time. 
 
 " I found, on my arrival here, your two 
 letters dated the 28th and 29th. I never 
 felt anything like the happiness of hearing 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 169 
 
 from you and my dear children. God be 
 thanked that you are all well ! Tell my 
 darlings that I shall write to them by the 
 next messenger. At present there is not 
 time, for Lord Londonderry is impatient 
 to send off the messenger. 
 
 " The palace of Osnabruck was so quiet 
 and retired, and the people of the place 
 so attentive and affectionate to the dear 
 King, that we left it with reluctance. 
 
 " I must tell you an anecdote which will 
 interest you. Early in the morning, a 
 poor woman, with a countenance apparent- 
 ly much worn with sorrow, on her knees 
 presented a petition to the King's Hano- 
 verian chamberlain, which was rejected. 
 I saw this from the saloon, from which I 
 was looking down on the many thousand 
 persons assembled in the court-yard, and 
 I observed the expression of despair which 
 followed. I hastened down, fearing to 
 lose sight of her, got her petition, and pre- 
 sented it to the King. 
 
 " It craved his mercy for her husband, 
 
170 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 who was doomed to five years' hard laboui 
 in a fortress. She was the mother of 
 eight little children, and, it need not be 
 added, in great poverty and want. The 
 crime v/as of a nature to be pardoned, and 
 this was done by the King with his pen 
 instantly ; for here his authority is abso- 
 lute. We had the poor woman in the sa- 
 loon, — and you may imagine the rest. 
 
 " Nothing can equal the sincere feeling 
 displayed by this happy people : it is, I 
 must confess, a great contrast, compared 
 to England. We passed through a line 
 yesterday of ten thousand troops. It was 
 a fine sight ; and the whole population 
 came out to greet their King. So long a 
 period having elapsed since the Hano- 
 verians have seen their King, you may 
 judge of the effect this visit has on them. 
 The thing that has most forcibly struck 
 me is their extreme simplicity. The whole 
 streets through which we passed when we 
 quitted Osnabruck yesterday, were strew- 
 ed with flowers and evergreens ; and every 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 171 
 
 village had triumphal arches erected, with 
 appropriate inscriptions, all bearing evi- 
 dent marks of real religion. This is the 
 basis of everything, and, of course, of their 
 happiness. 
 
 " The weather has been remarkably fa- 
 vourable during the whole journey ; but 
 we must not expect it long to continue so. 
 The palace in which we reside is a mile 
 from Hanover. I have not as yet been 
 able to go into the town ; but I hope to do 
 so to-morrow. I have been so occupied 
 this morning, that I have not once quitted 
 the house. Take care of your health and 
 that of the dear children, &c. 
 
 " W. K.'' 
 
 " October 12th. 
 
 " T HAVE rather unexpectedly the happi- 
 ness of writing you a few hurried lines to- 
 day by a messenger, who is just arrived 
 from Vienna, and is to proceed directly to 
 England. I still continue, thanks be to 
 God, quite well. The King still holds his 
 
172 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 determination to leave this on Monday 
 week. I shall continue to write to you by 
 every opportunity, until I have again the 
 happiness of seeing you. 
 
 " The weather is beginning to get cold, 
 and in another fortnight the winter in 
 this part of the world will commence in 
 earnest. I have just given orders for a 
 great-coat, which the King has directed 
 the whole of his suite to wear. 
 
 " Yesterday was our first levee ; and 
 last night, which is the custom in this 
 country, the drawing-room. It was over 
 by eleven. The ladies were very elegantly 
 dressed, and many of them remarkably 
 handsome. The Duchess of Cambridge is 
 a very fine woman. 
 
 " The day before yesterday, the King 
 made his grand entry into Hanover on 
 horseback. The sight was magnificent, 
 the feelings of the people perfect. The 
 illuminations at night were splendid, and 
 in good taste. 
 
 " I am just called to the King. I shall 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 173 
 
 try and fill this sheet. If not, ten thou- 
 sand kisses to my beloved children. 
 
 " Five o'clock. — We expect the Princess 
 Elizabeth of England every minute. I 
 have had so much to do, that I am fairly 
 tired before the night begins ; and the 
 fuss of full-dress is tremendous. I seem 
 to be doomed never to have a moment to 
 myself. In two or three days we shall 
 start a messenger of our own, when I hope 
 I shall have the comfort of writing quietly. 
 Tell my beloved Dora that I have got a 
 list of German books, which I mean to buy 
 at Frankfort, by which place we shall re- 
 turn. We are to go by a different route 
 back. This is necessary, for the other line 
 of march would be impracticable. 
 
 " Friday, nine o'clock, 12th October. — 
 The messenger has been delayed beyond 
 the hour intended for his despatch, and I 
 steal away from a crowded drawing-room 
 to give you the last moment, because I ' 
 know it will afford you pleasure. * 
 
 " The hour of dining in this country 
 
174 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 is five o'clock, and therefore one has 
 the opportunity of getting up at a more 
 convenient time. The Princess Eliza- 
 beth arrived just at the hour of dinner; 
 and to-night there is to be a military 
 serenade. The meaning of this is, that 
 the whole garrison march out by torch- 
 light with their band, and play the most 
 appropriate and delightful music. I sup- 
 pose in half an hour there will be be- 
 fore the palace ten thousand torches : I 
 cannot describe to you the effect — the ap- 
 pearance is quite extraordinary. 
 
 " This palace is beautiful. The room in 
 which I sleep is more magnificently and 
 richly furnished than anything you can 
 fancy. It looks out on the gardens ; and 
 these are laid out in the old style, such as 
 you may read of in fairy tales. There are 
 six fountains constantly playing, one as 
 high as a hundred and twenty feet. In 
 truth, it is a complete specimen of hy- 
 draulics. 
 
 " I am endeavouring to get some music 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 175 
 
 for my dear D. ; but it is very difficult. 
 Tell dear W. that I at present intend to 
 bring him a gun ; but whether I shall be 
 able to fulfil my intention I know not. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " Palace at Herenhausen, 
 " October I4th, 1821. 
 
 " Here I am, full of anxiety and wretch- 
 edness. The King has got a most severe 
 and uncomfortable fit of the gout. This 
 attack commenced two days since. I still 
 entertain hopes that I shall be so far able 
 to get it under, that we may begin our 
 journey on Thursday week. This will be 
 two days later than I expected ; but still I 
 hope to save this by the route we intend 
 to take. I have had an anxious time 
 of it, I can assure you ; but I do not 
 regret it. 
 
 " Your letter, which was brought me at 
 midnight by the messenger, was very ac- 
 ceptable. I continue very well in the 
 
176 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 midst of all my fatigue, and find my com- 
 mon sense very useful to me. Tell my 
 three darlings I have not time to write to 
 them, but I never forget them a moment. 
 This illness has, of course, given me 
 enough to do. I have written the follow- 
 ing bulletin for the Lords Justices in Eng- 
 land this morning. 
 
 " ' BULLETIN. 
 
 " ' The King, some days since, in getting 
 on horseback, slightly sprained his knee. 
 The part has now become affected with a 
 severe fit of the gout. 
 
 " ' Under these circumstances, his Ma- 
 jesty will be deprived of any further bodily 
 exertion during his stay in Hanover ; but 
 it is at present my confident hope and 
 expectation that his Majesty will be en- 
 abled to undertake his journey to Eng- 
 land at the time proposed. 
 
 " ' W. Knighton/ " 
 
 ' Palace at Herenhausen, 
 "^October 17th, 182 L'" 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 177 
 
 « Sunday, 21st October. 
 
 " I WRITE you one line to say that the 
 dearest King is much better. We leave 
 this on Thursday morning, I trust in 
 God, to begin our journey to England, 
 What time it may take us is uncertain ; 
 but I shall have an opportunity of writ- 
 ing to you occasionally, as couriers will be 
 constantly despatched. 
 
 " Remain quietly at the cottage : I shall 
 see you as soon as possible after my ar- 
 rival. The King has this day conferred on 
 me the second order of the Guelph. How 
 comical it all is ! I cannot help smiling. I 
 wish my poor dear mother was alive. Alas ! 
 we cannot have everything. 
 
 " This Hanover is a very delightful 
 place. I have lived in such a confusion 
 of exertion, that my head is almost every 
 now and then ready to crack. 
 
 " God bless you, dearest ! I never cease 
 thinking of you and my darling dears. 
 
 " Ever, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 N 
 
178 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Palace of Herenhausen, 
 "Wednesday, October 24th, 1821. 
 
 Our journey has been unavoidably 
 postponed, and we do not now enter upon 
 it until Monday next, the 29th instant. 
 This delay of a few days, although tor- 
 menting, one must not mind. I send you 
 a card of our progress homewards, which 
 will enable you in imagination to keep 
 pace with our movements. 
 
 " As the beloved King is now recovering 
 his strength so fast, we shall be enabled by 
 these few days' delay to lessen one day on 
 the card ; so we shall sleep at Aix-la-Cha- 
 pelle, and the next night at Bruxelles. 
 
 " Tell my beloved Do. and William, that 
 ' although I have not had time to write to 
 them, they will find I have not forgotten 
 either of them. Kiss my darling little 
 twaddle, Mary Frances, and tell her she 
 is not forgotten either. 
 
 " The weather with us continues fine. 
 This palace for a summer residence is 
 quite enchanting. The fountains, the old- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 179 
 
 fashioned gardens, and the whole together, 
 put you in mind of stories of olden time. 
 —By the way, I hope to get some valuable 
 flower-seeds for you. 
 
 " I thank God, the dear King's recovery 
 has been progressive and satisfactory. No- 
 thing could have answered better. 
 
 Believe me, &c. 
 
 "W. K. ' 
 
 " Wetzlar, Thursday, November 1st. 
 
 " Thus far are we arrived in safety on 
 our journey homewards. The dear King 
 bears his fatigue well, and we are all in 
 very good plight. I cannot describe to 
 you the enthusiasm and the attention at 
 every step we move : in fact, the whole of 
 Germany feel that he has been the power, 
 under Providence, that has relieved them 
 from the oppression of their late rulers, 
 the French. 
 
 " A tournament was prepared for us 
 at Gottingen : it was beautiful. Prince 
 (something) led : I never saw anything 
 
 N 2 
 
180 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 more perfect than the management of the 
 horses in the dance. 
 
 "We did not leave Hanover until 
 twelve : all classes seemed very sorry at 
 our departure. From thence to Rothen- 
 kirchen the country is beautiful. Every 
 town and village was crowded. The 
 sacred emblem of the arch, with flowers 
 and branches of trees, with happy devices, 
 prevailed everywhere; the peasantry all 
 well dressed, 
 
 " As we approached this place, Rothen- 
 kirchen, the fog in the valley bore the most 
 remarkable appearance : we all at first 
 thought it was water. Four miles we pro- 
 ceeded by torch-light. Here the Duke 
 and Duchess of C, Duke of C, Prince Fre- 
 derick of Hesse, the Landgrave and Land- 
 gravine, Lords Londonderry and Clanwil- 
 liam, a few others, and ourselves, making 
 twenty two, dined together. 
 
 " The scene after dinner was remark- 
 able. Some hundreds of miners from the 
 mountains came to serenade their king. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, 181 
 
 They are a particular race, of Saxon ori- 
 gin, and for centuries they have preserved 
 their customs, language, and manners. 
 Their countenance is interesting. I saw 
 five or six in a room. They have a resign- 
 ed, silent melancholy, arising, I believe, 
 from their being so much under ground. 
 They are very religious. They sang, with 
 a band of music, two of the most beautiful 
 hymns I ever heard. These miners had 
 w^alked thirty miles for the purpose of 
 paying their devotion to their sovereign. 
 
 " We reached Gottingen at twelve. Af- 
 ter the tournament and the breakfast we 
 proceeded to the University : then came 
 the address ; and the whole affair was 
 done so impressively, that the King burst 
 into tears, and the feeling of sympathy was 
 very general. The University conferred 
 on me the degree of doctor of medicine. 
 The Duke of Cambridge led me up with 
 great kindness ; and it was presented to me 
 by Professor Blumenbach, a person very 
 celebrated, and whose name 1 remember 
 
182 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to have heard thirty years ago. He is a 
 man of singular appearance. The enthu- 
 siasm of this Gottingen was very delight- 
 ful. Here we took leave of the Duchess 
 of Cambridge. 
 
 " Minden. 
 
 We arrived at this place about five 
 o'clock. Of all the beautiful scenery I 
 have ever seen, this is the most strikingly 
 so. The river passes at the foot of the 
 mountains, with which the whole town is 
 surrounded. We were received by the 
 entire population, and the hymn which I 
 enclose was sung in the most enchanting 
 manner. 
 
 /'Cologne, 
 
 " Here we are so far safe and well, 
 thanks be to God ! Our journey hitherto 
 has been very prosperous ; the weather 
 continues remarkably fine. Before we left 
 the north of Germany it was very cold ; 
 but as we entered the Prussian territories 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 183 
 
 it became delightful. Our journey to-day 
 along the Rhine from Coblentz to this 
 place has been beautiful. To-morrow we 
 hope to reach Liege ; but we must be up 
 with the lark, and at the time I am writing 
 it is twelve o'clock. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
184 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Sir William appointed Keeper of the Privy Purse. — Hi» 
 Letter to the King, and His Majesty's Answer. — The 
 King's Journey to Scotland. — His Reception. — Sir Walter 
 Scott. — Letters from two Pupils of the Deaf and Dumb 
 Asylum. — The King's authority to Sir William to regulate 
 the Privy Purse expenses. 
 
 His Majesty's return to England was 
 satisfactorily accomplished, without further 
 inconvenience to his health. In 1822, Sir 
 William was appointed the keeper of the 
 King's privy purse. It may not be an in- 
 appropriate observation to make at this 
 period, that the position and independence 
 from which he was called tended essen- 
 tially to enable Sir William to perform 
 the arduous duties of the situation with 
 the unshrinking firmness which its em- 
 barrassments required ; and amongst the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 185 
 
 copies of his letters to the King, the fol- 
 lowing is a specimen of this respectful 
 determination. 
 
 " SIR, 
 
 " I YESTERDAY reccived from Lord F. C. 
 a message that it was your Majesty's desire 
 to see me at the Lodge this morning. 
 
 " My first duty and impression was, of 
 course, to obey your Majesty's most gra- 
 cious commands ; but circumstances have 
 arisen, connected with your Majesty's 
 interests, which oblige me to remain in 
 town, and to forego that pleasure which 
 is always so acceptable to my feelings, 
 namely, that of throwing myself at your 
 Majesty's feet. 
 
 " I am so surrounded with cares on 
 yom- Majesty's account, so separated from 
 every kind of support but what I derive 
 from my own intellectual efforts, that 
 when I say happiness and myself are 
 strangers, I do not mention it in the lan- 
 guage of complaint, but only to hope that 
 
186 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 when I venture to oppose any of your 
 Majesty's commands, your Majesty will 
 believe it always arises from those feelings 
 of devotion and honesty which are the 
 true characteristics of my nature towards 
 your Majesty. 
 
 " I am aware it often happens, humble 
 as I am, that it alone falls on me to raise 
 the voice of opposition towards some of 
 your Majesty's schemes. This, I fear, 
 must gradually tend to separate your Ma- 
 jesty's mind, as far as agreeableness • of 
 feeling is concerned, from me : neverthe- 
 less, I do hope that your Majesty will be- 
 lieve I am on every occasion influenced 
 with the purest affection and most unsul- 
 lied attachment towards your Majesty's 
 person, 
 
 " 1 have the honour to be, 
 "Sir, 
 
 " Your Majesty's most dutiful subject 
 " and attached servant, 
 
 "W.K. 
 
 lOth June, 1822." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 187 
 
 It is probable that his Majesty might 
 occasionally feel a temporary displeasure 
 at the necessary firmness which Sir Wil- 
 liam Knighton's object of putting the 
 King's affairs into a satisfactory state obli- 
 ged him to adopt ; but his Majesty's good 
 sense was sure, on reflection, to approve 
 Sir William's plans, and produce that ex- 
 pression of feeling, so truly honourable 
 and noble in so high and exalted a cha- 
 racter. Of this, the subjoined letter is 
 an instance ; it was the result of an inter- 
 view in which the servant had humbly 
 presumed to start some objections to the 
 will of his royal master. 
 
 FROM THE KING. 
 
 " You may easily imagine, warm and 
 sincere as my affections are towards you, I 
 have had but little rest since we separated 
 last night. The feeling that I may pos- 
 sibly and unfortunately, in a hurried mo- 
 ment, when my mind and my heart were 
 
188 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 torn in fifty different ways from fifty dif- 
 ferent causes, have let an unjust or a 
 hasty expression escape me to any one, 
 but most especially to you, whom I so truly 
 love, and who are so invaluable to me as 
 my friend, is to me a sensation much too 
 painful to be endured : therefore let me 
 implore you to come to me, be it but for a 
 moment, the very first thing you do this 
 morning ; for I shall hate myself until I 
 have the opportunity of expressing person- 
 ally to you those pure and genuine feel- 
 ings of affection which will never cease 
 to live in my heart so long as that heart 
 itself continues to beat. I am much too 
 unhappy to say more, but that I am ever 
 your affectionate friend, 
 
 " G. R. 
 
 " C. H. 
 
 " Wednesday morning, eight o'clock, 
 ''July lltlvl822." 
 
 About the 10th of August 1822, his 
 Majesty set off for his visit to Scotland, 
 the private details of which are limited, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 189 
 
 having been only partially preserved by 
 family letters. 
 
 « Dalkeith Palace, August 16, 1822. 
 
 " Here I am in Dalkeith Palace, a place 
 most beautifully and romantically situated, 
 well wooded, and quite delightful. Tell 
 dearest D. that I am again in a haunted 
 room, for I heard strange sounds all the 
 night through. 
 
 "Yesterday was the day of our arrival. 
 The weather continued wet, stormy, and 
 uncomfortable during the whole night at 
 Leith Roads : the yacht at anchor had an 
 uncomfortable motion. I saw, for the first 
 time, Walter Scott, who came on board 
 immediately on our coming to anchor. 
 He has no trace in his countenance of 
 such superior genius and softness of mind 
 as the beauty of his writings displays ; but 
 the moment he speaks, you discover a cor- 
 rectness of understanding and a display of 
 intellect, marked by the utmost accuracy 
 of thought. Speaking of the incessant 
 
190 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 rain, he said in his Scotch phraseology, 
 ' All I can say is, I am perfectly ashamed 
 of it/ The King then desired him to take 
 a glass of cherry brandy, which he gra- 
 ciously handed to him himself. Walter 
 Scott, when he had drunk it, craved a 
 great favour from his Majesty, that he 
 might be permitted to put the glass in his 
 pocket to keep it as a relic, to his feelings 
 above all value. 
 
 " The King's landing yesterday was most 
 impressive and magnificent. The debark- 
 ation began at twelve o'clock. By all ac- 
 counts, more than a million of people had 
 collected together on the occasion. But 
 the newspapers are so full of the details 
 that I shall not stop to notice them. You 
 may imagine everybody in their best at- 
 tire, apparently, at least, happy, and testi- 
 fying it by shouts and acclamations, and 
 various loyal and national devices. In all 
 directions were written in large letters, 
 ' George the Fourth, we are truly happy 
 to welcome you.' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 191 
 
 " On my arrival, when I reflected on 
 what I was when I last left Edinburgh, 
 the tear passed into my eye, — the tear, I 
 hope, of gratitude. 
 
 " I have written to you several times 
 this week, but I have not heard from you. 
 I hope in a day or two I may do so. 
 
 " Dalkeith Palace. 
 
 " To-day, Sunday, is a day of peace. 
 To-morrow the dear King receives five 
 addresses on the throne ; on Tuesday, the 
 drawing-room ; on Wednesday, rest ; on 
 Thursday, the public dinner at the Lord 
 Provost's ; on Friday, the ball ; on Satur- 
 day, the procession to the Castle of Edin- 
 burgh ; and on Sunday, divine worship 
 publicly at the kirk. These are the pro-^ 
 posed arrangements for the week. 
 
 " I saw Sir Michael Seymour quite well 
 yesterday for a moment. We shall not be 
 likely to meet often, I am such a close pri- 
 soner here, and this place is six miles from 
 Edinburgh. The river Esk runs below in 
 
192 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a beautiful dell ; and such is the quantity 
 of game, that I counted a dozen hares 
 feeding at the same time on the lawn. 
 
 " There are two or three fine Sir Jo- 
 shuas, and some other pictures, here. In 
 the room I am in, General Monk signed 
 the treaty which restored Charles the Se- 
 cond to this kingdom. His picture hangs 
 just by my bed, which is put up in a mag- 
 nificent room, that I may be near the 
 King. Love, &c. 
 
 "W. K." 
 
 On the eve of departure from Scotland, 
 Sir William received the following letter 
 from Sir Walter Scott. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I HAVE thought anxiously on what 
 you said last night ; and if you wish 
 such information as I can give respecting 
 Scotland, I will have great pleasure in 
 writing you a letter or two, (for it will 
 draw to some length,) in which I will en- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, 193 
 
 deavour, as candidly and impartially as is 
 in my power, to show you how this coun- 
 try now stands in its various political rela- 
 tions. It is scarcely necessary to add, that 
 such a communication must be strictly 
 confidential, and used only for your own 
 private regulation. 
 
 " I would be glad to know your parti- 
 cular address, and your wishes on this 
 matter, by a line dropped in the post- 
 office, addressed to me, Abbotsford, Mel- 
 rose. 
 
 " This is a vile day ; but it is right Scot- 
 land should weep when parting with her 
 good King. 
 
 " Always, dear sir, 
 
 " Very much yours, 
 
 " Walter Scott." 
 
 ** Thursday morning." 
 
 His Majesty's visit was in every respect 
 most gratifying to his own feelings, as well 
 as to those of his subjects in so important 
 a part of his dominions. 
 
 VOL. I. o 
 
194 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The various excellent charitable insti- 
 tutions of the country were remembered 
 by his bounty. The following letter from 
 Mr. Abercrombie is in acknowledgment 
 of one of the King's acts of munificence. 
 
 " Edinburgh, 19, York Place, 
 " 24th August 1822. 
 
 " SIR, 
 
 " When I had the honour of receiving 
 his Majesty's munificent donation to the 
 Society for Relief of the Destitute Sick, I 
 acknowledged it in a note written under 
 such circumstances of domestic anxiety, 
 that I am afraid it was scarcely legible. 
 
 " I am now requested by the directors 
 of that society to solicit permission to lay 
 before you the accompanying reports, cal- 
 culated to show the nature of this charity, 
 to which his Majesty has been graciously 
 pleased to extend his liberal patronage, 
 and which has for its object the relief of 
 the industrious when disabled by sick- 
 ness. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 195 
 
 " This society consists of a numerous 
 body of respectable citizens, and I rejoice 
 in being the medium of conveying to you 
 their grateful sense of his Majesty's bene- 
 ficence. They warmly participate in the 
 feelings of joy and devoted attachment 
 which his Majesty's presence has excited 
 in the breast oi every Scotchman ; and 
 they fervently unite their prayers to Al- 
 mighty God that his Majesty may receive 
 in rich abundance the choicest blessings of 
 Heaven. 
 
 " Allow me, sir, to express to yourself 
 my sincere feelings of respect ; and I have 
 the honour to be, 
 
 " Your faithful and obedient servant, 
 "John Abercrombie." 
 
 " To Sir William Knighton, Bart." 
 
 Amongst the poor little pupils of the 
 Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb the great- 
 est enthusiasm prevailed. Many letters 
 expressive of their feelings were addressed 
 to Sir William Knighton ; and the two 
 
 o 2 
 
196 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 which follow are interesting proofs of ihe 
 utility of such an establishment, and the 
 rapid intelligence acquired by the peculiar 
 mode of instruction therein adopted. 
 
 TO SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 " SIR, 
 
 " I LOOK forward with much pleasure to 
 see his most gracious Majesty's procession 
 some time this week. We are all going 
 to sit on the scaffold to see his Royal Ma- 
 jesty. You will see the Deaf and Dumb 
 painted on our scaffold, near the church, 
 in Canongate. The people received him 
 with joy, and he is welcome to Scotland. 
 I am of opinion that his Majesty thinks 
 Edinburgh a pretty town. I was very 
 sorry to understand that he is to leave 
 this city very soon : we are all very sorry 
 for it. I can assure his Majesty that I am 
 very loyal to him, and all my schoolfellows 
 are very loyal too, I have read that many 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 197 
 
 kings have lived in Holyrood House. 
 Many years ago there were wars in Scot- 
 land, but there are none now. The reign 
 of our present King is a peaceful one. I 
 hope it will please the Lord God to keep 
 him alive. I am thankful to Mr. Kin- 
 niburgh for teaching me to know many 
 things : it is a great blessing indeed. I 
 have been nearly four years at school ; my 
 age is about thirteen. I was born at 
 Langlehead. 
 
 " I remain, sir, 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Elizabeth Bowes." 
 
 TO SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 " SIR, 
 
 " I WAS sorry because I did not see you 
 when you came to call upon us to-day. I 
 was at the park, trying to have a sight of 
 our gracious and beloved King. I did not 
 see him, though I was looking with much 
 eagerness to find his face in the coach, and 
 
198 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I am now disappointed. We all expect to 
 have a better sight of him on the day of 
 the grand procession : we shall be over- 
 whelmed with joy. Give our respects to 
 his most gracious Majesty. All his sub- 
 jects are on the tiptoe of expectation to 
 see him. Many persons have come from 
 different parts of Scotland to see their 
 King. I wish his Majesty could have 
 spent a few weeks in Old Reekie ; but I 
 am very sorry he is to go off so soon. 
 When his Majesty is in London, our 
 hearts will all be covered with joy to re- 
 collect his royal visit to Scotland. When 
 the King passes to the Canongate near our 
 scaffold, we wish we could cry ' God save 
 the King !' but we cannot, — we are all 
 speechless and dumb. 
 
 " I remain yours, &c. 
 
 "James Bain." 
 
 An extract from a letter dated Septem- 
 ber 10th, 1822, marks the period of Sir 
 William's quitting the medical profession. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 199 
 
 " I have every hope and expectation to 
 be enabled to dine with you on Thursday 
 next at seven o'clock. I am very anxious 
 to see you. To-morrow is the last day 
 that I shall get into my carriage to prac- 
 tise as a physician. To me this brings 
 with it very serious reflections. What a 
 history mine has been ! I shall feel very 
 nervous in taking leave of the public ; but 
 I write no prescriptions for money after 
 to-morrow. 
 
 " Kiss my dear children, &c. &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 It was found necessary by Sir William 
 at this period to put a stop to much un- 
 foreseen expenditure, which oftentimes be- 
 came inconvenient to the privy purse ; and 
 the following document was drawn up by 
 the King, which assisted essentially the 
 requisite object of defraying outstanding 
 debts previously to the accumulation of 
 fresh ones. It is gratifying to observe 
 the readiness of his Majesty to second the 
 
200 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 endeavours of his servant on this desirable 
 point. 
 
 " I HEREBY authorise and direct Sir Wil- 
 liam Knighton, Bart., keeper of my privy 
 purse, to give notice to our several trades- 
 men, that they are not to receive orders, 
 or to furnish any articles of furniture, 
 &c. &c. &c., or to incur any expense what- 
 soever from their different trades, where 
 such expense is to be provided for by my 
 said privy purse, without receiving a spe- 
 cific order in writing for that purpose 
 from the said Sir William Knighton, Bart.; 
 and I do also give my authority to the 
 said Sir William Knighton, Bart, and or- 
 der and direct him, during our will and 
 pleasure, to undertake the entire manage- 
 ment of my private affairs, with a view to 
 the observance of the most strict and rigid 
 economy, that we may have the oppor- 
 tunity of relieving ourselves from certain 
 embarrassments which it is not necessary 
 to mention further in detail. We do there- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 201 
 
 hre rely with confidence on the said Sir 
 William Knighton for the strict perform- 
 ance and fulfilment of all our wishes on 
 this head. 
 
 "George R/' 
 
 " Royal Lodge, 
 " October 26ih, 1822." 
 
202 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XI. • 
 
 Sir William Knighton's Journey to Paris. — Letters from the 
 Duke of Clarence, Sir Thomas Lawrence,, Sir Walter 
 Scott, the Bishop of St. David's, George Colman, the 
 Duke of York, &c. 
 
 In the following year some uneasiness 
 was excited as to the state of his Majesty's 
 health ; and rules of conduct were drawn 
 up by his Majesty's physicians, which it 
 was desirable should be strictly enforced. 
 Under these circumstances, it is scarcely 
 necessary to remark, that the constant and 
 watchful attention of one qualified by me- 
 dical experience to judge, and by respect- 
 ful firmness to urge, the inconvenience 
 likely to result from any deviation from 
 what had been advised, was very important, 
 and Sir William's services and attention 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 203 
 
 were fully appreciated by his Majesty. 
 He had perfect confidence in the integrity 
 and attachment of his servant ; and no 
 subject ever served a monarch with greater 
 faithfulness and devotion. He was most 
 zealous in every circumstance that could 
 contribute to his Majesty's welfare or 
 peace of mind^ and was ready on all occa- 
 sions to set off on confidential missions of 
 interest to his royal master, however dis- 
 tant or however fatiguing, and often tra- 
 velled many nights together without other 
 rest than such as the carriage affbrded. 
 
 In the month of August this year (1823) 
 there is a fragment of one of these journeys. 
 
 " We left London at half-past three in 
 the morning in the Navy Board steam- 
 vessel Comet, and reached Woolwich at 
 twenty minutes past five. 
 
 " The weather was most tempestuous, 
 very heavy rain, with high wind. We pro- 
 posed to pass to Rotterdam ; but at night 
 it blew a gale, and we were obliged to put 
 
204 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 back and run for Ramsgate ; — the weather 
 dreadful throughout the night. 
 
 " The Duke of Cumberland and Prince 
 George were on board. On the 15th we 
 started from Ramsgate at eleven o'clock, 
 and ran for Calais, which we reached at 
 three. The sea was very high ; but, thanks 
 be to God, all was safe. We took leave of 
 the Duke, Prince George, Mr. Jelf, and 
 Colonel Poten : they went to Dessin's, and 
 we to Rignole's. We travelled all night, 
 and arrived at Gand about ten in the 
 morning of the I6th. It took us seven- 
 teen hours, with a postilion en avant. The 
 town of Gand, or Ghent, is very interest- 
 ing ; it seems of great antiquity. Louis 
 the Eighteenth retired hither on Buona- 
 parte's occupation of France during the 
 Hundred Days. 
 
 " 17th — We proceeded to Antwerp. We 
 were delighted with our journey on this 
 route : every house looked comfortable 
 and clean, the people humble and happy. 
 We crossed the Scheldt about twelve 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 205 
 
 o'clock, and arrived at Antwerp in about a 
 quarter of an hour. It happened to be 
 their jubilee. The place looked delightful. 
 This fete had not taken place for fifty 
 years. Every house contributed a fir-tree, 
 so that the town looked like a grove. We 
 visited the cathedral, and there had an 
 opportunity of seeing Rubens' magnificent 
 picture, the Descent from the Cross. In 
 the evening it was impossible to imagine a 
 more imposing sight. There were at least 
 five thousand persons in the cathedral. 
 The music, the organ, were most enchant- 
 ing to the senses. 
 
 " On the 18th we proceeded to Mechlin ; 
 and on the 20th we arrived at Paris, and 
 took up our residence at the Grand Hotel 
 Boulogne. On Thursday I saw Lord 
 Stuart de Rothsay, and proceeded on my 
 business," &c. 
 
 No further account has been found of 
 this journey ; but some letters written by 
 eminent and distinguished characters about 
 
206 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 this period will probably be read with in- 
 terest. 
 
 FROM HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF 
 
 CLARENCE. 
 
 Bushy-house, Nov. 4th, 1823, 
 " late at night. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " This evening brought me yours of 
 yesterday, communicating to me the wel- 
 come news of the King's gracious munifi- 
 cence to my son Adolphus, for which I am 
 most sincerely thankful to my brother. 
 The manner is to me most particularly 
 gratifying, and will, I trust and believe, 
 make a lasting and proper impression on 
 my son, who is a deserving young man, 
 and has a heart capable of feeling the 
 honour and kindness done him by his So- 
 vereign. I am to request you will deliver 
 the enclosed letter of thanks to the King ; 
 and ever believe me, 
 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 " William/' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 207 
 
 Bushy-house, Nov. 5th, 1823, 
 " late at night. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I CANDIDLY aver, after having had 
 only last night your letter respecting the 
 King's gracious intentions towards my 
 son Adolphus, I could not have expect- 
 ed so soon, from under the immediate 
 hand of my brother, to have been favour- 
 ed with the acceptable news of his Majes- 
 ty's kind permission for my daughter to 
 occupy the apartments of my unfortunate 
 friend Lady ***** j h^yg^ Qf 
 
 course, written my thanks to the King, 
 and enclose the letter, which I am to 
 request you will deliver to his Majesty, 
 with my warmest and sincerest thanks. 
 
 " I must now turn to you, and express 
 how deeply and gratefully I feel for the 
 trouble and ability you have shown in 
 effecting this measure I had really so much 
 at heart. You are yourself the father of 
 a family, and know the anxiety of a pa- 
 
 VOL. I. o 7 
 
208 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 rent. You must therefore be a judge 
 of the satisfaction I enjoy at seeing my 
 daughter, who is likely to have an in- 
 creasing family, so happily settled as to 
 mansion. 
 
 " I may say with truth and confidence, 
 this mark of favour will not be thrown 
 away on either undeserving or ungrateful 
 objects of his Majesty's gracious favour. 
 
 " Once more I must return you my 
 sincere and hearty thanks for the kind 
 interest you have taken in this business, 
 so near to my heart, for the sake of a 
 beloved daughter ; and ever believe me, 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Yours most truly and unalterably, 
 
 " William." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 209 
 
 « Russell Square, Nov. the 11th, 1823. 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I HASTEN to acknowledge the honour 
 of your letter, conveying to me the King's 
 gracious commands to paint a half-length 
 portrait of his Majesty, for the purpose of 
 its being presented to Cardinal Gonsalvi at 
 Rome. I beg you to throw me, with every 
 sentiment of duty and reverence, at his 
 Majesty's feet, for this additional distinc- 
 tion which the King confers on my pencil, 
 and of the grateful happiness for the sub- 
 ject and destination of the task which his 
 feeling beneficence has assigned me. 
 
 " I have the honour to be, with great 
 respect and perfect esteem, 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " Thos. Lawrence." 
 
 FROM SIR WALTER SCOTT, BART. 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I WROTE you some time since ; but I 
 dare say my letter is sticking fast in the 
 
 VOL. I. p 
 
210 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 snow, or lost altogether ; for such a storm 
 has not been known since the memory of 
 man, and several mail-bags have burst 
 open as they transported them on horse- 
 back, and many letters have miscarried. 
 
 " Mine was of very little consequence, 
 as it only contained the humble desire of 
 the celebrated Captain Scoresby, whose 
 Northern discoveries are likely to be so 
 beneficial to navigation, to dedicate his 
 account of his vovage on the western coast 
 of West Greenland to the King. His sur- 
 veys of the coast make a great and most 
 material alteration in the charts hitherto 
 in existence. But I enclose his own letter, 
 of which I formerly sent a copy, and which 
 gives a much more distinct account of the 
 nature of his discoveries than I can pre- 
 tend to offer. 
 
 " I see Mr. Scoresby often at the meet« 
 ings of the Royal Society and elsewhere. 
 He is a modest, gentlemanlike young man, 
 and the work is executed in the best pos- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 211 
 
 sible style. Perhaps you will have the 
 goodness to take his Majesty's plea- 
 sure in this little matter, and let me 
 know. 
 
 " We are keeping ourselves as warm 
 here as cold weather will permit, to which 
 our recollections of his Majesty's happy 
 visit contributes not a little. There was 
 a commemoration-assembly on Thursday ; 
 to-day there is a commemoration-dinner 
 of the Archer Guard ; and next Saturday, 
 a similar festivity of the Celtic Guards : so 
 that the countenance which his Majesty so 
 generously granted us continues to enliven 
 us after his departure, as the sun after his 
 departure leaves his beams in the ho- 
 rizon. 
 
 " I shall be a steward at one of these 
 dinners, and president at that of the breech- 
 less gentlemen ; which is rather hard ser- 
 vice. But the weather fits it well ; for 
 certainly our navigators have of late vi- 
 sited the North Pole so often, that the ice 
 
 p 2 
 
212 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and snow are come in mere civility to re- 
 turn the visit. 
 
 " I am always, dear Sir William, 
 " Very much your faithful 
 " and obedient servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott. 
 
 " When you favour me with a line, I 
 would be particularly obliged if you would 
 mention how his Majesty is/' 
 
 The following is the letter from Mr. 
 Scoresby enclosed by Sir Walter Scott. 
 
 " Edinburgh, 20th January, 1823. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " On a voyage to the northern whale- 
 fishery, performed last summer, I was en- 
 abled to make very considerable researches 
 and discoveries upon the eastern coast, or 
 unknown coast of Greenland. An account 
 of this voyage, under the title annexed, 
 is now in the press, which I am desirous 
 of having the honour of dedicating, by 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 213 
 
 permission, to his Majesty. Perhaps you 
 would have the goodness to put me in the 
 way of inquiring his Majesty's pleasure on 
 the subject. 
 
 "As the coast on which my investiga- 
 tions have been made has become one of 
 the most important of whale-fishing sta- 
 tions, the surveys thereon must be of great 
 consequence to our whalers, especially as 
 the situation of the land was found to be 
 altogether different from that previously 
 attributed to it, and the longitudes so 
 wide of the truth as to expose navigators 
 visiting it to the most serious risk. In 
 addition to these geographical researches 
 or surveys, (extending to six degrees of 
 latitude and eight hundred miles of coast, 
 including indentations,) the work em- 
 braces various hydrographical, astronomi- 
 cal, and nautical subjects, which, it is pre- 
 sumed, will render it useful, not only to 
 our whale-fishers, but also to our royal 
 and merchant navy in general, 
 
 " As the determination of the geography 
 
214 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of the earth has always been considered of 
 national importance, I am led to hope 
 that my labours in this department of 
 science may not be considered unworthy 
 of his Majesty's acceptance. 
 
 With every feeling of respect and re- 
 gard, 
 
 " I remain, 
 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Your obedient humble servant, 
 
 " William Scoresby, jun." 
 
 " Sir Walter Scott, Bart." 
 
 SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON TO HIS ELDEST 
 DAUGHTER. 
 
 " I THANK you for your agreeable letter. 
 I am delighted that you are well, and 
 equally so that you think. You are quite 
 right in supposing, that to encounter diffi- 
 culties in this life, from whatever cause, is 
 always good. If it be in the attainment 
 of useful knowledge, it strengthens the 
 mind ; and the application necessary for 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 215 
 
 this object shuts the mind against the 
 evil passions of our nature, and fortifies 
 us against ourselves. Bodily fatigue and 
 sometimes bodily suffering are equally 
 useful. 
 
 " Tell dearest mamma I am better, and 
 I hope in a few days to get rid of my pre- 
 sent embarrassment of health. It has been 
 a shght threatening of my last severe ill- 
 ness ; but the knowledge of the past, 
 which is always a useful knowledge, has 
 taught me how to manage, and, moreover, 
 I have trusted to my own judgment. How 
 true it is that life in youth is prospective, 
 — in age, or advancing years, retrospect- 
 ive ! In the one case we live on the fu- 
 ture ; in the other, on the past. 
 
 " The plagiarism of writers is much 
 more than always meets the eye. The 
 plain truth is, that there is scarcely any- 
 thing new (as Solomon says) under the 
 sun ! Old thoughts are expressed in a 
 new construction of words. 
 
 " I remember, more than thirty years 
 
216 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ago, being with my early friend Dr. Geach 
 in his parlour, when he showed me an old 
 picture that he had, which was curiously 
 painted as an allegory of our first parents. 
 I instantly exclaimed, ^Why, Pope, sir, 
 must have seen that picture !' — ' How so ?' 
 said he. — ' Why, because he has these two 
 lines, 
 
 Eve's tempter thus, the Rabbi have confessed, 
 A cherub's face, a reptile all the rest." 
 
 Thus was the picture painted two hun- 
 dred years before Pope wrote the two 
 lines ; and no doubt he borrowed the 
 thought from the picture. 
 
 " You must know, my beloved Dora, I 
 was sixteen before I knew that there was 
 such a man as the poet Pope. A volume 
 was lent me by an old Welsh school- 
 master : well, such was my avidity of feel- 
 ing in reading it, that I carried off the 
 whole impression in my memory. This 
 took place on the banks of the river Tavy, 
 which used to be my walk at six in the 
 morning, extending along the banks until 
 I came to Crowndale, now a farm-house. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 217 
 
 in which the famous Sir Francis Drake 
 was born. At that time my project was 
 to traverse the wilds of America. With 
 this view, I put aside a suit of clothes I 
 was to have had, for the purpose of pur- 
 chasing a book then in vogue, called Win- 
 terbottom's History of America. This Win- 
 terbottom was an itinerant Methodist 
 preacher, and a very clever man. I could 
 give you some amusing history of myself, 
 were I to sit down and write. I am afraid 
 I have tired you, my dearest. Kiss the 
 two dears, &c. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 The following are from the late Bishop 
 of Salisbury, Dr. Burgess, while Bishop of 
 St. David's, the great patron and promoter 
 of everything connected with literature. 
 
 Oxford, Dec. 16th, 1823. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I HAVE great pleasure in being able to 
 inform you that I have this morning seen 
 
218 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the fac simile copies of the Herculaneum 
 MSS.j which were unrolled and copied 
 under the direction of Mr. Hayter, and 
 presented to the University of Oxford by 
 his present Majesty, about twelve or thir- 
 teen years ago. 
 
 " The delay which has taken place will 
 have one considerable advantage, — that 
 these literary curiosities will be better 
 published now in lithography than they 
 could have been at that time in copper- 
 plate, not only at an infinitely less ex- 
 pense, but more correctly. A committee 
 has been appointed for the publication, 
 which will commence early in the sum- 
 mer. 
 
 " I return to London to-morrow ; and 
 am, 
 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Your obliged and faithful servant, 
 
 " J. St. David's." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 219 
 
 "12, Upper Montague-street, 
 " DEAR SIR, "Dec. 19th, 1823. 
 
 " I CANNOT too strongly express my own 
 personal thanks to you for your very 
 obliging attention to my suggestion. Your 
 letter, under the sign-manual of his Ma- 
 jesty, was read yesterday to the council of 
 the Royal Society of Literature, and was 
 received with the most grateful, loyal, and 
 affectionate feeling towards his Majesty. 
 There are three acts of his Majesty's life, 
 — the literary mission to Portici for expe- 
 diting the unrolling of the Herculaneum 
 manuscripts, the endowment of the Royal 
 Society of Literature, and the present of 
 the Royal Library to the British nation, 
 — which must immortalize his Majesty's 
 name as the patron of literature. The 
 room at the British Museum now build- 
 ing, three hundred feet long, will be a 
 magnificent monument to the King's 
 memory. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, 
 " Your most obliged and faithful servant, 
 
 " J. St. David's." 
 
220 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 The King's generous contribution to 
 the building of St. David's College, though 
 it could not be placed in the list of great 
 public acts in the preceding pages, will 
 never be forgotten in the principality of 
 Wales. 
 
 The following letters, received in 1824, 
 are inserted in the order of their dates. 
 
 " 29th February, 1824, 
 " 5, Melina Place, Westminster Road. 
 
 " Mr. Colman presents his compliments 
 to Sir William Knighton, and is much 
 gratified by Sir William having express- 
 ed a wish to see his short remarks on 
 " Alasco," a copy of which he has now the 
 pleasure to enclose. 
 
 " Although the ferment of the times 
 has greatly subsided, still plays which are 
 built upon conspiracies, and attempts to 
 revolutionize a state, stand upon ticklish 
 ground ; and the proposed performance of 
 such plays is to be contemplated with 
 more jealousy, when they pourtray the dis- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 221 
 
 affected as gallant heroes and hapless 
 lovers. Thus drawn, ad captandum vulgus^ 
 their showy qualities and tender distresses 
 of the heart throw a dazzle and an inter- 
 est round their sedition, — while they 
 preach up the doctrine that government is 
 tyranny, that revolt is virtue, and that 
 rebels are the righteous. 
 
 " Alasco, in the tragedy of the same 
 name, is a character of the above descrip- 
 tion, and Walsingham is set up against 
 him as a contrast. Whenever these two 
 gentlemen meet, there is an effusion of 
 clap-trap sentiments between them, in the 
 alternate support of loyalty and radicalism ; 
 and they prone in a pro and con dialogue, 
 vying with each other, speech for speech, 
 by turns, like a couple of contending 
 swains in an eclogue. In respect to their 
 good and evil influence over an audience, 
 they are the Messieurs Bane and Antidote 
 of the tragedy : and from a tragedy that 
 needs so much counter-poison, for the 
 chance only of neutralizing its arsenic, the 
 
222 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 deducement to be made as to its danger- 
 ous tendency is very obvious. 
 
 ^' It is my opinion that the objections 
 against acting this play may be removed 
 by the erasures which I have made,^ — in 
 which, should the managers think proper 
 to acquiesce, I will (on their altering the 
 MS. and again placing it in my hands) 
 submit the play to the Lord Chamberlain 
 for his licence. 
 
 " George Colman." 
 
 " February, 1824. 
 
 " The foregoing summary remarks were 
 written by me, as Examiner of Plays ; and 
 I communicated them to Mr. Charles 
 Kemble, one of the managers of Covent 
 Garden Theatre, when the tragedy of 
 "Alasco" was under my official consider- 
 ation. 
 
 " G. C." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 223 
 " St. James's, April 30th, 1824. 
 
 DEAR SIR, 
 
 " His Majesty having so graciously 
 pleased to listen to my suggestion re- 
 specting the alteration for the Hanoverian 
 Office at the Palace, I venture once more 
 to trouble you on the pqint of the build- 
 ing intended for that purpose. To the 
 accommodation of the Duchess this addi- 
 tional slip at the back of our present 
 apartments would be most to be wished 
 and desired, and never can make a com- 
 plete Hanoverian office without our kitch- 
 en, which the King has so kindly allowed 
 us to keep. Under this perfect conviction, 
 I venture to apply for this slip of building, 
 which was intended for the Hanoverian 
 Office. I am confident his Majesty is fully 
 awaje of the inconvenience and unfitness 
 of our present apartments here. They 
 were arranged for me in 1809? when I was 
 a bachelor, and without an idea at that 
 time of my ever being married; since 
 which (now fifteen years) nothing has 
 
224 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 been done to them ; and you well know 
 the dirt and unfitness for the Duchess of 
 our present abode. Under these circum- 
 stances, I earnestly request, for the sake 
 of the amiable and excellent Duchess, you 
 will, when the King is quite recovered, 
 represent the wretched state and dirt of 
 our apartments, and the infinite advantage 
 this slip would produce to the convenience 
 and comfort of the Duchess. 
 
 " No news is good news. I am therefore 
 to hope and trust his Majesty is advancing 
 as we must wish him. God bless the King 
 and yourself: and ever believe me, 
 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Yours unalterably, 
 
 " William." 
 
 " To Sir William Knighton, Bart." 
 
 Stable Yard, Oct. 16th, 1824. 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 "It was only by accident that I learnt 
 the other day your return from the Con- 
 tinent, and have waited till the last mo- 
 
SIR WILLIAJVI KNIGHTON. 225 
 
 ment in the hopes of seeing you ; but 
 being now under the necessity of leav- 
 ing town to-morrow morning for three 
 weeks, I must trouble you with a letter 
 upon two or three points which have oc- 
 curred, and will not well admit of further 
 delay. 
 
 " The first is a memorial from the wi- 
 dow of the late Mr. Firth, now Madame 
 de Mallet. The memorial contains no- 
 thing more than a humble recommen- 
 dation of her children to his Majesty's 
 gracious benevolence, her object being 
 to procure some sort of provision or em- 
 ployment for them, not military. 
 
 " The second is an application from 
 Lady Anderson, which must take its own 
 chance. 
 
 " The third is a memorial from Pis- 
 trucci, the engraver of arms and medals 
 at the Mint, whose merits are, I know, not 
 unknown to his Majesty, and whose case 
 appears to be particularly hard. 
 
 VOL. I. Q 
 
226 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " I will not trespass any farther upon 
 you for the present, and will therefore 
 only add how sincerely 
 " I am ever, 
 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " Yours, 
 
 " Frederick." 
 
 FROM HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE 
 OF CLARENCE. 
 
 " Bushy House, Oct. 18th, 1824. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I HAVE been frequently on the point 
 of taking up my pen to call to your mind 
 the propriety of the King's subscribing to 
 the Scottish Corporation ; and now I enter 
 on the point, as the secretary has just 
 written to me on the subject of the ap- 
 proaching 30th of November. 
 
 " His Majesty, I know, subscribes an- 
 nually to the St, Patrick meeting, and, I 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 227 
 
 believe, to the Welsh charity. I submit to 
 your discriminating mind the propriety 
 and popularity of the Sovereign extending 
 equally his munificence to his Scottish 
 subjects. 
 
 " The Corporation v^as established by 
 Charles the Second, and re-incorporated 
 by the late King. Its object is exactly 
 opposite to the Caledonian Asylum ; for 
 the Corporation returns the poor Scotch 
 to their native country, and the other 
 establishment encourages them to remain 
 in London. Add to which, the King is 
 justly and particularly popular from his 
 visit to Scotland, and now more espe- 
 cially, the Scottish attainders being in a 
 course of reversal. 
 
 " I am fully aware of the various calls 
 on the gracious bounty of the King ; and 
 I write to you with the greater confidence, 
 because I see with pleasure, and hear with 
 equal satisfaction, how well the privy purse 
 is carried on under your able manage- 
 
 Q 2 
 
228 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 ment.^ I do not press the Scottish Cor- 
 poration, but merely hint, in the event 
 of other charities being discontinued, the 
 benefit that must accrue to his Majesty in 
 considering with equal favour his Scottish 
 as his Welsh and Irish subjects. 
 " Ever believe me, 
 " Dear Sir, 
 
 " Yours sincerely, 
 
 " William." 
 
 FROM GEORGE COLMAN, THE YOUNGER. 
 
 " 2nd December, 1824, 
 " Melina Place, Westminster Road. 
 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I WAS told yesterday, at Carlton House, 
 where I called in hopes of the pleasure of 
 seeing you, that you were in the country, 
 
 * By the able management" of King George the Fourth's 
 affairs, here so handsomely acknowledged by the brother of 
 the Sovereign, not only was the King extricated from great 
 pecuniary difficulties, but was enabled considerably to ex- 
 tend his royal beneficence in aid of charities both of a public 
 and private nature. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 229 
 
 and that the time of your return to town 
 was uncertain. I therefore direct this 
 and the accompanying packet to Hanover 
 Square, wishing it may reach you soon, 
 as it will be seen by Kelly's letter in- 
 closed, that expedition is desirable, on 
 account of treating with the bookseller, 
 which treaty I will endeavour to postpone 
 till you are kind enough to let me hear 
 from you. I saw Kelly immediately after 
 I left you, and told him that my own im- 
 puh:e induced me to caution him on the 
 business in question. He appears to me 
 loyal even to enthusiasm ; and, in common 
 with all those of right feeling, who have 
 the honour and happiness to experience 
 the kind-hearted condescension of our 
 gracious master, most dutifully and grate- 
 fully attached. He told nie that he would, 
 at my desire, send me copies of everything 
 he proposed publishing relative to the 
 King, and would abide by my opinion as 
 to alterations, omissions, &c. &c. In con- 
 sequence, I have received from him the 
 papers which I now forward to you, and 
 
230 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 will thank you for your sentiments upon 
 them at your earliest convenience. 
 
 " Kelly is extremely anxious for permis- 
 sion to dedicate his book to the King ; 
 and, as Irishmen are always making blun- 
 ders, he speculates upon obtaining his wish 
 through so poor a channel as myself. I 
 have promised him to use any little inte- 
 rest I may possess among the higher 
 powers to get this wish, or rather humble 
 petition, submitted to his Majesty, and if 
 Sir William Knighton desire to know the 
 person whom I would solicit on this sub- 
 ject, I say unto him, as Nathan said unto 
 David, ' Thou art the man,' — always pro- 
 vided, however, that such solicitation be 
 not improper. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " With sincere esteem, 
 
 " Most faithfully yours, 
 
 " G. COLMAN." 
 
 " To Sir William Knighton, Bart 
 '* Hanover Square/' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 231 
 
 " P.S. As none of the contents of the 
 diary mentioned in Kelly's letter are to 
 be published, (except one article about a 
 child called ^ Julia/ which is in the paper 
 now forwarded,) I do not transmit the 
 said diary ; indeed I am pledged to re- 
 turn it on this day." 
 
 In July 28th, 1824, a letter dated from 
 Paris mentions that Sir William was on a 
 journey of sixteen hundred miles, but that 
 he hoped to be back in about three weeks. 
 The next is from Bourdeaux. 
 
 " August 4th, 1824. 
 
 " Thus far have we proceeded, and I 
 believe are occupying the same hotel as 
 that in which you were some years since. 
 The weather is very hot : to-morrow I shall 
 find it particularly so, as the roads we are 
 approaching for two hundred miles are, for 
 the most part, nothing but deep sand, so 
 that the people of the country are obliged 
 to walk on stilts. Of course, in such a 
 
282 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 country the inhabitants are few. This is 
 a long journey, and I have been a good 
 deal fatigued. 
 
 " Pray kiss my dear children, and say 
 that I think of them very often. Tell 
 dearest Mary Frances that I have a pretty 
 cross for her, which I bought at Poitiers, a 
 very old town/' 
 
 St. Jean de Luz, at the foot of the Pyrenees, 
 " August 9th, 1824. 
 
 " As I know you will be anxious to hear, 
 I write to tell you, thank God, I am quite 
 well. I am now in a little village, toler- 
 ably comfortably lodged in the house of 
 the maire of the district. It is impossible 
 to describe to you the wonderful magnifi- 
 cence of this scenery ; but it seems that, 
 in reaching this spot, you are come to the 
 confines of the world. You seem hedged 
 in on all sides by an impenetrable barrier. 
 From my bed-room, where I now write, 
 the mountains before me are every here 
 and there covered with snow, whilst the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 233 
 
 temperature below is several degrees hot- 
 ter than in the hottest day in England. 
 By this route the road for carriages here 
 ends, and you cross the frontier to get 
 into Spain upon mules, which proceed 
 along the side of the Pyrenees until you 
 get to the other side. 
 
 " Tell my beloved William I bought a 
 few minerals for him this morning, which 
 I got about six miles up the side of the 
 Pyrenees. If I get these specimens safely 
 to England, he will value them, for they 
 have cost me much trouble. 
 
 " I hope to finish my business on Span- 
 ish ground, and then back to Barreges, 
 which is close to this, in a few days. I 
 then proceed to Montpellier, and thence 
 to Paris. Tell my three little darlings I 
 think of them often. I have wished for 
 you more than once ; the scenery is so 
 grand that your pencil might be well 
 employed. These mountaineers are most 
 pitiable in their appearance. Indeed it is 
 difficult here to get a sufficiency of food ; 
 
234 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 comfort is out of the question — it is all 
 wretchedness. 
 
 " Tarbes is the last place of any conse- 
 quence, and that is more than fifty miles 
 from this ; hence the difficulty of getting 
 supplies. The filthiness of the people is 
 beyond belief." 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 Tarbes 10th September. 
 
 " I WILL write you a line in place of 
 dearest mamma, as it may not be so at- 
 tractive to the police (by whom most let- 
 ters are opened) to Miss as io Lady. As I 
 have never written to you from abroad, a 
 letter from me in aftertimes, when I am 
 dead and gone, may be very dear to you. 
 Much of the happiness of life is connected 
 with the remembrance of those we dearly 
 love ; and everything that brings back to 
 us those tender affections tends to culti- 
 vate the harmony and delightful feelings 
 of our nature. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 235 
 
 " I must first tell you that I am quite 
 well. I trust in God that you are all in 
 health, and that dearest mamma has reco- 
 vered from her cold, which in the gloomy 
 moments of my journey has fussed and 
 made me uncomfortable. 
 
 " I arrived here last night. I left Wind- 
 sor yesterday evening week, got to Paris 
 on Saturday evening last, and was detained 
 by two of the foreign ambassadors and the 
 banker here, until the morning of Sunday; 
 I then travelled three nights and days 
 successively. Here I am surrounded by 
 the Pyrenees, which are partially covered 
 with snow, whilst below we are under a 
 burning sun. Nothing can, however, be 
 more magnificently grand. These moun- 
 tains you must some day see with me. 
 
 " I am in a comfortable house. The 
 Duke of Wellington breakfasted in it the 
 morning after some one of his battles. 
 By the way, his Grace was the last person 
 I took leave of on quitting Windsor, who 
 is indeed most kind to me on all occa- 
 sions. 
 
236 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " I wrote to dearest mamma from Paris, 
 by the messenger who took my letter to 
 the King. I move from this to-morrow, 
 but whither I know not ; but I shall cer- 
 tainly leave this for the mountains about 
 one in the morning 
 
 " The moon here is very brilliant ; but 
 the lightning for the last two nights has 
 been tremendous. However, it is, I be- 
 lieve, now all over. 
 
 " It will be some days before I put this 
 letter into the post ; and when 1 again 
 write upon this paper, I shall, I hope, be 
 on the Mediterranean coast. For to-day, 
 God bless you, my beloved. Love and best 
 affections to all." 
 
 " Toulouse, Sept. 14th. 
 
 " I FIND that I must send to England 
 to-morrow : this will be opened with the 
 other packet. I am quite well, and get- 
 ting on satisfactorily so far. Tell dearest 
 mamma I hope to write to her when I 
 cross the Alps. From the Pyrenees to the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 237 
 
 Alps is tremendous work. My travelling 
 books will be amusing to you some day 
 — all in good time. Tell dearest Willy I 
 have picked up a valuable work on anti- 
 quarian concerns for him. 
 
 " Ever yours, &c. W. K." 
 
 " Toulon, Sept. 21st, 1824. 
 
 " One line, to tell you I am quite well, 
 and I trust in God that you and my dear 
 children are the same. I arrived here late 
 last night, and am proceeding ; but I hope 
 and believe that a very few days will put 
 an end to my journey in this direction, 
 and then I shall get on, I trust, as fast as 
 possible for Paris. The harbour of this 
 port is beautiful, and so indeed is the 
 scenery around. One wants, however, those 
 common comforts, which by the traveller, 
 as you know, are seldom attainable. The 
 heat is excessive through the day, but the 
 nights are cold. I am very cautious of 
 my health, and in consequence I bear my 
 fatigue well. 
 
238 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 I shall say no more. This letter in a 
 minute or two will be read by the police. 
 God bless you ! Kiss my darlings. Give 
 my love to my beloved Willy when you 
 write, and say I hope we shall spend a 
 pleasant Christmas together. 
 " Ever yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 239 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Sir William Knighton's Journey to the Continent. — His de- 
 scription of France in 1824. — Letters to his Family. 
 
 Some remarks on France, which appear 
 to have been written during the journey 
 described in the foregoing chapter, seem 
 very descriptive of the country at that 
 period, 1824. They are as follows. 
 
 " In passing from Calais to Paris, I was 
 much struck with the miserable appear- 
 ance of the towns and villages through 
 which I passed. The dilapidated state of 
 the houses seemed everywhere to mark 
 poverty, and a carelessness as to the suffi- 
 cient provision even for the day. I find it 
 difficult to reconcile this state of things 
 
240 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 with the appearance, as it seemed to me, 
 of constant industry ; for in many parts 
 where the same wretchedness character- 
 ized the villages and the inhabitants, I 
 observed the women were every moment 
 employed in knitting. But I ought to 
 make an exception to this rule, and this 
 exception was nowhere to be found but 
 where the English resided. In those 
 towns you saw the peaceful, clean tran- 
 quillity, so apparent to a stranger when 
 passing through the greatest towns and 
 smallest villages of England. I may 
 mention the French towns of Abbeville, 
 Tours, Boulogne sur-mer, Toulouse, &c. 
 &c. These particular places, from cir- 
 cumstances of the inhabitants, may no 
 doubt have always worn the more agree- 
 able appearance of comfort and cleanli- 
 ness, and hence the English may have 
 been tempted to reside in them ; never- 
 theless, I have no question but that the 
 English have materially contributed to 
 their superiority. 
 
' SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 241 
 
 " In looking at Paris, the first thing 
 that will strike a contemplative mind is 
 the external appearance of morality and 
 propriety of conduct. There is no fla- 
 grant breach of any of the necessary laws 
 by which the mind is prevented, by ha- 
 bit as it were, from becoming dissipated 
 through the medium of the eyes and ears. 
 Everything appears light, airy, good-hu- 
 moured, and gay. That politeness which 
 formerly so much distinguished the 
 French nation has vanished ; but there is 
 the civility of agreeable manners, com- 
 bined, however, with a rough equality of 
 speech, evidently the effects of that de- 
 testable Revolution, which has put away 
 from the present French race, for a time, 
 even the power of thinking with good- 
 nature : and without good-nature there 
 can be no urbanity of manners, and no 
 real politeness. 
 
 " The decreased observance of religious 
 ordinances, the want of every kind of de- 
 votion to the Almighty, which at least for 
 
 VOL. I. ^ R 
 
242 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 a time was promoted and encouraged by 
 Buonaparte, has taken away much of the 
 respect and the proper acknowledgment 
 due to the different gradations of society. 
 None of these external decencies are ob- 
 served by the lower classes to the higher ; 
 and even in their ordinary avocations they 
 work for their employers not as superiors, 
 but as equals. The lower classes scarcely 
 address each other without an oath ; and 
 the postilions apply to their horses, on the 
 slightest occasions, the most blasphemous 
 expressions. All this arises from want of 
 religion altogether, or the imperfection of 
 that which is professed by the country. 
 
 " Admonitions from the priests, in the 
 form of sermons, are, I believe, seldom 
 given, and the communication of the own- 
 ers of domains with their tenantry is very 
 limited ; hence there is no example, no 
 emulation, consequently no knowledge of 
 better things. 
 
 " If the religion of the country was as 
 well managed as the police, the effect 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 243 
 
 would soon be strikingly felt. Crime in 
 the form of theft is rare. You may leave 
 your baggage in the streets, — no one will 
 interfere ; and your money at the hotel 
 is as safe on the toilette of your bed-room 
 as if locked in your escritoire. All this 
 arises from the organisation of the police, 
 under the name of gendarmerie. This 
 body protects the inhabitants of France 
 from every species of crime, because it is 
 known that nothing can be done without 
 an immediate discovery : there is no es- 
 cape ; and it is the prevention of crime, 
 and not the punishment, that is the guar- 
 dian of society. All immorality is there- 
 fore private ; there is no public vice to be 
 observed, caused either by wine or wo- 
 men. Whatever exists, and which is enor- 
 mous in point of extent and iniquity, is 
 hidden. 
 
 " It is perfectly intelligible to me how 
 the road should be so easy to an able 
 and powerful general to make himself 
 master of the French nation. If I name 
 
 R 2 
 
244 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Paris, Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles, per- 
 haps Tours and Nismes, I have named 
 almost all that may be called France. Let 
 a leader like Buonaparte possess the con- 
 fidence of the army and these three or 
 four places, and the thing is done. There 
 are, as in England, no yeomanry, no gen- 
 try, no scattered local interests, to become 
 a barrier to such attempts of adventuring 
 ambition and profligate power. 
 
 " In speaking of Buonaparte, I observe 
 that all those qualities which endear one 
 to the heart of man, in him were wanting. 
 This is discovered in passing over every 
 part of France. No attention has been 
 paid to the wants and comforts of France, 
 as I have already stated ; not a house has 
 been repaired or added to in any of the 
 towns and villages. Everything, from year 
 to year, has gradually sunk into decay ; 
 and where improvement has been visible, 
 it has been only to gratify and feed the 
 passion of vanity and the barbarities of 
 war. It is true, Napoleon was thinking of 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 245 
 
 consolidating his pov/er ; and this he could 
 only do by feeding the hopes and ambi- 
 tion of the army, which he constantly kept 
 employed. Half the officers and men, 
 looking to what had happened to a few, 
 built, no doubt, in their own imaginations, 
 on dukedoms and palaces for their retire- 
 ment. 
 
 " Buonaparte seemed to have known 
 human nature well, and particularly the 
 French character. He had a great power 
 of calculating on future events. He heard 
 the opinions of all, and then acted for 
 himself. When he had decided, hesitation 
 was at an end. He was prompt in the 
 execution of all his projects, great or 
 small, and never trusted any inquiry to 
 the judgment of another when he had 
 the opportunity of using his own. This 
 in general answered. Upon a great scale, 
 it will always be found to succeed ; but 
 there are moments when deliberation is 
 necessary, and becomes a virtue. 
 
 " If Buonaparte had been more delibe- 
 
246 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 rate and less prompt, the Due d'Enghien 
 would not have been shot, and Buona- 
 parte would have saved himself from in- 
 calculable mischief. It is well known that 
 he always regretted the death of that 
 prince. But whatever error Buonaparte 
 committed, he never for a moment ac- 
 knowledged it. This may be wise in a 
 man who is obliged to command any par- 
 ticular mass of men : whether it be a 
 kingdom or a large establishment, words 
 as well as conduct must be absolute in 
 these situations. Little minds cannot un- 
 derstand this. When ' Caesar says, Do 
 this, it is performed.' The opportunity 
 Buonaparte would have had to prove him- 
 self a great man was lost by his premature 
 downfall. Few men possess the gift of 
 being great alike in prosperity and in 
 trouble. Those are indeed gifted beings 
 who expand in adversity. It often re- 
 quires the workings of extraordinary 
 events to exhibit men in their true cha- 
 racter. Napoleon had done everything in 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 24T 
 
 his power to rivet the affection of those 
 who were in his service : he bound them 
 to him by the two most powerful ties, — 
 interest and self-love. 
 
 " The attachment to a government is 
 always in proportion to the advantages it 
 offers. 
 
 " If he could have forced England to 
 his own peace, which was the object of 
 his last and final war with Russia, he 
 would then have displayed (had he pos- 
 sessed them) all those high qualities of 
 true genius which throw so much lustre 
 over the character of greatness in time of 
 peace. I think we should have seen all 
 those qualities in Buonaparte. His want 
 of humility causes the only doubt I have : 
 without that bright beam, there can be 
 no transcendent genius. In his conver- 
 sations with O'Meara, there is always 
 present an overbearing spirit. 
 
 " Humility might probably have formed 
 a part of his original character ; — without 
 it, it was impossible he could have shone 
 
248 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 forth so early without being knocked down 
 by the pretensions of others. When a 
 man's mind undergoes a change in this 
 respect, by good fortune, success, or the 
 prosperity of intellect, I have observed it 
 takes place almost suddenly, perhaps 
 between the ages of thirty-nine and forty. 
 I have been obliged (to speak of little 
 things) to watch this in myself. 
 
 "Marseilles is a large mercantile city, 
 full of resident inhabitants, and frequent-- 
 ed at present by persons of every nation in 
 Europe. The basin for smaller vessels is 
 most commodious, and the quays clean, 
 airy, and well arranged. When I entered 
 the town, about five in the evening, the 
 streets were thronged with people ; be- 
 sides the doors being lined, some standing, 
 some with chairs, but all talking. 
 
 " I could understand, from what I ob- 
 served, that all these individuals composed 
 one mass, and one eternal gossiping; and 
 hence the fire and energy such would ac- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, 249 
 
 quire under the influence of a revolution- 
 ary spirit. This town sent forth three 
 thousand firebrands, who marched to Paris 
 in a body at the commencement of, or 
 during the spirit of, the most savage and 
 sanguinary days of the French Revolu- 
 tion. 
 
 " The inns were good, the coffeehouses 
 clean, and everything bespeaks the wealth 
 of merchandise. 
 
 " Billiards and dominos are the favour- 
 ite games. These are continued by the 
 young merchants and their clerks to a late 
 hour at night. 
 
 " The country approaching Marseilles 
 is very unusual in point of appearance, — 
 rock upon rock. It has evidently been 
 under water at a much later period than 
 the Deluge. 
 
 " The Levant trade is carried on here 
 to a very great pitch of prosperity. In the 
 evening of Sunday I went to the cathedral. 
 It being just after the death of Louis the 
 
250 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Eighteenth, I passed one or two female 
 processions. 
 
 " Nismes is one of the oldest cities in 
 France. The amphitheatre and other an- 
 tiquities are well known. I went to the 
 cathedral at seven in the evening : they 
 were about to perform high mass for the 
 king. I did not wait for the bishop, for 
 I was tired. The church was filled w^ith 
 people of the lowest condition. Nismes 
 is remarkable for the number of its Pro- 
 testants, who fell a sacrifice in the year 
 1815 to the vengeance of the Roman Ca- 
 tholics. 
 
 " Carcassone and Narbonne are wretch- 
 ed places, without any comfort : a burning 
 sun in the summer, and no conveniences 
 in the winter. Gnats or musquitoes in- 
 fest the atmosphere, and make it very tor- 
 menting to travellers. 
 
 " Tarbes is the last considerable town 
 on this side the Pyrenees ; and here the 
 last French prefect resides, whose autho- 
 rity extends to the boundary which di- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 251 
 
 vides France from Spain. It was in this 
 place the Duke of Wellington skirmished 
 with the rear of Soult's army, and drove 
 them through the town. 
 
 " On my arrival here there was a large 
 fair, which is held every fifteen days. The 
 whole of the neighbouring population as- 
 semble, and bring their produce of cattle, 
 &c. and purchase their different articles 
 for home consumption in return. To 
 show the perfection of the French police, 
 the moment the sun sets every individual 
 departs for his home ; and they quit the 
 town in large parties, some in carts, some 
 on horses, mules, and asses, but the 
 greater number on foot. They all seem 
 to be managed (and necessarily so) like so 
 many t:hildren. 
 
 " The day after my arrival, I saw a good 
 specimen of ingenious contrivance to play 
 on the credulity of poor human nature, in 
 the person of a quack doctor. He was 
 seated in his cabriolet, with his two ser- 
 VcUits in livery, preceded by a band of 
 
Q52 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 music, composed of three persons, also in 
 handsome livery. By his side sat a very 
 handsome woman dressed with great ele- 
 gance. The music, of course, attracted an 
 assemblage ; for, although but three in- 
 struments, the harmony was perfect, and 
 seemed to gladden every heart. 
 
 " Fr^jus, Sept. 22nd, 1824. 
 
 " I THIS morning passed through this 
 little town, which is remarkable for being 
 within two miles of the Bay of St. Ra- 
 phael, where Buonaparte landed on his 
 return from Egypt, and where he em- 
 barked when he went to Elba. I was in 
 the inn (a wretched place) where he slept 
 the night previously. The landlord told 
 me that he spoke to no one : he was very 
 unwell. 
 
 " It is probable the seeds of the disease 
 which ultimately killed him were then be- 
 ginning to be felt. It is curious to reflect 
 upon what his feelings must have been on 
 landing and embarking on the same spot. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 253 
 
 " In one instance, with his powerful 
 mind and intuitive knowledge, he must in 
 some degree have seen the glory which 
 awaited him ; in the other, everything that 
 had been was finally eclipsed. It is true 
 that he still retained his title, and his 
 downfall was not so complete as his future 
 conduct made it ; yet perhaps the sud- 
 denness of the change might have ren- 
 dered it equally difficult to bear. 
 
 " Frejus is the remains of an old Spa- 
 nish town, and is equally an emblem with 
 Buonaparte's fall of the end of grandeur. 
 The walls of the grand amphitheatre are 
 crumbling into dust ; and you can trace 
 here and there what was once magnificent, 
 and contained all the pride, vanity, and 
 wickedness of the conquerors." 
 
 About the end of November, it will be 
 seen by the following letters that Sir Wil- 
 liam was again despatched to the Conti- 
 nent. 
 
254 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " London, Thursday night. 
 
 " This letter will surprise you ; but, at 
 a moment's notice, the King has again 
 ordered me abroad, and this night I pro- 
 ceed to Dover for France, and from thence 
 to Sardinia. My situation involves very 
 heavy penalties upon me ; but take care 
 of your own health, and that of my dear- 
 est children, and I am happy. Whatever 
 becomes of me, you may believe that my 
 feelings are perfect towards you and ours, 
 and I may say yours — by which I mean 
 your family. 
 
 " God bless you ! Kiss my darlings, and 
 believe me, &c. 
 
 ^^W. K." 
 
 « Dover, York Hotel, 30th Nov. 1824. 
 
 " I WRITE you one line again to-day, 
 because, as the tempest still continues, it 
 will be comforting for you to know that 
 we are safe at this inn, viewing from our 
 windows the sea running mountains high. 
 There seems no calculation from expe- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 255 
 
 rience how long a severe gale may last. If 
 one may guess, I should suppose the tem- 
 pest is too violent to continue many hours. 
 However, my original determination still 
 continues, not to think of crossing until I 
 can do so with safety. 
 
 " If we do not stir to-morrow, I shall 
 have the pleasure of again writing to you. 
 This is a sad delay ; but Heaven knows 
 what is for the best. Give my love to my 
 dearest darlings ; tell them how much I 
 love them. It is now about five in the 
 evening, and the gale rather increases 
 than otherwise. There is a large ship 
 just drifting past/' 
 
 Nice, Dec. 13th, 1824. : 
 " MY BELOVED AND DEAREST 
 DORA AND WILLIAM, 
 
 " I ADDRESS this letter to you two, but 
 it is for all ; and you will give my affec- 
 tion to dearest mamma, and say that I 
 have taken this method as I wish you 
 
256 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 both to have a joint letter as a little 
 Christmas keepsake. 
 
 " My journey thus far has been safe and 
 prosperous, and I am, thank God! quite 
 well ; but I expect to be almost blinded 
 by musquito-bites ; for, notwithstanding 
 December, and the Alps all around co- 
 vered with snow, the weather in the 
 middle of the day is intensely hot. I 
 have eaten the last two days at dinner 
 green peas in great perfection, and, among 
 other things, a roasted plover and arti- 
 chokes, the whole of which are plentiful 
 at this season of the year. There are also 
 at the table on w^hich I write beautiful 
 flowers, the produce of the garden of this 
 hotel, — roses, violets, jonquils, jessamine, 
 and various others. The oranges are ri- 
 pening fast on the trees ; and, what is sin- 
 gular, the sharp frosts at night and the 
 burning sun in the day contribute con- 
 jointly to this end. 
 
 " But the comforts of dear old Eng- 
 land far surpass the novelties that I have 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 257 
 
 mentioned to you ; and I cannot tell you, 
 my dears, how I shall miss my Christmas at 
 home. It is painful to me to think of it ; 
 but, alas ! it cannot be otherwise* One of 
 the greatest blessings is, that although so 
 far distant, time and place cannot change 
 the beautiful associations of parental af- 
 fection. I have got a very curious old 
 rosary for you, which belonged to a re- 
 markable person, Madame de Sevigne^ as 
 I am told, — I met with it by accident at 
 Avignon ; and for dear William, in ascend- 
 ing the mountain near Frejus, almost op- 
 posite Fort Rapho, in the Mediterranean, 
 Avhcrc Jiuonaparte embarked for Elba, I 
 liad the good fortune to pick up a mineral 
 which is very rare, to add to his collec- 
 tion. 
 
 " The whole of this mountain, tell your 
 dearest mother, is covered with the kal- 
 mia ; and there are thousands of this 
 plant, for eacli of which you would pay 
 fifteen or twenty shillings in the nursery- 
 gardens in England. The arbutus here 
 
 vol., I. s 
 
258 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 grows wild also, covered with fruit ; and 
 we have every kind of heath, rosemary, 
 and precious herbs : indeed the region I 
 am now entering abounds to such a degree 
 with highly-scented flowers, that a large 
 quantity of fine perfume is extracted from 
 them, and exported to different countries, 
 by way of Marseilles. 
 
 " I wish to mention to dear William, 
 that on the top of this mountain, near to 
 a goatherd's cave, I was obliged to pass a 
 great part of the night in my carriage. 
 From the darkness of the night, the 
 mountain was impassable until daybreak. 
 Two gendarmes passed in the night : they 
 had accidentally fallen in on the moun- 
 tain with several wild boars and two young 
 bears ; — they contrived to save themselves, 
 killed the two bears and one wild boar, 
 which they and two mountaineers were 
 carrying on some fir poles. In the winter, 
 game is most abundant in the mountains. 
 
 " As I approached the Mediterranean, 
 nearer to Sardinia, we saw the island of 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 259 
 
 St. Marguerite, where the man in the iron 
 mask was confined. The tradition of the 
 story is this, and it seems to be nearly well 
 authenticated: — Louis the Thirteenth of 
 France had two sons twins, and there was 
 some confusion at the time of their birth 
 as to which was born first. The govern- 
 ment became uneasy at this, from a sus- 
 picion that as the young men grew up, it 
 might lead to contentions for the throne, 
 and consequently to civil wars. They 
 therefore determined to put an iron mask 
 on one, that the resemblance might not 
 be known, and to confine him for life in 
 this castle. From the other son the King 
 of France that was beheaded sprang. 
 
 " It is a curious story : but they show in 
 the castle many antique remains ; amongst 
 other things, the iron mask, which appears 
 to have been riveted behind. I have got 
 two liards, or farthings, for William, con- 
 nected with the French Revolution. 
 
 " I can hardly tell what my movements 
 are to be, — it will in some measure de- 
 
 s 2 
 
260 • MEMOIRS OF 
 
 pend on contingent circumstances ; but I 
 shall write to your dear mother in the 
 course of the week from some place or 
 other, as I am constantly moving. I got 
 her letter at Lyons, with William's sketch, 
 which made me very happy. Tell your 
 mother I have remembered her flower- 
 seeds both here and at Paris. 
 
 " I hope you will consider this, however 
 long, yet not a tiresome letter. I am 
 obliged to write in a great hurry, as the 
 post goes out at two o'clock in the day, 
 and I have been much engaged with the 
 authorities of this place. I often wonder 
 how I get through everything. You must 
 set a value on my exertions, and consider 
 how much I do and suffer, for what may 
 be of consequence to you hereafter. 
 
 " Remember me to Mad"^ M. 
 
 " God bless you, my beloved children. 
 " Ever your affectionately attached 
 
 " W. K." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 261 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Sir William Knighton despatched on a fresh Journey by the 
 King.-— Letter from the Duke of Clarence. — Letters from 
 Sir William to his own Family. — Letters from Sir Thomas 
 Lawrence, Dr. Gooch, and the King. — Extracts from Sir 
 William's Journal. 
 
 After Sir William's return to En- 
 gland, no particular occurrence is noted 
 in his handwriting until March 1825, 
 when he was again despatched by the 
 King on a distant journey. In the in- 
 terval, however, his Majesty had a severe 
 attack of gout ; and the editor ventures 
 to insert, on this and other occasions, 
 letters, and extracts from letters, from 
 different members of the Royal Family, 
 which so strongly mark the affectionate 
 feelings which existed towards his Ma- 
 jesty. 
 
262 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 FROM THE DUKE OF CLARENCE. 
 
 " Bushy-house, Jan, 29th, 1825. 
 
 " DEAR SIRj 
 
 " It is not till evening I see the papers 
 of the day, and I read with anxious con- 
 cern that the King had had an accession 
 of gout. I hope the fact is not so ; but, 
 being unable to be in town this morning, 
 I write these lines to inquire after the 
 health of his Majesty. At the same time, 
 I cannot forget to-day is the anniversary 
 of the King's accession to the throne: I 
 must therefore request you will present 
 my best, sincerest, and warmest wishes to 
 my brother, and assure his Majesty in my 
 name of the anxious and earnest desire I 
 have, in common with all his loving sub- 
 jects, that we may long, very long enjoy 
 the happiness and advantage of possessing 
 our present excellent Sovereign. 
 
 " Ever believe me, dear sir, 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " Wli^LIAM." 
 
 " To Sir William Knighton.'' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 263 
 
 The next letters from Sir William are 
 from Calais. 
 
 " I CAN hardly hold the pen, I have 
 been so very ill. The wind was fresh, and 
 there was a good deal of uncomfortable 
 sea ; but we had a safe and quick passage 
 of three hours. Left London at seven last 
 night, arrived at Dover at a quarter past 
 seven this morning, and shall set off from 
 hence in an hour, travel all night, and 
 hope to reach Brussels at three to-morrow 
 afternoon, where I propose to sleep and 
 have a long night. Please God this is 
 accomplished, it will be very quick. I shall 
 write one line to my beloved William, to 
 say I am well. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
264 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 TO MISS K. 
 
 Frankfort, March 25th, 1825. 
 
 " I WRITE to i/ou this time, — I wrote to 
 your mother from Tournay. I am much 
 fatigued with my journey ; but I hope a 
 few hours' rest will recover me, and that 
 I shall be able to proceed to-morrow on 
 my route to Potsdam, from whence I will, 
 if possible, write again, and give you an 
 account of my movements. 
 
 " The weather through France and Bel- 
 gium has been very severe. To-day it is 
 fine ; but last night there was a heavy fall 
 of snow, which has made the air warmer. 
 It is dreary travelling so many miles 
 alone, — for I have no one with me, if I 
 except a German courier, who travels on 
 the dickey of my carriage ; so I have 
 plenty of time for thought, and many 
 things not pleasant to think of 
 
 ^' I have seen nothing hitherto to pro- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 265 
 
 cure for you in remembrance of this jour- 
 ney : indeed, this has been as yet my 
 only resting-place, and that for a few 
 hours only. Perhaps when I return 
 through this place I may be enabled to 
 get you a few German books, if I learn 
 from Miss jNI. what would suit you. From 
 Coblentz to Mayence the scenery is beau- 
 tiful ; tlie road is along the right bank 
 of the Rliine. I believe your dear mother 
 once travelled over a part of this route. 
 1 was too tired and embarrassed to enjoy 
 it; and tlie severity of the weather put 
 aside tliose pleasurable feelings that are so 
 often communicated to the mind through 
 tlie mcdiuni of tlie eye. 
 
 " 1 (lid not see your dear brother be- 
 fore I left iMigland, but I wrote to him. 
 I rcii'ard vou all very much, or indeed I 
 should not go through the exertion that 
 I am constantly called upon to make. 
 But my elasticity is passing from me fast, 
 and I shall soon cease to be what I have 
 been. You must endeavour, my beloved 
 
266 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Dora, to cheer my old age, if I should 
 live to that period. 
 
 " God bless and preserve you. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 Between the intervals of Sir William's 
 absence from England his time was de- 
 voted to his Majesty's interest, and the 
 management of his affairs. A passage 
 from a letter from the late Duke of Mont- 
 rose, then holding a situation in his Ma- 
 jesty's establishment, expresses the satis- 
 factory result in the decrease of the pecu- 
 niary embarrassments. 
 
 " Buchanan, Dumbarton, August 10th, 1825. 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 "... You have really done wonders 
 in paying off the sums expended at Brigh- 
 ton, and, I trust, will be able to prevent the 
 same inconvenience happening again, for 
 the comfort of his Majesty ; as I am per- 
 suaded the King must have much felt the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 267 
 
 former inconvenient state of things as re- 
 lating to the expense at Brighton." 
 
 FROM SIR THOMAS LAWRENCE. 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I HAVE the pleasure to acquaint you 
 that his Most Christian Majesty honoured 
 me this morning at St. Cloud with the 
 first sitting for his portrait. The King, 
 immediately on his entrance, inquired 
 with the strongest interest after his Ma- 
 jesty's health, and expressed himself great- 
 ly pleased with the account which I had 
 the happiness to give him. He said he 
 yielded most readily to his Majesty's flat- 
 tering desire for his portrait, and he then 
 sat to me for nearly two hours. His Ma- 
 jesty was attended by the Due d'Aumont 
 and another nobleman. 
 
 " During the greater part of the sitting, 
 the children of the Due de Berri were 
 with the King, playing round him with 
 
268 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the innocent and even riotous vivacity of 
 their age, which his Most Christian Ma- 
 jesty endeavoured to check, from appre- 
 hension of its interrupting my labours ; 
 but being humbly assured that it did not, 
 they remained with him till the close of 
 the sitting. The scene was of assistance 
 to me rather than disadvantage, or I 
 should have yielded to the superior duty 
 imposed upon me. 
 
 " The countenance of his Most Chris- 
 tian Majesty has much character, with 
 very benevolent expression. It presents 
 some difficulty from its varying action ; 
 but the sketch I made seemed to give 
 general satisfaction, and I have little 
 doubt of finally succeeding. 
 
 " His Most Christian Majesty appointed 
 Tuesday next for his second sitting, and 
 expressed his desire that I would on the 
 same day begin the portrait of the Dau- 
 phin. I did not omit to mention the cos- 
 tume in which his Majesty commanded 
 me to paint them. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 269 
 
 " I arrived here on the night of the 
 20th. On the Slst, Lord Granville wrote 
 to the Baron de Damas, to acquaint him 
 with it ; and the short delay that has 
 taken place was occasioned, I believe, by 
 his Christian Majesty's hunting. 
 
 " I have the honour to be, 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " Yours, &c. 
 " Thos. Lawrence." 
 
 With the late Dr. Gooch, Sir William 
 was on terms of the greatest friendship. 
 It had commenced at Edinburgh, when 
 studying there together ; and the very 
 superior ability of Dr. Gooch was speedily 
 discovered by a person of Sir William's 
 discernment. Some years afterwards, he 
 was by his advice induced to settle in 
 London as a physician and accoucheur, 
 where he was soon distinguished by his 
 literary attainments, his successful prac- 
 tice, and the publication of some valuable 
 works. Dr. Gooch's medical knowledge 
 
270 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and acquirements were so extensive, that, 
 on withdrawing from professional avoca- 
 tions. Sir William was enabled with per- 
 fect confidence to recommend him as his 
 successor; and he very rapidly succeeded 
 in establishing himself in that full confi- 
 dence and friendship of his patients with 
 which his predecessor had been honoured. 
 Unhappily, the extreme delicacy of his 
 constitution after a time causing frequent 
 interruptions to his health, obliged him to 
 limit his practice, and to be occasionally 
 absent from town. There are .passages in 
 Dr. Gooch's letters to Sir William which, 
 independently of their connexion with 
 the memoir, are interesting. They are 
 generally without date ; but those that 
 follow are believed to have been written 
 about this time. 
 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " If Lockhart does not call on you to- 
 morrow morning, you may conclude, not 
 that he is inattentive to your desire, but 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 271 
 
 that he is out of town. I have written to 
 Mrs. L. 
 
 " You were remarking the other night, 
 that light was created before the sun. 
 This seems really the meaning of Scrip- 
 ture. Milton, in the beginning of the 
 third book of his Paradise Lost, in his 
 celebrated invocation to light, thus sings : 
 
 * Before the sun, 
 Before the heavens, thou wert, and at the voice 
 Of God, as with a mantle, didst invest 
 The rising world of waters dark and deep. 
 Won from the wide and formless infinite.' 
 
 St. John, too, in the last chapter but one 
 of the Revelations, describes the New 
 Jerusalem as illuminated without a sun. 
 ' And the city had no need of the sun, 
 neither of the moon, to shine in it : for the 
 glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb 
 is the light thereof ; . . . there shall be 
 no night there.' Rev. xxi. 23, 25. 
 
 " In the King's College there ought to 
 be a professor of legal medicine or medical 
 jurisprudence ; and he ought to have at- 
 
272 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tached to his professorship an office as of- 
 ficial referee in all trials which turn on 
 medical evidence, instead of leaving the 
 judge and jury to be misled by the opi- 
 nion of inexperienced country apotheca- 
 ries. If he had a seat in the House of 
 Commons, he would occasionally prevent 
 a great deal of nonsense being talked and 
 time mispent. The Chancellor would 
 then have an official adviser in lunatic 
 cases, 
 
 " There is a complete system of theo- 
 logy by Dwight, formerly a professor in 
 Yale College, Connecticut, which has been 
 republished in this country in quarto, in 
 octavo, in duodecimo, and in abridgment — 
 under the title of ' Beauties of Dwight/ 
 He was a very able and eloquent man ; 
 and although many of his discourses are 
 uninteresting to any but a student of 
 theology, yet there are many which must 
 interest everybody. Amongst them there 
 is one on the Resurrection, — not that of 
 our Saviour, but that of the human race. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 273 
 
 — in which an endeavour is made to de- 
 lineate from Scripture testimony the fu- 
 ture state of the happy- — the remote con- 
 sequences of death — the Resurrection. 
 The Rev. Mr. Dealtry of Clapham, a most 
 excellent and able man, put it into my 
 hands as singularly interesting. It was 
 lying on my table one day, when an el- 
 derly and thoughtful person took it up 
 and read it; and when she came to the 
 end, I heard her say to herself with a sigh, 
 ' How comforting !' 
 
 " Ever affectionately yours, 
 
 " Robert Gooch.'' 
 
 The following affecting passages are ex- 
 tracted from another letter of Dr. Gooch. 
 
 " I HAVE been very ill since I saw you, 
 and feel myself of late much changed. I 
 know, too, that my wasting lately has been 
 progressive ; and if I go on as I have done 
 for the last month, I shall be past reco- 
 very, and past the power of taking a jour- 
 ney before the warm weather sets in. 
 
 VOL. I. T 
 
274 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " With my latest breath I shall feel to 
 you, my dear friend, more unmingled feel- 
 ing of esteem and affection than to any 
 human being I have ever known. Al- 
 though, I think a little worse and it will 
 be all over with me, I must still think, 
 act, and make arrangements on the sup- 
 position that I am to live. If, therefore, I 
 am well enough a month or six weeks 
 hence, I shall set out on my loitering tour, 
 — my last hope.'' 
 
 FROM THE SAME. 
 
 " Richmond Hill, Bath, 6th Oct. 1825. 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 The comfort and support which your 
 kind visit to me in Berners-street afforded 
 me I need not describe, for you saw it. 
 
 " Since I have been here, I have been 
 drinking the waters and using the baths 
 with all the humble docility of a patient 
 who is anxious for health, and knows no- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 275 
 
 thing of the uncertainty and inefficacy of 
 medicine. I hope that Lady K., your fa- 
 mily, and everything which concerns your 
 happiness, are as you wish. 
 
 " With a degree of gratitude and affec- 
 tion which you who know the world will 
 find it difficult to believe, 
 " I am, 
 
 "Dear Sir W. 
 
 " Ever yours, 
 
 " R. G." 
 
 On the 22nd of October 1825, a letter 
 from Sir William shows him to be on the 
 eve of another journey. 
 
 " Hanover Square. 
 
 " I WROTE to you a hasty letter yester- 
 day ; and I am afraid, with the exception 
 of a few lines that I shall write you on 
 Monday, when I come up again to town, 
 this will be the last time I shall have the 
 opportunity of writing previously to my 
 leaving England. 
 
276 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " The elements of my happiness are in 
 your health and that of my dear children. 
 If that is interrupted, nothing can be sa- 
 tisfactory to my feelings. I conjure you, 
 therefore, to take care of yourself. About 
 my dearest children I need not say any- 
 thing, as your attention is always safe ; 
 but I wish you would use the same 
 care in all that relates to yourself. You 
 should carefully guard against the severe 
 cold that has so suddenly come upon us : 
 in return for this, I will pay all attention 
 to myself in my power, and that circum- 
 stances will permit. 
 
 " I hope to write you a line from Calais, 
 if possible from Brussels, and also from 
 Frankfort ; but, after all, it will be difR- 
 <3ult for me to promise anything until I 
 get back to Paris. In a month from the 
 time of my leaving England, write me a 
 line poste restante^ Paris- Give me no ac- 
 count of anything but what relates to 
 your all being well, which I trust in God 
 will be the case. I am sadly harassed 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 277 
 
 and fatigued, and dread this journey very 
 much ; but my health is better, and I 
 hope, by attending carefully to my diet, I 
 shall go on without interruption. 
 
 " If anything should unfortunately oc- 
 cur to detain me, do not forget to send 
 
 poor Mrs. her twenty pounds at 
 
 Christmas, and the ten pounds as usual at 
 that period. 
 
 " Kiss my dearest children. Kind re- 
 membrance to Miss M. 
 
 " Ever, &c. 
 
 " W. K.'^ 
 
 A journal having been found of this 
 tour, it is here introduced, in place of 
 family letters. 
 
 " I left London on the night of the 
 24th of October 1825 for Vienna, arrived 
 at Dover at seven, and embarked for Ca- 
 lais at nine ; wind at N.W. and very fresh, 
 which made the vessel roll very much. I 
 was almost immediately ill. We landed 
 in three hours ; but I did not (as usual) 
 
278 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 recover on the vessel's getting into har- 
 bour. 
 
 " We proceeded on our journey, and 
 drank tea in the evening at Cassel. We 
 travelled the whole of that night, break- 
 fasted early in the morning at Tournay, 
 and arrived at Brussels on the same day 
 about four in the afternoon, where we 
 dined and slept. 
 
 " The part of the country through 
 which we have just passed is much im- 
 proved in cultivation during the last year. 
 The houses in the different towns are 
 beginning to assume more of comfort and 
 cleanliness ; the desolation of war and 
 thoughtless unsettledness are gradually 
 passing away ; every house appears more 
 like the decided habitation of a family 
 looking forward to settled tranquillity. 
 The female works in the garden and field 
 with industrious alacrity, because she is 
 aided in the occupation by her father, 
 brother, or husband. 
 
 " From Brussels we passed on rapidly 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 279 
 
 to Liege, travelled all night, and slept at 
 Coblentz. This, with the fortress of Eh- 
 renbreitstein, is one of the strongest 
 places, perhaps, in the world, and must 
 ever dispute the passage of the Rhine* 
 It has all the appearance of being im- 
 pregnable. On the following morning 
 we made our way along the bankiS of the 
 Rhine to Mayence : nothing can be more 
 beautiful than the scenery. About three 
 posts from Coblentz, on the banks of the 
 Rhine, there seems a quiet little inn. I 
 mention this for future consideration, if I 
 should again pass this way with my dear 
 family. We dined at Mayence, and the 
 same night reached Frankfort about nine 
 o'clock. The White Bush was full, but 
 the Hotel d'Angleterre was a good sub- 
 stitute. This is the proper inn for fa- 
 milies. 
 
 " I proceeded on the morning of the 
 30th of October to Hamburgh to see the 
 Landgravine (the Princess Elizabeth). I 
 was received with kindness and distinc- 
 
280 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tion, being a welcome visitor. In an hour 
 or two I returned to Frankfort, the Land- 
 grave kindly walking himself to the end 
 of the little town to see me into the 
 carriage- 
 
 "On Monday the 81st I continued my 
 journey ; entered Bavaria ; dined at a little 
 inn by the road- side, very poor and wretch- 
 ed. Breakfasted the next day a la four- 
 chette at Nuremburgh ; — the Duchess of 
 Lucca expected. Slept that night at a 
 wretched inn, and the next night at Ra- 
 tisbonne. 
 
 " The country of Bavaria through which 
 we have hitherto passed is very diversified 
 and agreeable in point of scenery. There 
 are immense forests, consisting principally 
 of beech. The inhabitants seem harmless 
 and industrious, quiet and civil in their 
 manners, slow in their occupations, and 
 gradually emerging from barbarism. They 
 still adhere to their costumes, each pro- 
 vince having a fashion of its own. Their 
 principal drink is beer; but they appear 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 281 
 
 to smoke less than in that part of Ger- 
 many belonging to the Prussian domi- 
 nions. I understand in Bavaria the Pro- 
 testant and Roman Catholic religion is 
 more diffused conjointly than in Austria, 
 and that this has much arisen from the 
 wise and prudent toleration of the late 
 king, who was much beloved throughout 
 the country. 
 
 " The road which I have taken is the 
 most direct to Vienna ; but the route 
 usually followed by travellers is through 
 Munich and Stuttgard." 
 
 The following kind letter from his 
 Majesty was received by Sir William while 
 on his journey. 
 
 I ROM THE KING. 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " I HAVE SO little to say since your de- 
 parture from hence, that it is scarcely 
 
282 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 worth while troubling you with a line 
 even now, especially as in the course of a 
 few days I look for your reappearance, 
 except to acknowledge and to thank you 
 for the short epistle I received from you, 
 dated Frankfort 
 
 " Tranquillity, I am sure you will be 
 pleased to learn, has in general been the 
 order of the day since you left us. How- 
 ever, there have been, and I am fearful 
 that they are still existing, some difficulties 
 and misunderstandings in the final ar- 
 rangement of that business which has 
 caused you so much trouble and anxiety, 
 and which at present do, and which, I 
 fear, will still procrastinate the final ad- 
 justment until you return. 
 
 " It is impossible to detail to you what 
 cavillings there have been, and what 
 strange crotchets have started up, and 
 sometimes seemingly upon the merest 
 trifles, among the lawyers, and indeed 
 pretty much all the parties concerned ; 
 such immensity of talking backwards and 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 283 
 
 forwards, here and there, — the mistake of 
 a sentence, and even of a single word, — all 
 which creates delays ; and even if there 
 be the possibility of correcting it and 
 setting it to rights again afterwards, I 
 think but little progress has yet been 
 made ; and I see the impracticability, 
 and next to the impossibility of its being 
 brought to any final issue, until the mo- 
 ment of your return, when by your good 
 and kind advice it may in all likelihood 
 be ultimately settled. 
 
 " You, I am confident, will understand 
 all this without the necessity of any fur- 
 ther explanation on my part, especially as 
 they, I know, are at this very moment in 
 the act of writing to you ; so probably 
 they may enter into some further details* 
 
 " As to bodily health, I am certainly 
 not as well as I ought to be, although I 
 complain but little, which you are well 
 aware is generally the case with me ; but 
 as to that which is more and most es- 
 sential, (as it is the main-spring to every- 
 
284 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 thing, and the only security for health,) 
 the state of my mind and my feelings, I 
 shall reserve all I have to say till next we 
 meet. 
 
 " Now, then, God bless you, dear friend ; 
 and believe me always affectionately yours, 
 
 « Royal Lodge, Nov. 15th, 1825." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 285 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Letter from the King to Sir William Knighton. — Letters 
 from Sir Walter Scott. — Sir William on another Jom-ney. 
 — Memorandum of his route. — Letter from Sir David 
 Wilkie. — Letters from the King, the Bishop of Chiches- 
 ter, the Duke of York, and Mr. Canning, 
 
 At Christmas, after this long journey, 
 Sir William was enjoying the happiness 
 and comfort of the society of his family in 
 the country, when an express arrived to 
 summon him to Windsor. It will be seen, 
 however, by his Majesty's letter, that it 
 was a case of necessity only which obliged 
 his kind master reluctantly to interfere at 
 such a moment. 
 
286 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 FROM THE KING. 
 " DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " I WRITE a few lines in great haste to 
 request that you will be with me here at 
 an early hour to-morrow morning. You 
 may depend upon it, that if it were not 
 for matters of considerable moment, I 
 would not break in upon the few mo- 
 ments of peaceful enjoyment with your 
 family which you allow yourself, and it is 
 therefore with sincere regret that I feel 
 myself under the necessity of doing so 
 upon the present occasion. However, you 
 may assure Lady Knighton and your fa- 
 mily from me, that four-and-twenty hours, 
 I hope, will be the utmost extent of time 
 of which they will be deprived of your 
 society. The matter is too big with a va- 
 riety and combination of matters not to 
 require without the loss of a moment your 
 presence, and your best advice and assist- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 287 
 
 ance. I have not time to add another 
 word, but that I am always 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 « G. R." 
 
 " Royal Lodge, Dec. 28th. 
 Two o'clock P.M. 1825." 
 
 The following letters from the late Sir 
 Walter Scott will not be perused without 
 interest. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I HAVE a circumstance to mention 
 which concerns myself only, and therefore 
 would be most unworthy of being men- 
 tioned to his Majesty, were it not that as 
 his Majesty has distinguished me by ele- 
 vating my rank in society, I conceive his 
 goodness will be gratified by knowing that 
 the approaching marriage of my eldest son 
 to a very amiable young lady, with a con- 
 siderable fortune, promises to enable those 
 who may follow me to support suitably 
 the mark of honour which his Majesty has 
 conferred on me. 
 
288 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " The lady's independent fortune is so 
 far very valuable to me, that it permits my 
 son to marry before my death, and gives 
 me permission, if it please God, to look a 
 generation further into futurity : but these 
 would be of little consequence, were I not 
 satisfied, as I have every reason to be, with 
 the good sense and amiable qualities of 
 my future daughter, and my son pleased 
 with her person and accomplishments. 
 
 " I can only add to these uninteresting 
 details, that my son's bride is named Miss 
 Jobson of Lock^ which she soon exchanges 
 for the more chivalrous name (if I may be 
 allowed to say so) which his Majesty lately 
 distinguished with a baronetcy. I hope 
 those who may succeed to that honour 
 may always remember by whom it was 
 conferred, and be ready to serve their so- 
 vereign by word, and pen, and sword, when 
 wanted. 
 
 " Pray suppress this letter, if the com- 
 munication be assuming too much upon 
 his Majesty's encouraging goodness. I am 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 289 
 
 sure the intelligence will be gratifying to 
 you personally, even if it is not proper to 
 carry it elsewhere. 
 
 " I have the honour to be, 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " Your most faithful 
 
 " and obedient servant, 
 " Walter Scott." 
 
 " Edinburgh, 21st Jan. 1825." 
 
 " Perhaps I ought to add, that my son, 
 who is warmly attached to his profession, 
 is to continue in the army, and the young 
 lady, though brought up in the character 
 of an only child, has taken up the old 
 ditty, 
 
 < Mount and go, — mount and make ready, — 
 Mount and go, and be a soldier's lady.* 
 
 So they set off to join the fifteenth hussars 
 in Ireland, so soon as circumstances will 
 permit." 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 REPLY TO THE FOREGOING. 
 
 " January 25th, 1825. 
 
 " DEAR SIR WALTER, 
 
 " I AM honoured with the commands of 
 the King to convey to you his Majesty's 
 very kind regards, and to express the 
 pleasure his Majesty feels at any circum- 
 stance that can add to your own personal 
 happiness, or assist in securing the general 
 welfare and prosperity of your family. 
 
 " His Majesty was graciously pleased to 
 observe, that your own genius, so distin- 
 guished and so remarkable, would shed a 
 never-fading lustre on that hereditary 
 rank which his Majesty hopes your son 
 will live both to honour and to enjoy.'' 
 
 To Sir Walter Scott, Bart." 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " A VERY ingenious young artist of 
 Edinburgh, Mr. Lizars, the engraver, hav- 
 ing made rather an interesting selection 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 291 
 
 of subjects in the neighbourhood of Edin- 
 burgh, has formed the ambitious wish of 
 inscribing it to his Majesty, but has first 
 sent a copy to be placed on the Royal 
 library table, that if his Majesty should 
 cast an eye upon it, he may consider whe- 
 ther the work deserves such high encou- 
 ragement. Chantrey, who was with us a few 
 days since, thinks very well of the book. 
 
 " As to the printed part of the work, I 
 have only had time to glance at it hastily ; 
 but it seems a judicious compilation. 
 
 " 1 hope this will find his Majesty in 
 good health, and presume to request, that 
 if you think this matter worthy of being 
 mentioned to the King, you will at the 
 same time place my humble and grateful 
 duty at his Majesty's feet. 
 
 " I have the honour to be. 
 Dear Sir William, 
 
 " Always your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott." 
 
 Edinburgh, 25th May." 
 
 u 2 
 
292 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I RECEIVED with much sense of grati- 
 tude your kind letter, which I shall con- 
 sider as confidential, and wait the result 
 of your kindness and Mr. Canning's friend- 
 ly recollection till an opportunity offers. 
 I shall take care in the mean time that 
 Charles attends to his general studies, 
 which have been somewhat neglected dur- 
 ing the reading for his examination at Ox- 
 ford. It will certainly be my greatest 
 pride to find him in every respect worthy 
 of the distinguished kindness you have 
 shown to him. 
 
 " I caused a copy of my attempt at a 
 Life of Napoleon to be laid on the table 
 of his Majesty's library ; but I did not 
 write to you at the time, because I was 
 afraid you might think that my doing so 
 might be deemed an indirect way of pok- 
 ing your kindness, which I know requires 
 no importunity of mine. My daughter 
 Sophia, who is with us just now, has been 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 293 
 
 much shocked at the death of poor Dr. 
 Shaw, who had, I think, been a friend of 
 yours. V. 
 
 " When it can be properly done, I re- 
 quest you will place my humble and 
 grateful duty at his Majesty's feet. 
 " I am always, 
 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " Your truly obliged 
 
 " and faithful servant, 
 " Walter Scott." 
 
 " Abbotsford, Meh'ose, 30th July." 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I HAVE somewhat intruded on his 
 Majesty's condescension through your 
 obliging channel, when anything occurred 
 in literature which was worthy (at least 
 seemed to me worthy) his Majesty's royal 
 attention or patronage. But the present 
 is a very remarkable case indeed, and 
 makes part of a great change which is 
 about to take place in Britain, and which 
 sooner or later will work great conse- 
 
294 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 quences for good and evil. The general 
 pains which have been bestowed on the 
 education of the poor begins to have a 
 general effect upon the nation at large; 
 for folks who read are naturally as de- 
 sirous to have books, as folks who have 
 appetites are to procure food. In both 
 cases it is of consequence that whole- 
 some and nourishing diet be placed within 
 the reach of those who are hungry, other- 
 wise they will be willing to eat trash and 
 poison. 
 
 " Our great publisher in Scotland has 
 formed a plan which, though intended for 
 his profit in the first instance, cannot, I 
 think, but have the best possible effect in 
 supplying this new and extended demand 
 for literature among the lower classes, by 
 reprinting at a moderate rate, and selling 
 at a low profit, a great number of the 
 most standard English works both in his- 
 tory, in the belles lettres, as well as in 
 science, and in the department of voyages 
 and travels, natural history, and so forth. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 295 
 
 The object is generally to place the best 
 and soundest works of every kind within 
 the reach of the lower classes, whose 
 shelves will be otherwise unquestionably 
 filled with that sort of trash which is pe- 
 culiarly dangerous both to their morals as 
 men and their loyalty as subjects. The 
 publisher, who is one of the most saga- 
 cious men I know in such matters, con- 
 siders this not unjustly as a great national 
 work, and is naturally desirous to place 
 it under the most exalted patronage. 
 
 " If I may presume to express an opi- 
 nion, I do think that a work likely to be 
 spread so widely among his Majesty's sub- 
 jects, and calculated to place useful in- 
 formation within their reach, may not un- 
 gracefully be placed under his Majesty's 
 immediate protection. I think 1 can 
 pledge myself that the selection of works 
 in this extensive miscellany will be such 
 as to turn men's minds into such a chan- 
 nel as may render the power of reading a 
 blessing, and without which it may very 
 
296 ' MEMOIRS OF 
 
 well turn out a curse to themselves and 
 the State. It is not the power of reading, 
 but the character of the works which are 
 read, that is to form the advantage de- 
 rived from general education. I enclose a 
 prospectus of the work, and a letter from 
 Constable, which I would beg you to take 
 the trouble of considering. 
 
 " I have only to add, that this popular 
 miscellany is to be cheap indeed, but yet 
 handsomely and correctly printed, — the 
 bookseller trusting for his profit to the 
 quantity sold. The present prospect seems 
 to intimate that it will be immense. 
 
 " I spent a part of this fine summer in 
 Ireland, and have returned delighted with 
 that warm-hearted and hospitable country. 
 Whatever people may say, its grievances 
 are fast abating. Much English capital 
 has been introduced of late years ; the 
 new cabins are more decent than the 
 old ones ; and the dress of the younger 
 people does not exhibit such a variety of 
 patchwork as that of the true old Mi- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 297 
 
 lesian. I went through the greater part 
 of the islandj and saw much ground which 
 might rival any part of England in wealth, 
 and much scenery which might vie with 
 any part of Scotland in picturesque beauty; 
 and the inhabitants, from the peer to the 
 peasant, are certainly the kindest people 
 in the world. 
 
 " May I request you to place my most 
 humble duty at his Majesty's feet ? and be- 
 lieve me, my dear sir, 
 
 " Your most obedient, 
 
 " Very faithful servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott." 
 
 Abbotsford, Melrose, 80th October." 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 "This letter accompanies a copy of a 
 most valuable Scottish history, or rather 
 memoirs, by Sir James Melville, which has 
 been lately published for the first time 
 from the original copy in the author's 
 manuscript, by a society here, called the 
 Bannatyne Club, of which I am the un- 
 
298 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 worthy president. The object is, besides 
 eating a good dinner and consuming a 
 little champagne and claret once or twice 
 a-year, to publish, from manuscripts or 
 rare printed volumes, such works as seem 
 to throw light on the history, manners, 
 and literature of Scotland. Perhaps his 
 Majesty, who has always taken such an 
 interest in the poor old North, may not be 
 displeased to see what we are attempting 
 in that way ; and the Club would be too 
 proud to have the permission to place 
 one of their volumes from time to time on 
 the library table at Windsor. When I 
 said, we publish^ I used an improper ex- 
 pression : the works are in general thrown 
 off only for private distribution, and a few 
 public libraries. 
 
 " I hope in the course of a few days to 
 destine for his Majesty's library-table some 
 other volumes, for the errors of which I 
 alone am responsible. 
 
 " The young person of whom I spoke to 
 you when I had the honour to be at the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 299 
 
 Royal Lodge last year has now taken his 
 bachelor's degree at college (Brazen-nose), 
 and, with a good reputation at the Univer- 
 sity, is now about to start in life. My 
 great object would be to get him into one 
 of the public offices until he should be bet- 
 ter acquainted than he is at present with 
 modern languages. He could live with his 
 sister and Lockhart, as my family are all 
 much attached to each other, and, I hope, 
 would be found capable of doing his duty 
 in any department where he might be 
 placed, as he is a well-principled lad, as 
 well as good-looking, smart, and clever. 
 You were so kind as to say you would 
 take some interest in this to me most im- 
 portant matter, which will remove the 
 only anxious thoughts I entertain on the 
 part of my family. My eldest son likes 
 his profession (the army), and has a good 
 property. My eldest daughter is married 
 to Lockhart, who is known to you, and 
 happy as far as mutual affection can ren- 
 der them so. My second daughter keeps 
 
300 - MEMOIRS OF 
 
 my house ; and there is no one but poor 
 Charles whom I have left to be anxious 
 about. My old friend Lord Dudley would 
 be perhaps not averse to receive my son 
 into his department ; but as you, my dear 
 Sir William, have been so kind as to give 
 the matter some consideration, I will make 
 no other application until I have your 
 opinion. 
 
 " May I presume to offer my most hum- 
 ble duty and homage to his Majesty ? I 
 hope, among the various and multiplied 
 business with which he has been of late 
 overwhelmed, his Majesty's usual good 
 health has not suffered. 
 
 " My dear Sir William, 
 " Your truly obliged 
 
 " and faithful servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott." 
 
 " my dear sir william, 
 
 " I ENCLOSE my young student's letter. 
 The manuscript is, I think, of a kind 
 which may be speedily mended by atten- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 301 
 
 tion. His talents are very good, his man- 
 ners and personal appearance pleasing, 
 and his temper and disposition excellent. 
 You will have the goodness to observe 
 that he expects to take his degree in May ; 
 and I suppose a few months on the Conti- 
 nent would be necessary to give him faci- 
 lity in speaking and writing French and 
 German : he is well grounded in the for- 
 mer language. It is my earnest wish to 
 see him engaged in the public service ; 
 but should an employment in any of the 
 offices be more easily attained than any- 
 thing in the diplomatic line, I should be 
 equally pleased. He would have his sis- 
 ter's house to reside in, and be therefore 
 free from the temptations arising out of 
 idleness and want of society. He has also 
 a strong bias towards literature, and may, 
 I think, prove useful upon those occasions 
 when the efforts of literary men are sup- 
 posed to have some effect on public opi- 
 nion. I am, however, only speaking of a 
 very young man, as he has not completed 
 
302 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his twentieth year. We are much more 
 indifferent about the immediate advan- 
 tages which Charles may derive from any 
 situation for which he may be found com- 
 petent, than that he should be placed, if 
 possible, in a line where faithful services 
 may op^n the way to future preferment. 
 
 " Of course my letter announced to him 
 nothing but that a friend of mine was in 
 hopes to find an opening for him when he 
 should have obtained his degree. 
 
 " Lord Granville and his lady were most 
 attentive to my daughter and me while in 
 Paris, where we spent a few days very 
 pleasantly, thanks to the friends who re- 
 commended us. 
 
 " I presume to place my dutiful and 
 most respectful homage at the feet of our 
 gracious Master. Whatever I see of other 
 countries and sovereigns makes me more 
 attached to my own, where we possess such 
 advantages, if we knew how to prize them. 
 Pardon this letter : the subject, you well 
 know, is a most interesting one to a father. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 303 
 
 and you will therefore make some allow- 
 ance for my anxiety. 
 
 " I am ever, 
 " My dear Sir William, 
 " Your truly obliged 
 
 " and faithful servant, 
 " Walter Scott/' 
 
 23, Pall-mall, 12th November." 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I WAS yesterday honoured with a let- 
 ter from Lord Dudley, intimating that his 
 Majesty had condescended in the most 
 gracious manner to intimate his pleasure 
 to his lordship that my son Charles should 
 be provided for in the Foreign Office. It 
 would be difficult for me to express how 
 much I am penetrated by his Majesty's 
 goodness in so graciously deigning to re- 
 lieve my anxiety on account of this young 
 man. But it is but one link in so long a 
 chain of favours by which it has pleased 
 his Majesty to honour me, and for which I 
 can only offer my devoted gratitude to his 
 
304 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Royal person. When it may be fitting to 
 trouble his Majesty on so slight a subject, 
 I will trust, my dear Sir William, to your 
 kindness to put my grateful acknowledg- 
 ments at his feet. 
 
 " I am very happy Lord Dudley is the 
 agent through whom his Majesty's protec- 
 tion is to operate in the young man's fa- 
 vour, I knew his lordship pretty fami- 
 liarly six or seven years before Charles 
 was born. We have always kept up a 
 friendly intercourse ; and obeying his Ma- 
 jesty's commands, as he would have done 
 in every case with alacrity, I have little 
 doubt that he will take some personal in- 
 terest in the lad for old friendship's sake. 
 I shall be very well pleased if the vacancy 
 does not occur till he has been to make 
 himself a thorough French scholar, and 
 has gained some acquaintance with the 
 other modern languages of Europe, espe- 
 cially German. He is at present labouring 
 hard ; and, being a good general gramma- 
 rian, I hope he may not altogether dis- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 805 
 
 grace the high and distinguished patron- 
 age under which it is his good fortune to 
 enter life. 
 
 " To yourself, my dear Sir William, I 
 beg to express my best and most grateful 
 thanks, and wish I had some better mode 
 of showing how much I am, 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Your obliged and grateful 
 
 " friend and servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott. 
 " 1 am much grieved to say that our 
 friend the Lord Chief Commissioner is 
 suffering much under a failure of his eye- 
 sight, but keeps up his excellent spirits 
 even under such a severe and, I fear, an 
 increasing affliction." 
 
 " Edinburgh, 2nd December." 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I WAS honoured with your letter this 
 morning, which, I own, relieved me from 
 the unpleasing doubt whether I might not 
 have gone beyond my province in commu- 
 
 VOL. I. X 
 
306 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 nicating to you for his Majesty's consider- 
 ation the subject of my last. I am sure I 
 would rather lose my little fortune than 
 submit anything of the kind to his Ma- 
 jesty without the most attentive consider- 
 ation to its consequences. 
 
 " Whether the plan of education be not 
 somewhat extended beyond the ranks to 
 which it is most useful, is a subject of 
 great doubt. But, being so extended, the 
 increased number of readers must have 
 good books, of sound principle and stand- 
 ard merit, otherwise they will choose bad 
 ones rather than go without ; and then 
 the boon of knowledge will be just on a 
 par with that language as expressed by 
 Caliban, 
 
 * You taught me language, and my profit on't 
 Is — 1 know how to curse/ 
 
 " I enclose the first perfect copy of the 
 first number of the work, which ,is nearly 
 ready for the public. I also enclose a pro- 
 posed dedication for the consideration of 
 his Majesty, in which I have endeavoured 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 307 
 
 to express, in as few words as possible, the 
 reason why a work of the kind, so devoid 
 of typographical splendour (although neat 
 for the price), should be adorned with his 
 Majesty's name. I made Constable tran- 
 scribe it fairly, but without telling him 
 more than that it might be well to have a 
 scrawl in readiness, in case his application 
 should be honoured with his Majesty's 
 approbation. 
 
 " His Majesty will not perhaps hear 
 with entire indifference that my son-in- 
 law, John Lockhart, has been tempted 
 to change his views in this country, in 
 order to become editor of the Quarterly 
 Review. The talents which have been 
 thought worthy of this trust are pretty 
 generally admitted ; and I can answer for 
 his possessing that love of his Majesty's 
 government and devotion to his person 
 which are the best warrants for exercising 
 the power now lodged in his hands in a 
 proper manner. It is a great qualifying 
 of the pleasure which I should feel on the 
 
 X 2 
 
308 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 occasion, that I must be deprived of my 
 daughter's society, as they must of course 
 reside in London. 
 
 " I pray you, my dear Sir William, to 
 make my most respectful duty acceptable 
 to his Majesty, and 
 
 " I am, with much regard, 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " Your most obedient servant, 
 
 " Walter Scott. 
 
 " The Chief Commissioner has borne his 
 great family loss with much firmness." 
 
 Edinburgh, 7th December.'* 
 
 TO HIS MAJESTY 
 
 KING GEORGE IV. 
 The generous Patron 
 even of the most humble attempts 
 towards the advantage of his subjects, 
 
 THE MISCELLANY, 
 
 designed to extend Useful Knowledge 
 and Elegant Literature, 
 by placing Works of standard merit 
 within the attainment of every class of 
 Readers, 
 is most humbly inscribed 
 by his Majesty's 
 
 humble and devoted servant, 
 
 Archibald Constable. 
 
 Edinburgh, December 1825, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 309 
 
 From the following letter to his second 
 daughter, we find Sir William, accompa- 
 nied by his son, on another journey, to 
 which is added a memorandum of his 
 route. 
 
 Frankfort, 10th July, 1826. 
 
 " I WRITE to you from hence, because I 
 know how delighted you will be to hear 
 that we are quite well. If your dearest 
 mother and Dora are still at Blendworth, 
 give them my affectionate love ; but we 
 suppose that by this time they are setting 
 ofF, or are at Paris. We expect to find 
 them at the Hotel Bourbon, Rue Rivoli, 
 where we engaged apartments for them. 
 This I write to you, my dear child, lest 
 they should not have set off. I wrote 
 your mamma a very long letter about this 
 at Paris, w^hich I hope she received, Wil- 
 liam reminds you that this is the place 
 where Miss M. was born. 
 
 " Ever, my dearest, &c. 
 
 " w. k:' 
 
310 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " I LEFT England, accompanied by my 
 dear boy, July the Srd, 1826, for the pur- 
 pose of proceeding to Paris, and from 
 thence to Berlin. My passage across the 
 Channel was most prosperous, — two hours 
 and forty minutes. Rignol, of the Hotel 
 Bourbon, met us as usual. We proceeded 
 after dinner, about three, on our journey, 
 and slept that night at Montreuil, where 
 we arrived at eleven. We started at four 
 the next morning ; breakfasted at the Ho- 
 tel de FEurope, Abbeville, the most clean 
 and comfortable hotel in France ; arrived 
 at Beauvais, and dined ; travelled all 
 night : arrived at the Hotel de Mirabeau, 
 Rue de la Paix, about five in the morning, 
 rested ourselves a few hours, and proceed- 
 ed on business. 
 
 " On the 7th we set out for Berlin. On 
 our arrival, the Duke of Cumberland was 
 at Mecklenburg Strelitz. Mr. Jelf, the 
 gentleman who went from England as 
 private tutor to Prince George, is a man 
 of great learning and acquirements. We 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 311 
 
 saw the palace of Sans-Souci, and the new 
 palace, as it is called, built by Frederick 
 the Great. The kingdom of Prussia might 
 be regarded as a field of soldiers, and this 
 particular form of human nature, to look 
 at, seems to be brought to a great degree 
 of perfection. But what is this perfec- 
 tion ? A machine without a mind, — an 
 animal without one application of thought 
 either in relation to this world or that 
 which is to come. It is a uniform in the 
 form of a man moving to and fro, for the 
 purpose of demonstrating to the other 
 barbarians of the North that it is capable 
 and has the power of resistance. This is 
 a wretched state ; but it is so, and is one 
 of the many proofs of the power of Sa- 
 tanic influence on earth ; for take an army 
 of one hundred thousand men, and what 
 will be found but the existence of an evil 
 spirit, leading them to swear and blas- 
 pheme throughout their lives as if every 
 action of their very existence depended on 
 themselves ? 
 
312 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " We saw tne picture-gallery at Pots- 
 dam, which contains a very fine collection 
 of Rubens's pictures, many of which, on 
 Buonaparte's entering Berlin, were sent to 
 Paris ; but they have since been restored, 
 as well as the two horses (statuary) which 
 form the Brandenburg gate. The palace 
 of Sans-Souci is certainly extraordinary, 
 as is also the new palace ; but they both 
 want grandeur and situation. We saw 
 the dining-room where Voltaire, d'Alem- 
 bert, and others used to dine with Fre- 
 derick." 
 
 Early in this year, 1826, Sir William 
 received the following interesting letter 
 from the present Sir David, then Mr. 
 Wilkie, an artist as celebrated in most 
 parts of the Continent by the diffusion 
 and beauty of the prints from his pictures, 
 as in his own country. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 313 
 
 " Rome, Poste-restante, 
 January 24th, 1826. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " You did me the honour to request 
 that I would write to you while on my 
 travels ; a request that gives me a privilege, 
 but imposes on you a task, there being a 
 greater danger of saying too much than 
 too little upon such themes as Rome and 
 Italy. 
 
 " Health, as you know, was the object 
 of my journey. • This, if at all, recovers 
 but slowly ; but, imposing no restriction 
 except abstinence, and forbidding no la- 
 bour but study, it leaves one in full 
 strength for all that can be witnessed or 
 enjoyed in that land of art, — consoled 
 that, but for this interruption, grievous as 
 it may be to my prospects and occupations 
 at home, I might never have seen Italy, or 
 seen it when too late. 
 
 " In Paris, after being detained for six 
 weeks by unavailing medical experiments, 
 I proceeded through France and Switzer- 
 
314 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 land, whence crossing the Alps by that 
 wonder of wonders the route of Mount 
 Simplon, I soon found myself among those 
 scenes which present so many subjects of 
 interest to the artist. 
 
 " At Milan, the public gallery had lost 
 much by the absence of its best works, 
 formerly taken to Paris, and there still 
 remaining. The Last Supper of Leonardo 
 da Vinci, at the Dominican convent, would, 
 however, in its best times, have made 
 ample amends ; but here Time has been 
 even more unsparing than is his wont, — a 
 shadow is all that remains of this great 
 work, and that so faint, that even the sub- 
 stance of the original paint has become a 
 question, whether fresco or oil ; but to 
 show the immortality of mind, when it 
 does exist in a picture, over the frail ma- 
 terial in which it is embodied, this mas- 
 terpiece still lives in our copy at So- 
 merset-house, and on its very ruin has 
 been revived, and its fame spread abroad 
 by the admirable engraving of Morghen. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 315 
 
 " Leaving Milan, my route lay through 
 Genoa, and by the coast of the Mediterra- 
 nean over the Apennines to Pisa, to see the 
 early vrorks in the Campo Santo ; thence 
 to Florence, where a rich treat detained 
 me for a month. The public gallery here 
 had retrieved the Venus de Medici, with 
 the Venus of Titian; and the Palazzo Pitti 
 of the Grand Duke is enriched by seventy- 
 three pictures, thought worthy to be car- 
 ried to Paris, and of being restored at the 
 last peace. Besides these, in this birth- 
 place and early school of modern art, a 
 class of works by its revivers, whom our 
 friend Northcote used to talk of with 
 much respect, interested me greatly. The 
 pictures of Cimabue and Giotto, humble 
 almost as those of the Chinese, had yet 
 the living principle of expression and of 
 thought, which, with their artless compo- 
 sition, wanting light and shadow, fore- 
 shortening and perspective, still enabled 
 them to interest the noblest feelings and 
 affections of men ; and as the art grew, 
 
316 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 and in the hands of their more accom- 
 plished successors was practised with more 
 skill, has conferred upon it a dignity that 
 has raised the Italian school above all 
 others. 
 
 " But it is in Rome that the arts have 
 reached their zenith ; and here, though at 
 the further risk of tiring you, I must still 
 intrude upon you my impressions on view- 
 ing the great works of Raphael and Mi- 
 chael Angelo. Much as I had heard of 
 disappointment, at first sight, I was only 
 impressed with this feeling by their ap- 
 proach to decay. They are not so well 
 preserved as the cartoons at Hampton- 
 court ; yet, withal, the divine Raphael, 
 though wanting his original brightness, is 
 he whom all admire and all would imi- 
 tate. His School of Athens for purity of 
 design, and his Heliodorus for richness of 
 colour, have by none been surpassed. 
 
 " But far less popular are the gigantic 
 labours of Michael Angelo. These, with 
 his high fame, are to the common observer 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 317 
 
 an enigma. His Last Judgment on the 
 ceiling of the Capella Sistina, dulled by 
 smoke and time, is lost in a prevailing 
 greyness. The Sibyls, the inspired Isaiah, 
 and whole passages in the lower com- 
 partments of the Judgment, are replete 
 with the highest qualities; and, for style 
 relief, and expression of deep thought, 
 are known to have given a new im- 
 pulse to Raphael; and, in latter times, 
 to have drawn forth the dying eulogium 
 of Reynolds : an eulogium of which no 
 one can doubt the sincerity who has seen 
 these works, evincing as they do a style of 
 sentiment, and even of colour, reminding 
 one of some of Reynolds's happiest ef- 
 forts. 
 
 " Still Michael Angelo, celebrated as he 
 is, is the only master whose works no 
 one here dares to imitate, — here where 
 the most opposite modes of study are to 
 be found. Germans, with more of the 
 devotion of a sect than of a school, have 
 attracted much attention by reverting to 
 
318 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the beginning of art, and by studying Ra- 
 phael's master rather than Raphael, in 
 hopes that, going over the same course, 
 they may from Pietro Perugino attain all 
 the excellence of his great scholar. These 
 artists, among whom the most zealous are 
 Fyght, Shaddow, Schnore, and Overlach, 
 in their works display with much of the 
 dryness of Albert Durer, great talent, and 
 a strong feeling for expression, and with 
 this early style have had the merit of re- 
 viving its accompaniment, the long-lost 
 art of fresco painting, in which manner 
 they have painted several apartments in 
 Rome with scriptural and poetical sub- 
 jects, and, though discarding almost all 
 the modern embellishments and the usual 
 means of obtaining popularity, are not 
 without admirers and patrons. The pre- 
 sent King of Bavaria, it is said, has, 
 since his accession, employed one of them, 
 named Cornelius, to decorate in fresco one 
 of the halls of his palace. 
 
 " Seeing, as I do here, the great works 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 819 
 
 produced in the best times in fresco, with 
 the efforts these students are making upon 
 the same ground, I cannot help wondering 
 that no attempt has been made by any 
 English artist to introduce it into our 
 own country, — why such as Barry, West, 
 or Northcote never tried it. The climate, 
 they say, is adverse ; but the altar-piece in 
 fresco of Chelsea College chapel, by Marco 
 Ricci, is still fresh after one hundred 
 years.*' Besides the space it allows, fresco 
 has many advantages over oil for the com- 
 prehensive illustration of great events, and 
 for the display of the higher qualities of 
 the art ; and amongst the various luxuries 
 the wealth of England is daily calling 
 forth, who knows but this sort of decora- 
 tion, so befitting the buildings of a great 
 country, may not be one of them ? 
 
 " But to you, engaged as you daily are 
 with objects and events hereafter to be- 
 come matter of national history, these no- 
 
 * This has since been ascertained to be in oil, and not in 
 fresco. — D. W. 
 
320 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tions of a humble artist at this distance 
 will appear uninteresting ; and though, 
 with your comprehensive knowledge and 
 taste, it is probable that, if time and leisure 
 allowed, your mind would be occupied 
 with similar pursuits, I still fear that in 
 such details I have trespassed greatly upon 
 your indulgence and time. Allow me only 
 to say, that if there be anything I can 
 do, command me. I remain here three 
 months. 
 
 " I have the honour to subscribe myself^ 
 " Dear sir, 
 " With high esteem and regard, 
 " Your very faithful and obliged servant, 
 
 " David Wilkie." 
 
 The latter portion of the following let- 
 ter from the King, relative to O'KeefFe the 
 dramatist, demonstrates his Majesty's mu- 
 nificence and benevolence of heart. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 321 
 
 FROM THE KING. 
 
 " January 1826. 
 
 " DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " Many thanks to you for your letter, 
 just received. Inclosed, and unsealed, I 
 send you a short note of thanks for Ro- 
 binson, which, after you have read, you 
 will be so good as to seal and forward to 
 him. Cathcart's paper I also return you, 
 properly signed. 
 
 " With respect to Munster's re-despatch- 
 ing the quarterly messenger to Hanover 
 on the 25th of this month, as he proposes, 
 I can only say at present, that he may 
 prepare him eventually for such departure, 
 if such things as I shall have to send 
 abroad by him shall be ready, (and which 
 I hope they will by that day,) but that, 
 should they not, he must positively await 
 my further orders. Amongst the rest of 
 the articles which I shall have to send by 
 him are the complete set of Handel's 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 Y 
 
MEMOIRS OF 
 
 scores and works for the King of Prussia, 
 now binding, which I must beg of you to 
 look after, and to see yourself carefully, 
 properly, and safely packed up, and then 
 to be simply addressed, ^ Pour Sa Majeste 
 le Roi de Prusse and the outward cover, 
 ' For H. R. H. the Duke of Cumberland, 
 K.G. Berlin/ 
 
 " With your usual precaution, celerity, 
 and zeal, you seem to have carried, and 
 settled to my entire comfort and satisfac- 
 tion, all the necessary and essential points 
 respecting Windsor Castle and the King's 
 Palace, as well as what to me is almost 
 equally agreeable (as you state it) to the 
 quietude and gratification of poor little 
 Nash's feelings. 
 
 " A little charitable impulse induces me 
 to desire you to inquire into the distress- 
 ed circumstances of poor old O'Keeffe, 
 now ninety years of age and stone-blind, 
 whom I knew a little of formerly, hav- 
 ing occasionally met him at parties of 
 my juvenile recreation and hilarity, to 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 323 
 
 which he then contributed not a little. 
 Should you really find him so low in the 
 world, and so divested of all comfort, as 
 he is represented to be, then I do conceive 
 that there can be no objection to your 
 offering him, from me, such immediate re- 
 lief, or such a moderate annual stipend, as 
 will enable him to close his hitherto long 
 life in comfort, at any rate free from want 
 and absolute beggary, which I greatly fear 
 at present is but too truly his actual con- 
 dition and situation. Perhaps on many 
 accounts and reasons, which I am sure I 
 need not mention to you, this had best be 
 effectuated by an immediate application 
 through you to our lively little friend G. 
 Colman, whose good heart will, I am cer- 
 tain, lead him to give us all the assistance 
 he can, especially as it is for the preserva- 
 tion of one of his oldest invalided brothers 
 and worshippers of the Thespian muse. 
 
 " G. R." 
 
 Y £ 
 
MEMOIRS OF 
 
 FROM THE BISHOP OF CHICHESTER. 
 
 " Chichester, Jan. 22, 1826. 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " The instant our service was over this 
 morning, I hastened to communicate to 
 poor O'KeefFe the gratifying intelligence 
 of his Majesty's bounty and munificence 
 towards him. I cannot describe the gra- 
 titude and feeling with which he endea- 
 voured to utter the language of his heart 
 at so unlooked-for a mark of royal bene- 
 ficencCj nor can I adequately speak of the 
 fervour he evinced in blessing his bene- 
 factor. 
 
 " With a truly honourable feeling, how- 
 •ever, he desired me to communicate to 
 you, for the information of his Majesty, 
 that in the year 1 808 a pension was grant- 
 ed to him by the Lords of the Treasury 
 of one hundred pounds per annum, which 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 325 
 
 he still enjoys ; and he stated that he had 
 twenty-seven pounds a year more, which 
 he had been enabled to purchase in the 
 funds from the produce of a benefit at one 
 of the theatres a few years since. His 
 Majesty's bounty, he added, would enable 
 him to lay up a little store for an only 
 daughter, who has been the solace and 
 comfort of his declining years ; but he al- 
 most doubted whether he could venture 
 to hope it might be continued when his 
 circumstances were known, 
 
 " The daughter, who is about fifty, is a 
 most amiable and exemplary person. She 
 devotes her whole time to her father, who 
 is now in his eightieth year and quite 
 blind. You may probably remember a 
 work published some years since, called 
 ' Patriarchal Times,' of which she was the 
 authoress : it was at the time universally: 
 read and admired. 
 
 " O'KeefFe resides in a yery small house 
 in the suburbs of the city, which he and 
 
826 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his daughter have occupied for eleven 
 years ; they are much respected and es- 
 teemed. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 My dear Sir William, 
 " Yours very faithfully, 
 " R. J. Chichester.'' 
 
 FROM THE DUKE OF YORK. 
 
 " Belvoir Castle, Feb. 28, 1826. 
 
 " Many thanks, dear Sir William, for 
 your kind note and friendly attention in 
 informing me of the real state of his Ma- 
 jesty's health. I should indeed have been 
 dreadfully alarmed if I had heard of the 
 attack in his stomach and bowels without 
 knowing its real extent ; for, besides that 
 sincere and strong affection which I ever 
 must bear towards him as a kind brother 
 with whom I was brought up from my 
 tenderest youth, believe me I am a most 
 loyal subject, and that he has not in all 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON* 327 
 
 his dominions any one who more ardently 
 prays for the health and continuation of 
 the life of his Majesty. 
 
 " It will, I know, please him to hear 
 that I certainly am upon the whole better 
 for the quiet life, the air and gentle 
 exercise, which I have enjoyed since I 
 have been here ; and I have no doubt, 
 if I have no fresh check, that in a short 
 time my health will be restored. I have 
 found also the poor Duke of Rutland 
 much better both in health and spirits 
 than when I left him a week ago, and 
 I really feel that he only now requires a 
 change of scene, which may to a degree 
 amuse and give a little turn to his 
 thoughts, for him to recover, at least in 
 a degree, from his present state of dis- 
 tress. 
 
 " Ever, dear Sir William, 
 " Yours most sincerely, 
 
 Frederick 
 
S28 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 FROM THE DUKE OF YORK. 
 
 " South Audley Street, March 3, 1826. 
 DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " Accept my best thanks for your kind 
 letter, with its enclosure. By that I am 
 rejoiced to learn so good an account of 
 his Majesty, and that the exertion of the 
 day before yesterday has not been attend- 
 ed by any unpleasant consequences. 
 
 " Pray present my duty to his Majesty, 
 and assure him of the sincere satisfaction 
 that I have derived from the comfortable 
 report of him which, thank God, you are 
 enabled to make. 
 
 " I returned here last night at seven 
 o'clock, having been only twelve hours 
 upon the road, with the full intention of 
 attending the Covent Garden Fund din- 
 ner ; but Sir Henry Halford called upon 
 me after his return from the Lodge this 
 morning, and inveighed so strongly against 
 the risk I should run, that I have been 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 329 
 
 under the necessity of giving it up. I 
 have, however, taken care to deliver my- 
 self his Majesty's gracious donation to the 
 Fund, which you inclosed to me, into the 
 hands of Mr. Fawcett, who happened to 
 call upon me. 
 
 " In regard to my health, I feel cer- 
 tainly considerably better in every respect 
 for the few days which I have passed at 
 Belvoir, and which has put me quite in 
 heart about myself, — so much so, that I 
 am convinced a short time will set me up 
 again. 
 
 " Ever, dear Sir William, 
 " Yours most sincerely, 
 
 " Frederick.'' 
 
 The following letters, received about 
 this period, it is presumed will be read 
 with an interest proportionable to the high 
 rank and distinguished character of the 
 personages by whom they were written. 
 
330 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 FROM MR. CANNING. 
 
 *^F. O. March 14th, 1826, 
 half-past eleven p. m. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " What I have to send to the King to- 
 night is not worth a messenger : but I 
 send a messenger, that I may have the 
 better chance of an early report of his Ma- 
 jesty's state from you to-morrow. That 
 which I found on my table on my return 
 home from the House, though you have 
 guarded it most carefully, disquiets me, I 
 confess, to a very painful degree. May 
 God prosper your care and anxiety for 
 the preservation of a life which was never 
 more precious than at this moment. 
 
 " I see you do not speak of calling in 
 Dr. T., and therefore I hope you feel that 
 he is not wanted. 
 
 " Good night. 
 
 " Most sincerely yours, 
 
 " Geo. Canning.'' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. S3l 
 
 FROM THE SAME. 
 
 . O. March 17th, 1826. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I RECEIVED your letter just before I 
 went down to the House ; and an infinite 
 comfort it was to me during the six mor- 
 tal hours of dulness that I had to pass 
 there. 
 
 " The King will perhaps take an inter- 
 est in hearing how well we are advanced 
 in the public business of the session. In 
 fact, if we get through the Irish Esti- 
 mates, as I hope we shall, before the holi- 
 days, Parliament will be in our power 
 whenever dissolution may be thought ad- 
 visable. 
 
 " There is a mail to-day from Lisbon, 
 which gives a detailed account of the 
 almost fatal illness of the King of Por- 
 tugal. 
 
 " I have thought it best not to let the 
 
332 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 despatches be sent to his Majesty to-day. 
 If his Majesty reads the newspapers, I fear 
 the precaution may be useless* The de- 
 spatches, therefore, shall be sent to-mor- 
 row ; but you will judge (being aware of 
 their contents) at what moment it may be 
 proper to lay them before his Majesty* 
 " Ever, my dear sir, 
 
 " Most sincerely yours, . 
 " Geo. Canning. 
 
 " P.S. — My messenger is directed to wait 
 your orders. 
 
 " Pray send back to me any King's boxes 
 that you may have at the Lodge unem- 
 ployed." 
 
 " F, O. March 28, 1826. 
 
 " my dear sir, 
 
 " With this letter goes the paper which 
 the King desired to be copied for his Ma- 
 jesty's private use. 
 
 " I am just setting off for Bath — with a 
 good conscience, having so cleared off the 
 arrears accruing during Parliament time, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 333 
 
 that I believe I do not owe a despatch in 
 any part of the world ; and if I did, I have 
 not a messenger left by whom to send one. 
 I am assured, however, that the well, 
 though now pumped dry, will fill again 
 by the time of my return to town on 
 Friday. 
 
 " I propose being at the Castle, at Salt 
 Hill, on Thursday evening. 
 
 " Very sincerely yours, 
 
 " Geo. Canning. 
 
 " P.S. — As his Majesty has found his 
 hand, could you not submit for his Ma« 
 jesty's signature some of the Treasury 
 warrants ? This is not my business, other- 
 wise than as the whole race of office-men 
 look to the 5th of April, and will look in 
 vain unless there be a Royal signature be- 
 fore that day to some one of the papers or 
 parchments, I do not rightly know which. 
 
 " G. C." 
 
334 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " R O. March 31, 1826. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 I TOLD you the ^ well would fill again' 
 during my short absence from town. On 
 my return, I find arrivals from Lisbon and 
 from Petersburgh, the latter so volumin- 
 ous that, as I am quite sure his Majesty 
 could not undertake to go through them 
 immediately, I think it best to have copies 
 taken of them before I send them to his 
 Majesty, and he may then keep them to 
 read quite at his leisure. They appear, 
 on a cursory glance, (for I have not yet 
 gone through the half of them,) rather less 
 pacific than the first reports led us to 
 hope. 
 
 " The Lisbon despatches I send. They 
 are comparatively short, and very satisfac- 
 tory. Perhaps his Majesty might find lei- 
 sure to read them, and send them back 
 to-morrow. 
 
 " In any case, pray get me, if you can, 
 an answer to a letter which I send in a 
 separate box, requesting his Majesty's 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 335 
 
 pleasure as to the mourning for the King 
 of Portugal. It ought, if possible, to be 
 announced in the Gazette to-morrow. 
 
 " Ever sincerely yours, 
 
 " Geo. Canning." 
 
 FROM THE DUKE OF CLARENCE. 
 
 " Bushy House, March 18th, 1826, 
 Two p. M. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " Yours of yesterday was brought to 
 me by the faithful and attached Marable, 
 which very much relieved my heavy heart. 
 I had been made very miserable by what 
 I learned from the Duchess of Gloucester, 
 who is most tenderly attached, as you 
 know, to the King. But your letter, both 
 on public and private grounds, was re- 
 ceived at a most fortunate moment. It 
 gave me spirits to go to the dinner, and 
 it also enabled me to assure a very large 
 assembly of the King's being better, and 
 of the Sovereign's gracious remembrance, 
 
3S6 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 even under indisposition, of his Irish sub- 
 jects. I need hardly add the manner in 
 which the King's health was drunk. In- 
 deed, your observations are most just, that 
 his Majesty, under all circumstances, is 
 ever alive to charity. 
 
 " The latter part of your letter was the 
 matter of comfort to me, and I trust in 
 God the next accounts will continue to be 
 those of glad tidings. 
 
 " To your superior and cool judgment I 
 leave the proper moment of expressing to 
 his Majesty how anxiously and sincerely I 
 feel for what my brother has gone through, 
 and my warmest wishes for the speedy and 
 perfect recovery of one so justly and so 
 long dear to me. 
 
 " Once more, God grant you may have 
 but good news to send me of the King ; 
 and ever believe me, 
 
 " Dear sir, 
 " Yours most truly, 
 
 " William.^' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 337 
 
 FROM THE EARL OF LIVERPOOL. 
 
 « Fife House, April 25, 1826. 
 
 " my DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I HAVE received your letter, and I will 
 request of you to present my humble duty 
 to his Majesty, and to assure him how 
 sensible I am of his kind consideration 
 and goodness in permitting the last plan 
 to be adopted in respect to the ground of 
 Carlton House, which Sir Charles Long 
 was desired to lay before his Majesty. I 
 am fully persuaded, from all I have heard, 
 that this gracious decision of his Majesty 
 will relieve his government from serious 
 difficulties. 
 
 " I will not fail to obey his Majesty's 
 commands in directing that the original 
 plan shall be kept in the Office of Woods 
 and Forests, as a record of his Majesty's 
 intentions for the benefit of the public. 
 " I am, with great truth, 
 " My dear sir, 
 
 " Your very faithful, humble servant, 
 
 " Liverpool." 
 
 VOL. I. z 
 
338 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Coombe Wood, August 12, 1826. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I LEARNT with great regret last night 
 from your letter, for which I am very 
 much obliged to you, that his Majesty had 
 been attacked by a violent spasm in his 
 stomach. As, however, his Majesty was 
 better, and intended dining in company, I 
 will hope that the attack will pass away 
 without any farther consequences. 
 
 " I have executed his Majesty's com- 
 mands respecting the vacant blue ribbon, 
 and the lieutenancy of the county of Rut- 
 land. 
 
 " I am going at the end of next week 
 upon an excursion for a fortnight, to re- 
 turn when the Cabinet reassembles on the 
 5th of September. I should be glad to 
 see you for a few minutes before my de- 
 parture. I shall be in town on Tuesday, 
 and disengaged about one o'clock ; but I 
 should be happy to see you here, if you 
 could make it convenient to dine and 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIG^HTON. 339 
 
 sleep here on Wednesday, and you would 
 meet Mr. Canning. 
 
 " I am glad to find that the result of 
 your visit to Berlin has been satisfactory. 
 " I am, with great truth, 
 " My dear sir, 
 
 " Yours very sincerely, 
 
 " Liverpool." 
 
 SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON TO HIS SON. 
 
 " I THANK you for your letter, which 
 was interesting to me, because it conveyed 
 a remembrance of what I desired you to 
 do, and marks a dutiful affection towards 
 me, which is doubly endearing, as I have 
 such a love for you. 
 
 " The King has been this day to the 
 House, and was received, as might be in- 
 deed expected, with the most cheering en- 
 thusiasm. I look forward with great de- 
 light and happiness to Christmas. God 
 
 z 2 
 
340 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 grant that we may not be disappointed ! 
 Continue to do your best, and belieye me, 
 
 " Ever, &c. 
 
 " Carlton House, Nov. 21, 1826." 
 
 After a few days' visit to his family. Sir 
 William was summoned, by the following 
 letter from the King, to Windsor. 
 
 " DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " I WRITE a short line, merely for the 
 purpose of wishing you and yours from 
 my heart a happy new year, and many 
 returns of the same. I shall trouble you 
 with but little on the present occasion, 
 though I have much, and that too of great 
 importance, which I must with the short- 
 est lapse of time possible discuss and talk 
 over with you ; and therefore I rely upon 
 your affection for me that you will not 
 disappoint me, but that you will be punc- 
 tual with me at the Lodge by noon, and 
 not later than on Wednesday the 2nd, by 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 341 
 
 which time I trust the old mansion will 
 be completely restored to its wonted tran- 
 quillity and quiet. But see you I must 
 on that day. 
 
 "It was fully my intention to have 
 written you a few lines on Christmas 
 Day, but I was then, and had been con- 
 fined ever since this day se'ennight, to my 
 room with a general cold and feverish 
 attack, attended with great tightness and 
 oppression upon the chest, and for which, 
 by Sir Henry's advice, we were obliged to 
 have recourse to the lancet, which pro- 
 duced the expected relief, but not such 
 entire relief as to set me free from my 
 chamber, but from which, thank God, I 
 am to emerge this day, by going down to 
 dinner for the first time. My affection for 
 you made me feel that, however I might 
 be suffering myself, it would be both*cruel 
 and unjust in me, knowing how very little 
 time you ever allow yourself to pass in 
 comfort with your family, (especially at 
 this season of the year,) were I to write 
 
342 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that to you which, from your affection to 
 me, might have induced you generously to 
 break up your domestic board by coming 
 away to me suddenly, or at any rate have 
 cast a damper over those happy, cheerful, 
 and enviable hours, which you cannot fail 
 to enjoy when surrounded by your happy 
 domestic circle ; and that long may this 
 be your case, dear friend, my best prayers 
 are, and ever will be offered up. 
 
 " Now good-bye to you. I look forward 
 with impatience to Wednesday next, the 
 2nd, when I rely and depend upon seeing 
 you. Till then, God bless you ! 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " G. R." 
 
 Royal Lodge, Dec. 30, ]826." 
 
 The following letters, in addition to the 
 foregoing, have been found among Sir 
 William's correspondence of this year 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 343 
 
 " F. O. March 20th, 1826. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I SEND this messenger for the purpose 
 of announcing to his Majesty the Duke 
 of Wellington's safe arrival at St. Peters- 
 burgh. Keep him, that you may have the 
 means of transmitting to me your evening 
 report of his Majesty's health, 
 
 " The bulletin of this morning is highly 
 satisfactory ; but your accompanying letter 
 shows that there is yet something to de- 
 sire. 
 
 " I look forward to the pleasure of see- 
 ing you to-morrow. 
 
 " Ever, my dear sir, 
 
 " Very sincerely yours, 
 
 " Geo. Canning.'' 
 
 " Hanover, April 12th, 1826. 
 " MY DEAR BARONET, 
 
 " I BEG you will not think me too au- 
 dacioois in venturing to address these lines 
 to you, whom I am bound to revere for 
 ever as my most noble protector, and to 
 
S44 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 whom I feel myself highly obliged in 
 being permitted to communicate from 
 time to time some intelligence respecting 
 this country and my own humble indivi- 
 duality. 
 
 Four years are now elapsed since I 
 did myself the honour of writing to you 
 last ; and although esteem and gratitude 
 frequently during that period instigated 
 me to address you again, I was apprehen- 
 sive of being too troublesome. 
 
 " You really do not imagine what a 
 mournful impression the late illness of 
 our beloved sovereign made upon all 
 classes of his Majesty's Hanoverian sub- 
 jects. The first question from every ac- 
 quaintance I met with was after news 
 about his Majesty's recovery; and the hap- 
 py results of our joint hopes had scarcely 
 spread about, when numerous festivals and 
 rejoicings were arranged to celebrate that 
 anxiously wished-for event. I attended 
 myself a dinner at our Grand Provincial 
 Lodge, where ardent thanks were offered 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 345 
 
 to the Almighty for the restoration of a 
 health which is quite inestimable for the 
 world at large, and for every individual in 
 this country. May Heaven pour his ever- 
 lasting blessings over our much-adored 
 monarch, and grant him health and every 
 happiness, together with a long and pros- 
 perous reign ! It is known that all his 
 Majesty's Hanoverian subjects abound in 
 true veneration and loyalty to their mag- 
 nanimous King ; but believe me, dear ba- 
 ronet, none excel more in these virtues 
 than the members of the three Masonic 
 Lodgers at this place, and the Superintend- 
 ing Provincial Grand Lodge, of whom I 
 have the honour of being one of the senior 
 wardens. 
 
 " During the last years, my time has 
 been so much taken up by practical busi- 
 ness, that very few moments were left to 
 me for literary pursuits. My last was a 
 translation of the ' Twelfth Dissertation 
 upon subjects of Medical Science, by Sir 
 Gilbert Blane, Bart comprehending an 
 
346 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Essay on the Prevention and Cure of Hy- 
 drocephalus/ This translation has been 
 published, with some additional obser- 
 vations, in the sixteenth volume of Dr. 
 Rust's Magazine for Medical Sciences. 
 
 " When, by your kind intercession in 
 my behalf, which I shall for ever most 
 gratefully acknowledge, I entered about 
 four years ago upon the duty of physician 
 in ordinary to his Majesty's Court at 
 Hanover, the medical attendance of the 
 personale belonging to the Royal household, 
 which is rather numerous, became my bu- 
 siness ; and, honoured by the trust of the 
 situation, as well as by the pleasant reflec- 
 tion of bearing now an appointment in my 
 native country, I tried to accomplish the 
 different duties of my obligation with the 
 utmost zeal, and, as I have reason to hope, 
 to the satisfaction of my superiors ; and I 
 sincerely do confess that the reflection of 
 my office, being entirely without any pe- 
 cuniary benefits w^hatever, has never yet 
 made the slightest impression upon my 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 347 
 
 mind. However, you will scarcely believe 
 me, dear baronet, when I assure you that 
 we live here still in such an age of dark- 
 ness, that the assistant-surgeons of the 
 army, from their being commissioned offi- 
 cers, are admitted at court; whereas his 
 Majesty's physicians, notwithstanding their 
 having made three or four steps above the 
 rank of an assistant-surgeon, are not ad- 
 missible. Physicians in this country have, 
 notwithstanding their bearing Royal ap- 
 pointments, unfortunately never any claims 
 upon that distinction if they are not 
 knighted ; and it is evidenst that the dis- 
 proportion amongst the civil and military 
 officers just now alluded to causes many 
 inconveniences, by its appearing like dis- 
 grace. Four of my colleagues, all of whom 
 are very able and distinguished gentlemen, 
 are Knights of the order of the Guelphs : 
 not one of them, however, has served his 
 Majesty abroad, and in active military ser- 
 vice, like myself, who entered the army in 
 the year 1798, and was put upon British 
 
348 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 half-pay, as surgeon to the forces, in the 
 year 1816. When these services deserve 
 any consideration, as I really hope they 
 do, then, dear baronet, please to complete 
 the noble work of having promoted the 
 honour and happiness of your humble 
 petitioner ; use your exalted station, and 
 condescend to solicit his Majesty's grace 
 in my behalf for the honourable confer- 
 ment of the most noble order of the 
 Guelphs. Believe me, you intercede for 
 one who is not unworthy ; and, upon re- 
 ference to Sir James McGregor, the Di- 
 rector-General of the Army Medical De- 
 partment, you will, if you think proper, 
 receive testimonies which will be too 
 flattering to be even touched by myself. 
 
 " Entreating you most humbly to ac- 
 complish the only and last request I have 
 in this world, I trust to your kindness 
 and to the benevolence of your noble mind 
 that you will please to excuse my having 
 thus interrupted your precious time, and 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 349 
 
 to permit me to subscribe, with profound 
 respect, 
 
 " Dear baronet, 
 " Your most humble 
 
 and much obliged servant, 
 
 " Jno. t*******, M.D." 
 
 " Admiralty, 19th July, 1826. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " On consulting privately with the Lord 
 Provost of Edinburgh as to the time when 
 his Majesty's donation of five hundred 
 pounds towards building the new High 
 School might be announced with the great- 
 est effect and utility as to other contribu- 
 tors, he wished it to be postponed for the 
 present, and until the call for other sub- 
 scriptions may have become less urgent. 
 I presume they will not now wish it to 
 be brought forward before October or No- 
 vember, and in the mean time it is depo- 
 sited in the Bank of Scotland on my ac- 
 count ; and there will be a small allowance 
 
350 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 of interest from the bank, which I shall 
 put into the Lord Provost's hands on the 
 same account. 
 
 " I have had a visit to-day from Sir 
 David Scott. It would be desirable if 
 the letter which you mentioned could be 
 written now. 
 
 " Believe me, 
 
 " My dear sir, 
 " Your very faithful servant, 
 " Melville." 
 
 Sir W. Knighton, Bart." 
 
 " Sackville Street, 
 Friday, 3rd November, 1826. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I BELIEVE it is a point of duty for his 
 Majesty's servants, when they receive any 
 high distinction from a foreign power or 
 nation, to make it known to his Majesty. 
 I beg you, therefore, to do me the honour 
 of acquainting his Majesty that I have a 
 letter from Paris this morning to inform 
 me, that Monday last I was elected a 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 351 
 
 member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. 
 I had as competitors six of the princi- 
 pal physicians of Europe, but was elected 
 by a majority of two-thirds, — the division 
 being 28 on 42. 
 
 " You will naturally enough allege that 
 vanity has some share in this communica- 
 tion, as well as duty. I admit it ; for it is 
 considered as the highest distinction which 
 a professional man can meet with, and 
 what few of our countrymen have at- 
 tained, 
 
 " Believe me ever, with high regard, 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 
 " Your very faithful 
 " and obedient servant, 
 
 " Gil. Blane. 
 " P.S. — 1 think it will not be unplegising 
 to his Majesty to learn also, that my 
 youngest son, for whom his Majesty was 
 instrumental in procuring his first com- 
 mission in the Grenadier Guards, has lately 
 been appointed major of the 95th regi- 
 ment, serving in Malta under my parti- 
 
352 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 cular friend Lord Hastings, and that he 
 has made a great character for talent by 
 his survey of the island of Zante, while 
 captain of the 90th5 stationed there." 
 
 « F. O- Nov. 11th, 1826. 
 
 MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " Sir Walter Scott is returned to 
 England, as I learn from a note of Mr. 
 Croker's, inviting me to meet Sir Walter 
 at dinner next Friday. 
 
 " Is it possible that Sir Walter may taice 
 that opportunity of speaking to me about 
 his son ? If so, would it not be advisable 
 that I should be apprised of his Majesty's 
 gracious interest in the young man's fa- 
 vour beforehand ? 
 
 " I will, of course, make a point of find- 
 ing the means to do v^hat his Majesty 
 v^ishes. But although Sir Walter Scott 
 and I are old friends, and though his re- 
 putation and his misfortunes entitle him 
 to every possible attention, as a member of 
 the government I shall be glad to have 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 353 
 
 the protection of the King's commands in 
 doing an act of kindness by Malachi Ma- 
 lagrowther. 
 
 " Ever, my dear sir, 
 
 " Most sincerely yours, 
 
 " Geo. Canning." 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
354 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Claims upon the bounty of the King made to Sir William 
 Knighton.— Death of the Duke of York.— Sir William's 
 visit to the royal vault to select the spot for placing his 
 remains. — Letter from the late Lord Vernon. — From Sir 
 William to his family, on his recovery from indisposition. 
 
 The well-known favour and condescend- 
 ing kindness of his Majesty, whilst it call- 
 ed forth the most devoted attachment of 
 Sir William, was the means also of bring- 
 ing him a great number of petitions from 
 various quarters ; and even his friends par- 
 took of the penalty of receiving solicita- 
 tions to which it happened very rarely that 
 there existed the power to accede. The 
 following, from the late Mr. Northcote, 
 may serve as a specimen. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 355 
 
 " Argyll Place, June 3rd, 1827. 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " As I find I am illumined by a ray of 
 light of which you are the source, I am 
 bound to make known to you the conse- 
 quences of my supposed power, and there- 
 fore inform you that I am earnestly soli- 
 cited to use my interest with you gra- 
 ciously to grant the following petitions, 
 which, as I see they proceed from that 
 most powerful of all qualifications to ob- 
 tain advantages, I submit to comply with 
 the demands of imperial impudence, and 
 make known to you my commissions from 
 the following petitioners, trusting their 
 fate to your judgment, and remain always, 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 " Your most sincere friend, &c. 
 
 " James Northcote. 
 
 " The Petitions of— 
 
 " First — Mr. , who desires you to 
 
 bestow upon him the place of Paymaster 
 to the Poor Knights of Windsor. 
 
 2 A 2 
 
356 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Mr. 5 the author, prays you to 
 
 make his brother one of the pensioners of 
 the Charter-house ! 
 
 " The Rev. desires you to 
 
 make him Librarian to the King, or to 
 give him one hundred pounds ! 
 
 " Miss desires to be made one of 
 
 the nuns of St. Catherine's, in the new 
 buildings ! 
 
 " My butcher desires you to make his 
 son one of the scholars in Christ's Hospital ! 
 
 " Miss desires the gift of twenty- 
 five guineas ! 
 
 " Other inferior petitions I shall not 
 trouble you with at present." 
 
 The commencement of the year 1827 
 was marked by the lamented death of the 
 Duke of York. A letter from Sir Henry 
 Halford to Sir William, of the date of the 
 28th of December, speaks of the Duke's 
 illness as likely to terminate his life in a 
 few days. The Duke had made his will, 
 and the letter says, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 357 
 
 "He has taken the sacrament this morn- 
 ing. It was administered by the Bishop 
 of London to his Royal Highness and to 
 her Royal Highness the Princess Sophia, 
 Sir H. Taylor, and myself, at the Duke's 
 request. 
 
 " After it was over, (and he followed 
 every word with the most profound atten- 
 tion and feeling,) he called us to him one 
 by one, and squeezed our hands with the 
 most expressive affection. 
 
 " The King came over yesterday, and 
 had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing 
 him for the last time." 
 
 In the following letter, addressed by Sir 
 William to his eldest daughter, will be 
 found an impressive description of a mid- 
 night visit to the vault beneath St. 
 George's chapel at Windsor, where the 
 remains of the royal family repose. 
 
358 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Royal Lodge, 20th January, 1827. 
 
 " It may make you comfortable to know 
 that I do not attend the funeral of his 
 late Royal Highness the Duke of York ; 
 but I remain with his Majesty in the si- 
 lence of his chamber. 
 
 " Two nights since, the King sent me to 
 St. George's Chapel at Windsor, for the 
 purpose of descending into the vault which 
 contains the Royal Family who have died 
 within these few years. One man pre- 
 ceded me down the ladder that leads to 
 this gloomy abode, whilst another held 
 the ladder above : the first man carried a 
 lighted torch. We then traversed a sub- 
 terraneous passage of about one hundred 
 yards in length, at the end of which, look- 
 ing to the east, was the coffin of King 
 George the Third, elevated a little on a 
 block of marble ; on one side was the 
 late Queen Charlotte ; on the other, his 
 Majesty's daughter the Princess Amelia ; 
 next to the Princess, Prince Edward, who 
 died early ; and on the other side of the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 359 
 
 Queen, another prince who died young. 
 Then, by turning round, and looking in 
 a different direction, on the right, in 
 a niche, was the Princess Elizabeth, at 
 whose birth I was present ; in the next 
 niche, the Princess Charlotte and her baby, 
 her heart in an urn : next to the Princess 
 Charlotte, the old Duchess of Brunswick ; 
 and farther on in the vault, the late Duke 
 of Kent. 
 
 " The object of this melancholy and me- 
 morable visit was to fix on a desirable 
 spot to place the remains of the Duke of 
 York, that his Majesty might know, 
 through my affectionate feelings to fulfil 
 his wishes, that the Duke was placed in 
 a situation to be as near the late King as 
 possible. 
 
 " It is quite out of my power to describe 
 to you the imposing and solemn situation 
 in which I found myself, — in the dead of 
 night, with a single torch in my hand, in 
 the bowels of the earth, with my late King 
 and Queen and their dead family, all of 
 
360 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 whom I believed had at that moment a 
 spiritual existence. I felt as if the Al- 
 mighty was present, and almost imagined 
 that the spirits of the departed were also 
 before me. I never shall forget this visit ! 
 
 " I remained in the vault above a quar- 
 ter of an hour. The hour at which I now 
 write is four o'clock ; the minute-guns are 
 firing. The remains of the Duke of York 
 will reach Windsor about eight. I am 
 obliged to write in a great hurry. 
 
 " Yours ever, &c. 
 
 " W. K.'' 
 
 The next letter is from the late Lord 
 Vernon, an early and steady friend of Sir 
 William, and a man of most extensive 
 benevolence and of high religious prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 « St. Clare, Ryde, 1st February, 1827. 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " Many thanks for the kind caution re- 
 lative to my health contained in your let^ 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 361 
 
 ter of the 12th. I can only assure you 
 that I am prudence itself, compared with 
 what I used to be. They say every man is 
 a fool or a physician at forty ; and I think 
 I may lay some claim to the latter appel- 
 lation with respect to myself. As to the 
 former I will say nothing ; but I feel per- 
 suaded that the first step towards becom- 
 ing a wise man, (if such a character may 
 be said to eicist,) is for a man to consider 
 himself a fool, and as knowing nothing. 
 
 " We rejoice to hear of D — 's being affi- 
 anced to S 5 with your full consent 
 
 and approbation. There cannot be a more 
 amiable or excellent young man ; and we 
 trust every happiness may be the result 
 of their union. 
 
 " That magnificent ship the Asia, going 
 out with Sir E. Codrington's flag to the 
 Mediterranean, has just passed our win- 
 dows ; and the thought of so many who 
 are leaving their country for such a length 
 of time, and in such a number, — so many 
 that are taking their last farewell of it, — 
 
362 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 cannot fail to produce serious reflections. 
 This is one scene of the great drama ad- 
 verted to in your letter, passing on until 
 we pass into eternity, which has some- 
 where been beautifully described as the 
 lifetime of the Almighty ! * 
 
 " Let us all strive with all our hearts, 
 with all our souls, and with all our 
 strength, to secure that spiritual existence 
 in His presence of which you speak. If 
 we fail in gaining that, it were good for us 
 that we had not been born. 
 
 " The mystery of iniquity is working 
 strongly in the world, and I can see its 
 development more and more every day. 
 Popery is struggling for its very existr^ 
 ence ; Mahommedism is drawing nearer 
 and nearer to its downfall, and cannot be 
 propped up by human means, or be made 
 to attain any renovated power to answer 
 the political ends of Christian government. 
 Meantime, the tremendous and frightful 
 
 * This definition, it is said, was given by a pupil at the 
 Deaf and Dumb School at Paris, 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 363 
 
 vision of infidelity becomes more appa- 
 rent every day, the strength of which, la- 
 mentable to think, arises from corrupted 
 Christianity. But all things are, as I be- 
 lieve, however incomprehensible and mys- 
 terious it may seem, working together for 
 ultimate good ; and brighter and better 
 days are even upon this earth promised to 
 us in Scripture. 
 
 " Ever affectionately yours, 
 
 It seems probable that about this period 
 the symptoms of Sir William's last fatal 
 disease began to manifest themselves in 
 occasional embarrassment of health ; and 
 in the months of February and March 
 he had a severe and alarming illness at 
 the Pavilion. The next letter is dated 
 from thence. 
 
 March 7th, 1827. 
 
 " I THANK God that I am gaining ground. 
 The King left the Pavilion this afternoon 
 
364 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 for Windsor, and I still hold my intention 
 of being with you to-morrow (Thursday) 
 about a quarter before five. I am told the 
 air is raw and cold to-day : — I shall be 
 particularly careful to wrap up well. You 
 ' will find me much improved in looks, com- 
 pared to what I was even three days ago. 
 My sleep is returning, which I attribute 
 much to some hot bread and milk which 
 I take every night. I am doing all I can 
 to recover my health. 
 
 " I am very sorry for poor Lacroix : it 
 was a pretty little girl, and the only 
 daughter, I believe. 
 
 " What you have been told relative to 
 the Jesuits, I am satisfied is perfectly 
 true. The state of the world is very 
 unsettled; but the ways of God are quite 
 inscrutable to our poor understandings. 
 When I look at the arguments on the Ro- 
 man Catholic Question in the House of 
 Commons, the wonder that strikes one is 
 the lightness with which it is argued. 
 Ridicule and flippancy of language, to 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 365 
 
 excite a vulgar or irreligious laugh, seem 
 to be considered sufficient for the most 
 awful purposes. 
 
 " I have not seen the King so well for 
 some time. His Majesty asked me yester- 
 day how I had contrived to keep the 
 knowledge of my alarming illness from 
 you. I said that when at the worst I had 
 contrived to write you a few lines daily. 
 
 " He seemed astonished that I could 
 have done so. Thanks be to God, it is, 
 I hope, now quite over. 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
S63 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Sir William Knighton's dangerous relapse. — Interest taken 
 by the King in his recovery. — Letter to his Daughter. — 
 Letters from Mr. Canning and Lord (then Mr.) Brougham. 
 — Letter from the King, stating his own infirmities — From 
 Mr. Stapleton on Mr. Canning s illness — From Basil Mon- 
 tagu, Esq. ; Sir Walter Scott; the Duke of Clarence, &c. 
 
 Sir William's return to town was fol- 
 lowed by a most dangerous relapse : he 
 was long confined to his bed. During this 
 illness his sick-chamber was visited by 
 some of the most distinguished persons : 
 amongst these was the late Earl of Liver- 
 pool, then at the head of the government. 
 He passed an hour by Sir William's bed- 
 side only one day previously to his own 
 fatal attack. Sir William had the most 
 exalted opinion of his lordship. 
 
 The interruption in the duties of his 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 367 
 
 situation with the King was much felt by 
 his Majesty, as is evidenced by the fol- 
 lowing letter. 
 
 " DEAR FRIEND, 
 
 " For God's sake, for all our sakes, pray, 
 pray take care of yourself, and do not 
 think, upon any account, of stirring until 
 to-morrow morning. It is true, I am jaded 
 and quite worn out, and writing from 
 my bed, where I have laid down for a 
 little rest ; but to-morrow will be quite 
 time enough. Little or no advance, I 
 regret to say, has as yet been made, 
 amidst, perhaps, almost unravelable per- 
 plexities. 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " G. R." 
 
 " St. James's Palace, 
 Friday, April 6, 1827. 
 
368 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 " Sunday night, Hanover Square. 
 
 " I THINK I owe you a letter : it is a 
 great happiness to me to write to you, for 
 you are one of my principal comforts. I 
 came to town last night, and although my 
 evenings are lonely and silent, yet I so 
 employ myself, that, like everything con- 
 nected with time, they pass quickly away. 
 I have scarcely been well since I left 
 Hampshire ; I have had continued colds, in 
 consequence of which I have experienced 
 what I consider an embarrassment about 
 the heart : however, they say it is no such 
 thing, and amongst the number is Sir 
 Henry Halford, which, as far as it goes, 
 is satisfactory. I am better to-day : after 
 church, I walked out to see Wilkie, which 
 has done me good. I cannot sit down to 
 talk with common minds : it is a misfor- 
 tune, — almost a vice ; but, whatever the 
 fault may be, I cannot help it. I have 
 never cultivated the feeling ; it was born 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 369 
 
 with me. I remember, when a child, put- 
 ting on my poor mother's white apron, 
 and getting upon a chair to harangue the 
 country domestics, because I thought I 
 could improve them. This must have 
 been at six years of age ; so you see the 
 early principle. Who fixed it there ? I 
 did not ! 
 
 " My little drawing-room looks com- 
 fortable and companionable from my pic- 
 tures. Every little specimen is a little 
 history to me, and becomes a tale of time 
 past. Ah ! that quick passage of days 
 leads rapidly to the grave. What then ? 
 What we must all hope for ! — something 
 better. I have been reading to-night 
 St. Paul's narrative, which I had in my 
 hand for the morning portion of Scripture 
 when at Blendworth. I have been much 
 struck at his worldly management through- 
 out the whole of that business which led 
 to his journey and residence at Rome. 
 Common sense is evident throughout ; and 
 that sense separates itself in a remarkable 
 
 VOL. I. 2 b 
 
370 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 manner from his spiritual conduct. Re- 
 mark how admirably he contrives the dis- 
 tinction in all his conduct, words, and 
 actions ; taking the world as it was for the 
 circumstances of the moment, and the 
 great and momentous future results. This 
 separation of conduct in relation to the 
 words used is truly marvellous. One of 
 the great points to be observed in life is 
 to go so far, and no farther^ — to stop at 
 the right moment ; in short, to be cautious 
 of errors, and shun extremes. 
 
 " This little note is written in a hand- 
 gallop, as the thoughts will plainly evince. 
 I shall have a busy day to-morrow ; so 
 good-night, dearest. Believe how much 
 I love you. 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 The following letter from Mr. Canning, 
 was written at a time when his consti- 
 tution was yielding to the fatigue and 
 anxieties of his public life. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 371 
 
 FROM MR. CANNING, 
 
 " F. O. March 3, 1827. 
 
 "my DEAR SIR, 
 
 " The only ill effect of my attendance 
 in the House of Commons on Thursday 
 was a sleepless night ; a grievance which I 
 do not remember ever to have experienced 
 to the same degree before. I was not fe- 
 verish ; I was not exhausted ; I was not 
 even tired ; — and I can generally get to 
 sleep, putting aside whatever is upon my 
 mind, but Thursday night I could not. 
 I felt as if every limb, from top to toe, was 
 alive, like an eel ; and I lay all night, not 
 tossing or tumbling, but as broad awake as 
 if it were mid-day. The consequence was, 
 that I kept quietly at home (by Holland's 
 advice) all yesterday, and did not go to 
 the House of Commons, for which reason 
 I have not written to his Majesty ; per- 
 haps you will have the kindness to explain 
 why. There was indeed nothing to re- 
 
 2 B ^ 
 
372 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 port, except the second reading of the 
 Duke of Clarence's Bill, by a majority of 
 128 to 39, almost without debate. All the 
 rest of the sitting was occupied with pe- 
 titions. Here is Lushington's report of it. 
 
 " I am quite well this morning, having (by 
 order) dined more liberally yesterday, and 
 drunk a little wine, and afterwards slept 
 like a top from eleven to seven. I rejoice 
 in your good accounts of his Majesty, and 
 am greatly relieved by what you say of 
 yourself. 
 
 " Ever most sincerely yours, 
 
 " George Canning.'' 
 
 Sir William had for many years been 
 on very friendly terms with Lord and 
 Lady Brougham. Among the letters ad- 
 dressed to him by his lordship, (then Mr. 
 Brougham,) the following is found, ex- 
 pressive of the writer's zeal for the im- 
 provement of the lower classes of society. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 373 
 
 FROM LORD BROUGHAM. 
 
 " York, April 4th, 1827. 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " There is a matter to which I am de- 
 sirous of drawing your particular atten- 
 tion, because I really believe it to be most 
 important to the interests of the country, 
 and also that it may be made conducive to 
 the honour and popularity of those whose 
 interests you naturally have much at heart. 
 
 " You are, perhaps, aware that a society 
 has lately been formed for promoting the 
 diffusion of solid and useful knowledge 
 among all classes, as well the high who 
 have not much application, and have neg- 
 lected the acquirement of science when 
 young and when those things were less in 
 vogue, as the lower classes who have much 
 time or means for improving their minds. 
 I am joined in this plan by a great list of 
 men full of the like zeal, and who, without 
 any distinction of sect or party, are re- 
 solved to work with me in this vocation 
 
374 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 till we make science really popular and 
 familiar to all classes of the community. 
 Our first discourse^ recommending science 
 generally, is out ; and the first of a series 
 of treatises on all subjects of knowledge is 
 out also. Before this reaches you a second 
 may be nearly out, for we publish once a 
 fortnight. I have directed them to be 
 sent to you in your capacity of a man of 
 science, and I solicit your attention to 
 them in that capacity. But I also beg of 
 you to consider whether there would not 
 be a manifest fitness and grace in the King 
 patronising this great and good design. 1 
 have abstained from being mentioned as 
 founder of the institution, or as [chairman 
 of its managing committee, because, from 
 the place I hold in Parliament, it might 
 give the whole a party air most foreign to 
 our design. For the same reason, you 
 have no occasion to drop the least hint, 
 should you ever have an opportunity of 
 turning his Majesty's attention towards it, 
 that I have anything to do with it. But I 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 375 
 
 see no reason why one of the cleverest and 
 quickest, and most accomplished men in 
 the country, merely because he is at the 
 head of it, should not look at our works, 
 which he would comprehend and relish, I 
 am sure, as thoroughly as any one in his 
 dominions ; and still less can I discover 
 why, in his station, the display of good 
 will towards a plan for improving his 
 people should not be both politic and gra- 
 cious. You know these matters better ; 
 but I wish you to turn them over in your 
 mind. Our lists of members and regula^ 
 tions are annexed to the preliminary trea- 
 tise. Believe me very truly yours, 
 
 " H. Brougham." 
 
 The ensuing passage in one of his Ma- 
 jesty's letters, presents a melancholy pic- 
 ture of the bodily infirmity of George IV. 
 during the summer of 1827. 
 
 Royal Lodge, June 18th, 1827. 
 
 "As to myself, I am pretty well bo- 
 dily; but I have little or no use of my 
 
376 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 poor limbs, for I can neither walk up nor 
 down stairs, and am obliged to be carried, 
 and in general to be wheeled about every- 
 where ; for my powers of walking, and 
 even of crawling about with crutches, or 
 with the aid of a strong stick, are not in 
 the smallest respect improved since you 
 last saw me, — at the same time that my 
 knees, legs, ankles, and feet swell more for- 
 midably and terribly than ever. This, I 
 am sure you will agree with me, ought 
 now to be seriously attended to without 
 delay by some plan devised and steadily 
 acted upon, in order to stop the further 
 progress, and to remedy it effectually and 
 finally ; for there is no question it is an 
 increasing and progressive evil, (at least so 
 I fear,) unless steps be found, and that 
 speedily too, of averting it. 
 
 "You must now have had enough of my 
 epistolary quality ; I shall therefore, dear 
 friend, hasten to a conclusion, with the as- 
 surance that I am always your sincere and 
 affectionate friend, G. R." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 377 
 Royal Lodge, 5th Dec„ 1827. 
 
 " I WRITE by a messenger going to town 
 to say, there can be no hesitation respect- 
 ing Dora's coming to town. 
 
 " I made the King laugh heartily a few 
 minutes since at your anxiety lest his Ma- 
 jesty and I had quarrelled. You do not 
 know the newspaper tricks. That para- 
 graph was manufactured for the purposes 
 of mischief. All this is political. — No, no ; 
 there is nothing wrong here. His Majesty 
 and myself were never on more happy 
 terms of feeling : it is this knowledge that 
 produces public abuse. I hope with my 
 own peculiar intellect I need not fear a 
 change ; I have nothing to apprehend, but 
 my health and the eternal wear and tear 
 that my frame undergoes from my great 
 exertions. The King was very kind to- 
 wards you, and said, ' Poor little soul ! I 
 suppose/he is in a fine fuss !' 
 
 " Kiss my dear children. 
 
 " Ever yours, &c, 
 
 " W. K." 
 
38S 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 Among Sir William's correspondence 
 in 1827 have been found the followin.o- 
 letters : — 
 
 " Brighton, Feb. 13th, 1827, 
 " eleven a. m. 
 
 " MY BEAR SIR, 
 
 " Mr. Canning heard last night, with 
 the most unfeigned regret and sorrow, 
 that you had been suffering from a sharp 
 attack of illness. He desires me to tell 
 you that he awaits with the greatest anx- 
 iety a better report of you to-day. 
 
 " I did not write to you yesterday, — 
 first, because I knew we should send up a 
 messenger this morning ; and next, be- 
 cause I could not have given you a very 
 satisfactory report of Mr. C.'s health, as he 
 suffered a good deal of pain through the 
 whole of yesterday, — not so much in a 
 paroxysm lasting for six hours, and then 
 leaving nothing but soreness behind, as in 
 occasional fits lasting a short time, and 
 constantly returning ; and lastly, because 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 879 
 
 I hoped that I should be able to give you 
 a more favourable report to-day. 
 
 " My hopes are not disappointed. The 
 vapour-bath into vrhich he went last night 
 has given him a good night, and has pre- 
 vented the return of the paroxysm. He 
 is decidedly in every respect better this 
 morning ; still, however, he must be kept 
 very quiet for the next two or three days. 
 
 " I sincerely hope that you, my dear sir, 
 will soon be restored to health ; and you 
 may be assured no one is more anxious for 
 your speedy recovery than Mr. C-anning. 
 " Believe me always, 
 " My dear sir, 
 " Yours very sincerely and faithfully, 
 " A. G. Stapleton." 
 
 F. O. Thursday, March 1st, 1827. 
 quarter past ten p. m. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " I AM glad to tell you, not only that 
 the debate this evening on corn has gone 
 off in the most satisfactory manner, but 
 
380 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 that Mr. Canning, with the exception of a 
 little fatigue, is not the worse for his ex- 
 ertions. The House was very full, and, 
 except a few of the most violent, all seem- 
 ed satisfied. I enclose you a letter which 
 Mr. Canning has just this instant received 
 from Mr. Lushington. 
 
 " Mr. Canning desires me to say, that 
 he heard such an account of you the morn- 
 ing he left Brighton, that he is excessively 
 anxious to know how you are : and he begs 
 that if you are not well enough yourself 
 to write a line, you will ask Sir M. Tier- 
 ney to do so. 
 
 " Believe me always, 
 " My dear sir, 
 
 " Very sincerely and faithfully yours, 
 
 " A. G. Stapleton." 
 
 " '23, Bedford Square, April 20, 1837. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 " Some years ago, the King, when 
 at H , condescended most kindly 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 381 
 
 to say, ' Basil, come to me at Carlton 
 House whenever I can serve you and to 
 my father, by whom 1 was standing, his 
 Majesty was pleased to add^ ' Remember, 
 Lord S^*^^^^^, what I have said to Basil.' 
 To this kind and most flattering notice I 
 am indebted for all my success in life. I 
 was encouraged to engage in the profession 
 of the law, in which, through great diffi- 
 culties, by unremitted industry I have 
 risen to happiness and honour. 
 
 " 'Tis my nature not to trespass upon 
 kindness. I have always thought that I 
 was indebted to his Majesty's gracious no- 
 tice of me, when at H , for qualities 
 
 that were inlaid rather than embossed. I 
 have never presumed upon his Majesty's 
 goodness, but am anxious at this moment 
 to assure the King how happy I should be 
 to serve his Majesty. 
 
 " Unacquainted with the proper mode of 
 addressing his Majesty, will you permit 
 me to solicit a few moments' conversa- 
 
382 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 tion with you, at any time that you may 
 have the goodness to appoint ? 
 
 " I am, my dear sir, 
 " Your very faithful and obliged 
 " B * * * * M 
 
 Sir William Knighton, Bart. &c " 
 
 " 44, Gower Place, June 11th, 1827. 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " Mr. Northcote mentioned to you at 
 my desire, a few days ago, the question of 
 a brother of mine wholly unprovided for, 
 and whom I was anxious to get enlisted 
 among the Poor Brothers at the Charter- 
 house. 
 
 " I owe you a thousand apologies for 
 having obtruded a concern of mine on 
 your notice ; and nothing could have en- 
 couraged me to do so but the singular 
 kindness with which you met me a few 
 weeks ago at Mr, Northcote's house. 
 
 " My father, who died in the year 1772, 
 left eight children. There are three of us 
 now surviving, — myself, a brother, who 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 383 
 
 lives on a small competence as a farmer 
 in his native county of Norfolk, and the 
 individual in whose behalf I am desirous 
 to interest you. 
 
 My own situation is, perhaps, not 
 unknown to you. Finding my resources 
 as an author not fully competent to 
 the demands for which I was most im- 
 mediately bound to provide, I engaged in 
 a trading concern as a bookseller in the 
 year 1806. Two years ago I became a 
 bankrupt. In the mean time, however, I 
 •was enabled to bring forward my children ; 
 and, they being provided for, I trust I 
 shall not stand in need of the assistance of 
 others to enable me to pass the remainder 
 of my days in peace. 
 
 " My brother, the farmer, is in some- 
 what a confined way of business, and has 
 seven children. His means, however, are 
 equal to his wishes : he can support his 
 family, but he can do no more. 
 
 " Our only concern, therefore, is in rela- 
 tion to this brother whom Mr. Northcote 
 
384 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 mentioned to you. He was bred to the 
 sea, being apprenticed to an eminent pro- 
 prietor of trading vessels at Yarmouth. 
 Since he left the sea, he has been engaged 
 in trade, and has assisted or conducted a 
 retail business in a small way, till now 
 that he is on the eve of sixty years of age. 
 He is a man of no brilliant faculties, but 
 of uncommonly sound sense, and of an in- 
 tegrity and justness of principle that have 
 never been exceeded. He is, however, 
 wholly unacquainted with the artifices and 
 intricacies of populous life, and no more 
 qualified to fight his way in the bustle 
 of a commercial world than Lieutenant 
 Hatchway in Smollett's novel. 
 
 " You see, therefore, at once, my dear 
 sir, how we are situated. He is unable to 
 help himself — he is arrived at a prema- 
 ture old age ; and neither I, nor my bro- 
 ther, the farmer, are in circumstances to 
 help him. The little means that he at 
 different times possessed are gone, and he 
 is without a shilling. If I could foresee 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 385 
 
 the probability of his being provided for 
 in a short time in the way I mentioned to 
 Mr. Northcote, I would cheerfully subject 
 myself to any privations to try to fill up 
 the interval. 
 
 " It is the happy combination of your 
 liberal and obliging disposition with the 
 circumstance of your intimacy with the 
 generous prince who now fills the throne, 
 that encourages me to hope that I shall 
 not be disappointed in the desire I have 
 conceived of obtaining your effectual aid 
 in the situation I have taken the liberty 
 to lay before you. 
 
 " I know not wliether I ought as yet to 
 add my brother's description, which, if the 
 matter should be taken up by you and 
 perfected, might become necessary. It is, 
 'Nathaniel Godwin, born February 1768, 
 a bachelor.' 
 
 " I am, my dear sir, 
 
 " With great respect, 
 " Very faithfully yours, 
 
 " William Godwin/^ 
 
 VOL. I. 2 c 
 
386 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " No. 44, Gower Place, Bedford Square, 
 "July 5, 1827, Thursday. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR, 
 
 " Calling accidentally yesterday even- 
 ing at Mr. Northcote's, I received the un- 
 expected and gratifying intelligence that 
 you had secured for me the object respect- 
 ing which I had taken the liberty to apply 
 to you by my letter of the 11th of June. 
 Mr. Northcote said you had written to 
 that effect either to me or my brother ; 
 but no letter has reached us. 
 
 " Have the goodness to excuse my re- 
 questing that you would do me the favour 
 to remedy this defect, as, till that is done, 
 I apprehend your kind interference will 
 remain unavailing. If a letter addressed 
 to my brother Nathaniel is the proper 
 mode, have the goodness to forward it to 
 my residence. 
 
 " Allow me to embrace this opportunity 
 of expressing the strong feeling I entertain 
 of your generous interference, in return 
 for an application I scarcely considered 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 387 
 
 myself authorized to make. It will have 
 the effect of smoothing the latter days of 
 a most worthy individual, and of relieving 
 me from an embarrassment I felt myself 
 unable to encounter. 
 
 " I have the honour to be, 
 " With the sincerest respect, 
 " My dear sir, 
 " Your most obliged 
 
 " and obedient servant, 
 
 " William Godwin." 
 
 " Edinburgh, 15th Nov. 1827. 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I AM sure your continued goodness 
 will excuse my interrupting your much 
 more interesting and important affairs, by 
 asking your advice on a matter of so much 
 importance to myself as that which re- 
 gards my son Charles, whom your kind- 
 ness has allowed me to consider as in some 
 degree under your protection. I am quite 
 aware that the melancholy death of Mr. 
 Canning must have interrupted the views 
 you held out of his being established in 
 
 2 c 2 
 
388 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 his office, and that it is very possible that 
 you may not at this moment desire to be 
 troubled on a subject of such little im- 
 portance. But 1 know you will not be 
 displeased with me for stating his present 
 condition, and requesting your advice how 
 I should dispose of the young man until 
 your good intentions in his favour can be 
 conveniently carried into execution. 
 
 " He has now finished his academical 
 course, by taking, with good credit, his 
 degree as Bachelor of Arts ; and I now 
 think of having him here with me during 
 the winter, with a view of his prosecuting 
 the study of foreign languages, necessarily 
 neglected at college, and of general his- 
 tory. But I owe it to your goodness to 
 desire the advantage of your advice on the 
 •subject. 
 
 " This young man is the nearest object 
 to my heart. He is of an excellent dis- 
 position, clever and steady, well-informed, 
 and of a good person and address ; so that 
 1 have every reason to hope he will be no 
 disgrace to any who may take interest in 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. S89 
 
 him. He has always been in good society ; 
 and his political feelings, like those of all 
 his family, and with a deep sense of un- 
 merited favours conferred on his father, 
 are marked by the deepest attachment to 
 his Majesty's person and service. My 
 eldest son (captain 15th Hussars) is well 
 provided for, according to our moderate 
 ideas ; so that this matter in which you 
 have so kindly interested yourself is what 
 I have to be most anxious about on the 
 score of my family. Lockhart's talents 
 and activity give me a reasonable prospect 
 of his success in the world. At any time 
 he can be useful, he may be most safely 
 trusted. 
 
 " I see with great pleasure that his Ma- 
 jesty enjoys good health : when you can 
 with propriety place my most respectful 
 duty at his feet, you will greatly oblige, 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 
 " Your much obliged and 
 " faithful humble servant, 
 "Walter Scott,'* 
 
 Sir William Knighton, Bt. &c/' 
 
390 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 FROM THE DUKE OF CLARENCE. 
 
 " Bushy House, Nov. 29, 1827, 
 " late in the evening. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 AM just returned from the merriest 
 and most agreeable gale of wind I ever 
 met with ; though for the present it has 
 prevented my reaching Plymouth, to 
 which I shall go by land in the first week 
 of January. 
 
 " If I returned in good humour, how 
 much pleased I must be with your letter 
 announcing his Majesty's munificent in- 
 tentions towards his Scottish subjects ! I 
 have so sincere and affectionate a regard 
 for the King as my sovereign and as my 
 brother, that, whether publicly or privately 
 he does that which is right, I rejoice from 
 the bottom of my heart. The advantages 
 of this truly happy country are so nume- 
 rous and great, I cannot number them ; 
 and amongst the many are the three na- 
 tions that compose our home dominions. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. S91 
 
 There is in some a prejudice against the 
 Scotch ; yet their national qualities are so 
 sterling, that the Monarch of this empire 
 must ever do well in giving them a large 
 place in his esteem. I shall now conclude 
 by saying, God bless George the Fourth 
 and yourself ! and I ever remain, 
 
 " Dear sir, 
 
 " Yours truly, William/' 
 
 " Stanley Grove, Chelsea, 
 Dec. 22, 1827. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " Although I have not had the plea- 
 sure of seeing you for some years, I hope 
 you will allow me to trouble you for a few 
 minutes on a subject of some little conse- 
 quence. 
 
 " Two or three years ago. Lord Farn- 
 borough spoke to his Majesty on the sub- 
 ject of a subscription for a monument to 
 the late sculptor Canova at Venice. The 
 subscription was set about, and the monu- 
 ment has since been erected by Count Ci- 
 
S92 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 cognara, director of the Museum of that 
 city, and an intimate friend of Canova. 
 
 " Cicognara, with whom I was then in 
 correspondence, often expressed to me his 
 ardent hope that his Majesty would allow 
 his name to be added to those of all the 
 other sovereigns of Europe, as subscribers 
 to this monument ; and I was assured by 
 Lord Farnborough that his Majesty had 
 expressed his intention of giving the sum 
 of two hundred pounds towards this ob- 
 ject. But when I addressed him lately 
 on the subject, he told me that his Ma- 
 jesty had referred it to the Duke of 
 Devonshire ; and on Prince Cimitelli, a 
 friend of Cicognara, applying to the Duke, 
 he understood from his Grace that it rested 
 with Lord Farnborough, 
 
 " In this dilemma, and urged very 
 jstrongly by Cicognara, who has completed 
 the monument, for which he is consider- 
 ably in advance, and who only waits his 
 Majesty's decision to print the list of sub- 
 scribers, I have ventured to write to you. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. S93 
 
 in the hope that you will have it in your 
 power to enable me to mention to Cico- 
 gnara in what manner and when he may 
 expect to receive this gracious proof of the 
 kind interest which his Majesty has always 
 taken in the memory of the most distin- 
 guished sculptor of his age, as he was one 
 of the most amiable of men. 
 " I have the honour to be, 
 
 " Dear Sir William, 
 
 " Yours very sincerely, 
 
 " H. B. Hamilton." 
 
 " Sir William Knighton, Bart. <Jv:c." 
 
 In Sir William s letters to different 
 members of his family, inserted here and 
 in other parts of these volumes, it will be 
 seen that neither the numerous cares, nor 
 the brilliance of his situation, could di- 
 minish his anxiety for the moral culture 
 and general welfare of his children. 
 
 " I WROTE dearest M. a line early this 
 morning, after which I was obliged to go 
 
394 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to bedj where I have been all day ; but I 
 am now just up, and feel, I thank God, 
 a good deal better, although rather shaky 
 after my discipline. 
 
 " I still hope to see you on Thursday 
 morning, and to be with you several days, 
 and that the weather may admit of our 
 daily riding together. If we cannot ride, 
 we will walk and read, and I hope we 
 shall be happy. Tell your dear mother 
 she need not be uneasy about me, as I 
 dare say I shall be quite well on Thursday. 
 
 " Dear W. was not in bad spirits ; but 
 he was much annoyed at being turned 
 down in his class. I encouraged him all T 
 could, and he seemed much happier. I 
 am rejoiced his holidays begin on the 6th 
 of May, or thereabouts : a month's comfort 
 
 will do him good. has just given him 
 
 an old sword, with which he is delighted. 
 It is gratifying when the little things of 
 life give an impulse to happiness, for the 
 greater concerns of it can give none. The 
 mind that has the power and the oppor- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 395 
 
 tunity of looking at life upon an extensive 
 scale, will be glad to turn from it and look 
 at home-scenes, my beloved, for happiness 
 and comfort : if he should not find it there, 
 the whole necessarily becomes a blank. 
 
 " Friday morning. — I am better. I got 
 from my bed this morning and rode nine 
 miles. I still hope to be with you on 
 Thursday morning, but not to breakfast. 
 I find I must come back here on Wednes- 
 day night. God bless you ! 
 
 " Yours, &c. 
 
 " w. k;^ 
 
 TO THE SAME. 
 
 " Royal Lodge, Jan. 11th, 1828. 
 
 " Two letters following to you, and not 
 one line to your dear mother or William, 
 &c. ; but I am anxious to thank you for 
 your reply of this morning, which is very 
 agreeable to my feelings, because it un- 
 folds a reciprocity of affection that makes 
 life not only worth its pains and perils, 
 
396 . MEMOIRS OF 
 
 but gives an impulse which is most re- 
 freshing to my mind. 
 
 " True religion is very much connected 
 with purity of feeling. This can never 
 exist where the bosom is a stranger to love 
 and affection. Tell dear M. I will write 
 her to-morrow. We have plenty of work 
 upon our hands at this moment. 
 
 " I have been six hours in my chair 
 without stirring ; so that your mother 
 would say twice what she did once at 
 Blendworth : ' What ! still writing, Sir 
 William T 
 
 " Love, &c. W. K." 
 
 TO HIS SON. 
 
 " Hanover Square, 18th Jan. 1828. 
 
 " I HAVE, as you may suppose, little time 
 to write ; yet I cannot avoid acknowledg- 
 ing your letter. 
 
 " I desired Mr. to write to you, and 
 
 to say what he thought of your writing 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 397 
 
 and style altogether. As much of this 
 acquirement is purely mechanical, he is 
 perhaps as good a judge as I am upon 
 some points. I know well from experience 
 the great importance of attending to little 
 things ; and the reason is obvious : the 
 little things are constantly called for. 
 
 " This is perhaps the most eventful pe- 
 riod of your life, because the mind will 
 soon begin to be, if not subservient, yet 
 guided and directed by the habits of the 
 body. The corporeal influence is wonder- 
 ful : the rule of conduct therefore is, to 
 make the body bend to the mind. This 
 can only be accomplished by directing all 
 the energies of the mind to high and 
 useful purposes ; making the regulation 
 of your life, as far as possible, in ac- 
 cordance with and under the influence 
 of the Christian scheme of morality. Do 
 this, and all will go right. The difficul- 
 ties of existence are by this means won- 
 derfully diminished. If you never get 
 drunk, your mind and body are spared 
 
398 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 from the most offensive inconveniences. 
 If you lie not, the mortifications of con- 
 science in opposition to truth will never 
 assail you. If you cherish high, undeviat- 
 ing principle, you never can suffer from 
 the penalties of a mean, low, grovelling 
 spirit. If you cherish pure, unsullied vir- 
 tue, the countenance will remain free, 
 frank, and open, — nothing to hide, and 
 nothing to mask, by expression, the unea- 
 siness within. 
 
 " Adieu ! Your very attached and af- 
 fectionate 
 
 " W. K.'' 
 
 TO THE SAME. 
 
 " London, Jan. 21st, 1828. 
 
 I THINK you had better come up on 
 the 23rd, as that will give you two days to 
 get what you want. 
 
 " Your mother suggested an allowance 
 previously to your going to Oxford. This I 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 399 
 
 object to, because I wish all your respon- 
 sibility to begin at the same point of time. 
 When at Oxford, whatever Mr. C. decides 
 for his son you shall have. This I shall 
 do most cheerfully ; and I shall be ready, 
 so long as you continue to me what you 
 are at present, to abridge my own wants 
 that yours may be comfortably supplied. 
 
 " It is likely that a good deal will be 
 said against me by the press, and perhaps 
 by insinuation in Parliament. Do not be- 
 lieve anything to my dishonour ; I shall 
 do nothing to disgrace the name you have 
 from me. I only belong to the King, — I 
 have nothing to do either with the faults 
 or virtues of others ; but I cannot expect 
 to escape the dirt that must be thrown 
 during the contention of political strife. 
 
 " My best love to those around you. 
 I am so occupied, I can only write to you 
 to-day. 
 
 " Ever yours, 
 
 " W. K.^' 
 
400 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Letters from the Duke of Clarence and Lord Bexley. — Ex- 
 tract from Sir William's Journal of his route to Rotter- 
 dam. — Letter from the Earl of Aberdeen. — Letters from 
 Sir William to his Family. 
 
 The following are among the letters re- 
 ceived by Sir William in the commence- 
 ment of the year 1828. 
 
 FROM THE DUKE OF CLARENCE. 
 
 " Admiralty, Jan. 7th, 1828. 6 p. m. 
 
 " DEAR SIR, 
 
 I HAVE this instant received yours of 
 this morning, and you may rest assured 
 not a living soul shall know a word of 
 what you have written or may write to 
 me respecting my brother, who is dearer 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 401 
 
 to me than the whole world, both on pub- 
 lic and private grounds, I am confident 
 you write the truth, and therefore, though 
 his Majesty is uncomfortable, I trust in 
 God this attack will go off without any 
 unpleasant symptom, and shortly. I shall 
 be of course anxious to hear to-morrow, 
 and the shorter the better, I hope, as I 
 shall then be sure the King is going on as 
 we both wish him. 
 
 " Adieu till to-morrow ; and 
 " Ever believe me, 
 " Dear sir, 
 
 " Yours unalterably, 
 
 " William." 
 
 Sir William Knighton, Bt. &c." 
 
 " Foot's Cray Place, Feb. 1, 1829. 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I HAVE just been favoured with your 
 letter of the 30th ultimo, announcing his 
 Majesty's gracious intention to become the 
 patron of the Episcopal Floating Chapel, 
 and to bestow a donation towards its sup- 
 
 VOL. I. 2d 
 
402 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 port. I shall immediately communicate his 
 Majesty's gracious pleasure to the society, 
 and, as one of its members, I beg leave to 
 offer my humble and grateful acknowledg- 
 ments to his Majesty for so distinguished 
 an honour. Believe me, dear sir, 
 " With great regard, 
 
 " Very sincerely yours, 
 
 " Bexley.'' 
 
 « Sir William Knighton, Bt. &c.'' 
 
 In a manuscript book, dated the 23rd 
 of February 1828, designated, "A Journal 
 of my proceedings at Paris, and on route 
 to Rotterdam,'' are found the ensuing pas- 
 sages. 
 
 " Had an interview with Lord — — . 
 Some conversation passed as to the po- 
 litics of the day : it was very easy to 
 discover what his feelings were at the 
 present state of things. The Turkish ma- 
 nifesto seemed to impress the ministers 
 that war must be the result. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 403 
 
 " 27th. I left Paris at twelve for the 
 purpose of visiting St. Cloud. The cha- 
 teau is situated on an eminence (not very 
 prominent) above the village of St. Cloud. 
 The Dauphine was expected ; but we had 
 no difficulty of admission, except on the 
 condition that we must immediately with- 
 draw on the approach of her Royal High- 
 ness. The old porter, who took charge 
 of us, had served Louis the Sixteenth 
 and Marie Antoinette, the Empress Marie 
 Louise, and now finally Charles the 
 Tenth. 
 
 " The rooms are like all French rooms 
 that are fine ; and yet the situation and 
 the arrangement of the apartments, when 
 constantly inhabited, convey an idea that 
 there is more of comfort in this chateau 
 than usually belongs to houses of grandeur. 
 
 " I was impatient to get to Buonaparte's 
 room, which was a moderate-sized library, 
 with a very large table in the middle. 
 Upon this table, the old porter told us, 
 Buonaparte fought his battles beforehand. 
 
 2 D 2 
 
404 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 He had it covered with maps of the coun- 
 tries that were to be the seat of war. 
 Upon these maps were placed little figures 
 resembling his army in miniature, and all 
 the different positions w^ere marked with 
 pins or pegs; so that when he actually 
 came upon the ground, there was nothing 
 new to him. Under such circumstances, 
 he was never taken by surprise. The por- 
 tion of time necessary to be consumed in 
 accomplishing the marches and counter- 
 marches of the different corps was accu- 
 rately calculated ; the provisions required 
 and the facilities of the country through 
 which the army might pass carefully no- 
 ticed, for the purpose of getting supplies. 
 
 " Thus were Buonaparte's campaigns 
 formed and fought in his library. The 
 table at which he wrote still remained 
 there ; and the habit which he had of 
 cutting and scratching on the table was 
 exhibited by marks of his knife. 
 
 " What a train of associations filled one's 
 mind in contemplating the wonderful ex- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 405 
 
 ploits of this remarkable man ! How com- 
 pletely the mind in a moment passes to 
 eternity under the influence of these feel- 
 ings, that tell the story so strikingly as to 
 the vanity and insignificance of this life ! 
 - — one wretched bit of clay, with trick, 
 stratagem, and force, managing another 
 wretched piece which may happen to be 
 placed in collision with his own intentions, 
 whether for good or evil. 
 
 " We saw what is now an orangery, 
 where Buonaparte dismissed the members 
 of the National Convention. They all left 
 the hall frightened and amazed at the 
 intrepidity of this soldier of fortune. 
 
 " We next came to his bed-room : in 
 that apartment Blucher afterwards slept, 
 who went to his bed with his boots on, 
 resembling more a savage than anything 
 civilised. 
 
 " Eight hundred soldiers were quartered 
 in this chateau at the time the armies oc- 
 cupied Paris and the neighbourhood. 
 
 " The old porter told us that Buona- 
 
406 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 parte's habit was never to remain more 
 than twenty minutes, or a half-hour at 
 most, at dinner. He generally ate soup 
 with vermicelli, drank very little wine, 
 and always vin de Chambertin ; and when 
 he was at a distance from Paris, fifteen or 
 twenty bottles of this wine were sent off 
 daily by the diligence for his use. His din- 
 ner consisted of various little things, but 
 he had no particular favourite dish. His 
 great beverage was coffee, and his indul- 
 gence quantities of snuff, I have often 
 known both these stimuli of use where 
 the mind is so constituted as to require 
 bodily assistance, as it were, in consequence 
 of that eternal call for excitement that is 
 going on within, I have very little doubt 
 but the disorganised texture of Buona- 
 parte's stomach had been gradually influ- 
 encing his temper for years ; and when the 
 violent passions in the form of irritability 
 began to assail him, then it was that the 
 change of texture began. Such is the in- 
 fluence of matter over mind, and vice verm. 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 407 
 
 "There is in one of the rooms of this 
 chateau a picture by Raphael well worthy 
 of notice. The subject of the picture is 
 the painter himself pointing out to the 
 Pope Leo X. a picture of a Holy Family 
 upon which he was then employed. The 
 beautiful appearance of Raphael, then a . 
 young man, contrasted with the fine head 
 of the Pope, produces a magnificent effect. 
 
 " We passed on to the bed-room that 
 was once Josephine's, and thence to the 
 long gallery. In this the marks still 
 remain where the posts were let into the 
 floor that separated Buonaparte and Marie 
 Louise in this gallery from the rest of the 
 company when the marriage was first con- 
 secrated : they were afterwards again mar- 
 ried in the chapel. The chapel in this 
 chateau is cold and comfortless. Buona- 
 parte was very particular in attending 
 high mass, according to the account of the 
 old porter. 
 
 " Friday, February 28th. — I visited for 
 the first time Versailles. I was much 
 
408 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 struck with the magnificence of this pa- 
 lace : the gardens, the immense apparatus 
 of water to form fountains and jets d'eau^ 
 &c. excite one's wonder ; but it is not 
 a pleasing surprise, inasmuch as you re- 
 gret the squandering such immense sums 
 without any useful object. In the first 
 instance it might have been partially use- 
 ful by engaging public attention, — for the 
 French cannot exist without the collateral 
 aids of excitement. Many live through- 
 out the week with limited sustenance to 
 indulge in pleasures according to their 
 fancy on the Sunday. The religious du- 
 ties of the cathedral are soon performed, 
 and then their Sunday is to them a com- 
 plete day of jollity and pleasure. Every- 
 thing is forgotten : all the old cares of 
 calculation, how to get rich or how to 
 avoid poverty, they pretend to leave to the 
 English ; it (happily for them) forms no 
 part of the French character. 
 
 " Versailles is at present without furni- 
 ture ; everything was destroyed during the 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 409 
 
 Revolution. To restore it has never been 
 attempted, on account of the immense 
 expense. There are pictures, but no good 
 ones ; and in passing through the faded 
 magnificence of these rooms, so richly or- 
 namented with gold, and once the scene 
 of such varied indulgence and sensuality, 
 one cannot avoid thinking with the deep- 
 est and most intense feelings how little 
 is to be prized in this transitory existence, 
 and how completely all desire is put aside 
 for the grandeur of this worthless world. 
 
 " We saw the room in which Louis the 
 Fourteenth died : it was gloomy. 
 
 " To come to later days, our guide show- 
 ed us the balcony on which Marie Antoi- 
 nette presented the Dauphin at the time 
 of the Revolution. The court-yard was 
 filled with about five or six thousand of 
 the lowest wretches. Two cannon would 
 have cleared out this revolutionary horde, 
 and probably secured the lives of those 
 innocent victims who afterwards perished 
 for a succession of years. But no one can 
 
410 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 contemplate the French Revolution with 
 correct feelings, without looking to other 
 than mere external causes. To the spirit 
 of evil then abounding on earth can only 
 be ascribed those visitations which have 
 from time to time desolated Europe." 
 
 It was on the eve of this absence that 
 Sir William received the following note 
 from the Earl of Aberdeen, who was then 
 the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. 
 It bears a gratifying testimony to the abi- 
 lity which had been exerted by him in the 
 concerns of that department belonging to 
 his Majesty. 
 
 " Argyll House, Feb. 18th, 1828. 
 " DEAR SIR WILLIAM, 
 
 " I SHALL endeavour to delay any Coun- 
 cil until your return ; for I should be 
 very sorry, unless the business should be 
 pressing, to hold one without you. 
 
 " Your management of the affairs of 
 the Duchy has been so admirable, that I 
 should scarcely feel safe if anything of im- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 411 
 
 portance were to be decided upon without 
 your assistance. Yours ever truly, 
 
 Aberdeen." 
 
 About this time a letter from Paris, 
 dated February 29t\ 1828, was received 
 from Sir William. 
 
 " I HAD the pleasure to receive your 
 letter this morning, and I was happy to 
 find that you and the three dear children 
 were well. I can speak with no satisfac- 
 tion on what is passing in England. The 
 conduct pursued on all sides seems to me 
 most degrading. Accusation and folly are 
 so united, that the multitude may well 
 wonder at the little dignity that exists in 
 those who govern or have governed. It 
 will be a lesson of instruction respecting 
 dear William. The lowest situation in life 
 is to be preferred, if it can afford security 
 against the evil of bad passions. 
 
 " In all that has been lately passing is 
 to be traced that species of pride that is 
 
412 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 the most opposed to Christian morality, 
 and the most detestable as relates to the 
 pure qualities of social life. But I have 
 done with it. My intellect, be it little or 
 much, may in future remain in my own 
 private possession, and no longer be lent 
 or used for the mass that has been con- 
 stantly at my heels. 
 
 " I trust in God that you and my dear 
 children will be kept in health. As to my- 
 self, I care little about it : I am quite worn 
 out with care and anxiety. I have never 
 had any peace or comfort, and never ex- 
 pect any. God bless you and my beloved 
 children. Yours, &c. 
 
 " W. K.'' 
 
 In April Sir William was again occupied 
 in an expedition to the Continent ; and it 
 is with regret that the Editor recurs to 
 circumstances which, though arising from 
 the political excitement of the time, are 
 nevertheless of painful remembrance. It 
 was during this period of Sir William's ab- 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 413 
 
 sence from England that a member of the 
 House of Commons made an attack on his 
 character, which seemed as a signal for 
 further invective, which was put forth by 
 one or more anonymous enemies in the 
 public papers of the day. This unmerited 
 illiberality, however, entirely failed in its 
 object : it proved the means of bringing 
 out testimonials most honourable to the 
 conduct of Sir William from the highest 
 and most distinguished quarters, and of 
 establishing him still more firmly in the 
 estimation of his sovereign and his 
 friends. 
 
 But these insidious attempts to injure 
 him, and the knowledge of the anxiety 
 which they were causing his family, af- 
 fected him deeply : an intense degree of 
 sensibility was peculiar to his constitution, 
 and his health suffered greatly from dis- 
 tress of mind, and the harassing duties in 
 which by his situation he was unavoidably 
 involved. 
 
 Sir William wrote the following letters 
 
414 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 to his family during this uncomfortable 
 separation. 
 
 <^ Paris, Hotel de la Paix, 
 " Monday, April 21st, 1828. 
 
 " I ARRIVED here last night, and found 
 comfortable apartments. It is impossible to 
 say the degree of luxury this affords after 
 a quick journey. The temperature of this 
 climate is certainly very different, although 
 within so short a distance from London. 
 There is a thinness in the air that our 
 island has not. The moment you enter 
 France, and still more when you enter 
 this place, every countenance bespeaks 
 contentment. I do not use the word hap- 
 piness, because it is so undefinable, that to 
 use it is to convey a nugatory meaning. 
 In short, the mysteries of the mind, as 
 well as of the passions, who can unfold ? 
 It is easy to say that genius consists in 
 some perfection of the senses, which, aided 
 by experience and a knowledge of facts, 
 give what is considered a superiority of 
 intellect ; but does this lead us to know 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 415 
 
 what it is, or what it is not ? No ! Reflec- 
 tions of this sort become an antidote to 
 the sorrows of the world, and teach you 
 that the less collision you have with the 
 lumps of clay of this life, the better. The 
 Christian religion would be perfectly prac- 
 ticable outwardly, if you could live alone 
 at the back of a mountain from the time 
 you were first born ; but sin and crime are 
 two very different things. The one relates 
 to a spiritual existence hereafter, and 
 therefore is here little thought of ; where- 
 as crime means the breaking of laws form- 
 ed by poor human nature, and you will 
 find men passing their whole lives in run- 
 ning after those who are guilty of a breach 
 of any one of these laws, who at the same 
 time are totally regardless of all that re- 
 lates to sin, used in a spiritual sense. 
 Here comes fi ne food for reflection ! 
 
 " Kiss my dear children again and again. 
 " Ever yours, &c. 
 
 « W. K." 
 
416 
 
 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 " Paris, April 23rd, 1828. 
 
 " It is not a little difficult, to a mind 
 pure and unaccustomed to the deceptive 
 intricacies of human conduct, to observe 
 the crooked ways necessary to be pursued 
 for the purpose of detecting fraud and vil- 
 lany. An honest mind shrinks from the 
 machinery necessary to be blended with 
 transactions of this nature ; the conscience 
 is under a constant alarm lest its motives, 
 thus mixed with vice, should suffer a taint 
 from the source of that corruption which 
 it is its wish to counteract and destroy. 
 It is truly remarkable, how quick all the 
 perceptions of sense become in those 
 whose daily occupations and habits are 
 to trace out the crooked ways of disho- 
 nesty. There is nothing that escapes 
 them ; they produce trick for trick with a 
 rapidity which is truly surprising." 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 
 
 417 
 
 TO HIS ELDEST DAUGHTER. 
 
 " I LEFT London with heavy, dull, and 
 uncomfortable feelings, and was glad to 
 have Mr. M. in the carriage to break my 
 thoughts ; but it was a different thing 
 from having you and dear William. As 
 I had that indulgence in my last journey, 
 I felt the want of it the more. There 
 was less interest in the communication of 
 thoughts and feehngs. 
 
 " As we approached Canterbury, Mr. M. 
 talked of his affection for his mother, 
 whom he seemed tenderly to love. This 
 answered to those affections I had so often 
 felt ; for the character of the parents an- 
 swered to the description of each other ; 
 and when he left me, I had a melancholy 
 pleasure in contemplating my early days, 
 but the immediate moment was anything 
 but satisfactory. This would have been 
 thought very strange by those people who 
 constantly assail one's character, from 
 
 VOL. I. 2 E 
 
418 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 envy, hatred, and all the worthless detail 
 of passions connected with uncharitable- 
 ness. 
 
 " I have plenty of work on my hands 
 here at present, and am not under the in- 
 fluence of the best spirits, considering the 
 abuse one constantly has. Ever yours, 
 
 " W. K." 
 
 TO MISS K. 
 
 " I HAVE a few minutes before I go to 
 bed, which I am happy to dedicate to you, 
 
 " For the first time for several days my 
 head is free from pain, which is a great 
 blessing, considering how much I am 
 obliged to employ my brains. 
 
 " Your letters are always delightful to 
 me : neither news nor domestic intelli- 
 gence are necessary to interest me. Senti- 
 ments of feeling, affection, and duty, and 
 just thoughts, are worth all the gossip of 
 local concerns that could possibly be told. 
 The true source of happiness must always 
 be found within yourself, for if you are to 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 419 
 
 depend upon others for the consolations 
 of life, the dependance would make it so 
 precarious, that the resource, under the 
 most favourable circumstances, must often 
 prove nugatory. I am delighted there- 
 fore to hear you say that time, during this 
 necessary shutting up, has not been trou- 
 blesome to you, and that the pleasure of 
 reading has given you all you wish. This 
 is peace and happiness. You may rely, my 
 dearest child, that I will do all I can to 
 contribute to it whilst I have my habi- 
 tation in this world. God knows how 
 long that may be ; but my own thoughts 
 dwell more under the influence of eter- 
 nity than they have been accustomed 
 to do. 
 
 ^ But to speak of this world and its 
 concerns — I have not been able to see 
 Lady Stepney since my return from Lin- 
 colnshire ; I shall endeavour to do so to- 
 morrow. The remains of your poor friend 
 Sir Thomas Stepney do not proceed for 
 Wales until Monday. This day week he 
 
420 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 brought your pretty book to Hanover 
 Square ; it seems to have been almost the 
 last act of his life. I hope you will al- 
 ways deserve the high opinion he en- 
 tained of you, my beloved Dora. The 
 great security of life is to guard your- 
 self against evil example. It is of great 
 consequence, therefore, in one sense, to 
 retain the primitive virtues of our na- 
 ture : among these are innocent simpli- 
 city of thought and conduct, for without 
 these there can be no excellence as you 
 advance in life. 
 
 " I shall miss my friend Sir Thomas 
 very much ; he was such a refuge to me. 
 Belonging, as he did, to the old world of 
 distant days, his intelligence and know- 
 ledge were highly useful. I consider his 
 having liked me as a great compliment, 
 because it must have resulted from com- 
 paring me with what he had known. 
 
 " Love, &c. to your mother. 
 
 " Ever yours, 
 
 " W. K. ' 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 421 
 
 With the gentleman alluded to th the 
 above letter. Sir William became acquaint- 
 ed during his attendance, as a physi- 
 cian, on a lady related to Sir Thomas by 
 marriage. His medical practice, indeed, 
 brought him into terms of intimacy with 
 many of the most distinguished personages 
 of his time ; and Sir William used often to 
 narrate the following anecdote of Lord 
 Byron. 
 
 " I was Lord Byron's medical attendant 
 for some time previously to his marriage. 
 One morning, on making him my accus- 
 tomed visit, I found the table at which he 
 was writing covered with printer's proof- 
 sheets, scraps of manuscript verses, &c. On 
 my being announced, he neither raised his 
 head nor the pencil from the paper he 
 was rapidly scribbling, but said, ' Be so 
 kind as to take a book, and be silent for 
 two minutes.' A longer time had scarcely 
 elapsed, when he threw down the pencil 
 with an air of satisfaction, exclaiming, ' I 
 
422 MEMOIRS OF 
 
 have done it at last !' He apologized for 
 claiming a poet's indulgence, saying, that 
 the last four lines of that stanza had given 
 him more trouble than the whole of the 
 poem besides ; adding, ' The right words 
 came into my head just as your carriage 
 drove up.' 
 
 " His Lordship then rose, and, with a 
 smile, said abruptly, ' Knighton, what do 
 you think I am going to do ? I am going 
 to marry/ I replied, ' I am sorry to hear 
 it, my Lord/ ' The d — 1 you are ! And 
 why should 1 not ?' ' Because I do not 
 think you are constituted to be happy in 
 married life/ He looked grave, and after 
 a pause said, ' I believe you are right ; 
 but the ladies think otherwise' (alluding 
 to his sister, Mrs. L,). ' However, the 
 die is cast ; for I have presented myself in 
 due form to the lady's papa. I had an 
 amicable reception. The only personal 
 question put to me was when I was 
 mounting my horse : Sir Ralph called 
 
SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON. 423 
 
 after me, ' Pray, my Lord, how do you pro- 
 nounce your name ? Birron or By-ron ?' 
 I replied, ' B Y, sir, spells all the world 
 over; " 
 
 END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. 
 
 LONDON : 
 PIUNTED BY SAMUEL BENTI.FY, 
 Doifct Street, Fleet Str eft. 
 
GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 
 
 3 3125 01450 5560