YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

MEMOIRS
OF THE
LATE MRS. KING,
(Otherwise The Diamond Q — n ! !)
WITH
INTERESTING AND AUTHENTIC
CONTAINING SOME
CURIOUS AND INSTRUCTIVE NOTICES
OF
POLITICAL AND FAMILY TRANSACTIONS,
HITHERTO NOT GENERALLY KNOWN.

By H. W. FITZ-GEORGE.

Among the distinguished Political, Military, and Naval, Characters
mentioned in this Work, will be found the following :

Mr. King (a Gentleman upwards of
Eighty),
Mrs. King (the late Q— n),
Mrs. SULLENBERG,
Mr. George KiNG,jnn. (R t),
Mrs. Herbert (Fitz),
Mrs. Caroline King (P  ss of
W-s),
Miss Charlotte King (Daughter of
the R  1),
Mr. Frederick King,
Mr. William Henry King,

Mrs.-PicKLE (a late Actress),
Miss Augusta King,
Miss $etsy King,
Mr. Edward King,
Mr. Ernest King,
Mr. Deputy King (a Secretary),
Mrs. Villiers (late Cquntess*of J — syi),
Prussian Dragoon (late Frederick^
Kt— g of Prussia),
Major Ursa (Emp — r of Russia),
Lord Derry-Do wn , &c. &c.

itonOon:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JOHN FAIRBURN,
BROADWAY, LUDGATE-HILI,.

[Price Ms. 6d.J

TO THE READER.

How the MS. from whence the following Me
moirs have been extracted, came into the Author's
possession, can be of little moment, and, I fear,
of still less interest to declare.
Although I can readily imagine, with the
usual complacency and acuteness of an Editor,
that the reader opens these leaves with every
possible good disposition towards me, that he
will extend his " indulgence," and relax somewhat
of his " critical severity," (sagacity is not among
the requisites of modern criticism,) in behalf of
these historical collections of a female oetogenary ;
although, I say^ I feel well assured, in common
with my editing and inditing brethren, that he
cannot fail lo be greatly interested in my behalf,
yet I cannot for the life of me imagine that the
opinions and adventures of my poor old aunt (I
should say my great great aunt, heaven rest her
soul!)v could possibly excite his curiosity, or en
gage his attention* I can, however, assure hirn
that I became legally- entitled to the invaluable

IV

MS. in question, at the death of my said venerable
and twice or thrice great aunt (I forget which) —
that, at her death, which happened a little while
ago, in the eightieth year of her age, she formally
bequeathed me, by some unhappy perversion of
intellect, what I shall ever feelingly deplore, these
same musty papers, as " the most invaluable
legacy she could bestow upon so promising a
nephew,! while she. gave to her old house-keeper
the identical parchment writings, for the cramped
and uniform characters of which I had a respect
in my boyhood, and a downright appetite ever
since I became a man. She gave me, moreover,
two or three assignments of particular portions of
the Public Funds — or the Public Debt; — for we
are in this age arrived to that refinement in
political reasoning, that this last is absolutely
matter of dispute! But be that as it may, said
portions, in obedience to the injunctions of my
defunct relation, I took the trouble to see trans
ferred into my own name, without further fee or
reward, and in token of my dutiful submission to
her commands. Perhaps the reader may choose
to be informed that my aunt's maiden name was
Hannah-over ; that when the present opulent
Mr. King, sen. succeeded to his hereditary estates,
particularly to Angleland, she was married, at
his earnest suggestion, and by his express wish,
to his dear friend Mr. Britten, a substantial yeo-

man, residing upon his patcimony, and, for his
courage, as well as portly stature, commonly
called Big Britten. His fashionable friends, how
ever, appear to have thought the appellation of
" Big" unbecoming, and they have since changed
it to " Great," by which denomination, indeed,
he is generally known. I have heard my poor
old aunt jocularly say, that if ever she lost Mr.
Britten, she would have Mr. George King. Mr.
Britten, I grieve to say, has been recently attacked
with violent convulsions, particularly during his
late visit to Manchester. If any thing should
unfortunately happen to him, the family estate
will, it is supposed, be annexed to that of Angle-
land. At present, this estate of Hannah-over is
enjoyed by a " King," also a branch of the very
family that is settled in Angleland ; but he exer
cises much more power over it than ever Hannah
did. It is therefore said by the wags, (not the
whigs, they are no relations at all, and, indeed,
never have any communication with each other!)
—it is said, that however spirited a woman my
old aunt may have been, yet, were she now to
revive, she would acknowledge Mr. Adolphus
King, "King over Hannah-over." But the reader
has a right to demand upon what grounds I have
thought these Memoirs deserving of publication.
To which I reply, with my Lord Derry-down—
Expediency, a word in whose favour I could say as

VI

much as Don Quixote, if necessary, when the
latter dubbed his charger Rosinante. It means
everything: but what is more (or less, at plea
sure), it means nothing. Examined with the
minutest accuracy, this word still implies, it is
clear; — something. So that whether a liberal
Feadier be disposed to admit that it signifies every
thing, or a captious reader object that it expresses
nothing, there will, in either case, be something
to say for it. Now this expediency may arise
from my wish to benefit the public by the au
thentic and instructive memoirs of a family, about
which they must feel a certain degree of interest ;
or from my love of knowledge ; or fame ; or from
my want of something to do ; or even from want
of money ; or it may proceed from the conviction
I fed, that the world will be pleased with informa
tion on subjects connected with the same family;
hitherto not generally known, or with anecdotes,
some of which I relate from my own personal
knowledge and experience ; or it may result from
my love of candour, or my respect for the parties
concerned ; or, in short, it maynot. Expediency,
then, is at least a comprehensive word ; and so
every one must needs confess, who looks into the
records of parliamentary' eloquence, and finds a
minister, in reply to the indignant remonstrances
of a great and insulted nation to daring attacks
committed with impunity, or their laws, their

VU

privileges, their immemorial customs, or to their
just demands, upon which plea their most sacred
immunities have been violated, and their most
indefeasible rights suspended— still calmly urging
Political Expediency. But, notwithstanding that
this very expediency is a veil with which I might
be content, like the Prophet of Khorassan, whom
the Poet of the Loves and Graces has lately sur
rounded with all the attributes of mysterious
grandeur and tempestuous passion, to , lull the
Public into a peaceful, but anxious expectation
of the period at which I should think proper to
reveal the incomparable design and end of these
elegant papers, yet, as the reader must be very eager
to know something beforehand of these unequalled*
Memoirs, (I shall now claim, once for all, the
usual modern privileges of greeting and praising
myself,) I will briefly confess I am induced to
give them to the world from the very curious and
striking similarity which the domestic accident
and accidents of Mr. and Mrs. King and family,
and the opinions and conduct of their tenantry,
appear to bear to those of the celebrated family
of the Brown- wigs. In fact, it has been observed
to me by a friend, that a stranger to the modern
history of these last-mentioned personages, might
be justified in supposing that these Memoirs con
tained the portraiture of their actions, &c. in
times past. I am not myself disposed to admit

VIII

the justice of this remark, unless we could
reconcile into resemblances, the contrast of an
angry and discontented with an attached and
faithful tenantry ; abundance with scarcity ; good
faith with perfidy ; mildness with cruelty ; plenty
and enjoyment with poverty and taxation ; a
virtuous, a venerated, and respected master,
with a  but here I shall stop, because to say
more, it just strikes me, is not a matter of ex--
pediency. I feel, however, that the public may
derive some benefit, if not instruction, in perusing
the Memoirs of parties that have long excited
their attention, and in tracing the various grada
tions they have passed through, in advancing
¦"from one state of fortune to another; in ob
serving the various characters and principles of
the Lords of the Manor and their families, and
opposing them to the steady and unshaken
equanimity of their numerous and affectionate,
but manly tenants ; and, finally, in determining
whether the system pursued at present by Squire
George King (junior) is calculated to increase
his patrimony, his rent-roll, his people, and their
affections, or otherwise!

MEMOIRS

OF

THE LATE MRS. KING.

In the year of our Lord 1761, the heir to his grand
father, (a choleric German gentleman,) became entitled
to the hereditary estates and dignities thereto belonging,
the property and boast of his ancestors ; particularly to
a crimson velvet arm-chair, an old fashioned head
dress, gilded and ornamented, price three crowns ; two
or three curiously carved sticks, a golden pippin, an old
rusty sword, and some ancient silk gowns ; all of which
had been worn by ladies and gentlemen in times past,
the owners of the said estates ; particularly one of
Spanish silk, worked in English whipstitch, and basted
by the hands of Miss Elizabeth Tudor, (an ancestor
distantly related to the house of the young heir) : but
the style in which that lady worked is now uo longer in
fashion ! On this occasion the ladies became interested
to select him a Consort, and for this purpose first cast
their eyes within their own circle ; but so many were the
claimants, who, on different pretensions, thought them-

selves qualified to aspire to the honour, and so general
would have been the feelings of envy and malice in the
breasts of the rejected, that an opinion prevailed, it
would be most prudent to look abroad. Now, many
concluded, that a Lady they culled from abroad, must
needs make an outlandish figure ; but this was rather
an angry, than a fair observation. However, in the
month of July, the object of their kind solicitude in
formed the relatives and principal persons of his noble
house, that he had selected a partner for himself in
Charlotte Muckleberg St raw -litters.
As George was esteemed and beloved by his de
pendants, they felt universally interested for his happi
ness; and when he announced this lady to be the object
of his choice, the bride elect became the theme of every
tea-table; . The ladies, ever anxious for the: welfare of
their favourite, the handsome Mr. King, whose virtues
and elegant manners had endeared faini' to th'erh, were
indefatigable hi their inquiries how Charlottei had: been
able to attract his ¦decided notice— ^-what must > be \ her
virtues, her accomplishments, — in short, what her pre
tensions to this greatest of European honours ! for, as
one of the requisitiphs to the family possessions was a
prohibition to the- heir leaving Angleland, without the
consent of his, relations and immediate connexions, he
could not have seen the lady. By dint of conjecture
and inquiry, it was soon ascertained that the supposed
talents of Charlotte had obtained her the distinguished
honour which now awaited her. lt seemed that she
had written a letter to a Mr. Frederic King, a Prussian

Dragoon* in behalf of her own native village ; and in
which Charlotte manifested so :much sound reason and
good sense,< so much sympathy, and such, energetic senti
ments, as could not but excite admiration for the writer.
So highly did the .Prussian Dragoon think of this letter,
that he sent it to his loving cousin George;. knowing that
the latter's thoughts were on' matrimony, he wished this
proof of Charlotte's strong understanding to be shown
to him. George acted upon it, and must have been
admired for so doing. It was for those who should live
to see the inconsistency of her subsequent conduct, to
doubt whether Charlotte had dictated that letter : — if
she did, we must indeed allow that the human mind is
subject to the most unnatural changes. Those persons
who witnessed the latter years of Mrs. King, are in
clined to believe, that though the letter alluded to was
written by Charlotte, the sentiments it contained were
dictated by some other person. In this we will' not
anticipate, but proceed as the order of events occurred.
No sooner did George make known the object of his
choice, than preparations were entered into for her
coming to Angleland. Meantime rumour was busy in
describing her; and Mr. George King's tenantry, with
their natural kind-heartedness, gave likenesses of her in
the most beautiful pictures, and nothing' was spoken of
but the wisdom, the accomplishments, and the beauty,
of Charlotte Muckleberg Straw-litters ; aill eyes were
eager to behold this paragon of female perfection. In
the beginning of September news came that she had
landed in Angleland. Charlotte's appearance was

4
joyfully hailed by all the tenantry ; and though little
more was said of her beauty, a great deal was spoken in
favour of her affable manner— that her condescending
behaviour, during her voyage, had won the hearts of
the ladies who had accompanied her; her graciousness
to all who had access to her society, her patience and
courage during a tedious passage, presaged, in the
minds of the good-natured people, among whom she was
a stranger, every future good. Mr. Warcourt, who
conducted Charlotte to the presence of her future lord,
thought he perceived a start of disappointment on the
countenance of his Master, at the first sight of the Lady
— but it was as instantly checked : recovering his usual
serenity, George took her hand with a benevolent
smile, which said, " I shall here find many qualities
more valuable than beauty."
On the eighth they were married; on which occasion
the tenantry testified their joy by every demonstration
of pleasure : and on the twenty-second of the same
month, Mr. George and Mrs. Charlotte King, went
through the ceremony'of holding the carved sticks and
the golden pippin, and the old sword, and of wearing
the curious head-dresses^ (which become so few people)
r— these being necessary forms to enable them to exer
cise all the authority which had been annexed to the
tenure of their great estates. On that day the silk
gowns, with the other articles of right and legal pre
rogative, were displayed to the admiration of Mr. and
Mrs. Britten, who, with their numerous family, as
sembled to witness a sight so truly gratifying as that of

George King seated firmly in the crimson velvet arm
chair. As a great proof of the honourable feeling then
general in Angleland, I mention the following circum
stance. On the morning of that day, a great diamond
fell out of one of the head-dresses, as they were pro
ceeding with it to a place called Bufus Hall, a person
picked it up, and knowing, from its size, whence it
came, hastened after the man who bore it, and gave it
to him.*
Only a few months had elapsed after Mr. George
King's nuptials, when his dependants were made ex
tremely happy by the intelligence, that he was not
likely to want an heir to his illustrious house ; and,
once more, the ladies found ample employment in dis
cussing the arrangements preparatory to the accouch-
ment, and every thing went on to their satisfaction ; for
though Mr. Sullenberg had accompanied Mrs. Charlotte

* By way of illustration of the resemblance existing between the
incidents related in these Memoirs, and the contrast of manners and
opinions, of the present family of Brown-wigs, I shall state the fol
lowing fact : — In 1818, certain valuable diamonds, belonging to the
Crown, were missing ; a great search and fruitless inquiries were made
for some time ; in fact, they' had been employed on a useful expe
dition, to borrow a sum of money for a particular friend, and. could
not come back, till other money was obtained to redeem them. —
Had Nixon been living, he probably might have whispered in the
ear of Mr. George King, jun. what he is reported to have said to
his great ancestor: " He that can hide, can find." Be this as it
may, after waiting in anxious suspense some time, behold, the
diamonds were found in a lumber room !

from her native village, and acted as her faithful coun
sellor, she thought it yet too early to introduce her
country cousins into Angleland ; and all was at that
time managed according to former custom.

1t>v-

On the twelfth of August, 1762, Charlotte gave birth
to a son, the presentMr. George King, jun. and, in that
same hour, waggons, containing a rich capture from the
Hermione, (a large boat which had been taken by King's
tenantry" from Don Ferdinand's men, as they were
crossing the great fish-pond,) arrived at the Manor-
house, where great numbers had assembled to express
their acclamations on this doubly joyful occasion. When
Mrs. King was informed that this treasure (a pari- of
Don Ferdinand's rents, which gentleman was a mortal
enemy to their family) had arrived safe> she observed :
" This seems a most happy presage for my son, as
though his presence would bestow abundance on his
dependants." One of her friends turned from the bed
and whispered these prophetic words to Mrs. Warcourt,
" I see the circumstance differently ; to my mind it may
be construed, that this young Squire will need more
than belongs to him."
The following year, ,, and in the month of August,
Mrs. King had another son, whom they named Frederic ;
at which the good-natured people expressed their heart
felt joy. But, in 1765, they were under very painful
apprehension concerning their beloved master, Mr.
George King, he being attacked, with a most alarming
malady, which was not so likely to effect his life, as it

was to render him unfit for the management of his
numerous dependants. All the tenantry were solicitous
for his recovery ; and the more so> as no person: had
then been appointed to take the guidance of his own
family, or to act in behalf of the tenantry. It was,
therefore, a subject of general satisfaction,, when Mr.
King was pronounced out of danger:; arid the. first day-
he was sufficiently recovered to resume his seat at the
head of his table, he stated his wish, that, lest he should,
ever be afflicted with so bad a head-ache again, Mrs.
King, with some of .his Stewards and bis Bankers,! should
form a club, a little junto, to carry on the affairs' of
James's Court (that was the name of the Manor-house) ;
and measures were immediately entered . into for that
purpose. Mr. King's natal day was this year celebrated
in the grandest manner; the tenantry vied with each,
other- in illuminations, and every testimony by which'
they could show their joyful pleasure at seeing him
again ' resume his former occupations.— It was par*.
tjcularly noticed, and loudly applauded by Mr. and
Mrs. Britten, thai although, the ball-dresses at James's
Court were, more splendid than those worn on any
former occas&n, there was not a single, article madei by
French's people to be seen. This had been a principal,
abject of observation, because, a few weeks before, the
body of weavers and other artificers, who formed a large
portion of the 'tenantry, had assembled around the
Manor-house, with their wives and children, and com
plained that the mercers and principal tradesmen,! re
siding on Mr. King's large estates, had favoured the
manufactures of French's men, to the great detriment

8

of their own. They singled out the house of a gentle
man who was known to favour their goods, broke all the
windows, and seemed disposed to commit other acts of
violence ; nor did they disperse until the mercers had
given their assurance, that they would recal the orders
they had already sent. This satisfied the complainants,
who separated, and returned peaceably to their re
spective homes. We cannot wonder that this strict
attention to the requests of the tenantry should be par
ticularly pleasing to Mr. and Mrs. Britten, who, under
Mr. King, were the special guardians of the privileges
of the tenantry.
On the twenty-first of August, another son, William
Henry, brightened the prospect of Mr. and Mrs. King ;
and the. tenantry began to remark to each other, that
the air and living in Angleland seemed particularly fa
vourable to German constitutions. Mrs. King herself,
finding that she went on in a way to be the mother of
a large family, economised the persons of her household :
the charge of her own wardrobe had been committed to
her faithful Sullenberg, but now, the careful parent
desired Sullen to extend her attention to the inspection
of the children's also. The maids had orders to bring
Master George's frocks to this guardian of the wardrobe,
who would take the trouble to sort out such of the old
ones as might serve Fred and Will : " Then," continued
Mrs. King, " you, Sullen, can take such as have been
mended for your perquisite ; many persons in Germany
will be glad of them, and the turn-off shoes and socks,
will be sufficient for the nursery maids. You can sell

the gold lace to Prince Sackston Cowbridge, who has
240 descents in his pedigree, as many more quarters in
his shield, and half as many francs in his pocket : then
the boys' two hats will do very well, Sully, to cut into
strips for scaring the sparrows off my cousin Donder von
Dwyledill's estate."
" Two hats!" cried the young Fran Sullenberg,
" how big moichten be Don Prince's lands?"—" How
big!" indignantly retorted Mrs. King, " I tell you it is
as large as my kitchen-garden in Q corner."
Mrs. King was in all respects a pattern of good
housewifery; and as she did not at that time meddle
in her husband's concerns, she was highly respected : the
savingness of her disposition, and the good order in
which it was said she kept her children, were subjects of
conversation in every family. The ill-natured and the
envious (for such characters do exist every where)
found out, and took a pleasure in telling it, that although
Mrs. King was so exact in allowing only a sufficient
quantity for the children's pinafores, &c. she was very
fond of wearing costly ornaments herself, and that she
had a winning way of admiring the valuable trinkets of
others, which almost amounted to a request; and even
that she had not shown any objection to receive orna
ments from the hands of those who were obnoxious to the
tenantry, particularly from Squire Clove and Rabbit
Quickstep, who had been in India to buy rice. This was
to them rather perplexing, because Mr. and Mrs. Britten
had those independent feelings, that they always returned

10
a more than adequate sum for these presents; and,
though they, felt the kindest inclination to indulge Mrs.
King, they had rather have kept their gold for the tenant
ry than see it go for baubles to those who were unwor
thy. The commencement of the next year was marked
with dissatisfaction of the general measures. Petitions
were presented to Mr. George King from the different
villages in Ahgleland, praying him to change the Stew
ards, Bankers, and Clerks, who then acted as his advisers
and counsellors, and who assisted him in the manage
ment of his Estates. When he found his tenantry
suffered from some wrongly conceived project of his
stewards, he yielded to their representation in removing
them ; arid chose othersj Who enjoyed the confidence of
the tenantry, and entered into their interests. So general
was the disposition in the topping, Gentry to encourage
the trade and increase the profits of their country people,
that, on the fourth of June, a day always celebrated by
the tenantry, not an article of French's people's manu
facture was Worn at James's Court.* ¦ In this and the
two succeeding years, Mrs. -King brought an addition to
her family of two sons and a daughter. Already, the te-

* So negligent are the English now become of their national
-welfare, and so universal is the wear of foreign articles in this year;
1819, that nothing is accounted genteel and fashionable that is not
manufactured by the French or Germans ; though it is an acknow
ledged fact, that numbers of our own countrymen have perished, and
are perishing, for want of employment, The remonstrances, of the
poor are unheeded— such a height has this infatuation gained, . that,
during the last season, (as it is called,) not a ball was given with
eclat, unless the feet nibved to French music.

11
nantry of Angleland began to think the Germans unrea
sonable, as Mr. and' Mrs. Britten carried the principal
part of the burden which supplied the rent-roll; thev
regretted, in feeling, but respectful terms, that Charlotte
was so regular in her favours to them; but this was a
delicate matter, and they then began to give a specimen
of that forbearance which, since that period, has been a
subject of admiration and astonishment to all the neigh
bouring Manors.
In 1767, Mr. Clove (whom we have before-mentioned)
returned from his stewardship of the Eastern Estate
loaded with diamonds for Mr. and Mrs. King, and with
curses from the tenantry he had been sent to govern ;
whose descendants, to the latest posterity, will loath his
name as the cruel oppressor of their race. It was re
marked by a foreigner, who visited Angleland some time
about that period, that in this country the tenantry paid
in money a compliment to the Stewards, &c. for the soap
in the morning with which they washed themselves; at
nine, for their coffee, tea, and sugar; at dinner, for the
salt that flavoured their meat; in the evening, for the
porter that cheered their spirits; all day long for the
light that entered their windows; and at night, for the
candles that lighted them to bed. Could the same per
son now visit us, he would not calculate the compliments
which swell the rent-roll as payable by the day, but the
minute! Little alteration occurred in the family of Mr. and
Mrs. King during the ensuing three years: Charlotte

<^ 12
continued to bring her yearly offering to her husband,
and Mr. and Mrs. Britten acted on the forbearing system,
smiled good humouredly, and even drank prosperity
to each little stranger as it came ; but Mr. King observed
to Charlotte, that "though Mr. Britten was such a jolly
hearty fellow, yet it must be revolting to his nature to
contribute so largely to the pleasures of others, and
therefore  " but we never heard what Mr. King said,
besides, to his Lady. However, to such advice, it is sup
posed she did not pay much attention ; for, in the year
1774, Adolphus Frederic was the tenth child that smiled
on George and Charlotte : and we find, in this year, the
pensions to wet nurses amounted to the sum of sixteen
hundred pounds. At this time, Mr. and Mrs. King were
very precise in their domestic arrangements ; they kept
early hours, and lived as much within themselves as
their rank would allow. They spent their summer
months at Q Corner. George, who understood military
tactics well, exercised, himself, the soldiers, (whom it
has now become the custom of the people of Angleland
to keep embodied and in arms, even when Mr. French
is gone fast asleep,) and often spent his time in reading
to Mrs. King, who amused herself in embroidery, &c.
Topography was his favourite study ; and every morning
and evening they received the attentions of their chil
dren, of whom George and Frederic passed eight hours
daily in study. It is also worthy to be remembered, that
Mrs. King, at that period, never wore any thing herself,
or bought any article for the children, which was not
manufactured in her husband's own country. She ap
peared also to be particular in her associates ; at least, she

13
made a prudish display of the strictness she required in
those females who were allowed to be of her party; yet,
some there were, occupying their chairs in her private
circle, whose freedom of morals was publicly spoken of
and condemned by all lovers of virtue ! The excuse made
for Mrs. King was, that truth seldom finds its way to
the Great.
In a part of the beautiful territory of Angleland,
famous for its breed of dogs, from whence it has been
nicknamed Barkshire, and still more famous for the
birth of one of the oldest, best, and most amiable of the
possessors of this estate, (the. renowned and illustrious
Alfred King, who used to hunt here one thousand years
ago,) stands a venerable and majestic pile, called Wind-
rush-Castle, situated on an eminence, and commanding
a wide and magnificent view of the adjacent country ;
its grandeur, its extent, its sublimity, have long made it
a favourite residence of the Lords of the Manor of
Angleland. Here wealth ministers to the illustrious
hospitality of its owners; silver lamps, and massive
chandeliers, illuminate a vast and sumptuous hall,
where, on certain occasions, the pomp and elegance
with which the honours of chivalry, and the decorations
and rewards of honour and desert, have been celebrated
and invested, have only been exceeded by the brilliant
and dazzling display of female beauty, grace, and love
liness, which have been exhibited in the assemblies of
the delightful maids, wives, arid widows, of Angleland.
It was in this charming edifice that the day Master
George attained his fifteenth year was celebrated with

14

the greatest festivity. A numerous, but select, party
assembled on the occasion. As this was the first "public
private" party in which young George was admitted 9
member, he was the marked object of attention. Being
an elegant youth, of manners graceful and interesting,
being also the heir apparent to Angleland, it will not
be a matter of surprise, when I assure ray readers, that
every one found something in him to praise. At the
close of the evening Mrs. King felt convinced that her
son would be the handsomest, the most sensible, and
the best of men — whilst George: gave' himself credit for
all these qualities, and talked with so much warmth of
the beauty of the ladies, that, from that day, his in
clination for study lessened, and the difficulty of fixing
his attention becoming gradually greater, the three
gentlemen who had the principal management df his
education thought it their duty to mention the subject
to Mr. and Mrs. King. The former strongly enjoined
the necessity of his son paying strict attention to the
advice of his governors and reverend preceptor, but the
mother injudiciously urged many pleas in excuse for. her
spoiled boy ; and, in particular, she pleaded the playful
vivacity of her favourite. " For shame, for shame,
Charlotte ! " said Mr. King, " I protest, protest, Charlotte,
I did not think you had been so foolish ! " This was
the first sentence of reproof Mr. King had been heard
to express to his lady: from that period it was remarked
they had frequent altercations, and it was soon known
that young George was the subject of discord between
his hitherto happy father and mother. Another year
passed without much apparent alteration ; but as the

15

young gentleman did not resume his former relish for
study, his governors and the good divine resigned their
situations. The tenantry made many surmises on the
subject, but as this was considered merely a domestic
occurrence, their respect for Mr, King made them
silent. .Many persons are unfortunate in the selection
of their friends : Mrs. King had the mortification to
prove an instance of this. assertion in iher acquaintance
with Mrs. Villiers, a lady of rank, of /beauty,, and .ati~
complishments, and of f such insinuating manners^ that
she imposed on her most intimate friends. ; At tikes time
I speak of,: she had two, lovely daughters, whom. isb?
educated with the most scrupulous correctness, though
the frailty, of her private habits was , such, that.' she
found opportunities to impart, the same, loving Jut
structions to young George, as the widow. Warren com-
mrinicated tb,J, J. Rotisseau; and. it is asserted fhat he
received them with the .feame. docility and pleasure-
nay, that he was so well convinced of the benefit
derived from a person of experience, that .; he has
retained a partiality for old women all his Ufe !
It was the wish of Mr. King to make the boys use
ful in the different departments of his estate ; and as the
tenantry of Angleland were the acknowledged, masters
of the great fish-pond, from whence they had driven all
Mr. Louis French's men, he destined one of them to
the service ; for. this purpose, William Henry King left
his family in June, 1779, to go as midshipman oa board
the Prince George sailing boat; and, in the following
year, Frederic King, accompanied by Colonel Greene-

16

reli, set out on his tour to the Continent, where it was
intended he should practise military discipline, with
his relative, the Prussian Dragoon. George, from the
circumstance of being the oldest, was prevented the
chance of seeing any thing beyond the limits of his fa
ther's territory : and here I cannot but lament, that the
fashion of the times confined his knowledge to one class
only of his father's dependants. To my plain way of
thinking,, it were only reasonable and proper that the
future governor of a number of people should endeavour
to obtain an actual knowledge of the manners, employ
ments, commerce, and state of the financial resources of
those persons, and of their connexion with the people
residing on other properties, in order to fit him for the
office — otherwise he must depend entirely on the re
presentation of those who have most frequent access
to his person ; and, God knows ! the people of Angle-
land have had many melancholy proofs of the perfidy
and the self-interestedness of the Stewards of the
Manor-house — we will go no further than Mr. Deputy
King, the Secretary of home affairs. How many peti
tions has he failed to deliver to his Master ! how many
have fallen victims to his dilatoriness in laying their
complaints before the person to whom they were ad
dressed ! If this heartless man ever did possess one
feeliitg of a compassionate nature — one small scintilla
of humanity, even they have become seared, or extinct.
Does this insensibility to the sufferings of others pro
ceed from sordid meanness — from his callous apathy,
his proud indifference, his inflexible obstinacy, his per
severing folly, his relentless cruelty, and his innate

17
apprehension, lest, if he obtained a crumb for another,
it might lessen his own loaf? How many, like the
unfortunate officer who shot himself before Squire
George's mansion,* have fallen victims to the faithless
promises they have received! This gallant foreigner
had proved his intrepid bravery at the battle of Water
loo: he had faced, with unshrinking nerves and dauntless
intrepidity, the thickest fire of the enemy, but he could
not support the sight of an affectionate wife in distress;
his courage could sustain only his own sorrows: his
hopes had sunk so repeatedly under the procrastination
of the promised promotion, his confidence had been so
often betrayed and abused, that he embraced death as a
relief from sufferings which he could no longer con-
template.f In August, 1781, Mr. George King made his appear
ance at the Manor-house in his new character of heir-
apparent to Angleland, having attained the age at
which men are supposed to have sufficient judgement to
govern themselves, and to be the managers of their own

* May 23d.
f From the year 1811, petitions have continued to be presented
to the present Squire George King, (jun.) ; but he, unlike Mr. King,
senior, has remained perversely inattentive to the solicitations of
his tenantry ; — nay, he has even shown not only a contemptuous
negligence of their reasonable requests, but a tyrannical disposition
to subject the complainants to silence by modes of defiance and
cruelty. In 1817, when the people, urged by their starving con-
D

18

property ; however, in this case, there proved to be much
error in the supposition ; and it were most devoutly to
be wished that, in lieu of fixing a limited time for the
ripening of his reason, the people of Angleland had
waited for the period when one wise action should have
proved his reason ripe ; so that if their expectations
were doomed to be disappointed by his continuing a
child all his life, he might not have had the power of
making the tenantry suffer for his follies. But it has
ever been a remark of other countries, that the Stewards
of Angleland have a genius for inventing good laws,
without the ingenuity of applying them practically.
To return to the twelfth of August: the day was
ushered in by the ringing of bells, firing of cannon, and
every demonstration of joy usual on such occasions; the

dition, to assemble for the legal purpose of consulting on the best
mode of stating their grievances,, the Secret Committee found out a
conspiracy which (they said) threatened the annihilation of power
and law ; but, as the particulars of the plot have ever remained a
secret to the world, known only to the members of the Secret Com
mittee, in the usual term of society, we have cause lo suppose it was
planned by themselves. However, it served as an excuse for gallop
ing the- military up to, Loudon a few,, days previous to a meeting in
Spa-fi?lds— on which occasion they were served with nine rounds of
cartridge, for which they had no kind of use, as the innocent and
defenceless people, against whom this warlike preparation had been
made, after listening to the resolutions proposed by their friends and
advisers, dispersed quietly to their own homes.

19

evening closed with fire-works, illuminations, and every
suitable accompaniment. At the head of the tenantry
were Mr. and Mrs. Britten, anticipating the valorous
deeds which they expected Squire George, jun. to per
form, when a very few more years should give him
experience. Mr. Britten, with his habitual good-
humour, declared he saw a very great similitude be
tween the present young Squire and one of the former
Lords of Angleland, named Harry Monmouth, and
toasted him, in his holiday style, with three times three.
The youth himself, who was the hero of the day, felt in
buoyant spirits, secretly congratulating himself that
riow he should have liberty, and act as he pleased.
Two hours in the liiornHig were passed in a tete-a-tete
with Mrs. Villiers, who* at the desire of Mrs. King,
undertook to initiate him into the sacred secrets of
several families who were expected in the evening at
the Manor-house. By ber he was informed how he
should distribute his graceful bow to the greatest
political advantage. Mamma was delighted at the
readiness with which her son devoted his time to Mrs.
Villiers; she did not know, however, that Mrs. Villiers
had Other knowledge to impart, more charming than the
mysteries of mere etiquette; but so: satisfied was' Mrs.
King with her son's behaviour that night, that, before
she retired to her apartment, she stepped to Mrs.
Villiers (for she slept at the Manor-house) to express
her thanks, and was rather surprised to meet her son
coming from the room. Her blind partiality instantly
conjectured he had been discharging (almost the truth,
indeed!) a debt of gratitude— for which she applauded

20
him, with an injunction that he would always act in the
same manner.*
From that day the doating mother was continually
contriving plans of pleasure to amuse him: private
parties, as they were called, because they were made
up from families who had a right to come within a near
distance of the arm-chair, were invited daily to the
Manor-house; masked balls, petit suppers, and rural
breakfasts, were given in return, at which young Squire
George condescended lo take a seat. His father did
not share these festivities — he still adhered to his own
early hours; but the social intercourse between him and
Mrs. King now began , to weaken : he saw, with serious
apprehension, the lengths to which, his son's impetuous
passions might lead him. Charlotte's weak vanity, at
seeing her favourite child the subject of universal praise
and admiration, made her, on the other hand, the secret
encourager and abettor of .his failings, which shortly
attained the enormity of vices: she supplied him with
sums of money, and was to him, the certain instrument
that worked his destruction. So infatuated did she
become, that she engaged the most elegant and ac
complished of both sexes to exhibit, in the evening,
theatrical entertainments. Among these individuals
there was one in particular, a beautiful and elegant
female, whose unfortunate destiny it was to be married

* The young Squire is said to have manifested much filial piety
in obeying his mamma !

21
to a wretch, who, insensible to° the feelings of honour
and delicacy, had wished to.barterher person for a sum
of money. The gentleman to whom the iniquitous offer
was made, , however, showed himself, the greatest of
conquerors, and resigned his sensual gratification to the
claims of virtue. But the brutal husband persisting in
his atrocious and infamous determination, she fled for
advice and protection to the Lady of the Manor., The
amiable female described her situation to be .such that
it compelled her to quit her husband.: .,Mrs*.King spoke
of the duty of a wife to bear with the temper of her
husband, which Jthe istranger, interrupted by saying,
" You, madam, have only known a good husband ;" — and
she urged the Lady to bestow upon; her the smallest
employment in the M'anor*house> that she might profit
by her protection; Mrs. King felt the justness of her
remark respecting Mr. Kitlg,. and engaged: her to per
form a part in her private 'theatre. The Ladylaceepted
the offer:, the consequence was, that she, who had fled
to tbe mother for protection, was exposed, by her, who,
on so many accounts, ought to have acted as her, friend
and ( patroness, to the seduction of her son. To what
motive, we may attribute conduct so preposterous, > so
disgraceful, we are at a loss to conceive. Some persons
have defined this act to have proceeded from a total
absence of the finer feelings of our nature — and I am
now inclined to suppose they who thought so thought
rightly ; for all the latter Lady's actions, in the latest
part of her life, were devoid of feelings of any sort,
except those pf malignity and parsimony. Her real
character did not show itself during the time Mr. King

22
was in health ; she then shared the light, the esteem,
which his conduct created, and which his goodness
imparted. Even at the period about which I am now
writing, she refrained from meddling with any public
business  if we except the bias which she might occasiou
in public opinion, by receiving very valuable presents.
A person could hardly take such articles as ivory chain,
ivory beds, rich pieces of silk, or pearl necklnces, without
showing a degree of civility to the donor. Gratitude is
not much known, I believe, beyond the middle class of
life; but good manners, I should suppose, would autho
rize courtesy, even in a Lady of the Manor.
Mrs. King found a god deal of difficulty in the
management of her girls. The haughty pride of Augusta
could scarcely be controlled by her mother, whom she
often offended by saying, " When I am Lady of a
Manor, I shall do so and so"— mentioning a different
conduct to that which Mrs. King herself practised:
indeed, the latter was often obliged to report her con
duct to her father, with whom she was a great favourite.
notwithstanding her aversion to music. In some things
she showed her good taste ; in nothing more than in her
attachment to the good, the handsome, and accomplished
Lord Decorous. Often has she been heard to exclaim!
"The poorest girl on my father's estate has an ad
vantage over me — she can marry the man she loves."
The attachment was reciprocally felt and lamented;
and, to show the purity of their affection, it is just to
remark, that slander never censured them.

23
Betsy was of a different disposition, and, we may
say, different constitution, to that of her sister: she was
ppen hearted, good humoured, and affable, and her
attachments were more general. As she was the most
conciliating and submissive in her manners towards Mrs.
King, she enjoyed greater indulgences;— indeed, her
situation sometimes required them — and this formed a
league of bearance and forbearance, which united them
in a bond of convenient friendship that continued until
the marriage of Betsy took her from Angleland.
In 1786, Mr. King's life was endangered by mad
Madge Nickerson, who, under pretence of offering a pe
tition, took that opportunity to attempt to stab him.
His natural condescension caused him to bend forward
on receiving the paper, which prevented the weapon
from reaching him. Great anxiety was expressed by
the by-standers, whom Mr. King requested not to hurt
the woman: he assured them he was not injured, and
desired them to take care of the person saying, " she
probably was insane ;" and so indeed she proved on her
examination. This year Mr. King experienced a good deal of un
easiness frpm the conduct of his eldest son, the present
Squire George King, who had already incurred debts to
the amount of one hundred thousand pounds! The
Squire made application to his father, who refused to
assist him; which conduct, on the part of Mr. King,
seems perfectly right, considering that he had made an
allowance to his son of fifty thousand pounds yearly, out

24
of the rent-roll, and that the tenantry had granted him
an outfit of a hundred thousand. The prudent father
hoped by the refusal to check his son's extravagance;
besides, he had many other children to provide for, or
they must be left a burthen to his tenantry, a measure he
wished to avoid. On this occasion Squire George sold
some of his horses, as an outward pretence that he sub
mitted to the will of his father; but his dissolute conduct
became more and more exposed, and every day brought,
some fresh proof of extravagance. A new attachment'.
he had formed with Mrs. Herbert (the widow of Mr.
Herbert of Staffordshire) led him into unlimited,
expense: that Lady, to secure him more effectually,
conceived the project of visiting Mr. French's country,
whilst she employed a friend to consult the doctors of
her sect on the propriety of the connexion. Her re
ligion was one, the prejudices of which the people of
Angleland had protested against. So strong was the
barrier between them, that the Lords of the Manor had
bound thetnselves by a solemn oath never to embrace it,
under pain of the forfeiture of their Estate : which oath;
extended to the prohibition of marriage with any person
of that faith. What then must we think of the present
Squire, who acted in opposition to these laws ! regardless
of the consequences, he absented himself from the domain
of Angleland, made a secret visit to his dissipated cousin,
Squire French Plumb, and in his country, and ioitk his as
sistance, went through the ceremony of being married to
Mrs. Herbert! he then returned to Angleland, and
fitted up a villa for his would-be-wife, so contiguous to
his own, that a private passage conveyed him unseen to

2&
her presence! whenever hefWisbjedaher society; and Mrs.
Herbertfs ffifirads boasted, that inutheir habits', tbey, Seri
arv 'edifying; example. of, conjugal felicity. '« Their villas
Wire.' crowded (with visiters; even :>. the) most prudisb
found an apology for associating with jMi%'.» Herbert.'
The brothers of Squire George were on intimate terms'
With t}er * m4 it Was asserted the Lady of thexMferfifl*&a#
received ;he4-y because> she'said,. Mrs. Herbert Had been1
the means' of inducing her dear George to become ddmes-
tic, and tc takecareof his health; During thfeyear the1
peeu-niary diffictilties of the young Squire were dWiissed'
in the Steward^ CouWeitrOom. "The principal Steward'
(a deep' calculator, who had tbe interest of the tenantry
at heart) endeavoured: to prevent the discussion ; TM
Dick Sparkle arid Charles? Brush, at the head of Squire
George's' Mfe&dV Were resolved to- solicit the assistance'
6f the tenantry1 hi1 his behalf. ° Some broad' Birftsf^e9e'
thrbwn'J«ut by a Mri'Rdll^ttet the' Sqiiire' had^tferl
contrary to the laws pfv Angleland— alluding to the ce
remony which had taken place1 between' the 'Sqarfcand'
Mrs. Herbeh;!:in Mr.J(Fr^rirjOT;Iahc>; But! these were re
futed by the eloquence and wit of Richard arid Charle^:
The latter went so far as to declare, he had the authority
of the Squire Mmself' to- say, thai his conduct had. been' le
gally correct ;,' uitd'frei from the least interitloti to iftftiiige'
ott the Um cf -'ArigMdnd.' If there reaifly^be1 any 'irieritr
in- telling a lie with a good- grace, Charles,' iii this
instance, deserved1 the credit' of doing so;' fpir'aitBbugh'
Ms as^eveifatibri dW not satisfy his5 opponents, ft 'silerlcctt
therti*

26

Mr. King sent a message to the Stewards and Ban*
kers, to express1 his sorrow that bis son should occasions
so much trouble, and to signify, his willingness to give:
his; assistance, provided- Geprge should' ^premise not . to-
incur, future :debts. On .this condition.: the .matter was;
accommodated. Business once more moved forward in
its usual way. ] Mr. and Mrs. Britten, had; fopw begnn.lfp
feel the incumbrance imposed oh them;b<y the. I Stewards-,
to have increased so, that; it was become.very burdensome.
to ' carry : but Mr. Britten was the njiost bearliy: fellow
living — he actually found excuses for ithe: yoiuflg Squiye,
and entertained a confident, bppe, that whenever, (he;
shpuld be employed in the affairs , of !; the Manor, he.
would ^id adieu to.; all his extravagant fpllie&,_ ( " < He is;
such a handsome fellow!" Big;Britten would say, " he
njiust have hjs frolic with the .girls; as yet he] has been
no one's enemy but his own ; to be sure he has beenrtoo,
Prodigal, birt he wilj make it all :up to,, the., tenantry
heieafter: and he has used, a pitchfork and, the but-end
of his whip rather unfortunately ! but the same accidents
might have happened to another person, in a. passion, as
well as to him,"
The person who felt, most on the Squire's account
was his father; he loved Ji is tenantry wi$i the, affection
of # parent, [and anticipated, with sorrow, the -little prp-,
bability there seemed of amendmentj for he knewinaore
Pf. his son's real disposition; and sentiments, than Mr-,
Brjtten did. As one effort towards reforming him,; he
resolved to banish George from his society for a time;

27

but the pain he suffered in taking this step, with many
other disagreeable sensations from private and public
causes, brought on symptoms that occasioned the physi-
qians to apprehend a return of his former complaint,
and they advised change of air and scene as the most
effectual preventives. For this purpose, Mr. King
left the Manor-house in July, 1788, accompanied by
Mrs. King, and his daughters Augusta and Betsy: the
latter, having just recovered from an " indisposition" the
daughters pf Eve are subject tp, expected to benefit
from, the excursion: she looked, " fat" and good
humoured, and being very lively and affable, she was a
favourite with the tenantry, whp were glad to see she
bad. not suffered from her late "confinement." The
party extended their tour to Worcester and Gloucester;
they were every where received with heartfelt satisfac
tion, but the wished-for object of the journey was not
obtained. Mr, King's illness, gained ground, which
olaiiged, them to return to the Manor-house, where Mr.
King suffered a severe and dangerous attack. During
tbe tempprary absence of his father and mother, Squire
George entertained all the topping gentry at his country
villa, where Mrs. Herbert presided in the dubious
capacities of wife and mistress., They who lpved good
living, and the honour of keeping Squire. George com
pany, affected to say, in a whisper, they, knew she was
mprrie-j. Trje few who were scrupulous as ,to morals,
or who thought it would not agree with their political
views to coincide with the former, called her his mistress:
but, in whatever light she was considered, all saw that
she' had acquired a powerful control over the Squire;

28
eweniMuisv Vqliiers trembled lesther^secret might be be-
irfeysd :f but he showed 3 himself to be as elever asthe
ladiesj; he ikeptthem bothingocd humour, and though
hemb^longeriiaieededibsiinietion, he often practised With
Mrs; Villiers the lessons she had' taught him. ,
, ¦ Asv a >speoies«of airiusejrif&it" with -which -it seemed
mbst suitable for the heir Pf a 'Manor to entertain his
guests, VSqujre^George 'had* certain persons trained to
J%ht, and, with'bis' particular friends, witnessed — nay^
hv**& pWoriised) three ' pitched battles within sight of
hisivilla: btttfas one of the combatants lost his courage
and died, Squire 'Geprge' thought Mr. Britten1' might
not1 approve ilhese'spPpts, therefore; though he declared
{he! sight had 'afforded good fun, he determined not to
support any 'more battles with1 his patronage. During
this year Mt. JKing's prolonged illness caused "young
Squire George's conduct to undergo a sort of scrutiny
inithe debates that took place in the Council-room of
the i tenantry^ t being necessary to -'fix1 the extent of
authority to >be Allowed persons who should superintend
thfc'inanagemeqt of the Manor • during Mr. King's in
capacity. -j The principal Steward thpught the" main
spring of -authority should be vested in the 'Goiincil of
Stewards, whilst 'Richard JandDWarles; contended, that
full '^od legal, power ought to be given ' to ; Squire
George, junior. *Fhe' matter, however, was ably' ti%-
bussed by the political calculator,' who expressed ' his
apprehensions lest the young Squire and his party
would not adhere to the present laws and regulations of
Angleland, in opposition to the witty sarcasms 'of

29

Richard,'} and. tbe> cunning arguments, of i,. Charles, in
favour of their patron. .However, before ,the great
point: was eventually settled, , Mr. King's disorder
assumed a better appearance, and., in the following year,
he was able to resume the labours of his government.
All ranks, of persons hailed this ev,ent with sensations , of
real joy, for his! conduct ;had so endeared hirii to his de
pendants^; that each loved him as a father,'-he himself
never having done any thing that could excite dissatis
faction.1'1 I* was true his children were expensive to the
tenantry, but he 'never ¦ encouraged their extravagance,
but lamented it, and in his own person gave them an
example of regularity and economy. In 1790, Mr.
Britten began to fear the failings of the hopeful Squire
Were augmenting to vices ;'¦ every day brought intelli
gence of some expensive' 'improvement, or sumptuous
erftertainment, in which he was as lavish of money as
though it were not obtained through the hard labour and
deprivations of the tenantry.
•"Mr', and -Mrs. Britten could no longer Walk erect
front the 'load with which the Stewards had oppressed
theth, and then began to show their displeasure in a
hissing_Jioise^_jdien. any of Mr- King's, family went
abroad; and as Big Britten, in his angry mood, acted
Somewhat hastily, he sometimes threw a stone at the
father's chair, which was not intended as a personal
insult to him, but meant, by way of , hint, that he should
restrain his children in their several follies. Yet he
could not deter the Squire from 'building costly baby-
houses, of which his Dress Cottage was a specimen;

30

where;, within the space of a few acresj were canals in
terspersed with mountains, Swiss bridges, Arcadian
groves, Indian mosques, Chinese temples, and Siberian
desarts'— to say nothing of the interior, where manufac
tures of every nation formed a medley pf furniture ill
suited to mix together, and gave the spectator an idea
of the confused notions of a man whose taste seemed to
consist in, disorder^ We are surprised his acquaintance,
tbe ainateur Upholsterer, who was really a 'person of
taste,: did not improve Squire George in this respect—
though, by the Squire's conduct in graver matters, we
are inclined to think he would direct, whether he were
right or wrong. During the years 1790 and J791, Mr.
and Mrs. Kirig. and j daughters, went occasionally to
Weymouth ; Miss Betsy, indeed, had occasion to make
one or two.'f other excursions," from, an indisposition
which was declared " constitutional;" but as, her re
coveries were quick, np dangerous tendency was apprer
headed.* About this period a violent earthquake shook Mr.
French's country, and razed his Manor-hpuseJto the
ground; its effect was felt in Angleland. As the coni-

* About 1789, a lady took up. her residence for a. short .time in
a private house at Worcester— as she wore a . ipask on entering and>
on quitting it, she was a cause of various conjectures. The medical
gentleman who attended the mysterious stranger suddenly' rose to
some' degree df eminence ; he had the charge of an infant, of whom
he was particularly Careful, which, with other incidents, led to a
belief that the stranger wasMiss Betsy.

31
mptiop,,, 'had,, in its commencement, arisen from, the'
ihpughtless and" extravagant manners of the Squires of
that: country, (particularly French Plumb,) the tenantry
of Angleland began to compare their own situation with
that 'of , Mr French's people: :. finding a great, simi
litude in the conduct, of their own Squires, to those of
Mr;, French, , they: wished to make a fair, statement of
their apprehensions, and, by timely precautions,, prevent
the, .misfortune, wbich hadfallen upon their, neighbours.
The representation on the, part of the tenantry, was
vain, as the Squires refused to change their system, par
ticularly , M1". 'George King, jun. who < increased ;hjs
expensive pleasures. Breakfasts, which lasted all day,
were now the most fashionableamusement, at which the
gay of both.sexes assembled in -masks.-'! '.-The expense of
these fetes exceeded mere probability : not knowing how
otherwise to trifle away a sufficient sum in the enter
tainment, . a , fashion prevailed of distributing lottery
tickets at them, by which means each lady had ' a prize';
the person who expended the largest sum in this man
ner was esteemed most worthy the friendship of Squire
George. >-
At this period Frederic King, who was still with? his
namesake, the Prussian Dragoon, wrote to ask his
father's permission to wed the Dragoon's- oldest daugh
ter, with whose beautiful little foot he had- fallen des
perately in love. Finding his partiality so well founded,
the Stewards of Angleland united with Mr. King in con
senting to the, match,: but the disparity of pecuniary
settlements was not very ¦ agreeable to Mr. and Mrs.

32-
Britten. Thei '.Dragoon agreed to*give his- daughter
twenty-two thousand pounds ;- which sum* in Case of her
dying before her husband, was to be .retilrued to 'hittf^
then Miss Prussia was to have a yeaHy allowance of four
thousand, and a jointure :(sfapu>ld she outlive- Fred)J of
eight thousand. pounds, withi a residence and- suitable
establishment ; ; aridi the Estarce i»3' Angleland . was-' not to
have any dsamswhateyen son the i Estate* of the, Prussian
Dragodn. ThesStewaidscvPtedlan addiAiora :of itweniy-i
five thousands ton Fred's foqmerlitwielvep his own; Manor
brought him in a; rent-roll of thirty-five .thousand > but
alllthJisliasi'proveduiadeqiuateito his necessary demands !
WrhenlJad was'requefeted;.a;f34«»nionths baek,i to payaft
odcaslonbl vasit, : to his fatfaicu at- rWinditushUHaslflej he
teas, obliged to'iefuse' until thfi7Stewandts^,gsBvd, hiim ano>»
ther ten thousand to his annual income, to allow him
a> horse for bis rjiojurnies ; bufc we-.feair bteumay faavMndea!
theinConvenienceihof -. walkiaig. to Wind iaish-<Caslfe/iif ist
be true, that he wiasf-so^uinlu^ikiyias to lase,tfaet;sum which
wftSngive-fli him for the purpose of riding. If,tbe^Sq(ni*efe
of iManpjs are sufihi un*feas©n9(bile beings!,, ©©-wender/tha*
Big Britten should wish the number more limitedi)?n<W ;
¦< : No; expBhaive: jfetes— no , extravagant ifolhes,fir]i6g]face
the records ofthe senior Mr. King.31 we fiadi that! h©: was
always hospitably goodi and I that he [selected proper
Ol^ectsfoj' the, gifts he bestowed* ; ,y.\ '.aorl n tljtv/ ,v.J
• i hi.. ¦ i, ita ,,«; \ "... . , . . i' . ' ¦ _: j ,:¦; ¦

* When Mr. King visited Dorchester jail, in 1792, Farmer frtfield
todk that opportunity of presenting a petition' to his Majesty, who,
graMously taktog the paper, and finding «ie poor man had suffered

33
• Augustus Frederick King was at Rome in the: year
1792, where he was admiring the fine pictures of Saint
Peter's and the Vatican, when he espied Mrs. Dumore
and her amiable daughters; the result of this meeting
was a marriage between him and Miss Augusta Murray.
During the following year they came to Angleland, and
with a view to tie themselves closer together, went
through the form of having their names called three
times in church, and being re-married. But Mr. King
was obliged to inform them the knot would come untied,
because the Stewards had not pulled the string; therefore,
as they had taken so much trouble, they retired to a
cottage together, and,we believe, they enjoy more do
mestic happiness and comfort than any other of Mr.
King's children.
In the latter end of 1794, Mr. King had an interview
with his eldest son, who had not visited his father for a
long time, nor was the meeting productive of any thing
pleasant: shortly after, the Squire's debts became again
the subject of public discussion ; and, once more, did
Mr. and Mrs. Britten take upon themselves the burden
of paying them : on this condition, that the Squire
should marry. The Stewards made this proposal from a
hope that matrimony would render him more domestic,
and put an end to the licentious manner of living, in

seven year's confinement through his inability to pay a lawyer's
bill, immediately discharged the debt, which amounted to more
than two hundred pounds, and sent the farmer rejoicing to his own
family- '

34
which he had hitherto indulged: tbe Squire, cpnsen|ed,
and even desired they weuld igefc pictures pf the Ladies.
of all the adjoining manors, from which. 'he wpuld se
lect a wife. The search was immediately began, and
soon a Lady fixed upon, who was, niece to Mr- King,
sen. and daughter to his favourite sister ; , she had been
educated on her father's manor pf Brp.wn-jwigx and wqd14"
have been better pleased to have remained there, with
her mother,, to whom she wasi tenderly attached; bjtf
Squire Brown-wig looked at the advantages of his d.angb:
ter marrying the heir of Angleland, arid persuaded
her into compliance, This preliminary being fixed., a
vast sum w?*s appropriated for the, purpp?e of freeing
Squire George pf all pecuniary encumbrances, which
Mr. and Mrs. Britten took cheerfully upon themselves to
advance : they certainly bent under the load, but they
considered their favourite free, and as he was npw; more
than thirty years of age, they concluded he would act. as
became a man. In the spring pf , 1795, the Bride elect
was conducted to Angleland, hy Mr, Salmsbury, Mrs,
Warcourt, and others. Op. her arrival at G  she was
met by Mrs. Villiers, the friend of Squire George, arid
one whom he, wished; her to consider in the mpie inti
mate light of a companion : here was an unprovoked
insult! to send his mistress, whom he had proved to be
the most frail pf all who frequented the Manor-house,
to initiate his wife — the future Lady of the Manor, in the
ceremonies of the country ! Mrs. Villiers was to direct
her taste; but, principally, she was to worm herself into
her secret thoughts, in hopes that he might learn some
trifle on which he could frame an excuse for not giving

35

her his affections; for he had pledged his word of honour
to Mrs. Herbert, that he would love her as before : his
regard increased for Mrs. Villiers — therefore it was not
•expected he could have any love to bestow on one that
was forced upon him, as the fag-end of his debts: how
ever, " Big Britten," the Squire said, " was a good fellow;
he deserved to be pleased in his turn, and as he knew the
dog had set his heart on seeing an heir to the Manor
from his precious self, he had resolved to observe all the
ceremoniesj to keep him in good humour."
When Mrs. Villiers first met Miss Caroline . Brown-
wig, she bit her lip with vexation, at seeing her so
agreeable in person, and that moment secretly deter
mined to make her the victim of her jealousy; but, while
Mrs. Villiers breathed the project to herself, she ap
proached Miss Brown-wig with one of her fascinating
smiles, and expressed her hope of future favour with
such bewitching grace, that the unsuspecting Caroline
extended her hand with heartfelt pleasure, and drew
towards her the treacherous basilisk, which was to sting
her mortally. For some days after this Lady's .arrival,
the Manor-house presented a scene of unprecedented
gaiety, in which all the tenantry bore their share, and
Big Britten shouted and capered with as much agility
as his heavy burden would allow. The Bride and
Bridegroom were the least satisfied ; Mrs. Villiers hav
ing obtained from the former her candid observations
on all she saw, which the artful go-between twisted and
misrepresented to Squire George; in terms best suited
to her own diabolical purpose: The young Squire and

36

his Lady were the dupes of this designing woman, who
took care to speak of them to each other in a way to
prevent the cementing of that natural affection, which,
had their minds been unprejudiced, would have followed,
«s the sure result of well intenlioned civility and mutual
kindness. Nor were they the only persons she deceived,:
in proof of which assertion, one circumstance shall be
selected from several. For some days after Mrs. George
Kirig's arrival at the Manor-house, she complained of. a
feverish thirst', (the general consequence of travelling
and change of air,) and being partial lo cider, she had
-recourse to that beverage, in which Mrs. Villiers se
cretly mixed a portion of brandy, and when Mrs.
George King had drank plentifully of it, she asked the
senior Mrs. King to come and view tbe mother of the
future heirs of Angleland : Mr. King, she dared not
assail, well knowing his good sense and kind heartedness
would have dived into her artful and wicked con
trivances. The latter end of this year was a time of general dis
content; the measures adopted by the Stewards and
Bankers were in opposition to the opinions of the te
nantry, and they wished the Stewards to be changed.
Big Britten gave hints of this to Mr. King and every
branch of his family, when any of them went abroad.
In February 1796, a stone really penetrated the window
of Mr. King's vehicle, grazed' the cheek of Mrs. King,
and fell into her friend Dame Herring-Town's lap. On
this occasion Mr. King showed the greatest firmness;
but he did not order the servants who attended him to

37

disperse the spectators, by taking their lives; and having
afterwards occasion to go out of tne Manor-house, he
went as usual, accompanied only by a few of his servants,
for be knew that the tenantry loved -him ; only Big
Britten had a rash method of expressing his disappro
bation.*

« On the 29th of January, 1817, as the present Squire George
King was proceeding along his park, a small stone, or pea, or gravel,
or some such harmless matter, penetrated the window of his coach,
in which also sat the Morose captain of the horse, and the valiant
gentleman, Moray. Immediately this friendly action took place (for
it proved afterwards to' have been done by a friend, and for a
friendly purpose) a motion was made for the armed servants to
approach, who instantly galloped helter skelter among the throng,
maiming some, throwing down others, and dispersing all. In the
midst of tills confusion, one unfortunate wight, named Pict, let fall
his umbrella ; in trying to regain it, he was seized by one of tlie
most impetuous of Lord Derry-down's men, who exclaimed that he
had stooped for more stones wherewith to kill Squire George,— and
hastened him before the judges, to answer the charge of high treason.
Meantime, an express had gone for an addition of armed servants,
who came to look at Squire George whilst he remained in the High
Steward's room, and to protect him through a bye-road to his owir
mansion. Mr. Pict was examined and re-examined — which scrutinies
passed before a Secret Committee (a mode lately adopted to conceal
the nothingness of proceedings), and at last a final and public
examination took place, when, as no stone had been found in the
carriage, nor any aperture perceived by which it might have got in,
or have got out, (as, after minute investigation, the fracture in the
glass could not have admitted a substance larger than a pea,) and as
Mr. A. could not pledge his responsibility whether the nameless
missile went in a straight or a crooked line, and as Mr. B. could not
pledge his word whether it were of a round or oval form — all these

38
In January, 1796, Mrs. George King, jun. gave birth
to a daughter, which circumstance created general
pleasure throughout the Manor of AnglelarKh • Big
Britten, could he have had his choice, would rather the
young heir had been of his own sex; but he said to
himself, " Miss Elizabeth Tudor made a good mistress,
and so, I trust, will this lady!" and he capered in the
joyful throng as well as his shackles would let him.
The birth of this child did not, as is usually the case,
bring ati increase of happiness to its parents ; for we
find, so early as the month of May, in that year, Squire
George informed his lady of his determination, that in
future there should not be any intercourse between
them. To which she returned a proper and feminine
answer, " That she should endeavour to give an example

essential subjects of inquiry not? being- satisfactorily proved, tbe
prisoner was informed that he was acquitted ofthe dreadful charge
.of treason ! but that he must stand a trial for riot and misdemeanour.
Bail was offered and accepted — no more has transpired of Mr. Pict.
An • elucidation did take place respecting the stone, namely, that
Lord Derry-down, Mr. Deputy King, and the other right honourable
members of that fraternity, having given out that' secret con.
spiracies were undermining the good laws of their country, advised
the suspension of their great friend, Mr. Abeas Scorpus, an ancient
arid most venerated gentleman ; but as no ostensible cause had
occurred (for all proof had remained with the Secret Committee),
they adopted the plan of employing a friend to throw a little gravel
into their master's coach, as some excuse to Big Britten' for en
croaching so much on his freedom, and alarming his fears so greatly.
Mr. Scorpus was hung, and the plotters of his suspension toasted each
other for their ingenuity.

35

of patience." This resolution qo.ming from so polite,
kind-hearted, and gallant, a gentleman, as Squire George
was said to be, caused universal astonishment. Big Brit
ten, who swelled with indignation at an insult offered to
a female, and one whom he had taken under bis special
protection, persevered in elbowing his way tp the
Manor-house, and there discovered a disgraceful plot,
carried on . by a little club, of which Mrs. King and
Mrs. Villiers were the stewards. ,Mrs. Villiers had
acted on her first iinpresgionT-^ea/oHSj/; Mrs,. King from
a rank disposition to umharitableness, which, in this
instance, she had nursed into hatred from the following
trivial cause: Mrs. Caroline King, jun. had written a
packet of letters to different friends in her own native
village. As she had been educated at Squire Brown-*
wig's house, her manners retained much of the affability
and agreeable ease which pervades that circle — -possessr
ing, as she did, a great natural share of vivacity, and
being, besides, of a candid, open, and benevolent dis
position, (add to which, that the purity of her ideas
needed no concealment,) she described, in her own easy
way, her thoughts and remarks respecting Angleland,
and the persons she had seen. Among other various
matter, she observed that Mr. and Mrs. Britten were
very kind-hearted and seemed much attached to her,
for which she felt very grateful. She spoke of Mr.
King, sen. as the best of men ; but said, " Snuffy," mean
ing Mrs. King, sen. " did not look so kindly upon her;
neither did she feel much predilection for her female
cousins— that they were continually finding fault with
her dress, or her manner of making a curtsy, or some

40

other very trifling matter, too insignificant (Mrs. King,
jun. said) to be the subject of praise or of censure.
Yet," she continued, "these are points of the greatest
consequence at James's Court. Mrs. Villiers, who
directs these matters for me, answers the purpose of an
almanack to Snuffy; she can tell, to a nicety, every rule
that has been observed since Miss Elizabeth Tudor's
time; one of which my female cousins follow very
exactly, that of eating beef-steaks, and drinking porter,
at twelve every morning, 8tc. &c." These letters Mrs.
Villiers (under pretence of taking charge of them) got
possession of, and for the worst, the meanest of pur
poses!— that she might display their contents to Mrs*
King, who, from the frivolous circumstance of being
called Snuffy, became the most inveterate enemy, and
the most unrelenting persecUtrix, that ever disgraced her
sex ! When we consider that a Lady of the Manor
was so abject as to seek intelligence by this means, and
that Squire George became a party with Mrs. Villiers
to betray the private actions of his wife, we are at a loss
where to attribute the greater inconsistency and failing
, of human nature.
In the following summer, the fat Prince Wartden-
bergben was so gallant as to bend his unwieldy figure
before Miss Augusta Matilda King, and invite her to
live with him in a pleasant summer-house, situate in a
beautiful part of his garden, on the banks of the Rhine;
and in order to make himself and Miss Augusta com
fortable, he asked Big Britten to give him eighty
thousand pounds. At first Big Britten shrugged up his

41

shoulders at the request, but when the great and won
derful advantages were displayed by the Stewards of
Angleland, he parted with the money good humouredly
and gave the Prince some grand dinners for taking the
trouble to fetch her. As Augusta had been greatly
beloved by her father, he showed a good deal of sorrow
at parting with her; but she had disagreed with Mrs.
King, therefore the latter did not regret the circum
stance of her leaving Angleland. But I must now call
the attention of my readers to another subject, which
occupied the thoughts of the tenantry more than
that of Augusta's departure, and this was the coolness
Big Britten perceived between Mr. and Mrs. George
King, junior, which had first begun by a breach of
trust committed by Mrs. Villiers, in having opened
the letters written by Mrs. Caroline King, which
letters had been read to Mrs. King, sen. ; and, what
was worse, the contents of them had been related by
both the Ladies to young Squire George. In this
transaction, each relator had made so many additions of
her own, that had Mrs. Caroline King heard their
discourse, she could not have had the smallest notion,.
that the letters she had written were the subject of it.
She had contented herself with a little harmless satire
on an old woman's taking a quantity of snuff; but Squire
George, her hopeful son, was told the letter was written
in the most disrespectful terms of all the inhabitants of
Angleland. The part relating to himself, Mrs. Villiers
entreated to be spared the painful trial of repeating ;
begged he would be satisfied with supposing that it was
not couched in the affectionate terms which his distin-
G

42
gyished kindness had so well merited. " It is, rare, indeed,"
continued Mrs, Villiers, "to see superior delicacy of
feelipg meet with a mutual .return.", Mrs.. King was not
so phoicein her epithets to George, when speaking of his.
Wife. "To call me snvffy," said i she," is really the
height of English vulgarity : I pity you, my dear Geprge,
tp be tied %t0 •¦ such,, an, abandoned woman: we mn^
endeavour to hunt her down, and send he'rback again,"
As this kind of conversation was often repeated, it took
the desired: effect on Squire George, and produced the
coolness which Big Britten v soon perceived; and by
waiting upon the gentleman that served Squire George,
he ascertained that he : and his Lady never . h^d any
private tete-a-tetes, and that they went .abroad together
as seldom as possible. "This is not , following the
exantple of their father and mother," said Mrs. Britten^
" these separate apartments are after Mr. French's
fashion, and not at all agreeable to the tenantry of An
gleland." Notwithstanding Big Britten's wjatch fulness,
he could not, for some time,understand the exacti footing
on which Mr. George King and! Mrs. Caroline lived;
the)' seldom occupied the same dwelling; and, al>
though Miss Charlotte bore a strong, resemblance
to her father, he did not take any pleasure, in seeing
her ; indeed-, he seldom, did see her : and it was ob>
served that he frequented those parties in which MrS.
Herbert visited; that be had long and frequent intei>
views with Mrs. Villiers, and that his gallant attentions
were more generally divided than before his marriage.
Mr. King, sen. felt so dissatisfied with these proceedings,
that, for a time, he refused to admit his son into his. pre
sence; but the family continued to form mysterious

43

cabals amongi themselves, until the spring of 1804, when
we find that the family divisions, and other subjects of
uneasjness, caused Mr. King a return of his violent head
ache : however, the tenantry rejoiced that it proved only
a slight attack, which left him in June. In November
following, he had an interview with his son George,
whom he had not seen for some months. Squire George's
visits to his mother had been regular as usual : he was in
the habit of often meeting a flock of crows, that hovered
ahout his neighbourhood, and amusing himself with play
ing at their games, which left behind, then; however,
reflections not quite " as light as air !" — He would show
his ingenuity also among intimate "friends," in plucking
a pigeon himself ; which amusement was disapproved by
his father, but Mrs. King liked to hear how the crows
used her boy. Whenever he had met with ill luck, she
would make up. the deficiency, for she saw that>her bus-
band's violent headaches were likely to prevent his
managing his own affairs ; and then, she naturally con
cluded, her son would have it in his power to let a part
of the rents and disbursements pass i though her hands,
by which means she might repay herself with interest' : so
that she calculated any good office she might now do for
him would, eventually turn to her own advantage; it
being a settled maxim with Mrs. King, not to bestow
her time, or money, on any object that could not return
it. If it be asked, haw that Lady employed her leisure
hours, I answer^not in considering the means to relieve
the numerous applicants who at that time- solicited her
charily ; not in adopting such precautions as might lessen
the weight of care which oppressed the mind of her

44

husband, and often brought on those dreadful head-aches
which endangered his life; not in softening the irritated
feelings of her son towards his wife; but in the perse*-
cution iof those against" whom she had conceived' the
smallest cause of dislike, and in using her influence
with others,1 to make them subservient to one dark and
malevolent purpose — the separation of Squire George
from his Lady ! This was the employment of a; Lady of
the Manor, who;' forty three years before,, had gained a
good and exemplary husband, by the amiable display she
made of sense and feeling; a pretty strong argument, I
think, that inconsistency was her nature.
Some time in this or the following year, we have an
account of a dinner given at Barren Park, by William
Henry King; to several of the topping gentry, and at
which Mrs. Pickle presided, and was' assisted in dividing
a lobster by the great abilities of Frederick and Edward
King. The same faithful historian who has recorded that
event, proceeds to particularise, that with the oranges
came a show of young Pickles, who were much admired.
On this occasion several of the ladies and gentlemen were
at table who had leave to go within two yards of the
velvet arm-chair; and although Mrs. King, sen. could
not, because of certain rules, visit Mrs. Pickle, she sent
her kind messages, and liked to hear of her goings on,
because she knew she paid for the Pickles out of her own
savings. Let it not be thought we bear the least ill
will to Mrs. Pickle; so different are our feelings to
wards her, that we highly respect her memory, and shall
always recollect with grateful pleasure the hours we

45
have spent in her company. Big Britten frequently
says, " he ne'er shall look upon her like again." Often
have her playful gambols roused him into a fit of
laughter, when his back has been sore with the burden
with which the Stewards oppressed him ; but alas ! Mrs.
Pickle suffered unmerited misfortunes, in the conduct
she experienced from her former protector (perhaps it
would be more applicable to use the term protege) — she
has left, to the people of Angleland, a convincing proof,
that gratitude and feeling are not characteristics of Mrs.
King's family.*
In 1807, Mr. King, summoned Squire George to his
presence, who related so many instances of the dubious
conduct of his Lady, as induced his father to determine
that an inquiry should be immediately set on foot ; and
With the most painful sensations, yet with proper confi
dence that the result would prove favourable, he informed
young Mrs. King of his determination. The result of
that inquiry has been generally known. Mr. King gave
the most gratifying proof that he was convinced of her
innocence, by directly communicating to Mrs. Caroline
King the decision of her judges. All the tenantry ex
pressed their hearty congratulations, but they became
indignant when they found that Squire George and all
the family at the Manor-house, except Mr. King, per-

* In the year 1816, Mrs. Pickle died, at St. Cloud, in a state of
great poverty. In 1819, an appeal was made to the public for the
sum of two pounds, twelve shillings, and sixpence, the price of the
ground in which she was buried ! — Ferbum sat.

46

sisted in treating Mrs. Caroline as though she were
guilty. "But, indeed, the conduct of Squire George
towards the: tenantry since that period; has; afforded
repeated proofs that' he does not suffer himself to see
through his own eyes, or hear, with his own ears : so long
as he persists to act in this manner, he cannot' be consi
dered in any other light than that of an automaton, set
in motion by the mechanical power; ofJ the Stewards,
Bankers, and Clerks; and as we have some reason to
think the wheels of the machinery are nearly worn out>
(Mr. Deputy King having driven them with too much
violence against some damaged^ Manchester Cotton .') we
hope the next wheels will be ttiade after a more approved
model, and less liable to the effects of horse's hoofs and
sabre cuts !
Had. Squire George made the excursion, after the
inquiry respecting his Lady's conduct, which he under
took in 1806, his presence would not have been so uni
versally welcome ; for Big Britten is apt to give his feel
ings utterance. At the time he made that journey, how
ever, the tenantry attributed his shy looks and dislike lo
company to the state of his mind, then supposed to be
suffering under the loss of his two most early and intimate
friends, Charles Brush and Dame Devon, who left this
World in the. same year : but the Squire's private friends
say, his melancholy found consolation with the compas
sionate Dame Seymour, who took him unto her bosom,
and has been to him ever since as a wife arid a mother,
and that he returns her kindness by, eating mashecl po
tatoes with her at Manchester-house and at Rag-hall.

47

When; Big. Britten found that Mrs. Caroline King
was treated with injustice, he called loudly to the Stew
ards to produce Mrs. Villiers, with the Knight Dougal
and his wife, that they might receive the punishment,
usually inflicted on those who tell untruths of their
neighbours. The Stewards would not answer : but as
Big Britten continued to shout, to satisfy him, they sent
the Knight 'and his wife to one of their bleakest moun
tains. With respect to Mrs. Villiers, Mr. and Mrs.
Britten talked so loudly, that their voices were heard at
the Manor-house ; and Mrs. King inquired what the
noise was about. The Dame she addressed, used to go
occasionally to the mountains, and'she replied : " really,
Madam King, the; tenantry grumble that you should
indulge Mrs. Villiers with allowing her to keep near
the arm-chair, now that, they say, she has told stories of
young Mrs. George King."
" Every word Mrs. Villiers spoke was truth," said
Mrs. King; "Mrs. Villiers told me so herself."
" If that be all," said the Dame from the mountain,
" I know that one does not always speak truly of one's
self: — but leaving that point — the tenantry presume to
say Mrs. Villiers loves Squire George — that she has
injured his wife in his opinion, therefore she ought i to
be banished the sight of the velvet arm-chair."
" Should I find that Mrs. Villiers has deceived me,"
said the- Lady of the Manor, " I will immediately

48

banish her from my presence ; "—and she emptied the
contents of her snuff-box, a certain sign she was in earnest
in what she had said. The Dame from the mountain
rejoiced, and said within herself, " Mrs. Villiers is the
only person who goes nearer the arm-chair than I do ;
were she absent, I should take her place." Now this
Dame loved her Lord and her cottage in the mountain,
but she wished for the shreds which sometimes dropped
on the carpet, and which the nearest to the chair 'had
the opportunity of picking up; so, in the fulness of her
heart, that being a ball day, she whispered to Dames
A. B. and C. that Mrs. Villiers would soon be sent
after the knight, to the mountain. Each Dame told
her friend ; and one more eager than the rest to com
municate news, informed Mr. Villiers of the report.
He was one of the club who kept the Manor-house
secrets, and had a right to ask an interview of the Lady
of the Manor ; so, the next morning, he hastened to
appear before her. Mr. Villiers having first informed
Mrs. King, that the cause of his appearing unsent for,
was a slanderous report which some wicked person had
uttered concerning his immaculate wife, fell upon his
knees, and, in that bumble posture, declared, on the
honour of a husband, that Mrs. Villiers was spotless.
The Lady of the Manor believed him. What woman
would have discredited the oath ? What other man,
knowing what Mr. Villiers did, would have dared to
utter it ? Perhaps, as a casuist, he might find an ex
cuse in the reflection, that when a person swears by
that which he does not possess, it is no oath at all !

49
During several successive years, the tenantry of
Angleland were engaged in threshing Mr. Nap French's
men into order, and in drilling the most refractory:
— now and then they were rewarded with a,, silk. gown,
and frequently had their fill of honour. These drubbings
With French's men, and other matters which did not
altogether answer Mr. King's expectations, caused, a
return of his head-ache, but not so as to occasion any
serious apprehensions until the spring pf 1811, when the
malady increased to such an alarming height, that it
was deemed necessary some, person should be fixed upon
to manage his concerns till his recovery. After the
Stewards, Bankers, and Clerks, had talked together,
they, gave the great Stewardship to his eldest son, the
present Squire George King, jun. , The care of Mr.
King was entrusted to his loving wife, for the Stewards
thought, as he had been so good to her, she would
Watch him, and see that the Doctors did their duty :
and they ..gave her the purse, that she might pay the
nurses and all his expenses, j Mrs- King, liked. this plan
vastly, because she saw there was a great deal more
in the purse than would be wanted; und as she intended
not to give the doctors and nurses any more than their
exact demands, perceived that she should have the
change for her own use, with which she thought she
could sometimes get an additional ornament for her
head, and she could give Geprge pocket-money to make
him a dutiful boy; then she thought it would enable
her to' send a cheese occasionally to Prince Saxton
Cowbridge, and a few pence to her cousin Donder von
Dwyledill's children. These advantages were pleasing
H

50

considerations to Mrs. King, and quite reconciled her
to the loss of her. husband's society, for now he occupied
rooms on the other side of Windrush-Castle, and had
for his companion a person who had been accustomed
to the treatment of head-aches, and who told Mrs. King
how her husband went on, whenever she. had time to
inquire after him:* but her hands were full of other
employment, Squire George having resolved to consult
his Mamma upon every thing, because he feared, if he
did not, that she would give part of the pocket-money to
Fred, and, he knew that he should want it all himself.

*, However, there was one person in the household, who, in
stigated by, her German cousins, made frequent and particular
inquiries; and learning that Mr. King's nativity had been cast at
the desire of his relative, obtained the following copy frojn Mr.,
Charles R — t, astronomer to his grandfather. — The Sun (giver of
life) posited in the radix of the eleventh house, and applying to a
cluster of planets, 8. , iT> , and ? ; and in %: to % and £ imply a migh
ty strength of nature, capable of resisting the strongest influence of the
malific planets to a very late period of life. The Sun is also ruler of
the ascendant, and having just separated from the $ of T}, (a
friendly aspect with a malign planet) is fast applying to a $ of $
in his strongest dignities, that is, in the royal sign Si \ that is an
aspect of strength, and is not weakened by any hostile ray whatever.
The Sun will ¦ afterwards apply to the A of Si; but not reach it till
about thirteen years hence. This is a direction extremely friendly also.
The Moon, is now passing d of J, in the sign s|c, just on the
carp of the eighth house, the house of death; and has been, separate
ing, within these last four years, from the malevolent D'sof g and
J}. These aire extremely bad, as § rules the brain and all the-
moveable parts of the body, such as hands, feet, tongue, &c. and £
the bones, &c. &c. and imply at thislate season of life (seventy-four-

51
Tbe tenantry fancied that the Stewards would be
changed on Squire George's taking the charge of busi
ness into his own hands, as his political sentiments had
always differed from those of the present rulers; but
when he and" his mother had consulted the principal
Stewards and Bankers, they found them all so very
civil and complying, they thought it as well to let them
keep their places. Indeed, after the Stewards ba4
explained and stated matters to Squire George, he saw
things just in the light they did — so they came to A
clear understanding of every thing at once, and set for
ward to business with a mutual determinatibn to ac
commodate each other: — here appears an inconsistency*
for which we must look beyond the surface of character
to account. Every person who has had the honour of
the misfortune (I leave the reader to choose his term)
of knowing Squire George, must have discerned a per
verse obstinacy rooted in his disposition, which, in
trivial matters even, is never overcome; and here we

years of age) a powerful disagreement in these parts of the machine.1
Still none of these directions fall on the vital parts, ,. such as th<}
heart, stomach, &c. &c. and consequently may go [off without danT
ger to life. The Moon, however, meets with the body of & after
wards, which is more dangerous, but that is not till many years after.
The ascendant, about four years ago,' separated from A ofthe
Sun, a capital aspect for health in the general way; and in five yearij
hence, or thereabouts, comes to the g of %, the  in the
fourth house,, implying, Video. et.faceo.. ., .
Mr. George King will sustain for som'e time with great natural,
strength of body, every real influence of the planetary system— oJj
this there can be no doubt.— Astrologus.

52
behold him, all at once, changing his whole system of
opinions. For this apparent revolution of sentiment
we must find a stronger term than expediency ; we must
search for the main spring of action, and think we shall
find it in a base, ignoble meanness, which prompted
him lo barter the welfare, the prosperity, and the hap
piness, of the whole Manor, for his single gratification,
Yet I have heard his reverend Preceptor say, that
Squire George came from the hand of Nature with a
fair claim to take rank as an honest member of society,
for that he had a moderate share of sense, a heart
inclined to give and to receive pleasure, and an under
standing capable of discerning a friend from a foe —
sufficient ingredients, if well managed, to make a fair
enough Lord of the Manor. To counteract those
qualities, his Mamma (some say from a wary anticipa
tion of her own interest; but, for civility's sake, we
will suppose, through an ill-judged partiality), made
Squire George her decided favourite. Her excessive
indulgence excited in his youthful breast a continual
thirst for extravagant pleasures ; and by the estimation
she discovered for his affability, his address, and, in
particular, the winning gracefulness of his bow, she
created in his mind a value for superficial and trifling
qualifications that prevented the nurture of better and
more essential qualities. By various gradations these
failings grew into serious vices, and we find Squire
George, at the age of forty-nine, put into the Steward
ship of the Mauor, with so unbounded a passion for
expense, that its indulgence was his first, last, greatest,
deepest, only consideration !

53
The accommodation just alluded to having been en
tered into between Squire George and the Stewards,
Bankers, and Clerks, of Angleland, he next turned his
thoughts to the giving an entertainment to all the
persons within his neighbourhood, who had any claim
to come within three yards of the velvet arm-chair.
This occupied his hours of study for some time. On
the twentieth of June he gave the fete at his own
mansion; and it was calculated (to judge by the money
bestowed on the occasion) to show his taste for mag
nificence, rather than his respect for his sick father.
As this was intended for a pleasant party among his
neighbours and friends, he did not conceive there was
any necessity to ask his wife.
In the spring of the following year Mrs. King had a
public ball, the first she had given since her husband's
illness; not that she had confined herself to Windrush-
Castle on his account, for she had attended all her son's
private parties, had given several herself, and had been
remarked to have visited more, and to have kept later
hours, than ever she had done before. At this public
ball Mrs. Caroline King made her appearance only for
a short time, as she left the room previous to her hus-.
band's entrance: this she did, no doubt, to spare his
feelings the trial of meeting his wife. Mr. and Mrs.
Britten cheered her cordially on her road to and from
the Manor-house. The Squire himself, though he now
possessed the right of sitting in the velvet arm-chair, was
followed in a clamorous manner by Big Britten; for
he had discovered that, whatever might have been his

54

Opinions formerly, now they j. were in unison with the
Stewards, Bankers, and Clerks, of the Manor. Of this;
Squire George had given a positive proof in January,
1812. The tenantry of Patrick Island (formerly a se
parate manor, the privileges of which had been sold by
Lord Derry-down and his club, to the possessors of
Angleland) had received a promise from the Squire, at
the period he lived with Mrs. Herbeit, that! when he
should have it in his power, he would grant them a re
newal of certain customs and emoluments which they
had forfeited by their adherence to the tenets of one
Stuart, formerly a resident in, but latterly banished from
the great Manor of Angleland, for his non-observance of
its laws, &c.
The petitioner's availed therflselves of Squire George's
being at the head of affairs, to present their request;
which the first calculator had also promised to support.
They were mortified at the- rejection of their petition;
but every subsequent event has combined to prove; that
Squire George ceased to act as the friend of his father's
dependants from the moment he had it in his power to
serve them. Miss;. Charlotte ' King* (his daughter,) a
spirited, lively, and accomplished female, on taking her
seat at the first party to which she was: admitted at her
father's table, looked her astonishment, at seeing only
one of the political friends, out of several Pf whom she
had frequently head him speak with enthusiasm: upon
Squire George's' asking the cause of her Surprise;' she
replied, With a frankness that did honour to her head ahd:
heart — " I expected to have met the persons in favour of

55

whose principles I have heard you say so much." Her
father, with some marks of confusion, presented Lord L.
to his daughter; but Charlotte continued to feel out of
spirits, for she saw that the Squire did not follow the
principles he had laid down as models for her practice,
and, young as she then was, her unerring judgement
found it difficult to reconcile these inconsistencies of
character and principle, with the firmness and respecta
bility which the early impressions of an admirable
education had taught her to expect in a father and a
governor! The tenantry became daily more and more dissatisfied;
and it was not without cause that Mr. and Mrs. Britten
talked of their grievances ; for, before they could put
their private rents and income into their pockets, the
Stewards and Bankers asked, for three parts of their
money. Had these requisitions been made for any ne
cessitous purposes, Mr. and Mrs. Britten wPuld have
laboured hard to supply the means; but the Stewards
said only, in general terms, " they wanted the money,''
without even paying the donors the compliment of con
sulting how they wished it disposed of, and then divided
it without the slightest regard to justice or order. Fpr
example, they portioned the Misses King, and gave
each enough to live in a room of her own, though it
was known that, except Betsy, the others were all m
the nursery; then they gave to a Captain of a large
boat that had beat French's men in the Fish-pond, a
hundred and twenty thousand pounds to buy him a

55

Cottage. This the tenantry did cheerfully, because they
knew the Captain had defended the Fish-pond bravely,
and deserved all the honour his country could do him :
they were pleased also, that he should have a rent-roll
of five thousand pounds secured to him ; but they did not
see the justice of continuing that rent-roll after his
death, to his relations, as Big Britten said. " Likely
enough this Captain's cousin may never see the Fish
pond, nor stir a limb in the service of his country: why
should he spend what he never earned?" But Big
Britten's shouting answered no purpose, as the Stew
ards and Bankers persisted to go on in the same way, and
Squire George and his mother said they were right.
But their saying so did not satisfy Big Britten, and he
considered the matter over in his mind. " There must
be some reason," thought he, " that the Squire should be
so passive to those Stewards whom friends and foes
despise, instead of listening to me, who always tells him
the truth :" and a suspicion came across his mind, that
he was shackled by pecuniary obligations — ¦" for though
the Stewards have no money of their own to give or lend,
continued Britten, they may find means to help the
Squire in disposing of under-stewardships, and guardian
ships, and in sending his friends for governors, and
captains, and overseers, for they have had the sway a
longtime, from the guards of the velvet arm-chair to
the underlings whom Mr. Deputy King sends into the
country to hear the tenantry discourse, that in case any
one there should be bold enough to speak the truth, he
may be whipped into better manners." But we will

57
leave Big Britten to make discoveries, While We record a
few of the most worthy actions which tdok place at the
Manor-house. In 1813, Sqnire George was so pleased with the triah-
ner in which Major Ursa, (not Ursa Major, but a Rus
sian dandy,) danced in French's land; that he sent him
a garter as a mark of his Warm approbation; and the
Bear, not being a step behind Sqtiire George in polite
ness, returned him another.
Miss Charlotte had been introduced into public by
Mrs* Frederic King. Mr. and Mrs: Britten were angry
that her mother did not bring her out, but on inquiry
found that Mrs. King had taken advantage of her hus
band's headache, to forbid Mrs. Caroline King's coming
to the Manor-house ; neither would she allow Miss
Gharlotte to be seen with her mother. : So harsh and
extraordinary was the Squire's eondtiet towards his
daughter; that Miss Black took upon her the friehdly
task of telling Squire George, that if he persisted in the
rtieasUres he had' adopted towards her, he would forcfe
his child to somte unwished-for step. Her well-meant
rerhonstrance was vain, he persevered in prohibiting
Charlptte from revisiting her mother but in the presence
of a third person ; neither Would he alloW her to write
to her parent. Hard as the toandate was, Charlotte
obeyed, for she looked forward to the publication of a
bdPk which she knew would vindicate her mother to
the world; but Mr. Civility Shortcoat had suppressed
the intended wort, in consequence of a private agree-

58

ment between him also and the squire — this being the
condition on which he continued in his. stewardship.
Had Mr. Civility known how short a time he had to
remain in office, it is probable he would have shown a
greater respect for justice. Soon after Squire George
had been cautioned by Miss Black, he discovered, that
his daughter had written to her mother. This circurrir
stance made him furious with anger, so he,. ordered his
carriage, and cooled himself with a journey to Wind-
rush-Castle, to consult Mrs. King. She advised him to
discharge Dame Rockford and all the present attend
ants on his daughter, and that she would look out for
others, and named a Leeds lady as a proper person to
observe their orders, in keeping the daughter from the
mother, which they actually did ; and went so far as to
desire the servants not to stop, even should they see
Mrs. Caroline King's carriage in the same road. The
Leeds lady did as Squire George ordered her, and
soon the unhappy parent found herself under the ne
cessity of requesting Mr. and Mrs. Britten to speak in
her behalf, and to inquire wherein she had offended.
They made the inquiry, and the Stewards declared that
she was free from the least imputation of guilt.. Yet,
notwithstanding this declaration, which had been made
in .presence of all the principal Stewards of Angleland,
the very same pel-sons, during the next week, gave it as,
their opinion that the daughter's visits to the mother,
should be under certain restrictions. This contradiction
is only to be explained by looking at the compliments
which they received who had most influence in the
debates in the Council-room, und who proved them-

59

selves sufficiently venal to comply, where it would have
been an honour to have refused. Such men as Mr.
More-air cannot lose their money without some remu
neration — an eastern governorship has perhaps settled
that balance. The interest of three hundred thousand
pounds may possibly be paid by an overseership given
to one of Lord Quickstep's cousins ; in short, there are
fifty persons who look for some return for having ruined
their fortunes in Squire GePrge's service. This is the
kind of obligation that has made him passive to his pre
sent Stewards, and renders him inaccessible to the solici
tations of his dependants.
It would be against the interests of Lord Derry-
down and Mr. Deputy King that the truth should be
known. What would Squire George say were he
really informed by a friend that, in 1816, when so much
was said about conspiracies, and treasons, and plots,
that the tenantry had never asked for more thart em
ployment, by which they might obtain bread for them
selves and their starving families ! that the persons who
were taken up under various pretences, were men whom
spies had betrayed into the acknowledgement that they
wished themselves elsewhere— in America, for example,
where the vast and uncultivated tracts of land might
afford them employment and bread. The Squire could
not" have felt angry had he known that the speaker,
when he uttered the wish, was starving in his country :
that, in the land of his fathers, and among the graves of
his renowned ancestors, he was reduced to beg for
bread !

60
Ll the summer pf 18,17, when,, the worst of ag&fti
was deputed, by Lord Derry-down, t<? insinuate hira,s&lf
into the devoted villages, h& d,\d i?ot .siDftp}y-;ieo#:&,||t
himself to listening tp the discqurse of thejrj}$ri3#§d,
inhabitants, but; he entered the adwelljngs aJt,a.,time»tJ}e,
men were absent, and wheedled t}je f^m^les, by, a dfts,pjay
of conipassipn, for, their situat^oi^ in,tig confessions;, oi
their husband's sen^men^,: ,thus» in^unsuspecJ^ng^Gqipii
fidence, should? q^nje -wpman, say, J,ba^ he. wished fflSift
great change, (meaning., that, if commerce |W£re. more
alive,, he should have employment,) the villain, wquld
note down the phrase, and afterwards, use, it as a^ charge,
against the astonished prisoner. This was a method by
which the. ionocept were entrapped, the guilty terrified
into confusion,: by? this,, and similar means,, many were
caught who, in their hearts, were not half, such enemies
to Squire Geprgp as.hewastphimself.,,! , iir7,
During this, summer Mrs. King found another ob
ject pn whorn to exercise her persecuting spirit, fpr M^E,
Caroline Kjng had, quitted England, She had; taljipp,
t|)at; step, principally ¦«>&¦$ e. view of giving freedonjVtQ
her daughter, who suffered the. most pajnfu^restrainton.
her account* She. also, hopecj.tbat ch*mg& of:aj>; and
scene might help to restpre, her health and, spiffs ; and
many had, persuaded her, tp the- step who; we^, secretly
urged by her husband, to .giv^, her, that adyiqe,;.;H«ii
rea), friends had, never ceased to regret,! thsti M&<
Caroline King, did go,, becausg. absence is apt to oopl
the ardour of friendship (we speafe in general terms),

61
Her excellent daughter alteayS, spoke of her mother in
the most affectionate and respectful manner; and num
bers of the tenantry hope that her return will still give
them the opportunity pf testifying their unalterable re
gard for her.
The present object of Mrs. King's dislike was a rela
tive, pne pf the house: of Muckleburg Strawlitters; a
lady, pf amiable manners, and the one who had been
least expensive to Mr. and Mrs., Britten. Although Mrs.
King, had expressed her satisfaction, at her son Ernest's
marriage in Cuitnheriand, she would not allow the Lady
to come into her presence, because, she, said, she had
laughed too much' in the life-time, of her first, husband.
To such an extent, did she carry her ridiculous, absurdity,
that one day, in 1817, when Mrs. King had announced
her intenlipn, to give a public ball, om being told that
Mrs. Ernest King intended to assist at it, and knowing she
cpuld not form any just plea for refusing her admittance,
fearing,, also, to offend, her northern), cousin,, whose
Steward was. them in Angleland, she pretended to have
an attack ifl the, night* of a spasmodic affectifrn. Early
in the morning the Dame of the mountain was desired to
mak&knpwn her.indisposition tp. her particular friends,
and.nptes were issued from the, Manorrhouse to. all, the
topping) gentry.
MiSi, King's behaviour to her grand-daughter, was so
different from that- of other grand-mothers, that; we are
forced to acknowledge it has. left a' stain upon her

62

memory, which time itself will never efface. We cannot
think of the neglected state ofthe regretted Charlotte
George King, without associating with it the conduct of
the old Lady, who, a few days previous to Charlotte's
expected confinement, to avoid the possibility of being
useful, adjourned herself to Bath, where she had em
ployed a friend to hire a house, lest the owner should
charge more to a Lady of the Manor than to another;
and when she quitted it, shehad the great generosity to
give one guinea over the exact charge ! We did nothear
that Mrs. King showed many signs of sorrow for the loss
of her grand-daughter, whose lamented death, after be
coming Lady of Cowburg, it will be ever painful to' refer
to; indeed, Squire George himself did not seem to have
been seriously affected, if we may judge from the number
of cards used by him at his villa, between the seventh of
October and the December following ; but certainly his
temper has been more irritable since that event, of which
we shall merely mention the following proofs. In 1818>
Squire George desired Jenkins's son, a Liverpool mer
chant, to consult with the Stewards respecting the
settling of his brothers and sisters, who were all mar
riageable ; the youngest of the boys being forty -four, and
the youngest girl forty-one. The merchant represented
the matter in a tradesman-like way, mentioning the par
ticular sums which he thought would get them husbands
and wifes. The Stewards said the bargain might be made
on terms under the merchant's statement. On reporting
their opinions to Squire George, he c  d them for a
set of fools, and declared it was Lord Derry-down and

63
the merchant's fault, on account of the manner in
which they had proposed the question, and swore their
want of gallantry (alias impudence) should be punished.
Again, on the 6th of June, when preparation had
been made for Squire George's, riding down to grant
the Stewards, Bankers," and Clerks, a few weeks of
vacation, and was told that the act which Mr. Louis
French had asked him for, had not been well received,
in the Coiincil-room, he called Lord Derry-down and his
club, fools, asses, and other, apt epithets enough, , and
swore they should stay in school until they acknowledged
their folly. So Lord Derry-down was forced to send
for the boys who had played truant, and made them all
con over their lessons again; on the tenth they repeated
them in the way their master had ordered, and he let
them out of school.
The death of Mrs. King, which happened in ,1818,
did not create the sensation which the loss of a good Lady
of the Manor would have done ; her old acquaintance
wished, for her sake, it had happened twenty years
before, when the presence of her husband rendered her
respected ; but it did happen the seventeenth of Novem
ber, 1818. We wish we could record her charities, since
charity, it is said, covers a multitude of sins ; but, alas.!
she is even bare of that covering ;, determined to find
some merit in her, her friends said she died poor ! But
the twenty waggons laden with Mrs. King's property,
that came from Windrush-Castle to the Manor-house
last March, besides the costly ornaments which were dis-

64
posed of to the best advantage ; and tbe fact that she had;
an interest in most of the depositories throughout
Angleland, (not to mention the purses 'she sent by
Betsy to her German cousins) ; take from her the merit
even of poverty ! The utmost that can be said for her is
that she was Lady, of the Manor of Angleland ; we wish'
we could add, she had proved herself worthy df her
station. 'Squire George not being obliged, and> especially, hdt
being paid to visit Mr. King, has now no inducement to
go to Windrush-Castle, as formerly ; so, by Way of diver
sifying his amusements,- during the present year, he has
taken a sail occasionally on the fish-pond which surrounds
his manor, and declares it tobe very delightful sport. Mr.
and Mrs. Britten regret that his yacht had taken him so
far from home when the Accident of Manchester Cottons
took place ; because, had he then been at the Manor-
house, the Squire rousC have known from the manner of
the Tithes, and various other communications, that the
tenantry who met at Manchester, had no other design
in view, than to consult on the means of repairing their
constitutions, (for they, .have long been: Mj) and of pro*
curing employment for the necessary support of themselves
and families-: the way in- which they were treated was
unmerited, unprovoked, arad inhuman. The conduct
which has. been observed by the Overseers and Helpers
since that time has been, if possible, of a still worse ten*
dency, since it is supported by the influence and authority
of the Lord of the Manor ; Mr. Deputy King having
used his name to encoarage and maintawff ebe system of

65

terror and bloodshed by which he, no doubt, hoped to
screen himself and his colleagues from the consequences,
and to ensure the continuance of their iniquitous prac
tices. The tenantry look with unceasing aiixiety for the
Squire's return to his mansion, that he may wipe off the
foulblot which has been thrown on his name' and cha
racter— by a shameful procedure, which cannot fail to
open his eyes to the venality of his present Stewards,
Bankers, Clerks, Overseers, and Helpers.

CONCLUSION. >'
The remaining history of the family of the Kings
may be summed up in a very few words: their involve
ments can hardly i be settled in very many years.
Formerly the Stewards of Angleland raised a certain
sum for the maintenance of armed servants, building'
sailing boats, resisting the encroachments of the
" French's," &c. &c. &c. This met and paid their
annual expenditure. About a hundred years5 ago;' how
ever, the people and tenantry, growing very obstinate,
would not pay the sum demanded for the year's ex
penses; and the Stewards, not choosing too much to
offend them, "borrowed the money of them, paying them
large interest on it, and making a sort of mortgage of
all the estates composing the territory of Angleland, by
way of security for its repayment. Next year pro
duced the same refusal on the part of the tenantry, and
K

66
the same measures on the part of the Stewards. So it
went on, till, for years past, the foolish tenantry have
been taxed ten times the amount originally demanded
of them, to pay the interest only (which cannot be paid)'
— of an enormous debt which is unpayable. But they
themselves have helped the calamity on. They lent
their money and did not care for the return of so much
capital as they lent, while they could enrich themselves
by the annual receipt of exorbitant interest,; thus,
beggaring posterity for present advantage. Posterity,
not to be behind hand with them, grumbles and trembles
at an accumulating mountain which human industry
never can remove,, without some violent convulsion,
supports, by her approbation, the labours of the Stewards
who minister to its increase, and suffers to be wrung
from her; hands, relaxed and fainting from excessive toil}
the wages and earnings of her labour, for the accelera
tion pf her own destruction. Her generosity is remark
able. She reserves to herself something more than a
third only of her property ! — and is responsible for a
debti of from: eight to nine hundred;millions ! Mr. and
Mrs., Britte.n; were greatly hurt at Manchester, by some
cowardly things which were trying their swords; and
could not hold in their ponies. The* administration of
the laws of the Estate has been openly abused and vio-.
lated by a clergyman and a ibully. As for their other
connexions,, their late enemy (for he is now in jail), Nap
Gopdcause, Major Ursa> [he writes his name in Latin]
— (the, Russian ; dandy); Frederic William Branden-
herg (the, Prussian drill-serjeant)i Louis Le-gros (the

67

French flour merchant), Ferdinand Bourbon (the
Spanish man-milliner), Francis von Whitecoat (the
heavy German trumpeter), Charles Firespeck (a
Swedish gentleman of French extraction), and Jemmy
Wildboy (an American tobacco planter). I have yet
much to say, which must appear in another volume. —
Vale, lector, vale.

the end.

Fairburn, Printer, Broadway, Ludgate Hil

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