Social England under the Regency, Vol. 1 (of 2). Ashton John
his Ministry, and Perceval turned dutifully towards the rising sun. It was said that in a visit he and the Chancellor (Lord Eldon) paid the King on Jan. 26th, that he turned his back on the King, a monstrous piece of rudeness in Court etiquette. Probably the poor old blind, half-demented Monarch never observed it; but others did, and there were several epigrams thereon, the following being the best —
"The people have heard, with delight and surprize,
That his Minister's conduct has op'd the K – 's eyes;
That with just indignation his Royal breast burn'd,
When he thought he saw Per – l's back on him turn'd;
Exclaiming, 'Thank G – d! I've recover'd my sight,
For I now see you, Sir, in your own proper light.'"
The Queen had the Custody of the King's person, but had to account to a Council consisting of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and several Noblemen of high rank, and her first Council under the Regency was held on Feb. 13th.
About this time there was an improvement in the King's health; so much so that on the 8th of February the Queen and the Princess Augusta were allowed to have an interview with him, and on the next day and for two or three others, he appeared on the Terrace and walked for a time accompanied by the Physicians in attendance upon him.
CHAPTER III
And now, for a while, we will leave Royalty alone, and note anything particular that occurred – not that there ever was much general news recorded – there were no country correspondents to the London Newspapers, which were but of small size, and with very little space to spare for what we call News. As these little scraps of information will be scattered throughout this book, I may at once say that they will, perforce, have no sequence one to another except that of Chronological order.
At the beginning of February, as a dragoon was returning from duty to his quarters, which were at a small public-house called "Barndean Hut," near Petersfield, in the New Forest, his attention was arrested by the cries of some person in distress, which induced him to ride up to the spot from whence they proceeded, where his humanity was shocked on beholding a woman tied to a tree, with the tears, which her situation and suffering had produced, actually frozen to her cheeks, and, horrid to relate, quite naked, having been stripped and robbed of every article of dress, by two villains, who, afterwards, left her in that deplorable condition. The dragoon instantly cut the cords that bound her hands and feet to the tree, and, having in some measure restored her to the use of her limbs by rubbing them, wrapped her up in his cloak, placed her on his horse, and proceeded on to his quarters, where he soon after arrived; and, as he was conducting the shivering object of his care into the house, she looked through a window that commanded a view of the kitchen, and, in a faint voice, exclaimed, "There are the two men that robbed me of my all, and used me so cruelly." The soldier, in consequence, entered the kitchen and secured the men, who were the next day taken before a magistrate, and, after the necessary examination, fully committed to Winchester jail, for trial at the next assizes.
Ireland has always been a sweet boon to England ever since the Union; and faction fights used to abound. Among others were those of the Caravats and Shanavests – the Capulets and Montagues of their time; and the etymon of the names of two formidable factions, which embraced the greater part of the lower order of people in the two counties of Tipperary and Limerick, is thus given: —
It was at a trial of some of these at a Special Commission at Clonmel, and James Slattery was under examination.
Chief Baron. What is the cause of quarrel between these two parties – the Shanavests and the Caravats?
A. I do not know.
Q. What's the true reason?
A. I cannot tell.
Q. So, then, according to your account, I am to understand that each party attacks each other by way of defence.
Q. (by a juror). Were the men who were concerned in the affray in the month of August, the same that were concerned at the races of Coolmoyne?
A. They were.
Q. Do you know a man of the name of Pauddeen Car?
A. I do.
Q. He is your uncle; was not he the principal ringleader and commander of the army of Shanavests?
A. He is a poor old man, and not able to take command.
Q. (by Lord Norbury). What was the first cause of quarrel?
A. It was the same foolish dispute made about May-poles.
Q. (by the Chief Baron). Which is the oldest party?
A. The Caravats were going on for two years before the Shanavests stirred.
Q. Why were they called Caravats?
A. A man of the name of Hanly was hanged; he was prosecuted by the Shanavests, and Pauddeen Car said he would not leave the place of execution until he saw the Caravat about the fellow's neck, and from that time they were called Caravats.
Q. For what offence was Hanly hanged?
A. For burning the house of a man who had taken land over his neighbour's head.
Q. Hanly was the leader of the Caravats?
A. Before he was hanged, his party was called the Moyle Rangers. The Shanavests were called Pauddeen Car's party.
Q. Why were they called Shanavests?
A. Because they wore old waistcoats.
We occasionally hear of feats of gluttony, but, as a piece of downright lunacy, the following can scarcely be matched.
Morning Chronicle, Mar. 26th: "A blacksmith at Strout ate on Tuesday, for a trifling wager, a pint of periwinkles with the shells, in the space of ten minutes. Being desired to repeat this disgusting feat he readily did it, but he is now so dangerously ill that he is not expected to recover."
Bullion both Gold and Silver got scarcer and scarcer, so much was exported: and, early in 1810, large quantities of Dollars were stamped at Birmingham with the image and superscription of George III.; in fact, the dollars stamped in 1797 and down to 1810, inclusive, were about five millions – but they were smuggled out of the kingdom wholesale. On the 19th of March an official rise of 10 per cent. in their value took place, in the hopes that raising them to 5s. 6d. would be prohibitory to their exportation, but it was not: more still were needed, and on April 15th 300,000 dollars were sent to Boulton and Watts, Soho Works, Birmingham, to be stamped, "and the same quantity are to be forwarded in a few days." The price fell on the 25th of April to 5s. 1d. per dollar.
On the 27th of March, the Duke of Gloucester was elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, by a majority of 114 over his opponent, the Duke of Rutland.
We may take the following as an example of how Jack fooled away his prize-money: – "A Tar, who had just received his prize-money, lately engaged a small provincial Theatre entirely to himself: he took his seat in the centre of the pit, furnished himself with an inordinate quantity of beer, punch, and tobacco, &c., and requested the performances to commence, as no one should enter the Theatre but himself; at the close of every speech which pleased him, he presented the Actor with a glass, and when the curtain dropped, he transferred his stores to the stage, and invited the whole of the Dram. Per., to partake."
Under date of the 8th of April, we read: "A very singular discovery has been made at Colchester, respecting the sex of a servant who had lived thirty years in a family in that town, as housemaid and nurse. Having lately paid the debt of Nature, it was discovered that the deceased was a man."
On the 5th of May, the Court of Common Council voted the Regent, the freedom of the City