Saturday, February 20, 2010

10Nov1870, What Is To Be Done With Rank

CHATSWORTH, November 10th, 1870.
—Endless are the gossips and conjectures about the future of "Prince and Princess Lorne" : what is to be done with her rank and his ; will she have a "lady" ; will he have a peerage ; will she go after Royal Duchesses ; will he be allowed to go on with politics ? etc., etc. My notion is that the only chance of matters running smooth is her taking his rank and giving up her own as completely as possible.

13Oct1870, Princess Louise Engaged to Lord Lorne!

HOLKER, October 13th, 1870.
—The astonishing news came to Emma from her sister May of Lorne's engagement to Princess Louise ! ! It is a really good precedent, I do believe ; but, as a first experiment, they had better have chosen somebody with fewer belongings and more money. Fancy Princess Louise with such a tribe of brothers-in-law, one of them a Liverpool merchant ! .. . They are said to be much in love, specially he, and we must hope for the best. The Duke and Duchess are pleased, which is wonderful. [FN: Lord Frederick was 1st cousin to the Duchess of Argyll, the mother of Lord Lorne.]

06Oct1870, How French the French Are!

HOLKER, October 6th, 1870.
—The only communication with Paris is by balloons. The citizens are said to be orderly ; but 0 how French the French are ! The papers say that Jules is always hugging Jacques, and all the talk and jabber and martial struts and "manifestations" and offerings of bouquets to the Strasburg statue sound unearthly and babyish.

30Sep1870, The First Post-cards

STETTON, September 30th, 1870.
—We left Holker and came here with the Duke for the opening of the splendid new Mechanics' Institute at Keighley. Same weather. A most fatiguing day ! Two meetings, one lasting an hour ; the evening one 3½ hrs. and a mighty cold collation, all in the new Institute ; on one's hind legs all day. But I was well amused : have hardly ever heard the Duke before. He hesitates and repeats, but the matter is excellent and reads well. My Fred spoke capitally—if only he could learn less ungainliness and fierceness of manner ! He ran a-tilt against an old endowed "charity" which distributes nearly £800 in small doles—suggesting the application of the money to the furthering of the education which is a chief object of the Institute. It was well taken in the hall ; but is likely to cause controversy in the town. All the functions took place in the building, which is really beautiful. Lord Houghton spoke and sat by me at luncheon : he showed off one of the new "halfpenny cards" [FN: The first post-cards.] (which are to come into use to-morrow) on which he had written a note in Italian to his sister. They are neat little articles, with the stamp printed on the back : you send them open through the post.

23Sep1870, The Capture of Rome

HOLKER, September 23rd, 1870.
The great war so absorbs one that an event probably far more enduring in its effects hardly excites talk. The King of Italy and his army, after some fighting, have taken possession of Rome as the capital of Italy : the Pope being of course no longer defended by French soldiers. Can this really be the Fall of the Temporal power ? It seems so ; one might hope something from it, but the miserable silence and submission of the Opposition Bishops since the Infallibility decree was passed disheartens one altogether as to any Catholic reformation.

21Sep1870, A Ride to Chapel Island

HOLKER, September 21st, 22nd, 1870.
—One of these days I rode with F. on the sand to Chapel Island. He rode "Republic," a new hunter got by Eddy t'other day, chestnut, without a white hair, and so named in honour of the events in Paris.

19Sep1870, Confirmation in Cartmel Church

HOLKER, September 19th, 1870.
—There was a Confirmation of about 200 in Cartmel Church : the new Bishop (Harvey Goodwin) made good charges, earnest, simple, and to the point ; it was altogether a very solemn and touching sight. Reminded me of my own never-to-be-forgotten Confirmation, sadly and vividly. That recollection must always be a true strengthener of my faith, but I cannot feel as if I had the blessed fervour of that "time of refreshing." The school played in the park in the afternoon.

Friday, February 19, 2010

06Sep1870, A Cheese Factory

LONGFORD, [FN: The house of the Hon. Edward Coke, who married the Hon. Diana Agar Ellis, daughter of Lord Dover and first cousin of Lord Frederick Cavendish.] September 6th, 1870.—
Di took me about her delightsome, lovely garden ; and we went to the cheese factory, which Mr. Coke is much agog about. It is the first opened in England on the American plan, and they have an American manager, Schemmerhorn. The people send their milk, and are paid at once for it by weight, getting some cheese advantage besides. A great batch of cheese is made with only 4 hands employed, in 2 nights instead of weeks ; and the whole thing is beautifully clean and complete. Di is grieved because they will colour the cheese.

03Sep1870, The Last of Napoleonism Forever

BOLTON, September 3rd, 1870.
—A telegram was sent to Cavendish, which was taken up to Thorpe Fell, with the astounding news that the Emperor has capitulated with all that is left of MacMahon's army, viz. 80,000 men ; giving himself up to the King of Prussia. So falls the Empire, and surely with it the last of Napoleonism for ever. The skirmish at Saarbrück which began the war was on August 3rd ; the capitulation on September 1st. On this same day old Count de Flahault died, having thus just seen the rise and fall of both Napoleons. Poor Bazaine has been making furious and repeated attempts to break away northwards and join MacMahon, but has invariably been driven back upon Metz, which is surrounded. In one night repulse the Germans fell upon him with the bayonet and the butt-end of their rifles. Strasburg is being battered to pieces ; the inhabitants taking refuge in cellars and sewers. Paris as yet has been told nothing of this final catastrophe.

26Aug1870, He Killed Them As He Sat

BOLTON, August 26th, 1870.
—Luncheon at the gate before you quite get to the Roggan House. I saw Charles shoot 37 birds in one drive. He got 2 out of a pack that flew at him, as he was comfortably sitting with his back to the wall. He killed them as he sat.

23Aug1870, The Tiny Boys and the Gentlemen

BOLTON, August 23rd, 1870.
—The tiny boys assist at the departure of the gentlemen every morning with triumphant shouts and hat-wavings. William screams, "Good-bye, Gappa — Good-bye, Bobo" (Grandpapa and Bogle—for that name sticks to Lord Shannon). As soon as the ponies come round, both little fellows go and look up everybody, saying "Gee-gees 'eady," and William is to be seen taking Charles round the leg to hurry him (sanguine !). One wonders if the Duke will ever inspire the awe into these creatures that he does into other folk ! at present they make no bones of poking him up in the midst of letters, grouse-book, etc., and ordering him about generally. Pleasant Brass Castle day, with one drive to see : I went with Charles and saw him kill 20 birds out of 22 shots : never firing his 2nd barrel once at the same bird.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

14Aug1870, Little Field of the Cloth of Gold

BOLTON, August 14th, 1870.
—The babies are a delightful new element at Bolton, and enjoy themselves immensely : early shouts are heard from Victor's apartment over the back entrance, and he and William trot opposite ways round the flower-beds, and meet and embrace like Henry VIII and Francis I at the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

04Aug1870, Skirmish at Saarbrück

HOLKER, August 4th, 1870.
—Bathed again. Paid a little visit to Their R. H. the cows. There has been a skirmish at Saarbrück [FN: The Franco-Prussian War had just begun.] in which the French had the better of it. The Emperor and the Prince Imperial had joined the army just before. The newspapers are studded with panic-stricken letters and questions in Parliament about the deficient state of our army, navy, and artillery. However, 2 millions have been voted to get them up. I can't help feeling rather Quakerish about war : it is such a wicked thing that it seems right to make what protest one can as a nation against the horrible continental system of chronic cap-à-pie. And our having, thank Heaven ! no "frontiers" to embarrass us, makes it surely justifiable for us to run some risk.

24Jul1870, Mr. Forster Excellent Company

FOX WARREN, [FN: The house of Mr. Charles Buxton, father of Earl Buxton.] July 24th, 1870.—
We find here the Forsters, the Russell Gurneys, and Baron Macai (goodness knows how he spells his name !) : very pleasant little party. Four white little daughters of the house ; 1 called Richenda. We drove to Hatchford Church in the morning ; walked there in the evening. Mr. Forster, rugged odd bear as he is, is excellent company and one likes and respects him. He was deciding to shirk Church along with Mr. Bruce ; but Mrs. F. [FN: Mrs. Forster was daughter of Thomas, and sister of Matthew Arnold.] came it over him !

21Jul1870, The Story of Painter George Mason

LONDON, July 21st, 1870.
—I saw Mr. Mason the landscape painter at Mr. Richmond's ; poor man, he looks dying of consumption. Mr. R. told me his terrible strange story. He was brought up as heir to a good fortune, liberally educated, and sent on the "grand tour." At Rome he heard of his father's death, and that he was left penniless. He took up painting for a livelihood, and lived for a year in a cave outside Rome, on dried chestnuts. At last, Leighton saw and admired his pictures, and brought him into notice. Now, in spite of his state of health (induced by starvation), he makes £1,000 a year.

12Jul1870, Discussing Papal Infallibility

LONDON, July 12th, 1870.
—We dined at Mr. Leveson's, meeting Ld. Castlerosse, Ly. Airlie and a daughter just out, Ly. Alwyne and Lord William Compton, etc. Lord Castlerosse, an old-fashioned, Liberal R. Catholic, talked to me about the Infallibility dogma in a most astonishing way. He, in common with most of his sort, dislikes the definition, and thinks it different to what has hitherto been held ; but he says that it will be defined, and that all the gallant minority, who have hitherto been so fearlessly opposing, will of course submit ! The question whether the thing is true or not does not appear to be the point at all !

11Jul1870, Breakfast wtih Princess Louise

LONDON, July 11th, 1870.
Princess Louise and Comte de Paris came to breakfast with the Gladstones ; also the famous M. de Lesseps. I went and heard Mrs. Weldon sing beautifully. Sat by Princess Louise who looked very pretty and was charming and well-mannered as usual.

09Jul1870, Eton Cricket

LONDON, July 9th, 1870.
F. and I were at Lord's from 12.30 to the end ; the Eton 2nd innings was scrubby, all but the 1st 4 scores, and Harrow had 136 to get ; to my infinite delight and excitement, they were beaten by 21 runs, the last wicket falling about 6 o'clock. The really beautiful fielding of Eton (Arthur at long-leg one of the best) had a good deal to do with it ; 6 men were caught out. One bowler (Tollemache) was good ; not so the others. The Harrow bowling and batting both excellent, tho' I could not admire the style ; their fielding, Papa would say, was "fishy." Said Papa stalked off at the end of the Eton 2nd innings, when Arthur took his bat for only 5 (including a good hit for 3), thinking defeat inevitable.

04Jul1870, Parenthetic Dinner

LONDON, July 4th, 1870.
—Went to the House to hear F. move his amendment. Parenthetic dinner at J.G.T.'s, where were Sir Walter and Sarina James. I scolded F. for his speech which he thought fit to gallop through as if somebody was behind him with a pitchfork ; but he got the thing triumphantly thro' without a division. It was to give cumulative votes for the election of the School Boards.

01Jul1870, My Little Limehouse Girl

LONDON, July 1st, 1870.
—Drove with Lady Burrell to see Elizabeth Hall, my little Limehouse girl, at Chelsea, and my door-step boy, whom we have just set up, and who had to be lectured on the art of whitening.

26Jun1870, The Doubtfullest Legends

LONDON, June 26th, 1870.
—At 7 we went to a most striking service at S. Mary's, Crown Street, Soho : congregation of really poor, crowded ; splendid hearty hymns sung most fervently and intelligently ; the rough people outside coming to the open door to listen ; procession with singing, cross and banners. Nothing to go against one, except the crowned Virgin with the moon under her feet on one banner, and a preposterous sermon by a very young man who told the doubtfullest legends as if they were Gospel.

24Jun1870, Return to Chiswick

LONDON, June 24th, 1870.
—I drove with Lou to poor, silent, altered Chiswick. The Prince of Wales has it for the present, and is going to give a big breakfast there to-morrow ; but all was deserted to-day. His children come and play here constantly ; we saw their little brooms, spades, etc. Visited schools. Also at Chiswick I went to the dear rooms where we spent our first happy days together, and recalled that golden time.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

23Jun1870, Opening Ceremony for Keble College

OXFORD, June 23rd, 1870.
—After breakfast at good Dr. Cradock's (who was much exercised in mind by a tipsy row last night, in course of which May overheard an undergraduate conferring a degree on a policeman as follows : "Bobby, admitto to ad gradum," etc.) we all went to Keble College. The quad was all dotted over with pretty bright groups of people ; old Edward was plunging about 50 ways at once, and enthusiastic friends kept turning up. I saw Uncle B., Uncle H., the James's, Mr. Wood, Sir W. Farquhar, Mr. Hunt, etc., and was shown Miss Yonge the Great ! a striking-looking grey-haired woman, with beautiful eyes and an expressive face.

Considering the College is now nothing but rooms, being minus chapel, library and hall, it is very well-looking ; original and as little monotonous as possible.

Towards 11 the procession formed ; and, after securing places in the temporary chapel, we flew to the door to see it streaming round the quad. Beautiful it was, with its white clergy and choir, its scarlet Doctors and Bishops, its golden-robed Chancellor. We had but a glimpse and went back into the chapel. But then came the loud, joyous chanting nearer and nearer, and so they entered the chapel, where a solemn little service was held. At the early Communion, we heard that £320 had been given. This service was a special one, closing with the Te Deum. The great moment was Edward's kneeling at the altar, while (all kneeling too except the choir, who stood) the Veni Creator was sung in Latin. Darling Lavinia was close to me—what a never-to-be-forgotten thing this day will be to her ! After, we most of us managed to get on the platform in the quad, whence many good hearty speeches were made. Lord Salisbury excellent ; Dr. Pusey, venerable and touching ; Mr. Liddon, glorious ! And dear Edward himself spoke with great earnestness and vigour, and also with true deep modesty and humility. Dr. Pusey brought Lavinia gracefully and kindly into his speech, which nearly did for poor little pussy-cat.

In short it was a beautiful day in one's life : a day of bright sunshine and hope, and also of earnest prayer and solemn looking forward.

22Jun1870, Story of a Tragic Romance

LONDON, June 22nd, 1870.
—I was up with the lark, to join Papa at Cavendish Square, and go off with him from Paddington by a special 8.45 train for Commemoration at Oxford. Wonderfully like poor dear old maid days ! The heat tremendous even so early, and although the sun was not full blaze all day, Mr. C. Clifford came with us, and is so good as hospitably (and surreptitiously) to lodge F. and me in his bachelor rooms at All Souls', by dint of sleeping on a sort of shakedown himself. Papa and I joined the girls and Mrs. T. at the Cradocks', then to the theatre. The new Chancellor, Lord Salisbury, did his part beautifully well ; looked dignified, spoke with a fine clear utterance, and is said to have paid the most graceful and varied compliments to the successive D.C.L.s in Latin. Papa was received very well, considering he is Cambridge ; the Speaker (odd to say) came next him in the procession and they sat together and made friends, after the long estrangement. [FN: There had been question of a marriage between the Speaker's nephew and May Lyttelton, and the Speaker had refused to allow it. Edward Denison, the nephew, died soon after the engagement was broken off.] He met Mrs. Talbot later in the day and asked to speak to May ; to whom he just said, "I wished to shake your hand." It deeply touched and pleased the poor child. By the strangest coincidence it is the very day year of her engagement —when she and E. Denison had that one short sight of each other as betrothed lovers ; then came the hurried meeting in the afternoon when dear Granny was with them—and then the happy sunshine was all eclipsed, and they never saw each other again. The poor Speaker ! one can never feel anything but grief and pity for him now. The cheers for Canon Liddon were splendid ; he was overpowered. Mr. Lowe's name produced uproar and "non placets," and a shout of laughter when the Chancellor called him "frugalissimus." Lord Salisbury's 2 little boys held up his train, arrayed as pages in black velvet. A big luncheon in All Souls' ; afterwards Mr. Clifford took May and me into Wadham gardens. Later we all sat in S. John's, and finally F. arrived and Mr. C. took us both a most enchanting row on the river, not getting back to a recherché tête-à-trois dinner in his rooms till near 9. The intense heat all day was almost more than I like ! but on the river it was the height of luxury to contrast our condition with that of poor dining-out Londoners.

17Jun1870, The Education Bill

LONDON, June 17th, 1870.
Mrs. Talbot came to see me, and we went across to see Lavinia's [FN: Her sister Lavinia was about to be married to Edward Talbot, afterwards Bishop of Winchester.] presents at No. 11. Hearing my voice in the hall, who should call me into his study but the Prime Minister ! to ask me what I thought of the Government proceedings last night about the Education Bill. Things have been going very ticklishly with it lately. First, there was a determined push for secular education in all rate-supported schools ; then for undenominational and unsectarian religious instruction. Thank God, both these have gone overboard, and it has been cheering to perceive the strong wish through the country for religion in all schools. It would be a bitter humiliation for a Christian country to be driven by its wretched divisions to give up the very name of religion in its great national schools ; and, as to the other plan, anybody who knows anything of teaching knows that it is an impossible absurdity to define such a thing by law, and a gross tyranny to impose it upon any school teacher who happens to have distinct religious convictions. Next has arisen an outcry from dissenters for the exclusion of all "distinctive formularies" from the rate-supported schools. This also is an illogical piece of blind prejudice, for the masters are to be (rightly) left perfectly free to teach what they believe, subject to a strict Conscience clause ; and the result must be, that instead of wise, sober old formularies, any cocky, irreverent, bigoted, or lax master may instil his own shallow, crude, or narrow ideas. However, the Government have conceded it, giving, however, a great pull to the old-fashioned denominational schools (even when state-aided) by increasing the Government grant considerably. It seems the best plan that could be hit upon.

09Jun1870, Critique on Dickens

CHATSWORTH, June 9th, 1870.
Dickens has died suddenly of apoplexy, which struck him down yesterday evening after a day of literary work. (He was in the midst of a new novel : "Edwin Drood.") He never recovered consciousness, and died early this morning.
I have been reading "Little Dorrit" here, and enjoying the humour and observation of it, tho' it is one of his least good books. One feels a great blank in the world ; in some ways I should think he was an unsurpassed and unsurpassable novelist. Allowing for his irresistible genius for caricature, which prevents any one of his characters from being quite a possibility, can anyone ever come near him as to creativeness, knowledge of men, the humour which springs from close observation and sympathy? But there is one noble merit about his books in which I should fancy he stands absolutely alone among satirists, their perfect freedom from all impurity and irreverence. He and Mark Lemon (the Editor of Punch, who is also lately dead) were friends ; and all English people may be proud to think that the wit of two men who so influenced the country has ever been high-minded and unstained.

03Jun1870, Heavenly Delicious Weather

CHATSWORTH, June 3rd, 1870.
—Heavenly delicious weather. Summer colouring and warm air here are always a sort of surprise to one, knowing the place so much better in the winter—that penance time of poor lovely Nature. F. and I had an enchanting ride by the Stand Wood to Bunker's Hill. In the afternoon we all devoted ourselves to infant pheasants.

31May1870, Briggs From West Indies

LONDON, May 31st, 1870.
—The excellent Briggs, F.'s W. Indian friend, not content with giving him a turtle, and me an ivory work-box, now offers to present the Convalescent Home with hogsheads of brown sugar off his own plantation! — break major. He and his wife (a brown-parchment little wizzy person) dined with us, likewise the P.M. and Grande Dame [FN: I.e., of course, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone, who was often called the Grande Dame by her intimates ; I suppose as a sort of feminine of the "Great Man."], Willy and Charles. It was necessary to "make a house" at the unpleasant hour of 9, accordingly the P.M. poked the 3 youthful M.P.'s into his brougham (thereby obliging poor Willy to leave behind half his help of cherry-pie which he was deliberately discussing), got up himself on the box, and so exeunt. All came back to dessert.

23May1870, University Tests Bill

LONDON, May 23rd, 1870.
—Dear old May dined with us, having been to the House to hear the University Tests debate. Of course the motion was carried by a huge majority, whereby fellowships, tutorships, everything except headships of colleges, are thrown open to Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics. I can not like it, do what I will !