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income to the discharge of his debts. We had known the Duke of Sussex at Berlin, and found upon meeting him here that he still retained the recollection of our acquaintance. From some misunderstanding between him and the Prince Regent, he does not appear at the levees, although he does at the Queen's Drawing Rooms. He sides in politics with the opposition, as do the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester, though not to the same extent. There was lately some coolness between the Regent and the Duke of Gloucester, who, as well as the Duke of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, was not present at the marriage of the Princess Charlotte. There was, I believe, some question of the rank and precedence to be assigned to Prince Leopold, whether it should be immediately before, or after, the Duke of Gloucester. It was however ultimately determined in the Duke's favor, and Prince Leopold follows instead of preceding him. This has produced a reconciliation, and perhaps led to the Duke's marriage with the Princess Mary. He bears a very respectable character, and is much esteemed by all classes of people.

Among the persons whom I had formerly known upon the continent, and whom I have again met here, is Lord Holland. His summer residence is on the way between this place and London. I have been the more indebted to him for his civilities, as they had been rather avoided by me, than sought, and as I had little reason to expect them. I owe him a reparation without exactly knowing how to make it, and I feel the more forcibly the obligation, because I believe him to be one of the most respectable noblemen of this land, and one of the best men living. He is now as to politics in the opposition; but in my estimation his conduct

1 Henry Richard, third Baron Holland (1773-1840), who married Elizabeth Vassall.

in Parliament has done and does honor to himself and his country. He is also distinguished by his love of literature and the cultivation of science. The library at Holland House is one of the finest that I have seen in this country.1 An American minister is an object of more willing and friendly notice to the city and opposition parties, than to the court and the cabinet. But in the politics of the country I, of course, take no part and manifest no opinions. Among the ministerialists I find occasionally old acquaintances of Berlin who are yet willing to know me; and from the ministers I have received every personal attention that I could pretend to, and more than can be desired by one who, for reasons well known to you, cannot stand with them upon the equal footing of reciprocal hospitality. An American mission abroad is a perpetual lesson of humility, not to say of humiliation. It fixes a man in the condition of a parasite, and then tells him to maintain his self-respect and the consideration of his country. Among the advantages of our residence at this distance from town, I reckon that of being relieved from many invitations which we could not avoid there, and which we never could return. I know very well the benefit to a public minister of associating with the people of rank and consequence in the country where he is accredited; but I feel that he ought rather to shun than to seek such society, when he can appear in it only as a retainer, receiving unrequited favors, and not as an equal, sharing and dispensing by turns the interchange of social good offices. If I cannot join in the chorus of the convivial song "and let him spread the table tomorrow," I would fain not be listening to it at the table of another.

We are all well. George is to perform a part in Terence's Andria at the school next week, after which he and his brother 1 Adams, Memoirs, June 2, 1816.

will write. All send love and duty to my father and to

you.

TO GEORGE WILLIAM ERVING

EALING, IO June, 1816.

DEAR SIR:

Your favors of 28th ultimo and 2nd instant came to hand only the day before yesterday. I accept your amendment to turn away the esquires as well as the excellencies from our tête-a-tête withinside our letters. But for the superscriptions going by post, the simple name might excite a suspicion of Jacobinism which might tempt the legitimate to inspect their contents.

I thought you had stouter nerves than to admit the conjuring up of devils of any color by my croaking spells. If you think that in my two last letters my discretion got the better of my valor, I can only say that much of my alarm came from home. There seemed to me too much of the warlike humor in the debates of Congress-propositions even to take up the cause of the South Americans; predictions of wars with this country to the end of time, as cool and as causeless, as if they were talking of the expense of building a light house, or of adding five cents to the salary of the Secretary of State, which you see they have had the magnanimity to refuse. I say nothing of the foreign missions, only to congratulate you upon the failure of the discriminating plan. But a quarrel with Spain for any cause can scarcely fail of breeding a quarrel with Great Britain-for the cause of the South Americans it would be infallible.

You know the purport of Lord Exmouth's treaties at Algiers, and you will soon hear of his second visit there, to protest against the application in any case to Great Britain

of the eighteenth article of our last Algerine treaty. Pacific as I am, I hope we shall never again, after beating Algiers, truckle to her in substance, and then swagger as if we had obtained a triumph. A real and a glorious triumph awaits us there, if we will but undertake to win it. But we must have fighting as gallant and skilful as heretofore, and no trifling negotiations, no gratuitous restitutions, no consular presents, no bullying articles against tribute, and tacit ticklings of the pirates' palm. This war, if we have it, will be quite as much as we can manage well, and will not necessarily, nor even probably, lead us into any other. Its tendency would on the contrary be to cement our peace with the rest of the world, by increasing at once our moral strength in the respect of mankind, and our physical power of defense in the naval bulwark. War! say I, with Algiers, and peace with the universe beside.

You will continue to hear much talk about the distresses of this country, and to see highly colored pictures of petty riots among workmen to raise their wages, or to reduce the price of bread. Notwithstanding which I remain fixed in the opinion that never in our time was there so little prevailing distress, and never so little discontent throughout the island as at this time. You have seen the most confident and formidable predictions that there would be a falling off of thirty or forty per cent in the revenue; and if a hundredth part of the clamor about distress had been founded, that effect would have been inevitable. The revenue in all its branches is increasing instead of diminishing, and although fifteen or sixteen millions of annual taxes have been abolished, the stocks are constantly rising. The whole amount of loans for the present year will not equal the sum discharged by the sinking fund, the exchanges with all the world are largely in favor of this country, and yet the Bank makes paper

money ad libitum. The government will this year face an expenditure of thirty millions, besides the interest of the debt. Parliament have been trifling with economy, retrenchment, agricultural distresses, tithes, poor laws, and all the standing themes of declamation; but trifling is all they have done. If there was more than usual distress, Parliament could not get rid of the subject by speeches and abstract resolutions. If there was real distress among the classes above pauperism, the assessed taxes upon luxuries and the excise upon luxurious consumption would and must fall off. If there was extraordinary distress among the poor, how could there be a complaint of excessive plenty? I will not say what the state of things may come to, but I rely upon it that if real distress ever comes, it will be in a very different shape from that in which it has yet appeared.

I had lately a letter from Mr. McCall, consul at Barcelona, who wishes much for your arrival in Spain. He complains much of the arrest of Mr. Andrew Thorndike and of irregular proceedings against him. He adds that we are much out of favor with the Spaniards.

I shall hope to hear from you at Madrid and remain, etc.

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