Volume I Part 22 (1/2)

Windha omitted to talk to him of the most important of all subjects on which he had often doubted Johnson said, 'You ion,'

and added that the historical evidences of Christianity were so strong that it was not possible to doubt its truth, that we had not so much evidence that Caesar died in the Capitol as that Christ died in the manner related in the Bible; that three out of four of the Evangelists died in attestation of their evidence, that the same evidence would be considered irresistible in any ordinary historical case A, that Windha doubts, and that Johnson had removed them by this declaration: if, then, the couments were sufficient to remove such doubts as were likely to occur to a mind like Windham's, it may be counted a miracle, for I am sure, in the ordinary affairs of life, Windham would not have been so easily satisfied It has always appeared to me questionable whether Johnson was a believer (I ment was satisfied) in Christianity; he evidently dreaded and disliked the subject, and though he would have been indignant had anybody hinted that he had doubts, his nervous irritation at any religious discussion betokened afrom Windham's diary which I put into immediate practice, and that is, to write mine on one side only, and leave the other for other matters connected with the text; it is more convenient certainly

Septehton on Saturday last to pay Lady Jersey a visit and shoot at Firle Jersey and I shot 376 rabbits, the greatest number that had ever been killed on the hills The scenery is very fine--a range of downs looking on one side over the sea, and on the other over a wide extent of rich flat country It is said that Firle is the oldest park in England It belongs to Lord Gage

[Page Head: WELLINGTON AND THE 'MORNING JOURNAL']

I heard at Brighton for the first ti Journal,' which was announced by the paper itself in a paragraph quite as scurrilous as those for which it is attacked It see made up his mind to this measure, and that he thinks it is a duty incumbent on hireat folly He stands reat actions, and the attacks on hiue to be under the necessity of any such retaliatoryinto a conflict with such an infa to care about its abuse I think the Chancellor was right, and that he is wrong There is a report that the King insists upon the Duke of cu Commander-in-Chief, and it is extraordinary howout the Duke Lord Harrington died while I was at Brighton, and it is supposed that the Duke of cuet the Round Tower,[4] but probably the King will not like to establish hiht, and is to be couched as soon as his eyes are in a proper state for the operation He is in a great fright with his father's fate before hi is more probable than that he will become blind and mad too; he is already a little of both It is now a question of appointing a Private Secretary, and Knighton, it is supposed, would be the man; but if he is to abstain from all business, there would seem to be no necessity for the appointment, as he will be as little able to do business with his Private Secretary as with his Minister

[4] Lord Conynghai at Fulham at Lord Wharncliffe's villa for six or seven weeks; I have lived here in idleness and luxury, giving dinners, and wasting my time and my money rathersince I have been here; I am ashamed to think how little--in short, a most unprofitable life

September 23rd, 1829

At Fulham till Friday, when I came to town Went to Stoke on Saturday, and returned yesterday; old Lady Salisbury, Giles, E

Capel, and Conroy There is always so to be learnt from everybody, if you touch them on the points they know Giles told me about the letter to his sister written by Francis,[5] and which was supposed to have afforded another proof that he was Junius Many years ago Francis was in love with his sister, Mrs

King (at Bath), and one day she received an anony a copy of verses The letter said that the writer had found the verses, and being sure they were meant for her, had sent the, the envelope in a feigned hand When the discussion arose about Francis being Junius, Giles said to his sister one day, 'If you have kept those verses which Francis wrote to you o at Bath, it would be curious to exa and see if it corresponds with that of Junius' She found the envelope and verses, and, on co of the envelope was identical with that of Junius as published in Woodfall's book

[5] [Sir Philip Francis, the reputed author of the 'Letters of Junius' This anecdote has since been verified with great minuteness by Mr Twisleton in his researches on the authorshi+p of 'Junius' The copy of verses and the envelope in a feigned hand are still in existence I have seen thened hand appears to be identical with that of Junius]

[Page Head: A MAN WITHOUT MONEY]

Old Creevey is rather an extraordinary character I know nothing of the early part of his history, but I believe he was an attorney or barrister; he , he nothing; he got into Parliaood deal of shrewdness and humour, and was for some time very troubleso abuses After some time he lost his seat, and went to live at Brussels, where he becaton Then his wife died, upon which event he was thrown upon the world with about 200 a year or less, no hoood constitution, and extraordinary spirits He possesses nothing but his clothes, no property of any sort; he leads a vagrant life, visiting a nuhted to have hi about to various places, as fancy happens to direct, and staying till he has spent what money he has in his pocket He has no servant, no ho as he wants it at the place he is at; he has no ties upon him, and has his time entirely at his own disposal and that of his friends He is certainly a living proof that a ly poor, or rather without riches, for he suffers none of the privations of poverty and enjoys es of wealth I think he is the only

Captain dickinson's trial[6] ended last week, with a sentence which was levelled against Codrington, and which called the charges groundless, frivolous, and vexatious It is generally thought that this sentence h the acquittal was proper; that Codrington behaved very foolishly, and in ever iven it, very inexcusably; but that, on the other hand, the Adainst hi, and that Blackas sent down to the court- him I saw him after the sentence; he seemed annoyed, but said that such a sentence made it necessary the matter should not stop there, and that it ain by that; he may prove that the Ministry of that day (which was not the Duke's) behaved very ill, but that has nothing to do with the court-ht the 'Genoa' at the battle of Navarino after Captain Bathurst, the commander of the shi+p, was killed A quarrel afterwards took place between hiton, and dickinson was tried by court-s ordered by the Admiral to be placed on the anchors, the consequence of which was that her broadside was not directed against the enemy, but fired into the 'Albion' Captain dickinson was honourably acquitted of all the charges, and it was proved that Sir Edward Codrington's recollection of what had passed was inaccurate in soainst the Duke's prosecution of the 'Morning Journal,' which appears to reat act of weakness and passion How can such a man suffer by the attacks of such a paper, and by such attacks, the subli at the Crown, but _we_ shall take care that he does not succeed in this' The idea of the Duke of Wellington seeking to , and his ambition successfully resisted by the editor of a newspaper, 'flogs' any scene in the 'Rehearsal'

I saw the Duke yesterday ; he was just come from Doncaster, where he told me he had been very well received He ith Chesterfield, as to have had a large party

Afterwards I rode with him, and he took me to see his house, which is now excellent He told 's eyes were affected, the left the most, and that he would have the operation perfor never evinced any fear upon these occasions, that he was always perfectly cool, and neither feared operations or their possible consequences; that he reerous operation perforo upon his head, that he was not the least nervous about it, nor at all afraid of dying, for they told him that he would very likely not recover I said, 'Then, after all, perhaps he who has the reputation of being a coould prove a very bravewhat he is' He said, 'Very likely;' that he seemed to have but one fear, that of ridicule: he cannot bear the society of clever men, for fear of ridicule; he cannot bear to show himself in public, because he is afraid of the jokes thatI lorious at the Russian successes He, Montrond, and I talked the matter over, and he said that they should make peace, but of course (I had said, 'Vous serez modestes, n'est-ce pas?') they should profit by circumstances; that the Allied Ministers would not be perrant such ter the that the negotiations were going on in concert with the Ah after all, for I don't believe the Allied Ministers had any concern in the e Head: CHATSWORTH]

November 4th, 1829

Left London the last week in Septe at several country houses, slept at Harborough, and went to Bretby to breakfast; got there at twelve and found nobody up In process of ti of the Chancellor and Lady Lyndhurst, the Worcesters, Mrs Fox, and Williams, the chaplain, and his wife I saw very little of the place, which seee unfinished house I stayed two or three hours, and went on to Chatsworth,[8]

where I arrived just as they were going to dinner, but was not expected, and so there was no room at the table The party was immense; 40 people sat down to dinner every day, and about 150 servants in the steward's room and servants' hall; there were the Lievens, Cowpers, Granvilles, Wharncliffes, Granthahs, Dawsons, Matuscewitz, Clanwilliareeable froaiety of numbers and the entire liberty which prevails; all the resources of the house--horses, carriages, keepers, &c--are placed at the disposal of the guests, and everybody does what they like best In the evening they acted charades or danced, and there was plenty of whist and _ecarte_ high and low It was in thebegun between the Russians and Turks,[9] and I received a letter from Robert Grosvenor, which Madary that I would not let her see the whole of it Our Russians were of course triuood humour was elevated to rapture by a very pretty compliot up as a _piece de circonstance_, and which has since made some noise in the world The as Constantinople, which was acted: _Constant_, Penelope and the suitors; _Inn_, a tavern scene; and _Opal_, the story in 'Anne of Geierstein' The whole represented the Divan, the arrival of Diebitsch's Ambassadors, a battle between the Turks and Russians, the victory of the latter, and ended by Morpeth as Diebitsch laying a crown of laurel at Madame de Lieven's feet She was enchanted, and of course wrote off an account of it to the E is abused as a _bassesse_ by her ene, and in the Duke's house, who is a friend of the E compliment