Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.
In more recent times, Mr. Charles Townsend used every
morning, as he came to the Treasury, to pass by the Canal in
the Park, and feed the ducks with bread or corn, which he
brought in his pocket for that purpose. One morning having
called his affectionate friends, the duckey, duckey,
duckies, he found unfortunately that he had forgotten them;--
“Poor duckies!” he cried, “I am sorry I am in a hurry and
cannot get you some bread, but here is sixpence for you to
buy some,” and threw the ducks a sixpence, which one of them
gobbled up. At the office he very wisely told the story to
some gentlemen with whom he was to dine. There being ducks
for dinner, one of the gentlemen ordered a sixpence to be
put into the body of a duck, which he gave Charles to cut
up. Our hero, sur-prised at finding a sixpence among the
seasoning, bade the waiter send up his master, whom he
loaded with epithets of rascal and scoundrel, and swore
bitterly that he would have him prosecuted for robbing the
king of his ducks; “for,” said he, “gentlemen, this very
morning did I give this sixpence to one of the ducks in the
Canal in St. James's Park.”
~~232~~~ The party now seated themselves on one of the benches in the
Mall, opposite the spot where lately stood the Chinese or Pagoda bridge.
Tallyho had often animadverted on the absurdity of the late inconvenient
and heterogeneous wooden structure, which had been erected at a
considerable public expense; its dangling non-descript ornaments, and
tiresome acclivity and descent of forty steps each. “What,” said he,
“notwithstanding the protection by centinels of this precious memento of
vitiated taste, has it become the prey of dilapidation?”
“Rather,” answered Dashall, “of premature decay. Its crazy condition
induced the sage authors of its origin to hasten its destruction; like
the Cherokee chief, who, when the object of his regard becomes no longer
useful, buries him alive!”
Contrasting the magnificent appearance of the adjacent edifices, as
seen from the Park, with one of apparently very humble pretensions, Miss
Macgilligan inquired to what purpose the “shabby fabric” was applied,
and by whom occupied.
“That 'shabby fabric,' Madam,” responded Dashall, “is St. James's
Palace, erected by Henry VIII., in which our sovereigns of England
have held their Courts from the reign of Queen Anne to that of his late
Majesty George III.” {1}
1 The state apartments, now renovated, comprehend six
chambers. The first is the guard chamber, at the top of the
stairs: this has been entirely repaired, and on the right
hand there is a characteristic chimney-piece, instead of the
ill-shaped clumsy fire-place which previously disgraced this
approach to the grand rooms. The next room, continuing to
advance, is the presence chamber. This chamber has been
remodelled, and a large handsome octagonal window
introduced. This produces the best effect, and has rendered
a gloomy room very light and cheerful. The privy chamber,
which forms the eastern end of the great suite that runs
from east to west, parallel to the Mall in the Park, and is,
strictly speaking, the immediate scene of the Court; this is
entirely new from the foundation, and is a continuation of
the old suite of state apartments. The chamber is of noble
dimensions, being nearly 70 feet in length, and having four
windows towards the garden and Park beyond. A magnificent
marble chimney-piece occupies the centre, on the east end.
The anti-drawing-room and the drawing-room, in which little
alteration appears, except in the introduction of splendid
chimney-pieces of statuary marble, taken from the library of
Queen Caroline in the Stable Yard, built by Kent. The
workmanship of these is amazingly fine, and the designs very
rich. The throne is at the upper end of the drawing room No.
5, and from the chimney of the room No. 3, the vista through
the middle doors of the anti-drawing-rooms is about 200
feet!! The_coup d'oeil_ must be indescribably grand, when
all the three apartments are filled with rank and beauty.
The ceilings of the principal rooms, 3, 4, and 5, are coved
upon handsome cornices, carved and gilt. This gives the
apartments a spacious and lofty appearance; and there being
four large windows in each, the whole suite is very
imposing. The rooms are to be fitted with mirrors, and a
noble collection of the royal pictures. Over the chimney in
the drawing-room, Lawrence's splendid portrait of George
IV., surrounded by the fine old carvings of Grinling
Gibbons, of which many are preserved in the Palace, will be
the principal object. In the anti-drawing-room a portrait of
the venerable George III. will occupy a similar station; and
on each side will appear the victories which reflected the
highest lustre on his reign,--Trafalgar and Waterloo. In the
privy chamber, a portrait of Queen Anne will be attended by
the great Marlborough triumphs of Lisle and Tournay,
Blenheim, and other historical pieces. Other spaces will
exhibit a series of royal portraits, from the period of the
founder of the Palace, Henry VIII. to the present era;
including, of course, some of the most celebrated works of
Holbein and Vandyke. The unrivalled “Charles on
horseback,” by the latter, is among the number, and the
gallery, altogether, must be inestimable, even as a panorama
of the arts in England for three centuries. On the whole,
these state apartments, when completed, will not be
excelled, if equalled, by any others in Europe. Holbein,
whom we have just mentioned, was a favourite of Henry VIII.
One day, when the painter was privately drawing a lady's
picture for the king, a nobleman forced himself into the
chamber. Holbein threw him down stairs; the peer cried out;
Holbein bolted himself in, escaped over the roof of the
house, and running directly to the king, fell on his knees,
and besought his majesty to pardon him, without declaring
the offence. The king promised to forgive him, if he would
tell the truth. Immediately arrives the lord with his
complaint. After hearing the whole, his majesty said to the
nobleman,--” You have behaved in a manner unworthy of your
rank. I tell you, of seven peasants I can make so many
lords, but not one Holbein. Be gone, and remember this, if
you ever presume to avenge yourself, I shall look on an
injury you do to the painter as done to me.”
~~233~~~ The descendant of O'Brien was astonished, and connecting her
ideas of the internal show of this Palace with its outward appearance,
doubted not, secretly, that it was far inferior to the residence, in
former times, of her royal progenitor.
Probably guessing her thoughts, Dashall proceeded to observe, that the
Palace was venerable from age, and in its interior decoration that it
fully corresponded in splendor with the regal purposes to which it had
been so long applied; “It is now, however,” he added, “about to assume a
still more imposing aspect, being under alterations and adornments,
for the reception of the Court of his present Majesty, which, when
completed, will render it worthy the presence of the Sovereign of this
great Empire.”
~~234~~~ The sole use made lately of St. James's Palace, is for purposes
of state. In 1808, the south-eastern wing of the building was destroyed
by fire; the state apartments were, however, uninjured, and the Court of
George the Third and his Queen was held here.
On the right of the Palace, the attention of the party was next
attracted by Marlborough House. It was built in the reign of Queen Anne,
by the public, at the expense of 40,000L. on part of the royal gardens,
and given by the Queen and Parliament, on a long lease, to the great
Duke of Marlborough. It is a handsome building, much improved of late
years, and has a garden extending to the Park, and forms a striking
contrast to the adjoining Palace of St. James's. It is now the town
residence of his Royal Highness, Prince Leopold of Saxe Cobourg.
Our party now passed into St. James's-street, where Miss Macgilligan,
whose acerbitude of temper had been much softened by the politeness of
her friends during the morning's ramble, mentioned, that she had a visit
to make on an occasion of etiquette, and requesting the honour of
the gentlemen's company to dinner, she was handed by the Squire
of Belville-hall, with all due gallantry and obeisance, into a
hackney-chariot; Tom in the meanwhile noting its number, in the
anticipation of its ultimately proving a requisite precaution.
The trio, now left to their own pursuits, lounged leisurely up St.
James's-street, and pausing at the caricature shop, an incident occurred
which placed in a very favorable point of view the Baronet's promptitude
of reply and equanimity of temper. Having had recourse to his glasses,
lie stood on the pavement, examining the prints, unobservant of any
other object; when a porter with a load brushed hastily forward, and
coming in contact with the Baronet, put him, involuntarily, by the
violence of the shock, to the left about face, without the word either
of caution or command. “Damn your spectacles!” at same time, exclaimed
the fellow; “Thank you, my good friend,” rejoined Sir Felix,--“it is not
the first time that my spectacles have saved my eyes!”
~~235~~~ Remarking on this rencounter, Dashall observed, that the
insolence of these fellows was become really a public nuisance. Armed in
the panoply of arrogance, they assume the right of the footway, to the
ejection, danger, and frequent injury of other passengers; moving in a
direct line with loads that sometimes stretch on either side the width
of the pavement, they dash onward, careless whom they may run against,
or what mischief may ensue. “I would not,” continued Dashall, “class
them with beasts of burthen, and confine them to the carriage-way of
the street, like other brutes of that description; but I would have them
placed under the control of some salutary regulations, and humanized
under the dread of punishment.”
The Squire coincided with his friend in opinion, and added, by way of
illustration, that it was only a few days since he witnessed a serious
accident occasioned by the scandalous conduct of a porter: the fellow
bore on his shoulders a chest of drawers, a corner of which, while he
forced his way along the pavement, struck a young lady a stunning blow
on the head, bringing her violently to the ground, and falling against a
shop window, one of her hands went through a pane of glass, by which she
was severely cut; thus sustaining a double injury, either of which might
have been attended with fatal consequences.
The three friends had now gained the fashionable lounge of Bond-street,
whence turning into Conduit-street, they entered Limmer's Coffee-house,
for the purpose of closing, by refreshment, the morning's excursion.
Here Dashall recognized an old acquaintance in the person of an
eminent physician, who, after an interchange of civilities, resumed his
attention to the daily journals.
In the same box with this gentleman, and directly opposite, sat another,
whose health was apparently on the decline, who finding that the
ingenious physician had occasionally dropped into this coffee-house, had
placed himself _vis-a-vis_ the doctor, and made many indirect efforts
to withdraw his attention from the newspaper to examine the index of his
(the invalid's) constitution. He at last ventured a bold push at once,