67. Royal Personages
BY SAMUEL CURWEN (1781-1782)
AT St. George's chapel, prayers at eight; present, the King, Queen,
Princesses Elizabeth and Sophia,—about a hundred hearers; we joined
the train to Queen's house, or rather to the gates. The
King[179] was dressed in blue fly, cuffs
small, open, and turned up with red velvet, cape of same, buttons
white, breeches and waistcoat of white cotton, an ordinary white wig
with a tail ribbon, a round black chip hat, small, as used in riding.
He is tall, square over the shoulders, large ugly mouth, talks a
great deal, and shows his teeth too much; his countenance heavy and
lifeless, and white eyebrows. The Queen of the middle size and bulk,
height five feet and a-half,—though far removed from beautiful, she has
an open placid aspect, mouth large, foot splay:—at prayers their voices
often heard, and they appeared devout.
They take no state upon them, and walk freely about the town
with only a lord in waiting. At seven, every evening after tea, the King,
Queen, Prince of Wales, Princess-royal, Princesses Sophia and
Elizabeth, walk for an hour on a terrace half a mile long, amidst two or
three thousand people of all ranks.
The Prince of Wales appears a likely agreeable person, far
more graceful than his father, who is ungainly. The prince affects much
"Jemmy" dress and air;[180] age will
doubtless soften down the juvenile taste and affectation. The Queen's
dress, a riding habit, same color and facings as the King's—a small
bonnet with a blue feather.
Conducted to picture gallery and state-rooms; in one stands
the Queen's bed, of a cream-color, worked in flowers with silk floss
beautifully shaded, about seven feet long and six wide; posts fluted,
and gilt tester,[181] having in the centre
an oval compartment, thought to be the richest in England except Lady
Clifford's at Wybrook, which was wrought and presented to her by the
late Duchess of Norfolk,—twelve chairs and a screen, wrought by her
present Majesty's own diligent hand.
In the evening on the terrace, the King was in full dress,—blue
uniform, sword and cockade; the Prince of Wales the same. The Queen
in a pale greenish silk full dress, except her head, on which she had a
bonnet with a feather of the same color as her dress.
July 16. Crossed the river to Eton college or school, passing
through cloisters and quadrangles. I learnt from a lad that there were
three hundred and thirty pupils belonging to the school; the higher class
had on gowns and caps of university fashion.
After breakfast, at castle, to hear the roll-call of Lord
Falconberg's regiment, now on duty, and hear the music; two bands of
which were playing while the royal family were walking last evening.
Feb. 7. At the Queen's house with Mr. Hopkins to see the
plate, etc.; the first object that struck me was three large covered
baskets of table plate, as dishes, tureens, butter and sauce boats, all
with covers, raised, embossed and engraved. The King's service was
silver gilt; the Prince's silver.
We also were conducted to the kitchen, where were eighteen
male cooks busily employed in their several various lines; the men in
white jackets and caps, and the women in white aprons and caps. By a
late royal order, no one is to appear in the kitchen with natural hair.
When the King arrives from court at St. James's, (where he
attends five days in the week, Tuesdays and Saturdays being the only
ones he has in the week for his own private amusements, concerns,
etc.,) dinner is called, on which a bustle ensues; the assistants of the
silver scullery take such pieces as are called for out of baskets, place
them on a warm stove, whence they are taken by the cook and filled
and taken to the dining room door, and delivered to the person
appointed to place them on the royal table.
Common dinner, five dishes of meat, four of garden stuffs,
and one remove
daily,[182] and no more. The King is
exceedingly temperate, drinks generally water, and rarely partakes of
more than one or two dishes. His supper is water-gruel, taken in a
vessel peculiarly appropriated to his use, called the King's cup, of silver
gilt,—shown me by the yeoman.
The King's company at table is the Queen, Prince
of Wales, (unless on his public dinner days) the Princess Royal,
Princesses Sophia and Elizabeth: the rest of the children at another
table in another apartment. The Prince's dinner is served up by his
proper officers in the same manner as the King's.
The Queen, unless indisposed, always attends court and levee
days; as soon as it is over she returns; immediately dinner is served up,
without waiting for her husband; a proof of good husbandship. It is said
every king has a service of new table plate, the old being disposed of;
the silver is kept in bags and put into cupboards.
I took leave, and by advice returned by Buckingham Gate,
Pimlico, Grosvenor-place, in preference to Constitution Hill, which
sometimes is dangerous,[183] and at
eight o'clock got safe home.
Dec. 5. The King delivered his speech from the throne. I went
to see him robe and sit on the throne at the House of Lords; he was
clothed in green laced with gold when he came, and when he went in
red laced; it being the custom to change his garments. The tail of his
wig was in a broad, flowing, loose manner; called the coronation tail.
His stay in the lords' chamber scarce exceeded half an hour, in which
he read his speech of eleven pages.
As one proof among many that might be given of the restraint
and disguise of real sentiments on the part of courtiers, from the
highest character in the presence chamber to the lowest lounger and
attendant at ministerial levees, take the following:—
When the King found himself obliged to take new ministers,
and. give up Lord North and his associates, it is well known that it was
abhorrent to the royal mind; and being naturally of a pertinacious,
obstinate
temper, the King was with the utmost difficulty brought to yield a
reluctant consent.
On the first day after the appointment, when he was in a
manner forced out of his closet into the room of audience, he received
his new servants with a smile, and transacted business with them
afterwards with as much seeming cordiality and openness as if they had
been in his favor, and in his closest confidence.
So seemingly satisfied and so serene was the royal
countenance, that all the newspapers sounded forth the gracious
monarch's obliging, condescending goodness to the public wishes,
though nothing was farther from his heart, had not the necessity of his
affairs impelled him thereto.
At the same time coming up to Mr. Wilkes,[184] he said he was glad of the opportunity to
thank him for his very proper and laudable behavior in the late riot;
took notice of his looks, which indicated a want of health, advised him
to a country air and exercise, which, said his majesty, I find by
experience an excellent expedient to procure and preserve health.
All this with the same apparent sincerity, as if they had been in
a continued course of paying and receiving compliments,
congratulations, and acknowledgments for mutual kindnesses and good
offices, though all the world knows there was not a man in the three
kingdoms more thoroughly hated, nor whom he had taken a more
foolish and unnecessary pains to ruin.
The above-mentioned interview being told of in company, Mr.
Wilkes took occasion to remark in the following words:—"To have
heard the King, one would have thought I was consulting a quack on
the score of my health."
[[184]]
Wilkes war a bitter critic of the King and his
policy.