BOOKS.
Mn. REEVE has published three further volumes of the Greville Memoirs, and his reasons for so doing, as explained in the preface, are, we think, cogent and sufficient. The new series, like the first, contains what we believe to be a perfectly true account of such transactions as came under his notice in his intercourse with public men, interspersed with elaborately drawn portraits of well-known social characters who were inti- mate with him, and with short expressions of regret over his own wasted and useless career. These latter throw some light on his character, which appears to ns to be one quite as worthy of record as many of those which he himself depicts; and that being the case, we think it will be not uninteresting to say a few words as to the nature of the man himself, as he appeared to those who knew him best.
Mr. Greville was born in the purple, the spoilt child of the daughter of one of the governing houses—that of Portland. A friend of his, who knew him as well as any man, said of him :- " In early life Charles Greville bound himself under the heaviest penalties never to do anything he did not like, and lie never had to pay forfeit." In the last century it was said that beings were divided into men, women, and Herveys ; and in the greater part of this century it might equally be said that they were divided into men, women, and Grevilles. The second brother, Mr. Algernon Greville, on being asked what his feelings were at the Battle of Waterloo, made the odd reply that he had never been so bored in his life, that he was drenched with wet, had nothing to eat, and expected every moment to be killed. In fact, no Greville could ever be bored without showing it. Mr. Charles Greville dined in the same house every Derby-day for years and years, and the pleasure of the entertainment de- pended very much on his temper, which depended on whether he won or lost, whether he was sensible of approaching gout, or whether he had got enough of the particular dish he wished to eat. He was one of the four men of the name of Charles who were supposed to be the most agreeable men in London,— namely, Charles Buller, Charles Austen, Charles Villiers, and himself; but we do not believe that the other three were as uncertain as he was in contributing to the pleasures of society. His appearance differed as completely as his character from one day to another. The figure he generally displayed may be seen in the sketch of the club bow-window in The Newcames, and in Richard Doyle's sketch of the Privy Council delivering judgment in the Gorham case. He had a long chin, a prominent nose, receding forehead, and an ungainly shape. He dressed with studied plainness and scrupulous cleanliness. If one met him at dinner where higher subjects than the turf or cookery were being discussed, it was difficult to believe that it could be the • A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1852. By the late Charles C. F. °ravine, H.q.. Clerk of the Council. London Loagmans and Co. same man as the one known at Tattersall's or on the race- course. His fine eyes were lit up with intelligence and eagerness, his smile was pleasant, and his voice, like that of all his family, most musical His conversation was carefully expressed, and never otherwise than suited to the person addressed ; and he was not only agreeable himself, but, by speaking comparatively rarely, he gave opportunities to others to shine as well. It was said of him by a lady who knew him well that he would go from London to Berwick to serve a friend, but that no power on earth would induce him to get out of the arm-chair he had selected. The friends whom he was ready to serve were, perhaps, limited ; they included those who could be of service to him, or who could present him with some contribu- tion to his gallery of portraits, or give him some new picture of human life. To the latter he was very kind, and, as long as his curiosity lasted, thoroughly agreeable. His faults were avarice, greediness, and—as he repeatedly said himself—indolence. Lord Beaconsfield added. that he was devoured by vanity. To this opinion we cannot subscribe. As he grew older, he regretted much having missed the higher joys of domestic life,—and he was really fond of those, either of his own family or others, who endeavoured to console him for having missed the greatest blessing that life can afford. The volumes before us give fresh evidence, if any were necessary, to show that which all who know anything of the turf must be well aware of,— namely, that powerful capacities, as well as fortunes, were engulfed in that ignoble pursuit. The leaders of the turf in those days—namely, Lord Derby, General Anson, Mr. Payne, Admiral Bone, General Peel, Lord George Bentinck, and Mr. Greville—were all of (them men capable of the highest public duties, which, indeed, some of them were called upon to perform. Mr. Greville was not only occupied with the turf, but he liked to become acquainted with other forms of fortune- making, which were brought to his notice by his friends in high finance. His connection with official life was begun by his having the reversion of the Clerkship of the Council and the Secretaryship of the Island of Jamaica, which latter he per- formed by deputy. The office of Clerk of the Council gave him a share in the very framework of Administration, and brought him into communication with the Sovereign and Ministers.
The volumes now published contain the fifteen first years of the Queen's reign, when Mr. Greville's judgment naturally was at its best. There is less of the frivolous society than in the first volumes, and more of literary and political life; and in the transactions between party leaders he now appears as initiating negotiations, whereas before he was little more than the curious listener and the eager repeater of the words of others. It is also natural that these contain more numerous sketches of deceased persons, as his advancing years caused his contemporaries, or those of the immediately preceding generation, to fall around him. Of these sketches there are no less than thirty, besides which there are dramatic scenes in which then living characters appear. They are admirable specimens of Mr. Greville's best writing. When Lord Holland dies it is shown how very slight was the regret which his departure occasioned, principally, we believe, owing to the conviction that " he was a man with an inexhaustible good humour and an everfiowing nature, but not of strong feelings ; and there are men whose society is always enjoyed, but who never inspire deep or strong attachment ;" in fact, that, being " an equable philosopher," he was not capable of feeling deeply or strongly himself. At first his death had caused Mr. Greville to expect that his loss would be more sincerely lamented than that of any one. Three months after- wards, Lady Holland is giving dinners, everything is as usual, and Lord Holland nearly forgotten. "The same talk went merrily round, the laugh rang loudly and frequently, and but for the black and mob-cap of the lady one might have fancied he had never lived, or had died half a century before." In the account of this dinner is to be found the best picture ever taken of Macaulay's conversation. First he explains to Lady Holland all about Sir Thomas Munro, of whom she had never heard ; then he recounted all Sir Thomas had ever said, done, written, or thought, and vindicated his claims to the title of a great man till the lady got bored, and said she would have no more of him. They then went off to the ancient Fathers, when Macaulay quoted a sermon of Chrysostom in favour of the Bishop of Antioch, and continued at such length, that Lady Holland got bored again, and cut him short with a question,— " Pray, Macaulay, what was the origin of a-doll P When were dolls first mentioned in history ?" Here he was well up in
Roman dolls and in the practice of Roman children offering them to Venus as they grew older. This topic being closed, they went to Milman's History of Christianity, and thence to Strauss' book and his mythical system, and what he meant by mythical. Macaulay began illustrating the meaning of a myth by examples from remote antiquity, when Mr. Greville observed that it was not necessary to go so far back, that the case of William Hunt- ington, -whose life was historical, but whose praying for a new pair of breeches and finding them under a hedge, was mythical. This "farthing rushlight was instantly extinguished" by Macaulay, who " gave the whole minute account of the trans- action ; how Huntington had prayed, what he had found, and where, and all he had said to the tailor by whom this miraculous nether - garment was made. There is sub- sequently another picture of Macaulay at Bowood. We think the party has already been described in Mrs. Bemble's Memoirs. Macaulay talked all day and all night as usual. Rogers was eclipsed, Dundas bored, Charles Austen silenced, but on he went. The day after Christmas Macaulay leaves, and wonder is expressed at the quiet. It is, however, not less agreable. Rogers was alive again, Austen and Dundas opened their lips, and so did the host.
"It does not do for more than two or three days, but I never passed a week with so much good talk—almost all literary and miscellaneous—a very little political, no scandal or gossip. And this is the society which I might have kept instead of that which I have. I have had all the facilities for adopting either description of society, for spending my time among the cultivated and wise, or among the dissipated, foolish, and ignorant, and with shame and sorrow I must admit that by far the largest proportion of my time has been wasted on and with the latter."
From thence Greville goes to Badminton, where the stable and the kennel were the only objects of interest.
The first change of Ministers in 1841. is related in detail; the Queen's regret at losing her old advisers, and her fair and frank demeanour to those who were forced upon her, is well told. One determination she came to, and that was to have none of the old dandy, sporting set who had held the offices in 1835. The Wiltons, Chesterfields, and Beauforts were excluded, and men of a different character were substituted. Having parted with the seals of office, Lord Melbourne accosts Mr. Greville at Stafford House with the question,—" Have you any means of speaking to these chaps ?" On Mr. Greville saying he had, the ex- Minister enters into the various small matters in which it was necessary that the new Minister should consult the Queen's wishes ; and this led to various interviews with Peel, by which Mr. Greville, we should think to his intense satisfaction, became "the medium of communication between the present and past Prime Ministers," and "had the office of smoothing away the asperities of Royal and official intercourse." "If," says he, " I can do any good, and prevent some evil, above all destroy the effects of falsehood and malignity, and assist in making truth prevail, I shall be satisfied." The merit of Mr. Greville's appreciation of character lies very often as much in his selec- tion of the salient points of some scene of which he is the witness, as in his own more elaborate reflections. The character of the Queen does not appear to strike him/with any admiration ; but his record of that which he witnesses, when viewed from our own times, bears ample testimony to her qualities. Her relations with Lord Melbourne, at the beginning of her reign, are told in some detail ; the number of hours which he spends with her every day is recorded; and the consequence of the very singular education which she thus received is perhaps more visible to us than it was at the time of Lord Melbourne. The Minister's character has been so often depicted in sundry works, that that of Mr. Greville now pub- lished might be expected to contain nothing new ; but as he laboured at that memoir more than any other, and as it con- tains passages which, as specimens of his writing and as instances of the nobler parts of Melbourne's nature, are worthy of note, we cannot help making one quotation :- " It was upon the accession of the Queen that Melbourne's post grew into one of immense importance and interest, for he found himself placed in the most curious and delicate position which any statesman ever occupied. Victoria was transferred at once from the nursery to the throne, ignorant, inexperienced, and without one human being . about her on whom she could rely for counsel and aid. She found in her Prime Minister and constitutional adviser a man of mature age, who instantly captivated her feelings and her fancy by his deferen- tial solicitude, and by a shrewd, sagacious, and entertaining conversa- tion, which were equally new and delightful to her. She at once cast herself with implicit confidence upon Melbourne, and from the first day' of her reign their relations assumed a peculiar character, and were marked by an intimacy which he never abused ; on the contrary, he only availed himself of his great influence to impress upon her mind sound maxims of constitutional government, and truths of every description that it behoved her to learn. It is impossible to imagine anything more interesting than the situation which bad thus devolved upon him, or one more calculated to excite all the latent sensibility of his nature. His loyal devotion soon warmed into a parental affection which she repaid by unbounded manifestations of confidence and regard. He set himself wisely and with perfect dis- interestedness to form her mind and character, and to cure the defects and eradicate the prejudices from which the mistakes and faults of her education had not left her entirely free. In all that Melbourne said or did he appears to have been guided by a regard LO justice and truth. He never scrupled to tell her what none other would have dared to say ; and in the midst of that atmosphere of flattery and deceit which Kings and Queens are almost always destined to breathe, and by which their minds are so often perverted, he never scrupled to declare boldly and frankly his real opinions, strange as they some- times sounded, and unpalatable as they often were, and to wage war with her prejudices and false impressions with regard to people or things whenever he saw that she was led astray by them. He acted in all things an affectionate, conscientious, and patriotic part, en- deavouring to make her happy as a woman and popular as a Queen."
With the forty-eight years of the Queen's reign displayed before us as a map, it is difficult to conceive a nobler monument to the worth of a Minister, or a better example of the writer's power, than are to be found in the above passage.
Besides Melbourne, there are two other characters on which Mr. Greville has bestowed much labour and revision,—those of Lord George Bentinck and Sir Robert Peel. That of Lord George Bentinck is a great contrast to the elaborate encomiums to be found in Lord Beaconsfield's life of him. No one knew Lord George's defects as Mr. Greville did ; these were, by his account, the violence of his animosities, provoked almost by trifles, and his want of integrity in his turf pursuits. The late Duo de Richelieu said of Lord George Bentinck, when he heard him boasted of as a beau joueur,—" Oh, I know what you mean by a -beau joueur. I would be a beau joueur on those terms. If Lord George won, he had the money ; if he lost, he went to the Duke of Portland." It is evident, by Mr. G-reville's account, that he had promised his father not to gamble on the turf, and that he continued to do so. His political career is thus summed up by Mr. Greville :- "The rest of his career is well known ; he brought into politics the same ardour, activity, industry, and cleverness which he had dis- played on the turf, and some of the cunning and contrivances, too ; he never was, and never would have been, anything like a statesman ; he was utterly devoid of large and comprehensive views; and he was no pursuer and worshipper of truth. He brought the mind, the habits, and the arts of an attorney to the discussion of political questions ; having once espoused a cause and embraced a party, from what- ever motive, he worked with all the force of his intellect and a superhuman power of application in what he conceived to be the interest of that party and that cause. No scruples, moral or personal, stood for a moment in his way ; he went into -evidence, historical or statistical, not to inform himself, and to accept with a candid and unbiassed mind conclusions to which reason and testimony, facts and figures, might conduct him, but to pick out whatever might fortify his foregone conclusions, -casting aside everything inimical to the cause he was advocating, and seizing all that could be turned by any amount of misrepresenta- tion and suppression he might find it convenient to employ. Not- withstanding his arrogance and his violence, his constant quarrels, and the intolerable language be indulged in, he was popular in the House of Commons, and was liked more or lore wherever he went. He was extremely good-looking, and particularly distinguished and high-bred. Then he was gay, agreeable, and good-natured, charming with those he liked and by whom he was not thwarted and opposed. His undaunted courage, and the confident and haughty audacity with which he attacked or stood up against all opponents, being afraid of no man, inspired a general sentiment of admiration and respect; and his lofty assumption of superior integrity, and his resoles deter- mination to expose and punish every breach of public honour and morality, were quietly acquiesced in and treated with great deference by the multitude who knew no better, and were imposed on by his specious pretensions."
Lord George is'now almost forgotten, but to those who have any recollection of his career this must convey a very perfect -description of him.
The character of Sir Robert Peel is finally summed up in the following words :—
" He was naturally a man of violent passions, over which he had learnt to exercise restraint by vigorous efforts of reason and self- control. He was certainly a good, and in some respects a great, man. He had a true English spirit, and was an ardent lover of his country, and he served the public with fidelity, zeal, and great ability ; but when future historians shall describe and sum up his character, they will pass a more sober and qualified judgment than that of his admiring and sorrowing contemporaries. It is impossible to forget that there never was a statesman who so often embraced erroneous opinions himself, or contributed so much to mislead the opinion, of others. The energy and skill with which he endeavoured to make the worse appear the better cause were productive of enormous mischief ; and if on several occasions his patriotism and
his ability were equally conspicuous, and be rendered important public services, his efforts were in a great measure directed to repair- ing the evils and dangers which he had been himself principally instrumental in creating."
We shall return to the consideration of the historical portion of the work ; but we warn our readers that, accurate as the his- tory to be found in these volumes may be, for various reasons it is inferior in interest to the personal and dramatic parts which we have noticed. Mr. Greville was, in fact, a student of human nature as he saw it around him, more than a man of large views on long periods of history.
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