George III, King of Great Britain, 1738-1820; Great Britain -- History -- George III, 1760-1820
The Duke of Richmond, too, was a firm believer in the Bute bogey. "I was
told that Lord Bute went this day about noon to his own house at Kew.
He did not go to the common road over the bridge, but came by riverside
in his coach; from his own garden he crossed alone to that of the
Princess of Wales's at Kew. The King also about the same time went to
the Princess of Wales's at Kew, and stayed there two hours. 'Tis
remarkable, that 'tis said that the Princess was not herself at Kew, so
that this was not accidental, but evidently a meeting of the King's with
Lord Bute settled so beforehand." So runs an extract on July 7, 1766, in
the Duke of Richmond's _Journal_; and five days later appears a
corroborative entry: "The King at about eleven went to the Princess at
Kew, although she was not there. At about one, Lord Bute was seen coming
from Ealing by a by-road, so that 'tis probable he had again been to
meet his Majesty at Kew. Lord Bute had been at Luton between the Monday
and the Saturday; and Martin, who came to London from thence on Thursday
or Friday, knew nothing of Mr. Pitt's being sent for; but that proves
clearly only that Lord Bute did not tell it him; it seems clear, though,
that he knew it by these two meetings with the King, and doubtless he
advised it." The weak point of these statements is that the Duke of
Richmond does not state his authority, who, it seems probable, was
merely a hired spy, not unlikely to so report what he thought would
best please his employers.[30]
[30] For a full investigation of this question, see Jesse: _Memoirs of
George III_. (Second edition, 1867; vol. I, p. 360 _et supra_.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account