The Greville Memoirs, Part 3 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 2): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1852 to 1860Greville, Charles
History
The Greville Memoirs, Part 3 (of 3), Volume 1 (of 2): A Journal of the Reign of Queen Victoria from 1852 to 1860
Greville, Charles
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901
An incident occurred the other night in the House of Commons, which
exposed Disraeli to much ridicule and severe criticism. He pronounced a
pompous funeral oration on the Duke of Wellington, and the next day the
'Globe' showed that half of it was taken word for word from a panegyric
of Thiers on Marshal Gouvion de St. Cyr. Disraeli has been unmercifully
pelted ever since, and well deserves it for such a piece of folly and
bad taste. His excuse is, that he was struck by the passage, wrote it
down, and, when he referred to it recently, forgot what it was, and
thought it was his own composition. But this poor apology does not save
him. Derby spoke very well on the same subject a few nights after in the
House of Lords, complimenting the authorities, the people, and foreign
nations, particularly France. It is creditable to Louis Napoleon to have
ordered Walewski to attend the funeral.[2]
DEATH OF MISS BERRY.
On Saturday night, about twelve o'clock, Miss Mary Berry died after a
few weeks' illness, without suffering, and in possession of her
faculties, the machine worn out, for she was in her 90th year.[3] As she
was born nearly a century ago, and was the contemporary of my
grandfathers and grandmothers, she was already a very old woman when I
first became acquainted with her, and it was not till a later period,
about twenty years ago, that I began to live in an intimacy with her
which continued uninterrupted to the last. My knowledge of her early
life is necessarily only traditional. She must have been exceedingly
goodlooking, for I can remember her with a fine commanding figure and a
very handsome face, full of expression and intelligence. It is well
known that she was the object of Horace Walpole's octogenarian
attachment, and it has been generally believed that he was anxious to
marry her for the sake of bestowing upon her a title and a jointure,
which advantages her disinterested and independent spirit would not
allow her to accept. She continued nevertheless to make the charm and
consolation of his latter days, and at his death she became his literary
executrix, in which capacity she edited Madame du Deffand's letters. She
always preserved a great veneration for the memory of Lord Orford, and
has often talked to me about him. I gathered from what she said that she
never was herself quite sure whether he wished to marry her, but
inclined to believe that she might have been his wife had she chosen it.
She seems to have been very early initiated into the best and most
refined society, was a constant inmate of Devonshire House and an
intimate friend of the Duchess, a friendship which descended to her
children, all of whom treated Miss Berry to the last with unceasing
marks of attention, respect, and affection. She had been very carefully
educated, and was full of literary tastes and general information, so
that her conversation was always spirited, agreeable, and instructive;
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