“ Homer House Establishment for Young Gentlemen" in open Rebellion, and Socrates Wigsby in Custody!

VOICE FROM THE TOMB!

A DIALOGUE

BETWEEN

NELSON

AND

WELLINGTON,

OVERHEARD AT

ST. PAUL'S.

TWELFTH PART.

LONDON:

D. PATTIE, CHRISTOPHER COURT, ST. MARTINS-LE-GRAND),

AND SOLD BY

M. A. PATTIE, 110, SHOE LANE, FLEET STREET.

PRICE ONE PENNY.

A

VOICE FROM THE TOM B.

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN

NELSON AND WELLINGTON,

OVERHEARD AT ST. PAUL'S.

Nelson. A perfect puppet. Nap. was determined that kings manufactured by him should not be able to boast of being

"Every inch a king."

Wellington. Truly so; his kings were like Shakspere's "Poor Player," they merely "strutted and fretted their hour upon the stage."

Nel. Good, messmate; though you can hardly carry out the sentence, for Nap would not even permit them to indulge in a little

Wel. True; that part of the drama Buonaparte did himself. Like the modern theatres he was an advocate for the star system.

Nel. Explain.

Wel. The managers of theatres engage an actor or actress, who, by dint of puffery, and very often, with little real talent, to take the leading part in a play or opera, this person is called a star, and all the merits of the play is supposed to be concentrated in this star, who receives an immense salary; in many cases more than the Prime Minister), the other performers, however excellent in their respective parts, are thought nothing of; all the applause and money is lavished on the star, Mr. Ranter, in Macbeth, or Hamlet, receives all the homage; Macduff in vain may lay on ;" and Horatio, and even the Ghost, be he ever so ghostly, cannot share the honours with Mr. Ranter! he alone is the

"Observed of all observers."

Ranter for a time is the Napoleon of the stage; he will bear no rival near his throne; as with Ranter's mimic Princes, so with Buonapartes, each must be subservient to the star.

Nel. I understand; like actors, Joseph and Jerome must merely walk through their characters, and be satisfied with playing "second fiddle" to the "Child of Destiny." But tell me how Joseph got on in Spain.

Wel. We are told 'finding the sceptre too heavy for his feeble hands, Joseph more than once prayed to be relieved from the unwelcome load." Nel. I'm not surprised at that.

Nel. I assure you, messmate, I have no desire to be among them. If I remember correctly, Jerome Buonaparte you spoke of, was brought up for the sea, and I think married an American lady.

Wel. He did, to a Miss Paterson, the daughter of a Baltimore merchant; and we are tɔld, his brother, the Emperor, was extremely indignant at the negligent conduct of Jerome, whom he had hoped to place over the French fleet, and render him capable of opposing you.

Nel. The deuce he did. I should like to have had him at Trafalgar.

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Wel. I don't doubt it; Napoleon styled you the "Sea Devil." I've no doubt you would have played the devil with his brother. When I left the earth, Nelson, there was a strong controversy as to the existence of a seaserpent;" were Napoleon present at such a discussion, it is possible he would cut the matter short, by declaring you were the only sea-serpent he believed in.

Nel. Though so small in body, messmate, he could hardly call me a "monster of the deep "

Wel. Truly so; but notwithstanding you gave them a monstrous thrashing. I think it was 1806 Jerome was appointed to the command of a seventy-four, and immediately afterwards to that of a squadron, consisting of eight ships of the line. A third time he visited the West Indies, and after a short stay at Martinico, returned home without firing a shot.

Nel. Not bidding very high, messmate, for the ocean KINGSHIP.

Wel. No; and notwithstanding he had nothing more to fear from you, he made no progress towards lending a hand to Britannia in ruling the waves. The Emperor did hope that he would turn out a French Nelson, and wipe out the defeats of the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar; but here he was sadly mistaken, for Jerome made no sign or impression on the “wooden walls." Yet, though during the whole of his naval career, he had never been engaged in a single action, and had never exhibited the least emotion of either bearing or ability-being the brother of the Emperor, he could not remain in a subordinate station, he was accordingly made a Rear-Admiral. Nel. He was a Rare-Admiral.

Wel. But his maritime exploits being of a nature to excite ridicule, even among the Buonapartists themselves, Jerome was soon compelled to change his career.

Nel. Going into your line, eh?

Wel. Just so. In 1807, he was entrusted with the command of a small corps of Bavarians and Wurtembergers, which were ordered to occupy Silesia, but we are told, he gave as little promise of arriving at an eminence in the one service as in the other.

Nel. His brother had monopolised the skill of the whole family.

Wel. All that he did was to strut in regimentals, leaving the entire direction of the corps to General Vandamme.

Nel. Damme!

Wel. He was present with the army, and that was enough for Napoleon, who promoted him to the rank of General of Division, and prepared for him a still higher destiny.

Nel. Such an admiral and general certainly deserved a higher destiny.

Wel. The hero of two elements had hitherto shown no want of affection for his beautiful wife; but being now offered a kingdom if he would consent to divorce her, and accept the hand of a princely bride, he could not resist the temptation.

Nel. And I suppose the beautiful Miss Paterson shared the fate of poor Josephine ?

Wel. She did; the American lady was dismissed, and her place supplied by the Princess Frederica Cather ni.

Nel. What a ruling passion for "blood royal."

Wel. The princess was an unwilling victim at the altar of ambition. This

was on the 12th of August, and on the 18th, he was proclaimed King of Westphalia.

Nel. Another AUGUST sovereign, another divorced wife, why Buonaparte wanted a Hospital for divorced wives, as much as a Hospital for Invalidesbut tell me more of the new king.

Wel. "The conduct of King Jerome," says an historian, "was every way contemptible. Plunged in dissipation, and heedless of the duties attached to the station which had been thrust upon him, he abandoned the burden of administration to profligate adventurers. The taxes which he levied on his unfortunate subjects were intolerable. His imbecility caused him to be despised, his rapacity to be hated. On more than one occasion, he was severely lectured by his imperial tutor, but to no effect, he continued as weak and wicked as before. The joy of the people was great when he was summoned to attend Napoleon in the Russian expedition, and they were left to the mild administration of his excellent Queen. But their joy was of short duration. He suffered himself to be surprised by the enemy at Smolensko, and was ignominiously dismissed as a fool and coward."

Nel. An affectionate brother truly. I dare say if the truth was known, Jerome had no will of his own.

Wel. After he was dismissed he returned to Cassel, to continue his profligacy and exactions, but the following year his own subjects rose against him, and aided by some Russian and Saxon troops, compelled him to flee with his wife, whom neither his vices nor his misfortunes could estrange, he hastened to Paris.

Nel. She had something of Josephine in her composition.

Wel. She had. After the downfall of Buonaparte, the King of Wurtemberg endeavoured to prevail on his daughter to seperate from the worthless husband whom she had been compelled to accept. The Princess wrote, in reply, an affectionate, noble, and touching letter, asserting her irrevocable resolution to live and die with one to whom she was bound in honour and duty, and whom neither could permit her to leave-least of all in his misfortunes.

Nel. What a noble, generous woman, messmate. These Buonapartes have had some first-rate creatures thrown in their way; with all their faults they seem to have possessed the art of making their ladies love them; and in the case of Jerome, Austerlitz Sun could certainly have had no influence in fascinating the lady.

Wel. Truly so. Napoleon, when at St. Helena, boasted that he possessed the love of both his wives. The King of Wurtemberg renewed his endeavours, but to as little effect. She appealed to her past irreproachable conduct as a child, to prove that she was no stranger to the voice of duty; that as a wife and mother, her behaviour might be expected to be equally blameless. She acknowledged that the match was originally one of policy, but affirmed that her husband possessed her heart, and that her happiness was concerned in her remaining with him.

Nel. Yes, yes, messmate, it is evident that if Jerome failed as Admiral and General of Division, he had certainly captured the heart of the Princess.

Wel. So it seems. "Best of fathers," she continues, "I conjure you to desist from your purpose; for in this case my resolution and principles are alike inviolable. It would be cruel to continue a contest I should be compelled to oppose a father whom I love and esteem more than my own life." Nel. That, messmate, was a devoted broadside for the king; it's seldom a king's daughter lectures her papa in that style.

Wel. True; the historian then remarks, "It would be unjust to deprive Jerome of this evidence in his favour; it would imply that with all his weakness, cowardice, and profligacy, his head is more to blame than his heart. Yet this little accords with his base abandonment of his first wife-a woman

The destruction of twenty sail of the line, was in the eyes England, a poor com pensation for the destruction of your life. The Courier newspaper, I well remember, expressed the feelings of England, when it said :

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"It is with mixed sensations of transport and anguish, of the deepest joy and sincerest sorrow, that we communicate the most welcome, and unwelcome news, at once, that it ever fell to our lot to communicate. Providence has "blessed His Majesty's arms with a most signal victory over the combined "fleets; but it has thought fit to chasten our exultation, by depriving us of a man "whose very name was a host and a tower of strength; Lord Nelson was killed "in the action."

Nel. This is extremely complimentary to me, messmate; but what I so much desired-what I so prayed for-is not-well, go on with Naples and poor Lady Hamilton.

Wel. The greatest energy was displayed by Lady Hamilton to serve the Royal Family. On the 21st, we are told, at half-past eight, p.m., three barges, with yourself and Captain Hope, landed at a corner of the Arsenal, that you went to the Palace, and brought out the whole of the Royal Family, put them in the boats, and at half-past nine they were all safely on board the Vanguard.

Nel. Such was the case.

Wel. On the 25th, at nine, a.m., Prince Albert, their Majesty's youngest child, was taken ill, and at seven p.m., died in the arms of Lady Hamilton; and here it is my duty to tell your lordship of the obligations which the whole Royal Family, as well as myself, were under, on this occasion, to her ladyship.

Nel. That's perfectly true.

Wel. They necessarily came on board without a bed, nor could the least preparation be made for their reception.

Nel. True, messmate.

Wel. Lady Hamilton provided her own bed and linen; and actually became their slave.

Nel. Yes, yes! Emma was even so; what a woman.

Wel. No person, except one man, belonging to the court, assisted in the least the Royal Family.

Nel. This is a true picture.

Wel. We are then told that "about this time, unfortunately, a misunderstanding arose between you and Lord Spencer, First Lord of the Admiralty. Nel. Such was the case; tell me what they say?

Wel. The English ministry were desirous of making the best use of the sensation occasioned in Turkey by the battle of the Nile, and dispatched Sir Sidney Smith for the purpose of rendering every assistance in his power to further a good understanding with that court. This seeming preference to a junior officer, we are told, greatly irritated you.

Nel. It did, messmate. Lords of the Admiralty seemed determined, in every age, to do those things they ought not do, and leave undone what they ought to do.

Wel. What you conceived that your claims on the country were too great to be superseded that you expressed your feelings on the subject in a letter to Earl St. Vincent.

Nel. I did.

Wel. You stated the anxiety and uneasiness you had undergone, and addedand now finding that much abler officers are arrived within the district which I had thought under my command, and I flatter myself having made the British nation, and our gracious Sovereign more beloved and respected than heretofore, under these circumstances, I entreat, if my health and uneasiness of mind shouldá not be mended, that I may have your lordship's permission to leave this station to my gallant and most excellent second in command, Captain Trowbridge, or some