The Brighton Pavilion and its royal associations. To which is added a Guide to that portion of the edifice open to the public

Front matter

3 OASTLE TAVERN Q30VE HQU9S THE PAVILION IN 1788. Fourth Edition.] THE BRIGHTON PAVILION AND ITS ROYAL ASSOCIATIONS: TCJ WHICH IS ADDED A OUII3E TO THAT PORTION OF THE EDIFICE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ALSO TO THE SUPPLEMENTARY MUSEUM. B\ JOHN GEORGE BISHOP, Author of " A Peep into the Past --Brighton in the dlden Time," and "Strolls in the Extra-Mural Cemetery." ACCEPTED AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY T.R.H iprince of Hales, Princess of SUalcs, ¥>M% tije Croton Princess of Prussia (Princess Eogal of Œtiglanto), EM.^f. tjje Bufee anti ©ucfjcss of lEoinburgi), EM.% ti)c Buke anti Huctjess of Connaught, J^.E.^. tfje Princess £ouise (iHardjioness of iLornc), E\)c Mast Noble tlje (flarquis of ILorne, %&■% tije Princess 1882. Entkbkd at Stationers' Hall. all Rights Reserved. John George Bishop, Printer, " Herald' -Office, Prince's Place, Brighton. TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, COUNCILLORS, AND BURGESSES OF THE BOROUGH OF BRIGHTON, THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.

Preface

. That a Fourth Edition of this Work should have been called for in such a comparatively brief time after the issue of the previous Edition, is, it need scarcely be said, a source of sincere gratification to the Author. He is also much pleased to state that on the occasion of the recent Royal visits, viz., of the Duke and Duchess of Con naught, of the Princess Helena, and of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the youthful Princesses, copies of the Work were graciously accepted by each of Their Royal Highnesses. Several important additions have been made to the present Edition, which, it is hoped, will give it a further claim to public favour. For the greater portion of these additions the Author's best thanks and acknowledgments are due to Crawford J. Pocock, Esq., who has, from the first, taken a special interest in the Work ; he has also to express his indebtedness to J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, Esq., of Hollingbury Copse, for his kind assistance.

PREFACE.

TO FIRST EDITION. In publishing the first "History of the Brighton Pavilion and its ■■Royal Associations," tlie Author is sensible of many deticieiicies, which are, to some extent, inseparable from the nature of the work. For all sins of omission and commission the indulgence of the reader is asked, amendment being promised in future editions. For some details of the personal narrative the Author is indebted to Huish's "Life of George IV.," and for kind assistance received his grateful thanks are tendered to Mi*. T. C. Noble (Author of " Memorials of Temple Bar"), Mr. F. E. Sawyer, G. de Paris, Esq., Mr. J. Haines, Messrs. Crunden and Sons, G. P. Bacon, Esq., Sussex Advertiser Office, C. Paine, Esq., C. Bellingham, Esq., Mr. Arthur Loader, Mr. Charles Stone, and other Gentlemen. May, 1875.

PREFACE.

TO SECOND EDITION. d In publishing the Second Edition of his Work, the Author refers with the highest gratification to the following letter from H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, who was graciously pleased to accept a copy of the first issue :— •' Marlborough House, Tall Mall, S.W., "11th May, 1875. "Sir,— I am desired by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to thank you for the copy of your work (' The Brighton Pavilion and its Royal Associations '), which you have been good enough to transmit for his acceptance. I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, FRANCIS KNOLLYS, " Private Secretary. " J. G. Bishop, Esq., Brighton Herald Office. Grateful thanks are tendered to the Metropolitan and Provincial Press for their favourable and encouraging notices of the Work ; to those Ladies and Gentlemen who have been pleased to express their approval of it ; and to the general public for their appreciation, the first issue having been disposed of within twelve months. The additions which have been made to the present Edition will, it is hoped, increase its yalue.

PREFACE.

TO THIRD EDITION. The Author, in issuing a Third Edition of this work, acknowledges with sincere thanks the many marks of approval accorded to the previous issues. The additions to the present edition will, it is hoped, ensure a continuation of this approval, and still further tend to increase the interest in what may be regarded as the most important edifice possessed by the Town. It affords the Author much gratification to state that H.R.H. the Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lome) and the most Noble the Marquis of Lome were graciously pleased to accept a copy of the 2nd Edition on the occasion of their visit to Brighton last year. To Mr. F. E. Sawyer, F.M.S., for important suggestions, &c, the Author again tenders his best thanks. He also gratefully acknowledges his obligations to Crawford J. Pocock, Esq., for his courtesy in throwing open to him his fine collection of local records, drawings, &c. The Author on this occasion cannot forbear making a passing allusion to the much-lamented death, since the last edition, of Alderman Ireland, so long associated with the Pavilion Committee, by whose express desire and encourage ment he was induced to undertake the original History of "The Brighton Pavilion and its Royal Associations.

" CONTENTS p. [ The Prince of Wales s First Visit to Brighton ... ... ... 1 Brighthelmstone in 1783... ... 2 The Prince's Second Visit ... 3 Mr. Weltjie aud the Pavilion ... 3 The Prince of Wales's Ride ... 4 The Pavilion Alterations ... 5 The Prince's Third Visit— an Afternoon's Diversion ... ... 5 Major Hanger ... ... ... 6 Novel Race — Turkeys v. Geese ... 6 The Prince of Wales's Debts ... 7 Mrs. Fitzherbert's first Visit to Brighton — her Marriage ... 8 The Pavilion in 1787-90 ... ... 9 *' Pasquin's" Criticism ... ... 10 Early Leases of Pavilion... ... 10 An Irish Deputation ... 11 Brighton in 1789-93 ... ... 13 The Prince's Liberality ... ... 13 Royal Birthday Festivities ... 14 The Steine in 1790 ... ... 15 The Duke of Orleans (M. l'Egalite) in Brighton ... ... ... 15 TheBarrymores... ... ... 16 Fashions of the Period ... ... 18 The Prince of Wales as a Sportsman -Geese Shooting Extraordinary 19 The Prince and the French Refugees 19 Arrival of Nuns ... ... 20 The First Brighton Camp — Novel Enemy — The Prince "on Duty" 20 Marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Caroline of Brunswick... 22 Their Visit to Brighton 23 A New Diet for a Prince's Table ... 25 Episode — The Intercepted Letters.. 25 The Prince's Encounter with a Novel Enemy ... ... ... 26 The Prince as a Freemason ... 26 Visit of Princess Amelia... ... 27 Celebration of the Peace of Amiens 27 The Prince of Wales desires Military Service — Letters to the King ... 29 Alterations at Pavilion ... ... 30 Purchases for completion of Pavilion 30 Giving up of the Road by the Pavilion— Town Meeting, Address to the Prince, his Reply ... 31 Prosperity of the Town, 1S03 ... 32 Introduction of Eastern Style to the Pavilion ... ... ... 32 Building of the Dome and Stables 33 Layintr-out of Western Lawn ... 34 The " Victory Fall " after Trafalgar 35 Fashionable and Popular Amusements on the Steine, 1805-S ... 36 Visitors — the ' ' Green Man " — Fashions of the Period ... 37 | p.

The Princess Charlotte — her first Visit to Erighton ... ... 39 The Prince's Birthdays— Grand Keviews ... ... ... 40 Completion of Offices to Pavilion... 41 A " Local Crisis " ... ... 42 The News of Talavera ... ... 42 How a Brighton Blacksmith cured the Prince's Toothache ... 4i> Review on Balsdean Hill, 1810 ... 44 Death of the Princess Amelia — the Regency ... ... ... 45 A Royal Duke's Proclivities ... 4G " The Grand Question Debated " — Pantaloons v. Trousers... ... 47 Purchase of Marlborough House ... 48 Fall of Paris— Visit of the Allied Sovereigns to Brighton ... 49 Local Peace Celebrations ... 50 Duke of Norfolk's "Grand Tour".. 50 Embarkation of Princess Caroline from Lancing... ... ... 51 Queen Charlotte— her first Visit to Brighton ... ... ... 52 Purchase of Marlboro' Row ... 53 of Castle Tavern ... 53 Louis XVIII., his flight from Paris — his Messenger in Brighton ... 53 Alterations at Pavilion, 1816 ... 54 Queen Charlotte's second Visit ... 54 Serious Illness of the Prince Regent 55 How the Admiral's Black Mare was Metamorphosised into a " White Horse of Hanover" ... ... 55 Visit of Prince Leopold to Brighton — Marriage Treaty between the Prince Leopold and the Princess Charlotte ... ... ... 56 How the Prince Regent Mounted his Horse — Novel Expedient ... 57 The Prince of Wales's Debts again — his capricious tastes ... 58 How the Prince obtained the Money for Alterations, &c. , at Pavilion 59 Death of Sheridan ... ...

GO Last Visit of the Queen and Princess Charlotte ... ... 61 The Regent's Bounty ... ... 61 The Regent and Martha Gunn ... 62 Visit of the Grand Duke Nicholas 63 Attack on Prince Regent ... 64 Addition of Wings of Pavilion... 64 The Regent's New Recreation — Sham Eight at Sea ... ... 65 Death of the Princess Charlotte ... 0G More Alterations at Pavilion — the Central Dome ... ... 67 Visit of Grand Duke Michael ... 68 The Banquet "after Belshazzar"... p. The King's Judgment — "after Solomon" ... ... •■• 89 Death of William IV. ... ... 90 Death of Mrs. Fitzherbert ... 90 First Visit of Queen Victoria to Brighton ... ... •■• 90 The Queen as a Musician ... 91 Visit of Queen and Prince Consort 91 Why Brighton was given up as a Royal Residence ... ■•• 92 Dismantling of Pavilion... ... 93 How Royal Palaces are Managed ... 94 Agreement to Purchase Pavilion ... 95 Mr. Slight and the Pavilion ... 96 Polling of Vestry— The Purchase 96 Decoration of Rooms ... ... 97 Sale of Southern Gateway, &c. ... 97 Entertainments, &c. , in Pavilion ... 98 Restoration of Original Decorations... ... ... ... 98 Re-decoration of Rooms,. ... 99 Inauguration of the Dome ... 99 British Assoc. and other Meetings 100 Opening of Library, Museum, and Picture Gallery ... ... 101 Visit of the Princess Louise ... 101 Opening of Supplementary Museum — The Subterranean Passage ... 102 Unveiling of the Burrows' Memorial Statue ... ... ... 103 Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught ... ... ... 103 Sunday Schools' Centenary ... 104 Visit of Princess Helena . . . 104 Visit of Prince and Princess of Wales ... ... ... 105 Health Congress ... ... 106 p. Death of Queen Charlotte ... 69 Deaths of the Duke of Kent and of George III. ... ... 70 Pulling Down of Castle Tavern ... 71 The Coronation : How Mrs Kramer got into the Abbey ... ... 72 Death of Queen Caroline ... 72 The New Royal Chapel ... ... 72 Opening of the King s-road ... 73 Band Anecdotes... ... ... 74 The King's Illness ... ... 74 Presentation of George III. 'sLibrary 75 Summary of Royal Purchases in connection with Pavilion ... 75-6 George IV. and Pugin ... ... 77 The King's Prolonged Absence ... 77 The Lady Steward ... ... 77 Death of the Duke of York ... 78 The King's Last Visit to Brighton 79 Erection of Statue to Geo. IV. ... 79 The King's "Hobbies" ... ... 80 George IV. 's Wardrobe ... ... 80 ' ' Last Scene of all in his Eventful Historic"... ... ...

SI The King's Affection for Mrs. Fitz herbert -His Will, Sc. . . . 81-2 First Visit of William IV. and Queen Adelaide ... ... S3 Ascension Dinner on Steine ... 85 The King and Lady Nelson ... 85 The Northern Entrance to Grounds 86 The King aud Mrs. Fitzherbert ... 86 Royal Visit to Lewes ... ... 87 Marriage of Miss Fitzclareiice ... 87 Completion of Entrances to the Pavilion Grounds ... ... 88 Novel Deputation to the King ... 88 92 GUIDE TO THE PAVILION. The Porch and the Entrance Hall.. 108 The South Drawing Room . . . 120 The Vestibule 109 The Saloon 121 Tlie Cloak Room ... ... 110 The North Drawing Room . . . 123 The Corridor ... ... ... 112 The Music Room ... ... 124 The Banqueting Room ... ... 115 The King's Apartments ... ...128 GUIDE TO THE SUPPLEMENTARY MUSEUM, 129 to 139 BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF LOCAL WORTHIES, Whose Busts are in the Pavilion.

Captain Pechell... ... ... 140 Mr. W. Seymour ... ... 146 Mr. Lewis Slight ... ... 142 Rev. Joseph Sortain, A.B. ... 147 Rev. F. W. Robertson ... ...143 Mr. Edward Jesse ... 149 Sir David Scott, Bart. ... ... 145 Sir Cordy Burrows . . . 151 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS, &c., ASSOCIATED WITH THE PAVILION I54--6 THE BRIGHTON PAVILION AND its ROYAL ASSOCIATIONS.

Chapter I

The Prince of Wales's First Visit to Brighton — Brighton in 17S3 — The Prince's Second Visit- -Mr. Weltjie and the Pavilion — Biographical Notice of 3Ir. Weltjie— The Prince of Wales's Ride — The Pavilion Alterations — The Prince's Third Visit : An Afternoon's Diversion — Biographical Notice of Major Hanger — Novel Race : Turkeys v. Geese — The Prince's Debts — Mrs. .Fitzherbert's First Visit to Brighton — Completion of Original Pavilion — Deeds, ■kc, relating to it —Illness of George III. ON Sunday, September 7th, in the Year of Grace, 1783, H.R.H. the Prince of Wales came to Brighton for the first time, on a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland. The Prince arrived about midday, and soon after the bells of old St. Nicholas rung out a joyous peal, and the cannon of the Battery (then at the bottom of East-street) volleyed and thundered forth, making known to the inhabitants of the " pretty fishing village " that the Heir-Apparent to the Throne of Great Britain and Ireland had honoured it with his august presence !

A sad accident somewhat marred the joyous event ; owing to some indiscretion in loading, a cannon of the Battery prematurely exploded, and mortally wounded the under-gunner. His body was blown from the Battery to some distance on the beach, and one of his arms was literally shattered to pieces.* In the evening, the Prince and the Duke walked upon the Steine, much to the gratification of the inhabitants and visitors, who in many groups had been congregated, in expectation of seeing the Royal visitor. So exuberant was the general joy, that, despite the sanctity of the day, not only were the town and Steine illuminated .at night, but a grand display of fireworks took place in the open space (now occupied by the Pavilion-parade, Prince's-street, and the "Blue * In the previous year (August 14th, 1782,) when the Prince's aunt, the Princess Amelia (then staying with Lord and Lady Pelham, at Stanmer, ) visited Brighto.i, the head-gunner, in superintending the firing the Royal Salute, had his hand so terribly shattered that it had to be amputated. and Buff" houses) opposite the then residence of the Duke of Cumberland, Grove House, from the windows of which the Prince and the Duke had an excellent view.

The old Duke did his best to entertain his Royal nephew. On the Monday there was a grand hunt, the Prince being accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland, most of the nobility and gentry of the town, and some hundreds of sportsmen from various parts of the County. In the evening there was a ball at the Castle — " the most splendid ball ever known at this place " — at which the Prince of Wales was present. It was a dress ball, the gentlemen appearing "without hat," in compliment to His Royal Highness. The Prince and his Royal hosts the next evening honoured the Theatre (then in North-street) with their presence. The Chapter os Accidents and The Agreeable Surprise being performed by command of His Royal Highness. The event is thus described by a local chronicler : — " There was a very brilliant and crowded audience- Female beauty never shone more conspicuously at Brighthelmstone* than on the above evening.

The captivating dames of Cytherea seemed to vie with each other who should most attract the eye of the Royal youth. One (it is said, a self-created Duchess,) indisputably attained the envied happiness. Public curiosity was so great that the house had an overflow of two hundred persons." And so, during the eleven days' stay (the Prince left on the 19th September), the time went merrily on, His Royal Highness varying his amusements with bathing, boating, &c. The Prince was highly delighted with his visit and "with the picturesque situation and accommodation of the place, and expressed his approbation in such flattering terms that there was great reason to hope he wou'd honour the town with his presence a second time. The pleasure of the visit was doubtless enhanced by the fact that it was almost the first "day out" ofthe Prince since he had attained his majority (August 12, 1783) ; a bond fide emancipation from that rigid and secluded " Home Rule " to which his Royal parents had previously subjected him, and to which the much-ridiculed "Trip to the Nore" proved but a poor palliative, — " The King and Prince went to the Nore, They saw the ships and main ; The Prince and King they went on shore, And then came back again."

His Royal Highness had, too. just obtained from Parliament his .£50,000 a year for a separate establishment ; had entered into possession of the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall (£13,000 a year) ; and had recently been appointed Colonel of the 10th Light Dragoons. All things, therefore, seemed to combine' to render the visit a happy one. Brighthelmstone in 17S3, when H.R.H. the Prince of Wales first WELTJIE-THE PRINCE'S COOK. From Caricature by Gillray, entitled, " The Funeral Procession of Misa Regency." April 29. 1789. came to visit it, presented a marked contrast to Brighton as it is now. Its inhabitants numbered only about 3,500. North-street, with East-street and West-street, then formed its extreme inland boundaries ; for the few houses on the Steine and to the north were but a fringe on its outskirts.

There was, however, a charm and freshness in the primitive simplicity of the old town almost irre sistible. It was prettily situated, fronting the sea at the embouchure of a verdurous valley, gently rising to the north-west towards " The decent Church that topt the neighbouring hill." From the Steine, too, where the Prince resided, the glorious Downs, clothed in " Nature's pleasant robe of green," stretched far away to the north and north-east, now sinking, now rising, till they seemed to mingle with the sky above them. The sea-view was charming, and to the " Far East :' the " white cliffs of Albion " stretched apparently into illimitable distance. The hopes of the inhabitants as to a second visit ofthe Prince were not disappointed; for in July, 1784, Mr. Weltjie, the Clerk of the Prince of Wales's kitchen,* came down and engaged a house for His * Mr. Louis Weltjie was " a character."

He was by birth a German, and at one time sold cakes and gingerbread about the streets. He came originally to England on the recommendation of the Duke of Brunswick. He eventually became master of one of the most fashionable hotels in London, which was the resort of the most distinguished characters in the then fashionable world, where he acquired a large fortune. He subsequently accepted the appointment of chief cook, &c, to the Prince of Wales, and afterwards became Purveyor to Carlton House and the Brighton Pavilion, by which his fortune was con siderably increased. He held the appointment for some years, until the death of his daughter, an only child. This daughter had previously married a young cook, his subordinate, which so excited Weltjie, at what he considered a disgrace and degradation to his family, that he warmly solicited the Prince of Wales to discharge the offender.

The Prince advised him to make the best of the affair ; but so persistent was he — threatening to consign both husband and wife to indigence— that the Prince discharged Weltjie himself, and put his son-in-law into his situation ! Weltjie subsequently retired to Hammer smith ; and on the 23rd November, 1800, when on a visit to Chiswick, suddenly expired whilst at tea. Being a very corpulent man, his death was supposed to have been occasioned by apoplexy. In some "Recollections of Brighton in the Olden Time" (written by the late Mr. Shergold for the Brighton Herald) we are told that " Weltjie was of the true German caste, — certainly more like to Silenus than he was to Antinous ; and, what is more remarkable, he had a wife as like to him as the one yolk of a double egg is like to the other."

It is added,— "After a residence of 30 years in England, they knew as little English as an elephant. How Weltjie contrived to meet with a wife so like himself, I know not, whether by advertisement or proclamation ! I think it must have been by proclamation ; for two such ugly persons never could other wise have come together. But they were as good as gold." Alas, for a good man's memory ! why did he not build a Church instead of a Palace ? In some of the Brighton Corporation documents, the rooms he once occupied in the Pavilion are designated " Wellsher's rooms " ! Royal Highness, who had been advised sea-bathing by his physicians for the re-establishment of his health. This doubtless was the chief reason for the visit. There were others, however, equally potent. The Prince had evidently formed a partiality for Brighton ; but he was already surrounded by a host of dissolute companions ; had rapidly graduated into a " fast " young man ; and the wild and reckless follies in which he and they were wont to indulge were better " far from Court removed," more especially a Court of the morality and decorum of St. James's. Be this as it may, the Prince (with his suite) arrived on Friday, the 23rd July, between three and four o'clock in the morning ! at the house which Weltjie had engaged for him of Mr. Thomas Kemp (situated on a spot immediately south of the present Saloon) and which subsequently formed the nucleus of the Royal Pavilion.* The town was thronged with distinguished visitors during the Prince's stay, among them the Due de Chartes* (afterwards Philip l'Egalite (Duke d'Orleans), who also accompanied the Prince of Wales to the Races, which took place on the 10th of August.

The aborigines of the old town must at this time have begun to realise the value of a Prince's coming to reside among them ; for the Steine, we are told, on the evening of the Races, made a " grand appear ance, a great number of persons of the first rank, both French and English, being present." Among the " events " of the second visit to Brighton, was The Pkince of Wales's Ride. At five o'clock in the morning on Monday, the 25th July, the Prince of Wales mounted his horse at Brighthelmstone, and rode to and from London that day. His Royal Highness went by way of Cuckfield, and was only ten hours on the road, being 4£ hours going, and _\ hours returning. + * This house was characterized by the poet Rogers, who had dined in it when a boy, as a "respectable farmhouse." * The Due de Chartres would appear to have been an intimate but very undesirable associate of the Prince of Wales, seeing the Duke's reckless extravagance, love of deep play, horse racing, betting. &c. In the previous April he accompanied him, with the Duke of Bedford and other noblemen, to Petworth, on a visit to Lord Egremont.

Carlyle (French Revolution, vol. i.) says of him at this period, " The Duke de Chartres was a young Prince of great promise, as young Princes often are, which promise has unfortunately belied itself. With the huge Orleans property, with the Duke de Penthievre for father-in-law, he will one day be the richest man in France. Meanwhile ' his hair is all falling out, his blood is quite spoiled'— by early transcendentalism of debauchery. Carbuncles stud his face, dark studs on a ground of burnished copper. A most signal failure, this young Prince." He adds,— He was hand and glove with the Prince of Wales, and imported English fashions into France : carriages and saddles ; top boots and riding coats, nay, the very mode of riding ; also real Yorkshire jockeys and English racers for French races. t This feat was in May, 1809, surpassed by Mr. Webster, of the 10th Light The Prince was undoubtedly a good horseman ; the racing stud which he then kept up was the best in the kingdom.

Whether his riding feat was done for a wager or not, is not recorded. Most probably it was ; for Major Hanger, Sir John Lade, and others of that ilk, were his companions at Brighton at the time. The Prince's mode of travelling, too, at this period also exemplified his equestrian tastes. On the 21st August, 1784, about one o'clock in the morning, he set off for Brighthelmstone in a new phaeton drawn by only three horses, one before the other, like a team in a waggon ; the first horse was ridden by a postilion, the other two were managed by himself. The vehicle was built upon an entirely new construction, and specially adapted for expedition. In 1784 the Prince of Wales commenced the alterations and extension of the house which Weltjie had taken for him ; — alterations " never ending, still beginning," and which in one form or another extended, as time, circumstances, caprice, or taste suggested, over some 30 or 40 years, involving him in countless expenditure and ever-recurring pecuniary difficulties.

The alteration and fur nishing of his residences were throughout his life undoubtedly the Prince's greatest " hobby," and no sacrifice appeared to be too great to enable him to ride it. The Prince came down in June, the following year, arriving at three o'clock in the morning ; he had been expected the previous evening, and some illuminations in anticipation of the visit were extinct long before his arrival ! He stayed about a fortnight, and a " spice of his quality " at this period is afforded by the following : — An Afternoon's Diversion of the Prince of Wales : — On Monday, June 27, His Royal Highness amused himself on the Steine for some time in attempting to shoot doves with single balls ; but with what result we have not heard, though the Prince is esteemed a most excellent shot, and seldom presents his piece without doing some execution.

The Prince, in the course of his diversion, either by design or accident, lowered the tops of several of the chimneys of the Hon. Mr. Wiudham's house. Such frivolities as these seemed to be at this time in high favour ■with the Prince. The diversion was doubtless the concoction of Hanger or other of his companions, with the view of extracting money from the Prince by betting. In September, 1785, Hanger arranged for a foot race on the Steine, between his black servant, and the Horsham carrier ; but the latter paying forfeit, Hanger got Dragoons, who accepted a wager of 300 guineas to 200 guineas, from Sir B. Graham, that he could not perform the journey from Brighton to Westminster Bridge upon one of the blood horses wliich usually ran in his phaeton in 3£ hours. Mr. Webster accomplished it in 3 hours and 20 minutes !

He stopped at Reigate to take a glass or two of wine, and compelled his horse to swallow the remainder of the bottle ! up a " couple of female races for a new smock and a hat, which afforded to the company assembled a most excellent diversion. " As a proof of the inventive spirit of the Prince's associates, whose rarely-failing dupe he was, may be quoted, from " Huish " (Geo. IV.) the celebrated wager between turkeys and geese, which emanated from the fertile brain of Hanger,* and on the issue of which His Royal Highness was minus several thousand pounds. The subject was designedly introduced at a convivial party at Carlton House by Hanger, who pronounced for " turkeys," backing them two to one ; and as the Prince placed great reliance on Hanger's opinion, he laid heavily on the same side, and lost accordingly.

The race, which, it may be premised, was for ,£500, — twenty geese against twenty turkeys, — for a distance of ten miles, is thus described : — Turkeys ***. Geese. On the day appointed, the Prince and his party of turkeys and Mr. Berkeley and his party of geese, set off to decide the match. For the first three hours everything seemed to indicate that the turkeys would be the winners, as they were then two miles in advance of the geese ; but as night came on. the turkeys began to stretch out their necks towards the branches of the trees which lined the sides of the road ; in vain the Prince attempted to urge them on with his pole, to which a bit of red cloth was attached ; in vain Hanger dislodged one from its roosting-place, before he saw three or four others comfortably perching among the branches ; in vain was the barley strewn upon the road — no act, no stratagem, no compulsion, could prevent them taking to their roosting-place.