I. THE JOURNal of Mr. CHARLES GREVILLE, Edinburgh Review, IL THREE FEATHERS. By William Black, au- thor of "The Strange Adventures of a Temple Bar, A MORNING SONG. I WAKE this morn, and all my life Is freshly mine to live; The future with sweet promise rife, When thus from wave to wave his note, His simple praise-song rang, Swift fawned he on his fond mate's throat, What more? though of thy life's short dream New words to speak, new thoughts to hear, Yet hast thou loved on Northlands' stream, New love to give and take; Perchance new burdens I may bear, For love's own sweetest sake. And sung songs there in spring! E. H. PALMER. EIRIKR MAGNUSSON. From The Edinburgh Review. THE JOURNAL OF MR. CHARLES GREVILLE.* describe. tion at some future time. He left that time to my discretion, merely remarking that memoirs of this kind ought not, in his opinion, to be locked up until they had lost their principal interest by the death of all those who had taken any part in the events they He placed several of the earlier volumes at once in my hands, and he intiMr. Henry Greville, his desire that the remated to his surviving brother and executor, mainder should be given me for this purpose. This injunction was at once complied with after Mr. Charles Greville's death, and this interesting deposit has now remained for nearly ten years in my possession. In my opinion this period of time is long enough to remove every reasonable objection to the pub THE three volumes, the title of which we have prefixed to this article, are a very curious and interesting work, They are the journal of the late Mr. Charles Greville, kept by him during the reigns of George IV. and William IV., and containing notices, memoranda, and remarks from time to time on men, politics, and society during that important and eventful period. The author was a man whose social position gave him access to all circles, and whose friendship with many of the distinguished men of the time afforded him unusual opportunities of informa-lication of a contemporary record of events tion. The journal dates as far back as already separated from us by a much longer 1819, while the author lived until 1865, volumes commence in 1818 and end in 1837. interval, for the transactions related in these but the portion now published ends with I therefore commit to the press that portion the accession of her present Majesty in of these memoirs which embraces the reigns 1837. It has one singular characteristic: of King George IV. and King William IV., that it faithfully reflects the author's im- ending with the accession of her present Majpressions at the moment; and these re-esty. main recorded, however much subsequent In the discharge of this trust I have been events may have altered or qualified them.guided by no other motive than the desire to We have these impressions substantially present these memorials to the world in a in their original form; and relating as manner which their author would not have they do to all the most prominent men and most remarkable public and political events of the day, they are a valuable addition to the history of the times. Now and then the author interpolates a note expressive of the effect of subsequent reflection or occurrences on the tenor of his narrative, or his recorded opinions. But, on the whole, the book contains the contemporaneous impressions, thoughts, and sentiments of a very acute observer, regarding all that is most interesting to the student of history during the embraced in these volumes. years The editor, in his preface, gives the following account of the circumstances to which the present publication owes its origin: The author of these journals requested me, in January 1865, a few days before his death, to take charge of them with a view to publica * A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV. and King William IV. By the late CHARLES C. F. GREVILLE, Esq., Clerk of the Council to those Sovereigns. Edited by HENRY REEVE, Registrar of the Privy Council. Three Volumes, 8vo. London: 1874. disapproved, and in strict conformity to his evidently been written. It is perfectly Mr. Greville's own position, partly from the nature of the permanent office he held in the Privy Council, and partly from his personal intimacies with men of very opposite opinions, was a neutral one; but he used that neutral position with consummate judgment and address to remove obstacles, to allay irritations, to compose differences, and to promote, as far as lay in his power, the public welfare. Contented with his own social position, he was alike free from ambition and from vanity. No man was more entirely disinterested in his judgments on public affairs, for he had long made up his mind that he had nothing to gain or to lose by them, and in the opinions he formed, and on occasion energetically maintained, he cared for nothing but their justice and their truth. (Preface, p. viii.) No man was better qualified, by talents and by position, than the late clerk of the council to leave such a record of his times behind him. He had no political functions; he had no official knowledge of any political secrets; and he occupied a very favourable position for the observation of those who were more actively engaged in public life. But perhaps his own independence and impartiality rendered him too severe a critic of the mistakes and shortcomings of those who had to bear heavier responsibilities. holds it, it chafes him to see the end sacrificed to the frailties from which none are free, and the contingencies against which the ablest cannot provide. So that such a man is often apt to think "a plague of both your houses," and expresses his irritation in the retirement of his study in sharp and bitter phrases. Many of these harsh expressions, however, are but the reflection of temporary and passing moods of thought, which, as the book proceeds, are sometimes recanted altogether, and almost always qualified or balanced by hearty praise. The strength and pungency of Mr. Greville's language is unreserved, and he dashes off a man's character by his least amiable trait, as if he presented a complete and accurate portrait, whereas his mind was only occupied at the time by the quality on which he dilates.. Hardly one of his great contemporaries escapes this process in the course of these volumes; yet the result is, in most instances, neither unfriendly nor untrue, and leaves the real character of the man not lower but more distinct than before. A man who writes history from wellinformed gossip in social circles contributes an important, although an unstable, element to truth, and many of the most interesting portions of Mr. Greville's journal throw a great deal of light on the causes of public events, although he himself truly says, in a very notable instance, that anecdotes are not historical facts (vol. i. p. 113). It is always a question of time when such materials can be legitimately used, for the freedom and confi A sharp, keen, critical man of society, moving in all circles and having access to all sources of information, but entirely removed by his office from political action, and for the most part a bystander, not a combatant, has no doubt many advantages when he records in private, day by day, what he has heard, and what he thinks of passing events. He looks on while the game proceeds; he watches its progress, and having no interest personally in the gain or loss, he is fairly impar-dence of social intercourse would be tial in his estimate of the skill and quali- much restrained were the words which ties of the players. Perhaps, however, he pass in the openness of friendship, howhas some disadvantages also. The heat ever authentic and remarkable, to be and collision of action and contest is an treasured and forthwith given to the element in judging of public men which world. But the events which are here the cool spectator cannot possess. See-written of are nearly half a century old. ing close at his side the errors, the blunders, the weaknesses of the actors, even those whom the outside audience applaud to the echo, the latter is apt to lack the toleration which the actual difficulties and responsibility of the crisis demand, and which the performers willingly accord. With a keen desire for the right, as he The chief actors in them have passed away, and the topics which are current when this journal was penned, have long melted into the domain of history. One more remark we must make, on a feature which adds little or nothing to the information of the reader, and which recurs too frequently in these volumes. We allude to the broad and sometimes | which have been previously described by severe terms in which he speaks of the others the author's point of view is so two sovereigns whose reigns he illus- unusual, his observation so acute, and trates. Royalty, of course, must, like his pen so sharp and racy, that we have other actors in public events, fall under derived much pleasure and amusement the pen of the historian and the estimate from his treatment of familiar scenes. of the critic; but mere personalities, It is impossible, either by criticism or however true in themselves, war with the extracts, to convey any sufficient impresinstincts of this country, when used with sion of the merits of these volumes as a regard to their sovereigns. In an hered- commonplace book. Their resources are itary monarchy like ours we have not inexhaustible; and although strung toalways had the advantage of living in a gether without method, all incongruous reign in which, as in the present, the per- topics jostling each other, there is hardly sonal character and early training of the a page which does not contain materials sovereign has yielded so large an addi- both novel and interesting. The sketches tion of stability and lustre to the throne. given by Mr. Greville of the distinguished That her immediate predecessors fell far men of his time have the advantage of short of this standard is true; but there being drawn from life. With most of is little advantage in reviving old court them he lived on terms of intimacy, and gossip, notorious, though not forgotten, with all of them on terms of equality. He or in parading the weaknesses or follies is not dazzled by greatness, and speaks which in those days were to be found be- his mind with a freedom which sometimes hind the throne. Of the court and char-runs into censoriousness. Even with acter of George IV. there is nothing left those he most admired and liked, of for the public to learn, and little it can whom there are not many, he does not be profitable to remember. But his suc- scruple to press heavily on their foibles; cessor, although far from intellectually and if these have a harsh name, he gives able, did his best to govern honestly in it. As we have already said, his estivery difficult and trying circumstances. mates are hasty, sometimes entirely at Mr. Greville himself says of him in 1830, fault. Yet the critic is kindly after all; soon after his accession, "The fact is he acknowledges great qualities when he is an incomparable king, and deserves all finds them; and finds them sometimes the encomiums lavished on him " (vol. ii. in quarters where it is plain he did not p. 63). We therefore regret to find ex-look for them. The result of all is not to pressions erring as much in the way of lower great men in our eyes, but to make disparagement as the sentence we have us know them better than we did. just quoted is extravagant in that of praise. The parts of the book relative to the royal family which we have read with the greatest pleasure are the notices of the Duke of York, from whom Mr. Greville received much attention in early life, and which are conceived in a pleasant and kindly spirit, and are interesting in them-expression and point to his failure. He selves. But we pass on to matters which have more novelty, and are more likely to attract the attention of our readers. Some of these hasty judgments are amusing enough: it is diverting to see in the course of his memoranda how time falsifies his opinions. He ventures on prophecy with considerable boldness ; and he has courage enough to leave his prediction uncancelled, and even to give foretells perpetuity to Cabinets, when a few pages farther on record their downfall, and perpetual exclusion to statesThe journal has two aspects of inter- men who ruled this country for years est: one as a commonplace book, and a afterwards. So in his appreciation of men. portrait-gallery of remarkable men; the Lord Althorp's leadership of the House other as a key to important political he treats with derision when he first asevents at a momentous period of the his- sumed that office: and in this instance, tory of this country. Even when he although he admits on various occasions relates occurrences and transactions the ability he displayed, his final judg |