1741.

ENTHUSIASM OF THE HUNGARIANS.

87

not merely that of form or youth; goodness and benevolence of character shone conspicuous in every period of her life; and even when time and sorrow had deprived her of all pretensions to beauty, she still charmed all those that approached her by her manner and mien, displaying in most harmonious combination, a motherly kindness, a regal dignity, a female grace.

Nor did the enthusiasm of the Hungarians evaporate in words. The spirit of the Magnates was caught by the vassals; military ardour united with feudal duty; and though with different degrees of power, the energy and exertion were the same in all. From the remotest provinces, from the banks of the Save, the Teiss and the Drave, poured hardy and half-savage bands, whose aspect, nay whose very name was yet unknown to Western Europe-Croats, Pandours, Tolpaches, Sclavonians — with strange dress and arms, barbarous tongues, and unwonted modes of combat, yet able, as was shown by the event, to cope with most disciplined troops. The subsidy of 300,000l. which had been transmitted from England proved likewise of no small avail, and an army, formidable both in spirit and in numbers, rapidly grew around the Royal standard.

Vienna meanwhile was no longer in present peril from the Elector of Bavaria and his French allies. Reserving that capital for future prey, and impatient to be crowned King of Bohemia, he had turned aside from his Austrian expedition, and invested Prague. Its garrison was only 3000 men; its governor, Ogilvy, an Irish exile. To relieve that city became Maria Theresa's first object; the new Hungarian levies, headed by the Duke of Lorraine and his brother Prince Charles, were set in movement early in November, and were joined by the remains of the Silesian army under Neipperg, as well as by a detachment from the garrison of Vienna. Already had they advanced within five leagues of Prague, when they had the mortification to learn, that on the preceding night, the 25th of November, the city had been taken by surprise. They thereupon retired to a secure position behind the marshes of Budweis, while Prague resounded with the festal coronation of the pretended King of Bohemia. From that conquest the Elector hastened to a still prouder scene of

triumph, the Diet of Frankfort, where the neutrality of Hanover had left the Duke of Lorraine without a single vote, and where his rival was accordingly chosen and crowned Emperor by the title of Charles the Seventh.* These, however, were but the continued impulse and flow of his preceding fortune; the zeal and valour of the Hungarians wholly turned the tide; and my next view of the affairs of Maria Theresa will display a success not unworthy of her spirit and theirs.

In England the Parliament had been prorogued on the 25th of April, and dissolved a few days afterwards. I need not here recapitulate what I have already dwelt upon, the many causes that had combined to heap unpopularity and discredit upon Walpole. Indeed, if truth were always found half way between opposite angry allegations, Sir Robert might be proved a perfect character; for he was denounced at once as profuse and niggardly, timid and presumptuous, a sycophant and a despot, too hasty and too slow! But in reality, the faults of the Minister on some points are quite as undoubted as the injustice of the people on others. The Opposition had also been most unremitting in their exertions throughout the country; and the testimony of a French traveller at this period may possess some interest, as showing what progress had been made in the science of Electioneering: "I am now," says he, "at Northampton; a town where "there are some of the best inns in England, but where "I am lodged at one of the worst; this has happened because I fell in with a noble Peer who was going, like "myself, to London, and who insisted upon our travelling "together, which I readily agreed to, not knowing that I "should pay so dearly for the honour of his company. "Each party in this nation has its peculiar inns, which no one can change unless he wishes to be called a "turn-coat. Our dinner consisted of a tough

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*The coronation at Frankfort was delayed till February 14. 1742. The Margravine of Bareith, who was present, observes: "Le pauvre "Empereur ne gouta pas toute la satisfaction que cette cérémonie "devait lui inspirer. Il était mourant de la goutte et de la gravelle, "et pouvait à peine se soutenir . . L'Impératrice est d'une taille "au dessous de la petite, et si puissante qu'elle semble une boule ; "elle est laide au possible, sans air et sans grace." (Mém. de Bareith, vol. ii. p. 342. and 346.)

1741.

THE WESTMINSTER ELECTION.

89

"fowl and a liquid pudding. This was not the worst; it "seemed at one moment as if the innkeeper's hatred of the "Minister would give him the privilege of sitting down "to table with ourselves. The least we could do was, to "drink from the same glass as he used, to his health and "the healths of all those at Northampton, that are enemies "of Sir Robert Walpole (against whom I have not the "slightest cause of quarrel) and friends of our innkeeper (with whom, as you see, I have no great reason to be pleased). Nay, more, we had patiently to listen to all "the arguments of this zealous member of the Opposition, "for it was not the innkeeper that paid court to My Lord, "but My Lord that paid court to the innkeeper. The "latter loudly complained that his party in Parliament "was far too moderate. 'How shameful!' he cried in a "passionate tone. If I were a Peer like your Lordship, "I would insist that all Ministers should be expelled "from both Houses, and that the Militia should be dis"banded, or else (here he added an oath) I would set "fire to the city of London from end to end!' With "these words he angrily wished us good night. After he was gone, Sir,' said my Noble Friend, you must not "be surprised at all this. That man is of more im"portance in the town than you can possibly imagine; "his understanding is so much respected by his neigh“bours that his vote at an election always decides theirs, "and our party are bound to show him all possible at"tention.""* Such details may appear beneath the dignity of History, yet, let us never contemn whatever can best illustrate the temper and manners of the time.†

One of the first elections that ensued at the Dissolution was that of Westminster. The Court had then a paramount influence in this borough; and its candidates were Sir Charles Wager, First Lord of the Admiralty, and Lord Sundon, a Lord of the Treasury, and husband of the former favourite of Queen Caroline. No opposition was

*Lettres d'un Francais, vol. i. p. 257-259. ed. 1745. This question-as to what circumstances should or should not be excluded from history - is argued with some striking examples in Emile, livre 4. (vol. i. p. 429. ed. 1821). The author is as usual most able, and what we seldom find him, I think, in the right.

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at first expected; but Sir Charles having been summoned to convoy His Majesty to Holland, and Lord Sundon being an arrogant upstart, with no merit but his marriage, a party in Westminster set up Admiral Vernon, then in the height of his popularity, and Mr. Edwin, a gentleman of considerable fortune. Still, however, there was a majority in favour of the Ministerial candidates; but some tumult ensuing, Lord Sundon was weakly prevailed upon to order the poll-books to be closed, a party of the Guards to attend, and himself and Sir Charles Wager to be returned by the High Bailiff while soldiers surrounded the hustings. So exasperated were the multitude that the Guards were pelted, and Sundon himself narrowly escaped with his life.

This appearance of military force roused a strong resentment through the country, and is supposed to have turned several elections against the Ministerial candidates. Another powerful lever of the Opposition was a subscription, to which Pulteney, the Dowager Duchess of Marlborough, and the Prince of Wales, were lavish contributors; the Prince incurring considerable debts on this occasion. In Cornwall, Lord Falmouth and Mr. Thomas Pitt succeeded in gaining over several of the smaller boroughs from the Government. In Dorsetshire, Weymouth and Melcombe followed the change of Bubb Dodington, who had gone into opposition with the Duke of Argyle, irritated, as it was said, by the refusal of a peerage. Lord Melcombe (such was the title he coveted) would have continued a steady friend, Mr. Bubb became an inexorable enemy! Scotland was made the battle field of two brothers, the Earl of Isla and the Duke of Argyle ; the former as manager for Walpole, the latter as his principal opponent. In this conflict the Duke prevailed; and the Scottish members who had hitherto formed a close phalanx in support of the Government, and had even, as we have seen *, received each ten guineas weekly during the Session, were now, for the most part, ranged on the contrary side. On the whole the Ministerial majority was so far reduced, that even its favourers could not boast of above sixteen; "and I well know," writes Dodington,

* See vol. ii. p. 68.

1741.

ADVICE OF CHESTERFIELD.

91

"that if we take proper measures, sixteen and nothing is "the same thing!"

To concert these "proper measures" betimes was therefore a main object. Dodington, Lord Limerick, and several others, urged Pulteney to hold a meeting of the principal leaders, and determine the future operations ; but Pulteney, who, like many other men of quick genius, was always vibrating in his politics between blood-heat and freezing-point, being then at the latter, appeared very indifferent. He said that he saw no use of a meeting nor of concert,—that he would by no means undertake to write to or summon gentlemen,-that he thought a fortnight before the Session would be time enough—that if popular and national points were gone upon, people must follow them without further preparation-that he would meet if he was sent to, but would rather his friends would let him know what was resolved upon, and he would take his post-that he was weary of being at the head of a party, and would rather row in the galleys. † On the other hand, Lord Chesterfield wrote from abroad to point out and direct how the Government could be best assailed. "I am," says he, "for acting at the very begin"ning of the Session. . . . For example, the Court gene"rally proposes some servile and shameless tool of theirs "to be Chairman of the Committee of Privileges and "Elections. Why should not we, therefore, pick out some Whig of a fair character, and with personal connections, to set up in opposition? I think we should be pretty strong upon this point. But as for opposition to "their Speaker, if it be Onslow, we shall be but weak; "he having, by a certain decency of behaviour, made "himself many personal friends in the minority. . . . . An "Address to the King, desiring him to make no peace "with Spain unless our undoubted right of navigation in "the West Indies without molestation or search be clearly "and in express words stipulated, and till we have acquired some valuable possession there as a pledge of "the performance of such stipulation such a question "would surely be a popular one, and distressful enough

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*To the Duke of Argyle, July 3. 1741. Coxe's Walpole.