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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f518fb5 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #60472 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60472) diff --git a/old/60472-0.txt b/old/60472-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6a2319a..0000000 --- a/old/60472-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10167 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of London Clubs, by Ralph Nevill - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: London Clubs - Their History & Treasures - -Author: Ralph Nevill - -Release Date: October 12, 2019 [EBook #60472] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LONDON CLUBS *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - LONDON CLUBS - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - THE ST. JAMES’ CLUB - (FORMERLY COVENTRY HOUSE) - _From a Water-colour Drawing by W. Walcot_ -] - - - LONDON CLUBS - - - THEIR HISTORY & TREASURES - - - - - - - _By_ - - RALPH NEVILL - - AUTHOR OF “THE MERRY PAST,” “LIGHT COME, LIGHT GO,” ETC. - - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - - LONDON: CHATTO & WINDUS - - MDCCCCXI - - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - WITH NINE PLATES - - - - _All rights reserved_ - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - NOTE - - -The Author wishes to acknowledge the valuable assistance he has received -from several Secretaries of Clubs mentioned in this volume, particularly -Captain CHARLES PERCY SMITH, who supplied him with information of -considerable interest. - -His best thanks are also due to the Committee of the St. James’ Club for -having courteously allowed him to reproduce the water-colour drawing -shown in the Frontispiece. - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - - PAGES - - The Origin of Clubs in 1–32 - Coffee-houses and Taverns. - - - CHAPTER II - - Curious Clubs of the 33–62 - Past—Pratt’s—Beefsteak - Clubs, Old and New - - - CHAPTER III - - Clubs of St. James’s 63–98 - Street—Boodle’s, Arthur’s, - and White’s - - - CHAPTER IV - - Brooks’s, the Cocoa-tree, and 99–134 - the Thatched House - - - CHAPTER V - - Changes in Club-Life and Ways 135–155 - - - CHAPTER VI - - Elections—Committees—Regulations—Rules 156–177 - - - CHAPTER VII - - Late 178–208 - Sittings—Fines—Cards—Characters—Supper - Clubs - - - CHAPTER VIII - - The Travellers’—Oriental—St. 209–236 - James’—Turf—Marlborough—Isthmian - —Windham—Bachelors’—Union—Carlton—Junior - Carlton—Conservative—Devonshire—Reform - - - CHAPTER IX - - The National—Oxford and 237–256 - Cambridge—United - University—New - University—New Oxford and - Cambridge—United - Service—Army and Navy—Naval - and Military—Guards’—Royal - Naval Club—Caledonian—Junior - Athenæum - - - CHAPTER X - - The Dilettanti—The 257–284 - Club—Cosmopolitan—Kit-Kat—Royal - Societies’—Burlington Fine - Arts—Athenæum—Alfred - - - CHAPTER XI - - The Garrick—Jockey Club at 285–310 - Newmarket—Royal Yacht - Squadron at Cowes—Conclusion - - - INDEX 311–316 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - TO - FACE - PAGE - - The St. James’ Club _Frontispiece_ - - Badges and Ring of the Sublime 38 - Society of Beefsteaks - - Badge of the Ad Libitum Club 38 - - White’s Club previous to 1811 78 - - Promised Horrors of the French 100 - Invasion, by Gillray - - Old Mansions in Piccadilly, 220 - now Clubs - - Crockford’s in 1828 228 - - Interior of the Reform Club 232 - - The Army and Navy Club 244 - - A Dinner of the Dilettanti 260 - Society at the Thatched - House - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LONDON CLUBS - - - - - CHAPTER I - - THE ORIGIN OF CLUBS IN COFFEE-HOUSES AND TAVERNS - - -The modern club, with its luxuries and comforts, has its origin in the -tavern and coffee-house of a long-past age. The resorts in question have -long since entirely changed their character, although they were once -important features of London life, and were used by all classes for -purposes of conviviality and conversation. - -The appellation “club” seems to have come into use at the time when -coffee-houses began to be popular in London. The first notable London -club, of course, was the Mermaid, in Broad Street, which was supposed to -have been founded by Raleigh, and which was the reputed scene of many -witty combats between Shakespeare and Ben Jonson. The latter himself -originated another club—the Apollo—which had its meetings at the Devil -Tavern, near Temple Bar. - -In course of time many landlords perceived the advantage which would -accrue to their business from the setting apart of special rooms for -privileged customers; and gradually a number of fairly exclusive clubs -came into being. - -Thus Tom’s, a coffee-house till 1764, in that year, by a guinea -subscription, was easily converted into a fashionable club. In the same -way White’s and the Cocoa-tree changed their character from -chocolate-house to club. When once a house had customers enough of -standing and good repute, well acquainted with each other, it was quite -worth while to purchase the power of excluding all but subscribers, and -to turn the place into a club; for by such a proceeding undesirable -characters, who could obtain constant admission to an open house, were -at once kept outside the doors. - -The evolution of the modern club has been so simple that it can be -traced with great ease. First the tavern or coffee-house, where a -certain number of people met on special evenings for purposes of social -conversation, and incidentally consumed a good deal of liquid -refreshment; then the beginnings of the club proper—some well-known -house of refreshment being taken over from the proprietor by a limited -number of clients for their own exclusive use, and the landlord retained -as manager; and finally the palatial modern club, not necessarily -sociable, but replete with every comfort, and owned by the members -themselves. In such places, however, the old spirit of club-life is -generally lost. Dr. Johnson, for example, can be imagined passing -through the portals of one of these huge buildings, and saying: “Sir, -this may be a palace, but it is no club.” There is no doubt that in a -great measure he would be right. - -It is believed that the first house in Pall Mall ever used as a club was -No. 86, originally built for Edward, Duke of York, brother of George -III. It was opened as a “subscription house,” and called the Albion -Hotel towards the end of the last century. - -In the early part of the eighteenth century there were said to be no -fewer than 2,000 coffee-houses in London. Every profession, trade, -class, party, had its favourite coffee-house. The lawyers discussed law -or literature, criticized the last new play, or retailed the legal -scandal at Nando’s or the Grecian, not very far away from the Temple. At -such places the young bloods of the Inns of Court paraded their gowns in -the morning, and swaggered in their lace coats and Mechlin ruffles at -night, after the theatre. City men met to discuss the rise and fall of -stocks, and to settle the rate of insurance, at Garraway’s or -Jonathan’s; parsons exchanged University gossip or discussed points of -theology at Truby’s or at Child’s, in St. Paul’s Churchyard; whilst -military men mustered to grumble over their grievances at Old or Young -Man’s, near Charing Cross. The St. James’s and the Smyrna were the -headquarters of the Whig politicians, whereas the Tories frequented the -Cocoa-tree or Ozinda’s, in St. James’s Street; Scotchmen had their house -of call at Forrest’s, Frenchmen at Giles’s or Old Slaughter’s, in St. -Martin’s Lane; the gamesters shook their elbows in White’s and the -chocolate-houses round Covent Garden; and the leading wits gathered at -Will’s, Button’s, or Tom’s, in Great Russell Street, where, after the -theatre, there was piquet and the best of conversation till midnight. At -all these places, except a few of the most aristocratic coffee or -chocolate houses of the West End, smoking was allowed. - -Many of these old taverns must have been exceedingly comfortable places, -and the few which survive have an especial charm. They carry one’s -thoughts irresistibly to the days when Dr. Johnson blew his cloud by the -side of an old-fashioned fireplace, and occasionally floored some -unhappy wight with the sledge-hammer of his conversation. - -One of the last, if not the last, hostelries, which still retains its -ancient appearance, is the Cheshire Cheese. This well-known house is -half-way up Fleet Street, on the northern side. It remains, I believe, -substantially as it was when, seven years after the Restoration, it was -rebuilt on the site of that older Cheshire Cheese where Shakespeare and -many other Elizabethan wits were wont to meet. - -Ben Jonson was a frequent visitor, and here occurred his dispute with -Sylvester as to which of them could make the best couplet in the -shortest time. The latter began: - - - “I, Sylvester, - Kiss’d your sister.” - - -The other’s retort was: - - - “I, Ben Jonson, - Kiss’d your wife.” - - -“But that’s not rhyme,” said Sylvester. “No,” said Jonson, “but it’s -true.” - -The original courtyard of the Cheshire Cheese is now roofed over with -glass, and here may be seen some interesting old prints. These include -two by H. Bunbury—“A City Hunt” and “Hyde Park, 1780”; while others are, -“Destruction of the Bastille, July 14, 1789,” after a painting by H. -Singleton, and a line engraving by James Heath, from a painting by F. -Wheatley of “The Riot in Broad Street on the 17th of June, 1773.” - -Dr. Johnson is supposed to have passed many an evening here, and from -his time down to the present day unbroken links of tradition connect the -Cheshire Cheese of the twentieth century with the Cheshire Cheese of the -eighteenth. - -The seat on which legend reports that the redoubtable lexicographer sat -is one of the most treasured relics of the dining-room. Above it hangs a -copy of the famous portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, now preserved in the -National Gallery. Underneath may be read the following inscription: “The -Favourite Seat of Dr. Johnson. Born 18th Septr., 1709. Died 13th Decr., -1784. In him a noble understanding and a masterly intellect were united -with grand independence of character and unfailing goodness of heart, -which won the admiration of his own age and remain as recommendations to -the reverence of posterity. ‘No, Sir! there is nothing which has yet -been contrived by man by which so much happiness has been produced as by -a good tavern.’—JOHNSON.” - -A number of quaint pictures and prints are to be found scattered over -the house. - -Upstairs is another copy of Sir Joshua’s oil-painting of the Doctor. -This, it is said, dates back to Johnson’s time, and was painted in order -that it might adorn the room at the Mitre, in Chancery Lane, where the -club founded by Dr. Johnson first held its meetings. Dr. Johnson’s Mitre -has long since been pulled down, but the club he founded still exists, -and it meets several times a year in what was formerly the coffee-room. -This is now known as “William’s room,” on account of the portrait of -William Simpson which hangs over the fireplace. William began to be a -waiter at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Chop-house in 1829, and his portrait, -as the inscription below says, “was subscribed for by the gentlemen -frequenting the coffee-room, and presented to Mr. Dolamore (the -landlord) to be handed down as an heirloom to all future landlords of -‘Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese,’ Wine Office Court, Fleet Street.” The name of -the artist is unknown. - -In the opposite room is a picture of another waiter—a portrait of Henry -Todd, as the inscription informs us, who commenced as waiter at Ye Olde -Cheshire Cheese February 27, 1812. It was painted by Wageman, July 1827, -and “subscribed for by the gentlemen frequenting the coffee-room, and -presented to Mr. Dolamore (the landlord) in trust to be handed down as -an heirloom to all future landlords of the Old Cheshire Cheese, Wine -Office Court, Fleet Street.” - -Besides being the meeting-place of the Mitre Club, the Cheshire Cheese -is used by a number of clubs resembling somewhat those which were so -popular with a long-vanished generation. These are: The Johnson Club, -founded about twenty-five years ago; the Sawdust Club, founded 1906; -“Ourselves,” founded 1897; St. Dunstan’s, founded 1890; the Rump Steak -Club; the Dickens Club. The Johnson Club is literary and social in -character, and consists of thirty-one members, who sup together annually -on or about December 13th, the anniversary of the Doctor’s death. -Various other meetings are held throughout the year. - -The Doctor was certainly the most typical club-man of a past age, and -his name is connected with quite a number of social clubs which held -their meetings at coffee-houses and taverns. Indeed, no more clubbable -man than the writer of the famous Dictionary ever lived; but, then, -sociability was the main object of the clubs of his day, whereas the -modern tendency is more towards comfort and efficient management than -anything else. In most large modern clubs quite a number of members are -totally unknown to their fellows, and there is no reason why a member -should speak to anyone at all unless he wishes to do so. The majority of -the larger modern clubs are in reality merely comfortable -caravanserais—hotels receiving a certain number of selected visitors who -recognize no social obligations within the club walls except such as -regulate ordinary civilized behaviour. - -Dr. Johnson founded several social clubs at the taverns and -coffee-houses which he loved to frequent. One of these was the King’s -Head, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, a famous beefsteak house, and here he -spent every Tuesday evening in conversation with the members of a social -club of his own foundation. - -At the Queen’s Arms, in St. Paul’s Churchyard, the Doctor in later years -founded a club of a similar sort, and Boswell records that he was also -desirous of having a City club, the members of which he suggested that -Boswell should collect. “Only,” added the great lexicographer, “don’t -let there be any patriots.” - -Yet another club instituted by Dr. Johnson was one which met thrice a -week at the Essex Head, in Essex Street, Strand, at the time when that -tavern was kept by Samuel Greaves—an old servant of Mr. Thrale’s. -Failure to attend was penalized by a fine of twopence. - -The Mitre Tavern in Fleet Street, so often referred to by Boswell, was -Dr. Johnson’s favourite supper-place, and here was planned the -celebrated tour to the Hebrides. It is interesting to remember, in this -connection, that Chamberlain Clarke, who died in 1831, aged ninety-two, -was the last survivor of those friends with whom Dr. Johnson forgathered -at the Mitre. - -Peele’s Coffee-house, at Nos. 177, 178, Fleet Street, which afterwards -became a tavern, was also supposed to have been a haunt of Dr. Johnson, -whose portrait, painted on the keystone of a chimney-piece, for years -after his death formed one of the attractions of the house. The artist -was supposed to have been Sir Joshua Reynolds. Peele’s was once noted -for its collection of old newspapers. Here were preserved files from the -following dates: The _Gazette_, 1759; _Times_, 1780; _Morning -Chronicle_, 1773; _Morning Post_, 1773; _Morning Herald_, 1784; _Morning -Advertiser_, 1794. - -Nearly every literary man of that time had his favourite coffee-house. - -George’s, at No. 213 Strand, near Temple Bar, was the resort of -Shenstone, who found it an economical place. Probably it was for this -reason that the eccentric Sir James Lowther, a very rich man, but -penurious, also went there. On his first visit he got the proprietors to -change a piece of silver in order to pay twopence for his coffee. A few -days later he returned expressly to tell the woman that she had given -him a bad halfpenny, and demanded another in exchange for it. - -Clients of this coffee-house could read pamphlets and papers for a very -moderate subscription. - -London hours were very different in those days. Three o’clock, or at -latest four, was the dining hour of the most fashionable people, for in -the country no such late hours had been adopted. In London, therefore, -the men began to assemble soon after six at the coffee-house they -frequented—unless, indeed, they were setting in for hard drinking, which -seems to have prevailed much less in private houses than in taverns. - -The conversation varied in different coffee-houses. In those about the -Temple, legal matters formed the principal subject of discussion. On the -other hand, at Daniel’s, the Welsh coffee-house in Fleet Street, it was -mostly of births, pedigrees, and descents; Child’s and the Chapter, upon -glebes, tithes, advowsons, rectories, and lectureships; North’s, undue -elections, false pollings, scrutinies, and the like; Hamlin’s, infant -baptism, lay ordination, free-will, election, and reprobation; Batson’s, -the prices of pepper, indigo, and saltpetre; and all those about the -Exchange, where the merchants met to transact their affairs, were in a -perpetual hurry about stock-jobbing—cheating, and tricking widows and -orphans, and committing spoil and rapine on the public, malicious people -said. - -In some coffee-houses and taverns political feeling ran high. One noted -chop-house near Holborn lost its business owing to the democratic -character of a number of its frequenters, and eventually had to be shut -up. A new landlord, however, seeking to restore its prosperity, -exhibited the sign of the King’s Head, referring to which a friend said -to him: “Do you think your new sign will keep away old customers? Why, -there is not one of them but would like as much as ever to have a chop -at the King’s Head.” - -The Chapter Coffee-house in Paternoster Row, an ancient building with -low rooms and heavy beams, was in the eighteenth century the resort of -all the booksellers and publishers; and the literary hacks, the critics, -and even the wits, used to go there in search of ideas or employment. -This was the place about which Chatterton wrote, in those delusive -letters he sent to his mother at Bristol, while he was starving in -London. The Chapter also retained traditions of Oliver Goldsmith. - -In later years it became the tavern frequented by University men and -country clergymen who were up in London for a few days, and, having no -private friends or access into society, were glad to learn what was -going on in the world of letters, from the conversation which they were -sure to hear in the coffee-room. - -At one time leather tokens were issued by the proprietor; and the -Chapter was noted for being entirely managed by men, no women servants -being kept. - -In the north-east corner of the coffee-room was a box known as the -Witenagemote, which in the early morning was occupied by a group of -individuals nicknamed the Wet Paper Club. The name was derived from -their habit of opening the papers as soon as these were brought in by -the newsman, and reading them before they were dried by the waiter; a -dry paper was regarded as a stale commodity. In the afternoon another -party enjoyed the wet evening papers. - -A gentleman who was considered a fixture in this box was Mr. Hammond, a -Coventry manufacturer, who evening after evening, for nearly forty-five -years, was always to be found in the same place, and during the entire -period was well known for his severe and often able comments on the -events of the day. Here he pontificated throughout the days of Wilkes, -of the American War, and of the French War, and, being on the side of -liberty, was constantly in opposition to almost everyone else. - -The Chapter continued to be a coffee-house up to 1854, when it became a -tavern. - -The Royal Exchange was the resort of all the trading part of the City, -foreign and domestic, from half an hour after one till near three in the -afternoon; but the better sort generally met in the Exchange Alley a -little before, at three celebrated coffee-houses called Garraway’s, -Robin’s, and Jonathan’s. In the first the people of quality who had -business in the City, and the most considerable and wealthy citizens, -congregated. In the third met buyers and sellers of stock. - -The Royal Exchange Coffee-house resembled a gaming-house more than -anything else, being full of gamesters, with the same sharp, intent -looks, with the difference only that there it was selling of Bank stock, -East India, South Sea, and lottery tickets, instead of the cards and -dice dear to ordinary gamblers. - -The British Coffee-house in the West End was much frequented by -Scotchmen, whilst a mixture of all sorts went to the Smyrna, not very -far away. There were other little coffee-houses much frequented in this -neighbourhood—Young Man’s for officers, Old Man’s for stockjobbers, -paymasters, and courtiers, and Little Man’s for sharpers. Here there -were two or three faro tables upstairs. - -After the theatre fashionable men went to Tom’s and Will’s -Coffee-houses, where they played piquet and indulged in conversation. -Here you might see blue and green ribbons and stars sitting familiarly -with private gentlemen, and talking with the same freedom as if they had -left their quality and degrees of distance at home—a sight which amazed -foreigners not used to the liberty of speech permitted in England. - -A favourite resort of literary men was the Percy Coffee-house in -Rathbone Place, Oxford Street. This was used by Thomas Byerley and -Joseph Robertson, who together produced the “Percy Anecdotes” in 1820, -writing as Sholto and Reuben Percy. A large sum was realized by the work -in question, which began in 1820 and ran into forty-four parts. - -The West End coffee-houses were often disturbed by the eccentricities of -the “bloods.” A wild band, for instance, frequented the Royal -Chocolate-house in St. James’s Street, where on one occasion a dispute -at hazard produced a quarrel, which became general throughout the room; -and, as they fought with their swords, three gentlemen were mortally -wounded. The affray was at length ended by the interposition of the -Royal Guards, who were compelled to knock the parties down -indiscriminately with the butt-ends of their muskets, as entreaties and -commands were of no avail. On this occasion a footman of Colonel -Cunningham’s, greatly attached to his master, rushed through the swords, -seized and literally carried him out by force without injury. - -Lord Camelford, of duelling notoriety, one evening entered the Prince of -Wales Coffee-house, Conduit Street, and, as was his usual custom, sat -down and began to read the papers. A dashing fellow, and in his own -opinion a first-rate blood, happening to come in, threw himself on the -opposite seat of the same box, and, in a consequential tone, bawled: -“Waiter! bring me a pint of madeira and a couple of wax candles, and put -them in the next box.” He then drew over to himself Lord Camelford’s -candles, and began to read, which proceeding merely caused his lordship -to look indignant, whilst he continued reading his paper. The waiter -soon reappeared, and announced the completion of the gentleman’s -commands, who immediately lounged round to his own box. Lord Camelford, -having now finished his paragraph, called out, in a mimicking tone: -“Waiter! bring me a pair of snuffers.” These being quickly brought, his -lordship laid down his paper, walked round the table at which the -“blood” sat, snuffed out both the candles, and retired to his seat. -Boiling with rage and fury, the indignant beau roared out: “Waiter, -waiter! who the devil is this fellow that dares to insult a gentleman? -What is he? What do they call him?” “Lord Camelford, sir,” replied the -other in a tone scarcely audible. The coxcomb, horror-struck at the name -of the dangerous nobleman, said tremblingly, “What have I to pay?” and, -on being told, quietly laid down his money and sneaked away, leaving his -madeira untasted. - -Disturbances were frequently caused in coffee-houses by dashing bucks -who attempted either to dominate or to upset the domination of others. -At the west end of Cecil Court, in St. Martin’s Lane, there existed, -towards the end of the reign of George II, Pon’s Coffee-house, much -frequented by foreigners of distinction, officers, and men about town. -In the course of time the foreigners began to dominate this place, -always contriving to get one of themselves into the chair, and occupying -special seats which were kept for them alone. This created much -ill-feeling, and at length reached the ears of the celebrated Lord -Tyrawley, at that time a gay spark about town. Discussing the foreign -ascendancy which prevailed in this place, Lord Tyrawley said, in his -vigorous way: “It is all your own fault. The Frenchmen see you are -afraid of them, and therefore behave with insolence. I am sure they are -cowards, and if I was in the company I would undertake to insult the lot -with impunity, and leave the room without being questioned or prevented -by any one of them.” This led to a conversation, which ended in a bet -that Lord Tyrawley would carry his threat into execution, and on an -appointed day he proceeded to action. - -Having made arrangements with a confederate, his lordship entered the -room in time enough to take his seat in the president’s chair -unquestioned, according to the law of the place. Afterwards the -confederate, pretending to be a stranger, seated himself unnoticed, in -the same manner, in the deputy chairman’s place at the bottom. As the -Frenchmen dropped in, one by one, they were surprised to perceive the -posts of honour thus unusually occupied. They whispered and muttered to -each other as their numbers increased, but at last took their seats -anywhere they could. In tones of discontent, deep but not loud, one -whispered to his neighbour: “Connaissez-vous celui-là?” pointing to the -new president. “Non.” “Ni l’autre?” “Non.” “Ni moi, non plus; ma foi, -c’est singulier! Ah! les drôles! Eh bien, tout-à-l’heure le président -viendra, et alors nous verrons comme tout cela va finir!” At last the -French president arrived, and, finding the post of honour unexpectedly -filled by the two dashing officers of rank, quietly took his seat, like -his countrymen, where he could find it. The others, who were interested -in the scene, seated themselves at the lower end of the table, whilst -the few French who had come early seated themselves as near to the new -president as they could. - -The two intruders enjoyed the scene in secret, but behaved with -politeness and affability to all, in their respective circles, till at -last dinner was served. Lord Tyrawley formally did the honours—tasted -the soup, put on a critical look, and asked those who were near him to -taste, and favour him with their opinions. They were surprised at his -assurance, but several tasted, and said simultaneously, “Assez -bien—comme à l’ordinaire—qu’en pensez-vous?” and so on. Lord Tyrawley -then exclaimed: “It is most execrable stuff, and only fit to be placed -before pigs! Waiter” (the man crept forward trembling), “what do you -bring this stuff here for?” The astonished servant looked silently -towards the Frenchmen, in the hopes of catching a hint, when Tyrawley, -in a rage, vociferated: “Don’t answer me, sir! take it away, and bring -me the next dish—take it away instantly, I say!” So saying, he seized -his own plate in both hands, raised it above his head, and then dashed -it with all his force, with its flat bottom, into the midst of the soup, -which spread, in a circular sheet, upon the table and the clothes of all -who sat at that end of it. The Frenchmen started with horror and -surprise, springing from their seats to save their clothes, while his -confederate jumped up, exclaiming: “What do you mean by that, sir?” “I -mean to say,” said Lord Tyrawley, with provoking coolness, “the soup is -very bad.” “Nonsense, sir,” said the apparently enraged deputy chairman; -“you have insulted every man here, and I will see that you give me -immediate satisfaction.” “Oh, sir,” said the Peer, very coolly, “if you -are for that sport, I will indulge you at once.” So saying, each took -down his hat and sword with great dignity, and, the challenger strutting -after the challenged, both descended into the courtyard. The bespattered -foreigners, finding a duel was in progress, crowded the window for good -places to see the sight, till it was quite full. The combatants took -their ground, drew, and began a very furious-looking assault; one fought -retreating, the other pushing him back till they were at the end of the -court in St. Martin’s Lane, when they took off their hats, bowed -gracefully to the astonished Frenchmen, and walked away arm in arm, -laughing and kissing their hands to the company they had left, leaving -them to enjoy their spoiled dinner and well-greased clothes as they were -best able. - -The great dread of the peaceful citizens who frequented taverns and -coffee-houses was an incursion by members of the clubs known as Bold -Bucks and Hell-Fires—for the most part composed of deliberately -abandoned villains. The Bold Bucks were given up to licentiousness of an -unbridled kind; blind and bold love was their motto, and their main -object seems to have been the assimilation of man to brute. - -The Hell-Fires, as may be gathered from their appellation, aimed at an -even more transcendent malignity, and derided the forms of religion as a -trifle. - -A regular code of etiquette was observed at coffee-houses. At most of -these, though not at the fashionable West End ones, a penny was usually -laid on the bar on entering, which entitled the guest to the use of the -room and of the news-sheet. Every rank of life, except perhaps the very -lowest, was represented at one or other of these houses. Men met there -to transact business, talk politics, discuss the latest play or poem, to -play dice or cards. To one man the coffee-house was an office for -business, where he received, and from which he dated, his letters; to -another, a place in which to push his fortunes among patrons; to most, a -lounging-place in which to discuss the news and pass away the time. The -advertisements of the day are full of allusions to them. One gentleman -loses his watch or his sword, and will give a reward if they are -returned to Tom’s or Button’s, “and no questions asked.” Another, one -Brown, “late City Marshall,” will settle all affairs that he had in his -hands while holding that office, if the persons interested will repair -to “Mr. Gibbon’s Coffee-House at Charing Cross.” - -The first coffee-house—that is, the first house where coffee was sold to -the public in England—is said to have been the George and Vulture, in -George Yard, Lombard Street, a house still in existence. - -About 1652 a Turkey merchant, Mr. Edwards by name, is supposed to have -brought to London from Smyrna a Ragusan youth, Pasqua Rosee by name, -specially to prepare coffee for him every morning. This servant he -eventually allowed to sell the new-fashioned infusion publicly, and -eventually the Ragusan established the first coffee-house in London, at -St. Michael’s Abbey, Cornhill, under the title of Pasqua Rosee’s Inn, -afterwards known to fame as the George and Vulture. - -The old Rainbow in Fleet Street, now known as Groom’s, was the second -coffee-house; but the owner of the Rainbow apparently did not purvey a -very attractive form of the new beverage, for he was indicted by the -Vestry for selling “a strong drink called Coffee which annoyed the -neighbourhood by its evil smell.” - -Curiously enough, both houses, Groom’s and the George and Vulture, now -belong to the same proprietor, Mr. John Gardner, who, when he recently -purchased the lease of the former, also acquired the original -coffee-making recipe. - -As a coffee-house the George and Vulture was a well-known resort of -poets, wits, and satirists. The servants appear to have been very -enterprising in attracting customers, for they would rush out and seize -passers-by, crying: “Coffee, sir; tea, sir! Walk in and try a fresh -pot!” - -At the George and Vulture, Swift discussed the South Sea Bubble with his -friends. Here, too, came Richard Estcourt, of Drury Lane, and founded -the first Beefsteak Club. At a later period this coffee-house, on -account of its sign, was especially popular with patriotic clubs. -Amongst its patrons were Addison and Steele, whilst Daniel Defoe seems -also to have been a visitor. - -In Georgian days the old coffee-house became one of the most popular -resorts of John Wilkes, and there also went Hogarth and other well-known -men of the day, whilst members of the Hell-Fire Club were constant -though unwelcome visitors. - -In later times Charles Dickens immortalized the George and Vulture by -making it an abode of Mr. Pickwick and Sam Weller; the old hostelry was -also selected by the great novelist as being the place where subpœnas -were served on Mr. Pickwick’s friends in the famous case of Bardell and -Pickwick. Dickens’s affection for “the George” is now perpetuated by the -City Pickwick, a social club which holds its meetings there. - -Dickens is supposed to have obtained the idea for the name of Tom Pinch -from Dr. Pinche’s school, which in early Victorian days occupied the -site of the Deutsche Bank, close to the George and Vulture, in George -Yard. Sir Henry Irving was a pupil here, as was that still surviving -legal luminary, Sir Edward Clarke. - -Another resort full of old-world memories—the London Coffee-house, on -Ludgate Hill, where John Leech’s father and grandfather were -proprietors—occupied a Roman site. In 1800, behind this house, in a -bastion of the City Wall, was found a sepulchral monument, dedicated to -a faithful wife by her husband, a Roman soldier. Here also were found a -fragment of a statue of Hercules and a female head. In front of the -coffee-house, immediately west of St. Martin’s Church, stood Ludgate. - -This coffee-house was within the rules of the Fleet Prison; and in the -coffee-house were “locked up” for the night such juries from the Old -Bailey Sessions as could not agree upon verdicts. In later days it -became a tavern. - -A curious incident once occurred in this house. Mr. Broadhurst, the -famous tenor, by singing a high note caused a wineglass on the table to -break, the bowl being separated from the stem. Brayley, the topographer, -was present at the time. - -Lloyd’s, now such a well-known institution, originated in a coffee-house -of that name, which flourished as early as the very beginning of the -eighteenth century. - -Lloyd’s Coffee-house was originally in Lombard Street, at the corner of -Abchurch Lane, subsequently in Pope’s-head Alley, where it was called -“New Lloyd’s Coffee-house”; but on February 14, 1774, it was removed to -the north-west corner of the Royal Exchange, where it remained until the -destruction of that building by fire. When the Royal Exchange was -rebuilt, special rooms were set aside for Lloyd’s, which assumed the -form in which it flourishes to-day. - -Lloyd’s, as a place for insuring ships, was at first started by an -astute individual who saw the possibilities of a meeting-place for -underwriters and insurers of ships’ cargoes. - -As early as the year 1740, it is recorded that Mr. Baker, Master of -Lloyd’s Coffee-house, in Lombard Street, waited on Sir Robert Walpole -with the news of Admiral Vernon’s capture of Portobello. This was the -first account received thereof, and, as it proved to be true, Sir Robert -was pleased to order Mr. Baker a handsome present. - -Another resort, somewhat similar to Lloyd’s, was Garraway’s -Coffee-house—the first place where tea was sold in England. It was -during the time of the South Sea Bubble that this became the scene of -great mercantile transactions. The original proprietor was Thomas -Garway, tobacconist and coffee-man. He issued the following curious -circular: “Tea in England hath been sold in the leaf for six pounds, and -sometimes for ten pounds the pound weight, and in respect of its former -scarceness and dearness, it hath been only used as a regalia in high -treatments and entertainments, and presents made thereof to princes and -grandees till the year 1651. The said Thomas Garway did purchase a -quantity thereof, and first publicly sold the said tea in leaf and -drink, made according to the directions of the most knowing merchants -and travellers into those eastern countries; and upon knowledge and -experience of the said Garway’s continued care and industry in obtaining -the best tea, and making drink thereof, very many noblemen, physicians, -merchants, and gentlemen of quality, have ever since sent to him for the -said leaf, and daily resort to his house in Exchange Alley, aforesaid, -to drink the drink thereof; and to the end that all persons of eminence -and quality, gentlemen and others, who have occasion for tea in leaf, -may be supplied, these are to give notice that the said Thomas Garway -hath tea to sell from ‘sixteen to fifty shillings per pound.’” - -In 1673 there were some great sales of wine at Garraway’s. These took -place “by the candle”—that is, by auction while an inch of candle burnt. -In the _Tatler_, No. 147, we read: “Upon my coming home last night, I -found a very handsome present of French wine left for me, as a taste of -216 hogsheads, which are to be put to sale at £20 a hogshead, at -Garraway’s Coffee-house, in Exchange Alley,” etc. A sale by candle is -not, however, by candlelight, but during the day. Such sales took place -by daylight, and at the commencement of the sale, when the auctioneer -had read a description of the property and the conditions on which it -was to be disposed of, a piece of candle, usually an inch long, was lit, -the last bidder at the time the light went out being declared the -purchaser. - -Garraway’s was famous for its sandwiches and sherry, pale ale, and -punch. The sandwich-maker, it was said, occupied two hours in cutting -and arranging the sandwiches before the day’s consumption commenced. The -sale-room was on the first-floor, with a small rostrum for the seller, -and a few rough wooden seats for the buyers. Sales of drugs, mahogany, -and timber, were its speciality in the fifties of the last century, when -twenty or thirty property and other sales sometimes took place in a day. -The walls and windows of the lower room were covered with sale -placards—unsentimental evidences of the mutability of human affairs. - -In 1840 and 1841, when the tea speculation was at its height, and prices -were fluctuating sixpence and eightpence per pound on the arrival of -every mail, Garraway’s was frequented every night by a host of the -smaller fry of dealers, and there was much more excitement than ever -occurred on ’Change when the most important intelligence arrived. -Champagne flowed, and everyone ate and drank, and went, as he pleased, -without the least question about the bill; yet everything was paid, -though such a state of affairs continued for several months. - -At one time many taverns were the meeting-places of “mug-house clubs,” -amusing resorts where gentlemen, lawyers, and tradesmen used to meet in -a great room, seldom under a hundred in number. - -Such assemblies usually had a president, who sat in an armchair some -steps higher than the rest of the company, to keep the whole room in -order. A harp played all the time at the lower end of the room; and -every now and then one or other of the company rose and entertained the -rest with a song, some being good singers. Here nothing was drunk but -ale, and every gentleman had his separate mug, which he chalked on the -table where he sat, as it was brought in. A free-and-easy atmosphere -pervaded the place, and everyone did and said exactly what he pleased. - -A number of these “mug-house clubs” were to be found in Cheapside and -its vicinity, and others about Covent Garden, a district which formerly -abounded in well-known coffee-houses. In the eighteenth century, in -Russell Street alone, were three of the most celebrated: Will’s, -Button’s, and Tom’s. Will’s, as is well known, was closely connected -with Dryden, the _Tatler_, and the _Spectator_; and its wits’ room, on -the first-floor, was celebrated throughout the town. So was Button’s, -with its lion’s head letter-box, and the young poets in the back room. -Tom’s, No. 17, on the north side of Russell Street, and of a somewhat -later date, was taken down in 1865. The premises remained, with but -little alteration, long after they ceased to be a coffee-house. It was -named after its original proprietor, Thomas West, who, November 26, -1722, threw himself, in a delirium, from the second-floor window into -the street, and died immediately. The upper portion of the premises was -the coffee-house, under which lived T. Lewis, the bookseller, Pope’s -publisher. - -Will’s Coffee-house, known as the Wits’, which was very celebrated in -its day, was at No. 23, Russell Street, Bow Street. Dryden first made it -a resort of wits. The poet used to sit in a room on the first-floor, and -his customary seat was by the fireside in the winter, and at the corner -of the balcony, looking over the street, in fine weather; he called the -two places his winter and his summer seat. In the eighteenth century -this room became the dining-room. In Dryden’s day people did not sit in -boxes, as subsequently, but at various tables which were dispersed -through the room. Smoking was permitted in the public room, and was then -much in vogue; indeed, it does not seem to have been considered a -nuisance, as it was some years later. Here, as in other similar places -of meeting, the visitors divided themselves into parties; the young -beaux and wits, who seldom approached the principal table, thought it a -great honour to have a pinch out of Dryden’s snuff-box. - -In later years Will’s Coffee-house became an open market for libels and -lampoons. - -Swift thought little of the frequenters of Will’s; he used to say the -worst conversation he ever heard in his life was to be heard there. The -wits (as they were called), said he disparagingly, used formerly to -assemble at this house; that is to say, five or six men who had written -plays or at least prologues, or had a share in a miscellany, came -thither, and entertained one another with their trifling compositions, -assuming as grand an air as if they had been the noblest efforts of -human nature, or as if the fate of kingdoms depended on them. - -It was Swift who framed the rules of the Brothers’ Club, which met every -Thursday. “The end of our club,” said he, “is to advance conversation -and friendship, and to reward learning without interest or -recommendation. We take in none but men of wit or men of interest; and -if we go on as we began, no other club in this town will be worth -talking of.” - -The Brothers’, which was really a political club, broke up in 1713, and -the next year Swift formed the celebrated Scriblerus Club, an -association rather of a literary than a political character. Oxford and -St. John, Swift, Arbuthnot, Pope, and Gay were members. Satire upon the -abuse of human learning was their leading object. The name originated as -follows: Oxford used playfully to call Swift _Martin_, and from this -sprang Martinus Scriblerus. Swift, as is well known, is the name of one -species of swallow (the largest and most powerful flier of the tribe), -and martin is the name of another species, the wall-swallow, which -constructs its nest in buildings. - -The Scriblerus Club broke up owing to quarrels between Oxford and -Bolingbroke. Swift tried the force of humorous expostulation in his -fable of the “Fagot,” where the Ministers are called upon to contribute -their various badges of office to make the bundle strong and secure, but -all was in vain. And at length, tired with this scene of murmuring and -discontent, quarrel, misunderstanding, and hatred, the Dean, who was -almost the only mutual friend who laboured to compose these differences, -made a final effort at reconciliation; but his scheme entirely failed. - -Button’s Coffee-house was another resort of wits. Here, in the early -part of the reign of Queen Anne, Swift first began to come, being known -as “the mad parson.” He knew no one; no one knew him. He would lay his -hat down on a table, and walk up and down at a brisk pace for half an -hour without speaking to anyone, or seeming to pay attention to anything -that was going forward. Then he would snatch up his hat, pay his money -at the bar, and walk off without having opened his lips. At last he went -one evening to a country gentleman, and very abruptly asked him: “Pray, -sir, do you know any good weather in the world?” After staring a little -at the singularity of Swift’s manner and the oddity of the question, the -gentleman answered: “Yes, sir, I thank God I remember a great deal of -good weather in my time.” “That is more,” replied Swift, “than I can -say. I never remember any weather that was not too hot or too cold, too -wet or too dry; but, however God Almighty contrives it, at the end of -the year ’tis all very well.” - -At Tom’s Coffee-house in 1764 was formed a high-class club of about 700 -members, paying each a guinea subscription. A card-room was on the -first-floor. - -The club flourished, so that in 1768, “having considerably enlarged -itself of late,” Thomas Haines, the then proprietor, took in the front -room of the next house westward as a coffee-room. The front room of No. -17 was then appropriated exclusively as a card-room for the subscription -club, each member paying one guinea annually, the adjoining apartment -being used as a conversation-room. - -Tom Haines—Lord Chesterfield, as he was called, on account of his good -manners—was succeeded by his son. The house ceased to be a coffee-house -in 1814. - -It would be interesting to know what has become of the old snuff-box—a -most curious relic. It was a big tortoiseshell box, bearing on the lid, -in high relief in silver, the portraits of Charles I and Queen Anne; the -Boscobel oak, with Charles II amid its branches; and at the foot of the -tree, on a silver plate, was inscribed “Thomas Haines.” At Will’s the -small wits grew conceited if they dipped but into Mr. Dryden’s -snuff-box, and at Tom’s the box probably received similar veneration. - -The Bedford Coffee-house, in the north-west corner of the Piazza, was -another celebrated Covent Garden resort. - -Here in its palmy days, about 1754, Foote reigned supreme, his great -rival being Garrick, who, however, usually got the worst of the verbal -duels which constantly occurred. Garrick in early life had been in the -wine trade, and had supplied the Bedford with wine; he was thus -described by Foote as living in Durham Yard, with three quarts of -vinegar in the cellar, calling himself a wine-merchant. - -Leaving the Bedford one night in company with Garrick, Foote dropped a -guinea; and not being able to find it, exclaimed: “Where on earth can it -be gone to?” “Gone to the devil, I think,” replied Garrick, who had -assisted in the search. “Well said, David!” was Foote’s reply. “Let you -alone for making a guinea go farther than anybody else.” - -Tom King’s Coffee-house—a rough shed just beneath the portico of St. -Paul’s Church—was a regular Covent Garden night-house. This haunt of -night-birds is shown in the background of Hogarth’s print of “Morning,” -where the prim maiden lady, walking to church, is confronted by two -fuddled beaux from King’s Coffee-house caressing two frail women. At the -door a drunken brawl is proceeding, whilst swords and cudgels are being -freely used. - -The Piazza (known in the reign of Charles I as the “Portico walke”) in -Covent Garden, the destruction of a portion of which, in 1858, was, from -an artistic point of view, to be deplored, was erected between 1634 and -1640 by Inigo Jones, who also built St. Paul’s Church for Francis, Duke -of Bedford. Though a more ambitious scheme was originally conceived, -only the north and east sides were, however, built, and half of the -latter was destroyed by fire about the middle of the eighteenth century. - -Several distinguished artists lived in the Piazza, including Sir Peter -Lely and Zoffany. Sir Godfrey Kneller came into the Piazza the year -after Lely died, and the house he occupied was near the steps leading -into Covent Garden Theatre. He had a garden at the back, reaching as far -as Dr. Radcliffe’s, in Bow Street. Kneller was fond of flowers, and had -a fine collection. As he was intimate with Radcliffe, he permitted him -to have a door into his garden; but Radcliffe’s servants gathering and -destroying the flowers, Kneller sent him word he must shut up the door. -Radcliffe replied peevishly: “Tell him he may do anything with it but -paint it.” “And I,” answered Sir Godfrey, “can take anything from him -but physic.” Sir James Thornhill also lived in the same neighbourhood. - -The Piazza Coffee-house, in Covent Garden, was a favourite resort of -Sheridan’s. Here it was that he sat during the burning of Drury Lane -Theatre in 1809, calmly taking some refreshment, which excited the -astonishment of a friend. “A man may surely be allowed to take a glass -of wine by his own fireside,” said Sheridan. - -On the site of the Piazza Coffee-house was built the Floral Hall, in the -Crystal Palace style of architecture, if the latter word be applicable -to such a building. Henrietta Street, close by, was once well known for -what seems to have been the first family hotel ever established in -London, opened by David Low in 1774. - -Gold, silver, and copper medals were struck and distributed by the -landlord, as advertisements of his house—the gold to the Princes, silver -to the nobility, and copper to the public generally. Mrs. Hudson -succeeded him, and advertised her hotel “with stabling for one hundred -noblemen and horses.” The next proprietors were Richardson and Joy. - -For years the hotel was famous for its dinner and coffee-room—called the -“Star,” from the number of men of rank who frequented it. One day the -Duke of Norfolk entered the dining-room, and ordered of the waiter two -lamb chops, at the same time inquiring: “John, have you a cucumber?” The -waiter replied in the negative—it was so early in the season; but he -would step into the market and inquire if there were any. The waiter did -so, and returned with—“There are a few, but they are half a guinea -apiece.” “Half a guinea apiece! Are they small or large?” “Why, rather -small.” “Then buy two,” was the reply. - -Low had purchased the house from the executors of James West, President -of the Royal Society, and it had originally been the mansion of Sir -Kenelm Digby, who had his laboratory at the back. In course of time it -was practically rebuilt by the Earl of Orford, better known as Admiral -Russell, who in 1692 defeated Admiral de Tourville. The façade of the -house originally resembled the forecastle of a ship, and the fine old -staircase was formed of part of the vessel Admiral Russell commanded at -La Hogue; on it were handsomely carved anchors, ropes, and the coronet -and initials of Lord Orford, who died there in 1727. The house was -afterwards occupied by Thomas, Lord Archer, who had a well-stocked -garden at the back. Mushrooms and cucumbers were his especial hobby. - -In course of time Evans, of Covent Garden Theatre, removed here from the -Cider Cellar in Maiden Lane, and, using the large dining-room for a -singing-room, prospered until 1844, when he resigned the property to Mr. -John Green, well known as Paddy Green, under whose rule the excellence -of the entertainment attracted so great an accession of visitors that -there was built, in 1855, on the site of the old garden (Sir Kenelm -Digby’s), a handsome hall, to which the former singing-room formed a -sort of vestibule. This was hung with portraits of celebrated actors and -actresses collected by the proprietor. - -The gallery was said to occupy part of the site of the cottage in which -the Kembles occasionally resided during the zenith of their fame at -Covent Garden Theatre. Kemble first saw the light there. - -In the early seventies Evans’s ceased to attract, and, after undergoing -various vicissitudes and sheltering several clubs, the house finally -became the headquarters of boxing, being now occupied by the National -Sporting Club. The original staircase remains, and a number of prints -recalling the palmy days of the prize-ring decorate the walls of the -club-house. - -Ninety years ago, it should be added, the prize-fighting fraternity had -a club of their own, called the Daffy Club, which met at the Castle -Tavern, Holborn, then kept by the famous boxers, Tom Belcher and Tom -Spring. The walls of the long room in which it met were adorned by a -number of sporting prints and portraits of famous pugilistic heroes, -amongst them Belcher himself, Gentleman Jackson, Dutch Sam, Gregson, -Humphreys, Mendoza, Cribb, Molyneux, Gulley, Randall, Turner, Martin, -Harmer, Spring, Neat, Hickman, Painter, Scroggins, Tom Owen, and many -others. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER II - - CURIOUS CLUBS OF THE PAST—PRATT’S—BEEFSTEAK CLUBS, OLD AND NEW - - -Many curiously-named clubs existed in the past. Addison, for instance, -speaking of the clubs of his time, mentions several the names of which -were probably merely humorous exaggerations. Names such as the Mum Club, -the Ugly Club, can hardly be considered to have been in actual use. - -Real clubs were the Lying Club, for which untruthfulness was supposed to -be an indispensable qualification; the Odd Fellows’ Club; the Humbugs -(which met at the Blue Posts, in Covent Garden); the Samsonic Society; -the Society of Bucks; the Purl Drinkers; the Society of Pilgrims, held -at the Woolpack, in the Kingsland Road; the Thespian Club; the Great -Bottle Club; the Aristocratic “Je ne sçai quoi” Club, held at the Star -and Garter, in Pall Mall, of which the Prince of Wales and the Dukes of -York, Clarence, Orleans, Norfolk, Bedford, and other notabilities, were -members; the Sons of the Thames Society; the Blue Stocking Club; the “No -Pay No Liquor” Club, held at the Queen and Artichoke, in the Hampstead -Road, and of which the ceremony, on a new member’s introduction, was, -after his paying a fee on entrance of one shilling, that he should wear -a hat throughout the first evening of his membership, made in the shape -of a quart pot, and drink to the health of his brother members in a gilt -goblet of ale. At Camden Town met the “Social Villagers,” in a room at -the Bedford Arms. - -One of the first clubs was the October Club, composed of some hundred -and fifty staunch Tories, chiefly country Members of Parliament. They -met at the Bell, in King Street, Westminster—that street in which -Spenser starved, and Dryden’s brother kept a grocer’s shop. A portrait -of Queen Anne, by Dahl, hung in the club-room. - -Another queer eighteenth-century institution was the Golden Fleece Club, -the members of which assumed fancy names, such as Sir Timothy Addlepate, -Sir Nimmy Sneer, Sir Talkative Dolittle, Sir Skinny Fretwell, Sir Rumbus -Rattle, Sir Boozy Prate-all, Sir Nicholas Ninny Sip-all, Sir Gregory -Growler, Sir Pay-little, and the like. The main object of this club -seems to have been a very free conviviality. - -Perhaps the most eccentric club of all was “the Everlasting,” which, -like the modern Brook Club of New York, professed to go on for ever, its -doors being kept open night and day throughout the year, whilst the -members were divided into watches like sailors at sea. - -The craze for queerly-named clubs lasted into the nineteenth century; -for instance, the King of Clubs was the fanciful name of a society -founded about 1801 by Bobus Smith. At first it consisted of a small knot -of lawyers, whose clients were too few, or too civil, to molest their -after-dinner recreations; a few literary characters; and a small number -of visitors, generally introduced by those who took the chief part in -conversation, and seemingly selected for the faculty of being good -listeners. - -The King of Clubs sat on the Saturday of each month in the Strand, at -the Crown and Anchor Tavern, which at that time was a nest of boxes, -each containing its club, and affording excellent cheer, though -afterwards desecrated by indifferent dinners and very questionable wine. -The object of the club was conversation. Everyone seemed anxious to -bring his contribution of good sense or good-humour, and the members -discussed books and authors and the prevalent topics of the day, except -politics, which were excluded. - -Rogers, the banker poet, was a member of the King of Clubs. His funereal -appearance gained him the nickname of the Dug-up Dandy, and all sorts of -jokes were made concerning him. Once, when Rogers had been at Spa, and -was telling Ward (afterwards Lord Dudley) that the place was so full -that he could not so much as find a bed to lie in, and that he was -obliged on that account to leave it, “Dear me,” replied Ward, “was there -no room in the churchyard?” At another time Murray was showing him a -portrait of Rogers, observing that “it was done to the life.” “To the -death, you mean,” replied Ward. Amongst other amusing sallies of the -same kind was his asking Rogers: “Why don’t you keep your hearse, -Rogers? You can well afford it.” - -A good example of what most of the little old-fashioned clubs of other -days were like is furnished by Pratt’s, which, though not of very great -antiquity, occupies curious old-world premises just off St. James’s -Street. This quaint and agreeable little club, still a flourishing -institution, appears to have been founded about 1841; the old manuscript -records of elections still exist. Though Pratt’s has recently been -reorganized, its distinctive features have not been impaired, and the -house remains much in its original condition—the kitchen downstairs, -with its old-fashioned open fire, quaint dresser filled with salmon-fly -plates, old-world furniture and prints, forming a delightful relic of -the past. A curious niche in this room would seem to have once served as -a receptacle for cards or dice, in the days when the house was used for -gambling, and raids by the authorities were common. - -Next the kitchen is the dining-room, in which is a long table; the walls -here are hung with old prints of the time when the club was founded. -Both this room and the kitchen have very curious mantelpieces, the upper -portions of which are formed of classical friezes which would seem to -have been brought here from some old mansion. Throughout the quaint -little building are cases of stuffed birds and fish, and the accessories -and general appearance produce a singular effect not lacking in -old-world charm. - -Pratt’s formerly opened only late in the evening, but its hours now -admit of members lunching; indeed, whilst great care has been taken to -preserve the original spirit of the club, many modern improvements -unobtrusively carried out make it a most comfortable resort, whilst the -convenience of members has been studied by the addition of four -bedrooms. - -By far the most interesting of the old dining clubs was the Sublime -Society of Beefsteaks, founded about 1735 by Rich, the famous harlequin -and machinist of Covent Garden Theatre. At first it consisted of -twenty-four members, but the number was afterwards increased. Hogarth, -Wilkes, and many other celebrated men, were members of this society, -which had many curious customs. - -Its officials consisted of a President of the Day, Vice-President, -Bishop, Recorder, and Boots. - -The meetings were originally held in a room at Covent Garden Theatre. - -The President took his seat after dinner throughout the season, -according to the order in which his name appeared on “the rota.” - -He was invested with the badge of the society by the Boots. His duty was -to give the chartered toasts in strict accordance with the list before -him; to propose all resolutions that had been duly made and seconded; to -observe all the ancient forms and customs of the society; and to enforce -them on others. He had no sort of power inherent in his position; on the -contrary, he was closely watched and sharply pulled up if he betrayed -either ignorance or forgetfulness on the smallest matter of routine -connected with his office. In fact, he was a target for all to shoot at. - -A Beefeater’s hat and plume hung on the right-hand side of the chair -behind him, and a three-cornered hat (erroneously believed to have -belonged to Garrick) on the left. When putting a resolution, the -President was bound to place the plumed hat on his head and instantly -remove it. If he failed in one or the other act, he was equally reminded -by being called to order in no silent terms. The most important -obligation imposed on him was the necessity of singing, whether he could -sing or not, the song of the day. - -The Vice was the oldest member of the society present, and had to carry -out the President’s directions without responsibility. - -The Bishop sang the grace and the anthem. - -The most important official of all was the Recorder. He had to rebuke -everybody for offences, real or imaginary, and with him lay the duty of -delivering “the charge” to each newly-elected member, which was a -burlesque function. - -The Boots was the last elected of the members, and there was a grave -responsibility attached to his office. He was the fag of the -brotherhood, and had to arrive before the dinner-hour, not only to -decant the wine, but to fetch it from the cellar. This latter custom was -persevered in until the destruction of the old Lyceum by fire, and was -only then abandoned by reason of the inaccessibility of the cellar, when -the society returned to the new theatre, the rebuilt Lyceum, in 1838. No -one was exempted from this ordeal, and woe to him who shirked or -neglected it. The greatest enjoyment seemed to be afforded, both to -members and guests, by summoning Boots to decant a fresh bottle of port -at the moment when a hot plate and a fresh steak were placed before him. - -[Illustration: - - ORIGINAL BADGE OF THE SUBLIME SOCIETY. -] - -[Illustration: - - LATER BADGE. -] - -[Illustration: - - RING. -] - -[Illustration: - - BADGE OF THE AD LIBITUM CLUB. -] - -[Illustration: - - REVERSE OF AD LIBITUM BADGE. -] - -The Duke of Sussex was Boots from the date of his election (April, 1808) -to April, 1809, when a vacancy occurred, and Mr. Arnold senior was -elected, releasing His Royal Highness from the post. Indeed, until the -society ceased to exist, the Duke of Leinster, who had duly served his -apprenticeship (although he drank nothing stronger than water himself), -constantly usurped the legitimate duties of the Boots by arriving before -him and performing the accustomed, but not forgotten, services of the -day. - -When any Boots showed signs of temper, or any member was unruly or -infringed the rules of the society, a punishment was in store for him. -It was moved and seconded that such delinquent should be put in the -white sheet and reprimanded by the Recorder; and if the “Ayes had it” -(and they always did have it), the sentence was carried out. - -The offending party was taken from the room by two members bearing -halberds, preceded by a third carrying the sword, and was brought back -again in the garb of penitence (the tablecloth). Then, after a lecture -from the Recorder, severe or humorous according to the nature of his -offence, he was allowed to resume his place at the table. - -It happened that Brother the Duke of Sussex was put in the white sheet -under the following circumstances: His Royal Highness had come to the -“Steaks” with Brother Hallett, and on the road the watch-chain belonging -to the latter had been cut and his bunch of seals stolen. The cloth -removed, Hallett addressed the President, recounted the loss he had -sustained, and charged the Duke as the perpetrator of the robbery. The -case was tried on the spot; and the evidence having clearly established -the criminality of the accused (to a Beefsteak jury), it was moved and -resolved that His Royal Highness should forthwith be put into the white -sheet and reprimanded for an act which might have been considered a -fault had the victim been a stranger, but which became a crime when that -victim was a Brother. There was no appeal. His Royal Highness -reluctantly rose, was taken out in custody, brought before the Recorder -(Brother Richards), and received a witty but unsparing admonition for -the offence of which he had been unanimously found guilty. For a wonder, -His Royal Highness took it ill. He resumed his seat, but remained silent -and reserved. No wit could make him smile, no bantering could rouse him, -and at an unusually early hour he ordered his carriage and went away. - -The next day Mr. Arnold, who had been the mover of the resolution, went -to the palace to smooth the ruffled plumes of his royal confrère, and -took his son with him. In those days the Duke rode on horseback, and as -they turned out of the gate leading from the gardens to the portico his -horse was at the door and His Royal Highness in the act of coming out. -By the time they neared the entrance his foot was in the stirrup, and he -saw them approaching. Without a moment’s hesitation he withdrew his -foot, released the bridle, and, with both his enormous hands extended, -advanced three or four steps to meet Mr. Arnold. - -“I know what you’ve come about,” he called loudly out in his accustomed -note (probably B flat), and wringing both Mr. Arnold’s hands until he -winced with pain—“I know what you’ve come about! I made a fool of myself -last night. You were quite right, and I quite wrong, so I shall come -next Saturday and do penance again for my bad temper.” - -Sometimes a member turned sulky when made to do penance. On one occasion -an individual of a touchy disposition was put into the white sheet and -brought before the President, who admonished him as a parent would a -child—a Beefsteak sermon without its usual bathos. The recipient -listened to the harangue without moving a muscle of his face. The -lecture done, he resumed his seat, but at the next meeting sent in his -resignation. - -Saturday was the day on which the dinners were held. Each member was -allowed to bring one visitor. If he brought a second, he had to borrow a -name; in default of obtaining it, the visitor was doomed to retire. - -Visitors, unlike members, were not subjected to any humorous penalties, -but were most ceremoniously treated. They were never unduly urged to -drink more than might be agreeable to them; one bumper in the evening -was alone imperative, but it might be drunk in water. They were never -pressed, though always asked, to sing. A “suggestion” to sing was the -adopted word. - -The only call to which it was imperative for the visitor to respond was -“a toast.” If he hesitated too long, he was, perhaps abruptly, told he -might give anything the world produced—man, woman, or child, or any -sentiment, social or otherwise. Sometimes it happened that such -prompting was in vain, and the confused guest would nine times out of -ten propose the only toast he was prohibited from giving—“The prosperity -of the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks.” - -Members were responsible for their guests, who were made to understand -that whatever passed within the walls of the S.S.B.S. was sacred. -William Jerdan, Editor of the _Literary Gazette_, was a visitor, and at -a late hour he was observed to take a note of a brilliant repartee that -had been made. - -The President, by whose side he sat, pointed to the motto over the -chimney-piece: - - - “Ne fidos inter amicos - Sit qui dicta foras eliminet.”[1] - - -Footnote 1: - - - Let none beyond this threshold bear away - What friend to friend in confidence may say. - - -“Jerdan,” he said, “you understand those words?” - -“I understand one,” said Jerdan, looking sharply round—“sit; and I mean -to do it.” - -Authors, and dramatic authors in particular, were mercilessly chaffed -when they dined with the Sublime Society. Cobb, whose farce “The -First-Floor” achieved great popularity, used to accept the satire and -raillery of members with great good-humour, generally silencing them one -by one. Storace composed some of his finest music for Cobb’s comic -operas, “The Haunted Tower” and “The Siege of Belgrade,” which achieved -success. An Indian opera, “Ramah Drûg,” did not. Cobb was much chaffed -about these operas, especially about the first-named. - -“Why ever,” one night said Arnold, “did you call your opera by such a -name? There was no spirit in it from beginning to end!” “Anyhow,” -exclaimed another inveterate punster, “‘Ramah Drûg’ was the most -appropriate title possible, for it was literally ramming a drug down the -public throat.” “True,” rejoined Cobb; “but it was a drug that evinced -considerable power, for it operated on the public twenty nights in -succession.” “My good friend,” said Arnold triumphantly, “that was a -proof of its weakness, if it took so long in working.” “You are right, -Arnold, in that respect,” retorted Cobb. “Your play” (Arnold had brought -out a play, which did not survive the first night) “had the advantage of -mine, for it was so powerful a drug as to be thrown up as soon as it was -taken!” - -The first and last Saturdays of the season, and the Saturday in Easter -week, were “private.” - -On these days no visitors were invited. The accounts were gone into, and -the amount of the “whip” to regulate the past or accruing expenses -decided, the qualifications of such candidates as were anxious, on the -occasion of a vacancy, to join the society discussed, and other matters -connected with its well-being debated. - -Each member paid 5s. for his dinner, and 10s. 6d. for his guest. The -entrance fee was £26 5s. until 1849, when it was reduced to £10 10s., -and there were generally two annual whips of £5 each. - -After the destruction of Covent Garden Theatre, where it had met for -seventy years, the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks migrated to the Bedford -Coffee-house, where it remained till the building of the Lyceum Theatre -in 1809, in a special room of which it took up its abode till 1830, when -the Lyceum also was burnt down. - -After this it adjourned to the Lyceum Tavern, in the Strand, and thence -returned to the Bedford Coffee-house, where it remained until 1838, when -a suite of rooms was built for it under the new roof of the Lyceum. The -original gridiron, dug out of the ruins of Covent Garden and the Lyceum, -formed the centre ornament of the dining-room ceiling. The entire room -and ceiling were in Gothic architecture, and the walls were hung with -paintings and engravings of past and present members, the former the -work of Brother Lonsdale. Folding-doors, the entire width of the room, -connected it with an anteroom. When the doors were opened on the -announcement of dinner, an enormous grating in the form of a gridiron, -through which the fire was seen and the steaks handed, afforded members -a view of the kitchen. - -There was no blackballing, but every would-be member had to be invited -at least twice as a guest, in order that his qualifications might be -ascertained, and then, if he were put up, he was certain to be elected. -As a matter of fact, the formality of a ballot was gone through, though -there were no rejections. - -When a new member was initiated, he and the visitors were requested -after dinner to withdraw to an anteroom, where port and punch were -provided for them. - -The newly-elected member was then brought in blindfolded, accompanied on -his right by the Bishop with his mitre on, and holding the volume in -which the oath of allegiance to the rules of the society was inscribed, -while on his left stood some other member holding the sword of state. -Behind were the halberdiers. These were all decked out in the most -incongruous and absurd dresses—in all probability originally obtained -from Covent Garden Theatre. - -“The charge” was then delivered by the Recorder. In it he dwelt on the -solemnity of the obligations the new member was about to take on -himself. He was made to understand, in tones alternately serious and -gay, the true brotherly spirit of the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks; -that while a perfect equality existed among the Brethren, such equality -never should be permitted to degenerate into undue familiarity; that -while badinage was encouraged in the freest sense of the word, such -badinage must never approach to a personality; and that good fellowship -must be united with good breeding. Above all, attention was drawn to the -Horatian motto over the chimney-piece, and the aspirant was warned that -ignominious expulsion was the fate of him who carried beyond those walls -words uttered there in friendship’s confidence. - -That done, the following oath, dating from the origin of the society, -was administered: - - - OATH. - - YOU SHALL ATTEND DULY, - VOTE IMPARTIALLY, - AND CONFORM TO OUR LAWS AND ORDERS OBEDIENTLY. - YOU SHALL SUPPORT OUR DIGNITY, - PROMOTE OUR WELFARE, AND AT ALL TIMES - BEHAVE AS A WORTHY MEMBER IN THIS SUBLIME SOCIETY. - SO BEEF AND LIBERTY BE YOUR REWARD. - - -This was read aloud, clause by clause, by the Bishop, and repeated by -the candidate; at the end the book was rapidly exchanged by the cook, -who was called the Serjeant, for the bone of beef that had served for -the day’s dinner, carefully protected by a napkin, and after the words - - - “SO BEEF AND LIBERTY BE MY REWARD” - - -he was desired to kiss the book. Instead of this he kissed its -substitute, and by reason of a friendly downward pressure from behind he -generally did so most devoutly. - -The bandage was then removed from his eyes; the book on which he had -sworn the oath was still before him; and amid the laughter and -congratulations of his Brethren he again took his seat as a member of -the Sublime Society, and the excluded guests were readmitted. - -The Serjeant was a very important figure at the meetings of the Sublime -Society, and the office was well filled by Heardson, the cook, whose -picture was engraved by J. R. Smith (the print hangs in the modern -Beefsteak). So great was his affection for the “Society” that one of his -last requests was to be carried into the club-room to take a farewell -glance at the familiar scene, and this he was allowed to do. - -A great supporter of the Beefsteak Society was the old Duke of Norfolk, -and when he dined there he would be ceremoniously ushered to the chair -after dinner, and invested with an orange-coloured ribbon, to which a -silver medal, in the form of a gridiron, was suspended. In the chair he -comported himself with great urbanity and good-humour. - -Above all things, this Duke of Norfolk loved long sittings, during which -he would consume prodigious quantities of wine, which seemed to affect -him but very little. Occasionally, however, towards the close of the -evening, the Duke, without exhibiting any symptom of inebriety, became -immovable in his chair, as if deprived of all muscular volition. When at -his own house he had an especial method of obviating the inconveniences -of such a state, and would ask someone to ring the bell three times. -This was the signal for bringing in a kind of easy litter, consisting of -four equidistant belts, fastened together by a transverse one, which -four domestics placed under him, and thus removed his enormous bulk, -with a gentle swinging motion, up to his apartment. Upon these occasions -the Duke would say nothing, but the whole thing was managed with great -system and in perfect silence. - -Another prominent member was Charles Morris, who greatly enlivened the -dinners by his wit, high spirits, and singing. When he was in town -nothing kept him away, even when he was nearly eighty years of age. - -“Die when you will, Charles,” said Curran, “you’ll die in your youth.” -And his words were verified, for his spirits remained unquenched till -within a few days of his death. Morris wrote many songs which he would -sing himself. The following is a specimen of his talents in that -direction: - - - “Let them rail who think fit, at my ways or my wit; - I reply to the foes of good living: - ‘Heaven bade me be gay—to enjoy’s to obey, - And mirth is my prayer of thanksgiving.’ - When the crabbed with spleen would o’ershadow life’s scene, - I light up a spark to dispel it; - And if snarlers exclaim, ‘What’s this laughing fool’s name?’ - Next verse of my ballad will tell it. - - “I’m a brat of old Horace—the song-scribbling Morris, - More noted for rhyme than for reason; - One who roars and carouses, makes noise in all houses, - And takes all good things in their season. - To this classic of joy, I became when a boy - A pupil most ardent and willing; - And through life as a man, I’ve stuck fast to this plan, - And passed it in flirting and filling.” - - -In his eighty-sixth year Morris bade adieu to the Sublime Society in -verse, but four years later, in 1835, he revisited it, and the members -then presented him with a large silver bowl, appropriately inscribed, as -a testimonial of their affectionate esteem. - -As was his habit, Morris did not fail to allude to the gift in verse: - - - “When my spirits are low, for relief and delight, - I still place your splendid Memorial in sight; - And call to my Muse, when care strives to pursue, - ‘Bring the Steaks to my Mem’ry, the Bowl to my view.’” - - -The bowl in question eventually passed into the hands of the present -Beefsteak Club; most unfortunately, it was some years ago taken away by -thieves, who managed to obtain access to the club premises, and it has -never been recovered. - -Charles Morris had very slender means to support his family, but owing -to the generosity of the old Duke of Norfolk he was able to retire to a -charming rural retreat near Dorking, embosomed amidst the undulating -elevations of Surrey. Here, however, he seems not to have been entirely -at ease, regretting no doubt the sweet, shady side of Pall Mall, of -which he had so gracefully sung. - -The Duke assisted Morris, owing, it was said, to the kindly suggestion -of Kemble, the actor, who one night had been dining at Norfolk House -when the Beefsteak bard had also formed one of the party. When the -latter had gone, a few guests only remaining with the Duke, who liked -late sittings, His Grace began to deplore, somewhat pathetically, the -smallness of the stipend upon which poor Charles was obliged to support -his family, observing that it was a discredit to the age that a man who -had so long gladdened the lives of so many titled and opulent associates -should be left to struggle with the difficulties of an inadequate income -at a time of life when he had no reasonable hope of augmenting it. -Kemble, who had been listening attentively, then broke out in peculiarly -emphatic tones: “And does your Grace sincerely lament the destitute -condition of your friend, with whom you have passed so many agreeable -hours? Your Grace has described that condition most feelingly. But is it -possible that the greatest peer of the realm, luxuriating amidst the -prodigalities of fortune, should lament the distress which he does not -relieve? The empty phrase of benevolence, the mere breath and vapour of -generous sentiment, become no man; they certainly are unworthy of your -Grace. Providence, my Lord Duke, has placed you in a station where the -wish to do good and the doing it are the same thing. An annuity from -your overflowing coffers, or a small nook of land clipped from your -unbounded domains, would scarcely be felt by your Grace; but you would -be repaid with usury, with tears of grateful joy, with prayers warm from -a bosom which your bounty will have rendered happy.” - -The Duke said nothing at the time, except stare with astonishment at so -unexpected a lecture; but not a month elapsed before Charles Morris was -snugly invested in a beautiful sequestered retreat surrounded by pretty -grounds. - -Captain Morris lived to the age of ninety-two, dying in July, 1838. He -lies in Betchworth Churchyard, near the east end; his grave is simply -marked by a head- and foot-stone, with an inscription of three or four -lines; he who had sung the praises of so many choice spirits has not -here a stanza to his own memory. - -As time went on, the old customs and toasts of the Sublime Society -became out of date, and, though certain modifications were attempted, it -ceased to exist in 1869, when its effects were sold. The following is a -list of the most important of them. - -An oak dining-table with President’s cap, a mitre and a gridiron carved -in three separate circular compartments at the top. This relic of past -conviviality is now at White’s Club, having been purchased by the Hon. -Algernon Bourke some years ago. - -A carved oak President’s chair—now, I believe, at Sandringham—and a -number of members’ chairs copied in oak from the Glastonbury Chair, the -backs carved with the gridiron and the arms and initials of each member. -A few of these chairs belong to a firm of brewers. - -Forty-seven engraved portraits of members, glazed in oak frames, on -which were metal gridirons. One or two of these are in the possession of -the present Beefsteak Club. - -Other _objets d’art_ and curiosities were— - -The ribbon and badge of the President in the form of a silver gridiron, -dated 1735. - -Two brown stoneware jugs, with silver lids and mounts, the thumb-pieces -gridirons. - -A fine _couteau de chasse_, with engraved and pierced blade, the handle -formed of a group of Mars, Venus, and Cupid, in silver, the mounting of -the sheath of open-work silver, chased with arabesque figures, scrolls, -and flowers. The reputed work of Benvenuto Cellini; inscribed “Ex Dono -Antonio Askew, M.D.” - -An oval ivory snuff-box, with a cameo of Dante on the lid and -inscription inside: “Presented to the S.S.B.S. by B. G. B. [Dr. -Babington], an honorary member. The cameo of Dante on the lid of this -box was carved by its donor, and its wood formed part of a mummy-case -brought by him from Egypt in 1815; the surrounding ivory was turned by a -friend”—in a leather case. - -A circular snuff-box, formed of oak dug from the ruins of the old Lyceum -Theatre, after its destruction by fire; a silver shield engraved with -the gridiron on the lid. - -A wooden punch-ladle, with open-work handle, and ten doilys. - -A cigar-case, formed of a curious piece of oak. - -A pair of halberds. - -A large Oriental punch-bowl, enamelled with figures, butterflies, and -flowers, inside and out, in a case. Presented by Lord Saltoun, K.G. - -Another enamelled with figures and baskets of flowers in medallions, -with red and gold scale borders. Presented by Baron Heath. - -A ditto, enamelled with figures. - -A fluted ditto, with flowers. - -The President’s hat, a hat said to have belonged to Garrick, and a -Cardinal’s hat. - -The mitre of the late Cardinal Gregorio, presented to the Sublime -Society of the Beefsteaks by Brother W. Somerville, in silk case. - -Facsimile of an agreement between Rich and C. Fleetwood, framed and -glazed. - -Bust of John Wilkes, in marble. - -There was in addition to this a certain amount of plate, including cases -of silver forks, engraved with members’ names. One of these cases now -belongs to the Beefsteak Club. - -At one time the members wore a uniform consisting of a blue coat and -buff waistcoat, with brass buttons impressed with the gridiron and -motto, “Beef and Liberty.” - -They also wore rings bearing the same devices. One of these rings, -presented within recent years by a member, is in the Beefsteak Club, -which also possesses a number of badges and other relics connected with -the Sublime Society and with the Ad Libitum Club, a kindred -organization, of which Heardson also appears to have been the cook. - -The device of the Ad Libitum was more ornate and graceful than that of -the Sublime Society, with which it seems to have been closely connected, -though membership of the one did not necessarily imply membership of the -other. As far as can be ascertained, no records of the Ad Libitum have -been preserved. - -The present Beefsteak Club—less convivial in its ways than the Sublime -Society—was founded about 1876, and its original dining-place was a room -in the building known till its demolition, some years ago, as Toole’s -Theatre. When this was pulled down, it migrated to premises specially -built for it in Green Street, Leicester Square. The membership is small, -and consists mostly of men well known in the political, theatrical, and -literary worlds. Opening only in the afternoon, it is used chiefly as a -place for dining and supping amidst congenial and pleasant conversation. - -The club consists of one long room, which has a high-pitched roof in the -design of which gridirons are cleverly interposed. Here are hung a -quantity of old prints, the majority of them after Hogarth. A number of -etchings by Whistler (who was a member) are also to be seen. The -Beefsteak owns a good deal of silver, much of which has been presented -from time to time by members; the practice of giving plate being a usage -of the club. The most valuable possession is a tankard of solid gold, on -which are inscribed the names of those members who took part in the Boer -War. This was purchased by subscription amongst the members. The example -of the Sublime Society is followed in respect of there being one long -table in the place of the separate small ones in use at other clubs. - -There formerly existed a number of curious dining societies and clubs in -the provinces, and some of these still survive, amongst the number of -which is the Chelmsford Beefsteak Club, established in 1768. There does -not appear to be any book older than 1781, but in the middle of a book -which commences in 1829 is written a list of the members from February -5, 1768, to October 18, 1850; and as the whole is in the same -handwriting, it is clear the earlier lists of members must have been -copied from an older book, which has now disappeared. - -The oldest book in the possession of the club is one for entering the -attendances of members, and commences October 12, 1781. At that time the -members appear to have dined together weekly. - -At the monthly dinners of the club, the chairman proposes the following -toasts: - - - (_a_) “Church and Queen.” - - (_b_) “The Prince of Wales and the Rest of the Royal Family.” - - (_c_) “Our Absent Members.” - - (_d_) “Our Visitors, if any.” - - -No one is allowed to stand when proposing or replying to a toast. - -Morning dress is worn at dinner. - -One of the last of the old school of members of this club was Admiral -Johnson, elected 1842, who was the midshipman who supported Nelson’s -head as he lay dying in the cockpit of the _Victory_. It was no uncommon -thing for the Admiral to have three bottles of port put before him at 8 -o’clock, which he consumed by about 9.30. He was always called upon for -a song, and he used to sing about fourteen verses of “On board the -_Arethusa_.” His usual hour for retirement was about 10.30, when he -would be escorted to his pony, and would ride home to Baddow, three -miles away. Admiral Johnson remembered the time when the fine for any -member being unfortunate enough to be presented with twins by his wife -was the presentation of a pair of buckskin breeches to each member of -the club, and he boasted of still possessing a pair that Thomas W. -Bramston, whilst member for the county, had to pay him. - -At many old county dining clubs penalties of this sort were enforced: -members were fined for marrying, for becoming a father, or for moving to -another house; and such fines usually consisted of a certain number of -bottles of wine. Other quaint usages included the forfeiture of some -small sum for refusing to take the chair at dinner or for leaving it to -ring the bell, for allowing a stranger to pay for anything consumed, and -similar delinquencies. - -Another Beefsteak Club was that at Cambridge, the members of which -belonged to the University. This club, now for some years in abeyance, -was a quaint survival from the past, and exactly reproduced the dinner -of eighteenth-century sportsmen. Twenty-five years ago, when it still -flourished, it usually consisted of but four or five members, but guests -could be invited. The dining costume was a blue cutaway coat with brass -buttons, and buff waistcoat, the tie being secured with a bull’s head. -The dinner was entirely composed of various dishes of beef, beer only -being drunk; some curious old songs were sung, and the toasts, regulated -by inflexible precedent, were drunk in port from glasses of a size -regulated by immemorial custom. Amongst these toasts was the health of -the late Mr. Bowes, who, when he was an undergraduate at Cambridge, won -the Derby with Mundig. This horse, after a tremendous struggle, beat -Ascot, belonging to the present writer’s grandfather, by half a neck. - -The dinners used to be held at the Red Lion Inn, the head-waiter of -which hostelry, Dunn by name, was supposed to be the only individual -alive accurately acquainted with the exact rules and traditions of the -club. The proceedings were enlivened by music played on a fiddle by a -well-known Cambridge character, White-headed Bob. - -The Cambridge Beefsteak Club possessed a good deal of plate, valued at -about £1,500. It had also an income of some £200 a year, arising from -sums of money left to it by former members. - -A somewhat similar Cambridge dining club was the True Blue, which also -had few members. They met several times in a term, wearing -eighteenth-century dress and white wigs; as a matter of fact, the cost -of this costume often deterred men from joining, as did the rule that a -new member should drink off a bottle of claret at a draught. This -unpleasant custom, which might well have been modified, seems to have -killed the club, for I fancy that, like the Cambridge Beefsteak, it has -not met for many years. - -A remarkable little provincial club which flourished at Norwich at the -beginning of the nineteenth century was the Hole-in-the-Wall Club, where -a number of clever men used to meet. One of the principal figures here -was Dr. Frank Sayers, a poet of no mean inspiration, a sound antiquary, -an elegant scholar, and an accomplished gentleman. His accustomed chair -was kept for him every Monday, and it would have been a profanation had -any other occupant filled it. He was a man of admirable wit, and the -characters around him, which no skill of selection could have got -together in any other club or in any other town, afforded unfailing -objects of his innocent and unwounding pleasantry. - -Amongst other eccentric frequenters of the Hole-in-the-Wall was Ozias -Lindley, a Minor Canon of the cathedral, and Sheridan’s brother-in-law. -He was subject, beyond anyone living, to fits of absent-mindedness. He -out-Parson-Adamized Parson Adams. One Sunday morning, as he was riding -through the Close, on his way to serve his curacy, his horse threw off a -shoe. A lady whom he had just passed, having remarked it, called out to -him: “Sir, your horse has just cast one of his shoes.” “Thank you, -madam,” returned Ozias; “will you, then, be kind enough to put it on?” -In preaching, he often turned over two or three pages at once of his -sermon; and when a universal titter and stare convinced him of the -transition, he observed coolly, “I find I have omitted a considerable -part of my sermon, but it is not worth going back for,” and then went on -to the end. - -Hudson Gurney, at one time M.P. for Newport, Isle of Wight, was also a -frequenter of the snug club-room of the Hole-in-the-Wall, and used to -bask in the sunshine of Sayers’s festive conversation. His own heart, -too, at that time beat high with frolic and hilarity. Hudson’s was, from -his earliest prime, a clear, distinguishing intellect. He was a -well-read man, and his poetry, no fragment of which is in print, except -his admirable translation of the Cupid and Psyche of Apuleius into -English verse, was by no means of a secondary kind. - -At this club William Taylor smoked his evening pipe, and lost himself in -the cloudier fumes of German metaphysics and German philology. Taylor’s -translation of Bürger’s “Leonore,” though apparently now forgotten, was -said to be better than the original. While his erudition was unlimited, -however, it was principally concerned with books that were not readable -by others. His most amusing quality (and it was that which kept an -undying grin upon the laughter-loving face of Sayers) was his -everlasting love of hypothesis, and it was impossible to withstand the -imperturbable gravity with which he put forth his wild German paradoxes. -He proved, to the thorough dissatisfaction of those who knew not how to -confute him, and to the unspeakable amusement of those who thought it -not worth their while—and that, too, by a chemical analysis of colours, -and the processes by which animal heat and organic structure affect -them—that the first race of mankind was green! Green, he said, was the -primal colour of vegetable existence—the first raiment in which Nature -leaped into existence; the colour on which the eye loved to repose; and, -in the primeval state, the first quality that attracted man to man, and -bound him up in the circles of those tender charities and affinities -which kept the early societies of the race together. - -At one time Edinburgh was celebrated for its quaint clubs, one of which -was the Soaping Club, the motto of which was, that “Every man should -soap his own beard”—that is, “indulge his own humour.” The Lawn-market -Club was an association of dram-drinking, gossiping citizens, who met -every morning early, and, after proceeding to the post-office to pick up -letters and news, adjourned to the public-house to talk and drink. The -Edinburgh, a “Viscera” club, flourished till quite a late date; the -members of this were pledged to dine off food from the entrails of -animals, such as kidneys, liver, and tripe. This club seems to have -rather resembled the more modern Haggis Club. - -There were at one time a number of parochial clubs in London. That of -the parish of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, which still exists, and which -consists of “Past Overseers,” possesses a unique heirloom, which is at -the same time an important chronological record of public events. - -In 1713 a small fourpenny tobacco-box, bought at Horn Fair, Charlton, -Kent, was presented by Mr. Monck, a member of the Society of Past -Overseers, to his colleagues. - -Seven years later, in 1720, the donor was commemorated by the addition -of a silver lid to the box. In 1726 a silver side case and bottom were -added. In 1740 an embossed border was placed upon the lid, and the -under-part enriched with an emblem of Charity. In 1746 Hogarth engraved -inside the lid a bust of the Duke of Cumberland, with allegorical -figures and scroll commemorating the Battle of Culloden. In 1765 an -interwoven scroll was added to the lid, enclosing a plate with the arms -of the City of Westminster, and inscribed: “This Box to be delivered to -every succeeding set of Overseers, on penalty of five guineas.” - -The original Horn box being thus ornamented, additional ornamentation in -the shape of cases continued to be provided by the senior overseers for -the time being. These were embellished with silver plates engraved with -emblematical and historical subjects and busts. Among the first are a -view of the fireworks in St. James’s Park to celebrate the Peace of -Aix-la-Chapelle, 1749; Admiral Keppel’s action off Ushant, and his -acquittal after a court-martial; the Battle of the Nile; the repulse of -Admiral Linois, 1804; the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805; the action between -the _San Fiorenzo_ and _La Piémontaise_, 1808; the Battle of Waterloo, -1815; the bombardment of Algiers, 1816; view of the House of Lords at -the trial of Queen Caroline; the Coronation of George IV; and his visit -to Scotland, 1822. - -Features of great interest are: Portraits of John Wilkes, churchwarden -in 1759; Nelson, Duncan, Howe, Vincent; Fox and Pitt, 1806; George IV as -Prince Regent, 1811; the Princess Charlotte, 1817; and Queen Charlotte, -1818. - -In 1813 a large silver plate was added to the outer case, with a -portrait of the Duke of Wellington, commemorating the centenary of the -agglomeration of the box. Local occurrences are also commemorated: The -interior of Westminster Hall, with the Westminster Volunteers attending -Divine service at the drumhead on the Fast Day, 1803; the Old Sessions -House; a view of St. Margaret’s from the north-east; the west front -tower; and the altar-piece. On the outside of the first case is a clever -engraving of a cripple. The top of the second case represents the -Governors of the Poor in their board-room. It bears this inscription: -“The original Box and cases to be given to every succeeding set of -Overseers, on penalty of fifty guineas, 1783.” - -In 1785 Mr. Gilbert exhibited the box to some friends after dinner. That -night thieves broke into his house, and carried off all the plate that -had been in use; but the box had been removed beforehand to a -bedchamber. - -In 1793 Mr. Read, a Past Overseer, detained the box because his accounts -were not passed. An action was brought for its recovery, which was long -delayed, owing to two members of the society giving Read a release, -which he successfully pleaded as a bar to the action. This rendered it -necessary to take proceedings in equity, and a bill was filed in -Chancery against all three, Read being compelled to deposit the box with -Master Leeds until the end of the suit. Three years of litigation -ensued. Eventually the Chancellor directed the box to be restored to the -Overseers’ Society, and Mr. Read paid in costs £300. The extra costs -amounted to £76 13s. 11d., owing to the illegal proceedings of Mr. Read. -The sum of £91 7s. was at once raised, and the surplus spent upon a -third case of octagon shape. The top records the triumph: Justice -trampling upon a prostrate man, from whose face a mask falls upon a -writhing serpent. A second plate, on the outside of the fly-lid, -represents the Lord Chancellor Loughborough pronouncing his decree for -the restoration of the box, March 5, 1796. - -On the fourth case is shown the anniversary meeting of the Past -Overseers’ Society, with the churchwardens giving the charge previous to -delivering the box to the succeeding overseer. He, on his side, is bound -to produce it at certain parochial entertainments, with at least three -pipes of tobacco, under the penalty of six bottles of claret, and to -return the whole, with some addition, safe and sound, under a penalty of -200 guineas. - -In more recent days additions to this box, forming records of various -important public events, have from time to time been added. A -tobacco-stopper of mother-of-pearl, with a silver chain, is enclosed -within the box, and completes this unique memorial. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER III - - CLUBS OF ST. JAMES’S STREET—BOODLE’S, ARTHUR’S, AND WHITE’S - - -The original clubland of the West End was St. James’s Street, where the -first clubs originated from coffee-houses. In this historic -thoroughfare—the “dear old Street of Clubs and Cribs,” as Frederick -Locker called it—most of the sociable institutions founded many decades -ago still flourish. - -Such are White’s, Arthur’s, Brooks’s, the Cocoa-tree, and Boodle’s, the -latter of which, after passing through a crisis which came near closing -its doors for ever, now once again flourishes as of yore. - -This club-house was built about 1765 by John Crunden, from the designs -of Adam, but between 1821 and 1824 certain alterations and additions -were carried out from the designs of John Papworth, an architect of that -day. - -From an architectural point of view, Boodle’s is an admirable specimen -of the work of Robert Adam; its street façade possesses many fine -qualities, whilst the ironwork is of good design. - -A year or two ago it was rumoured that, in order to comply with a clause -in the lease, an additional story was to be added to the building. Up to -the present time, however, to the gratification of all possessing the -slightest taste, no alteration has been made; and it is earnestly to be -hoped that in these days, when there is so much prating of culture and -love of art, such an act of vandalism (which it is understood the club -itself would bitterly deplore) will not be committed. - -The saloon on the first-floor at Boodle’s has a very fine and stately -appearance, and opening out of it on each side are two little rooms. One -of these, according to tradition, was, in the days of high play, -occupied by a cashier who issued counters and occupied himself with -details connected with the game; the other was reserved for members -wishing to indulge in gaming undisturbed by the noise of the crowd which -thronged around the faro tables in the saloon. These tables, it is said, -are still in the club. Towards the middle of the last century, though -gaming had long ceased to take place in the saloon, there was a great -deal of high gambling in the card-room upstairs. As far as can be -ascertained, faro was once again played at that period. - -Boodle’s in old days played a great part in fashionable West End life. -One of Gillray’s caricatures, entitled “A Standing Dish at Boodle’s,” -represents Sir Frank Standish sitting at a window of this club, which, -it may be added, was noted for the large number of Baronets who were -members. It was, indeed, said that anyone uttering the words, “Where is -Sir John?” in the club-house would immediately find himself surrounded -by a crowd of members. - -Boodle’s, it should be added, has always been closely connected with -Shropshire, from which county its membership then, as now, was largely -recruited. - -The club was originally called the Savoir Vivre, and at its inception -was noted for its costly gaieties; in 1774, for instance, its members -spent 2,000 guineas upon a ridotto or masquerade. - -Gibbon was a member of Boodle’s, which, however, in the past, as to-day, -principally consisted of county gentlemen. - -Up to comparatively recent years, before Boodle’s was reorganized, it -was managed, not by a committee, but by a species of secret tribunal, -the members of which were supposed to be unknown, though their duties -corresponded with those of an ordinary club committee. This conclave -conducted its proceedings with great secrecy, and its very existence was -only inferred from the fact that, at intervals varying from six months -to fifteen years, some printed notice appeared in the club rooms. Even -so, this generally affected only dogs or strangers, both of whom -old-fashioned members regarded with about equal dislike as unpleasant -intruders. - -Most of these notices, signed “By order of the Managers,” quoted the -“custom of the house existing from time immemorial,” which, though -unwritten, was then the only approach to a code of laws for the conduct -of the club. - -The old elections at Boodle’s were peculiar, being presided over by the -proprietor. Fifteen years ago or so, when Mr. Gayner, who then occupied -that position, was still alive, he would take his seat by the ballot-box -near the window in the back room on the ground-floor, whilst in the -adjoining front room opening off it were the members. When a candidate -was proposed, they walked across, and deposited black or white balls, -after which they retired again to the front room. After a short time, -Mr. Gayner would shout out “Elected” or “Not elected,” as the case might -be, the ceremonial being gone through separately for every candidate. -Wicked wags used to say that the proprietor never troubled to make a -scrutiny as to the number of the balls, no candidate whom he considered -suitable for the election ever being rejected, whilst an undesirable one -was certain to meet with an evil fate, even should there be no black -balls at all. - -During Mr. Gayner’s reign, Boodle’s sustained a severe blow owing to the -retirement of the Duke of Beaufort and a number of other old members. On -certain evenings, according to a time-honoured custom, there was a -house-dinner, and members taking part in this had to put down their -names beforehand. The cost of wine, whether a man drank much or little, -was pooled, and equally divided between everyone, a usage which, while -it well suited some of the older men who belonged to a less temperate -age, pressed heavily upon those of a later generation, some of whom -scarcely drank anything at all. Resenting the injustice of this -exactment, by which they were made to pay for other people’s wine, some -of the latter remonstrated with Mr. Gayner, and demanded that a more -equitable arrangement should be made. The latter, realizing that such a -protest was legitimate, then promised that matters should be set right, -and to that end spoke to the Duke of Beaufort. The Duke replied that, -whilst such a remonstrance might be just, he could not assent to any -change without the concurrence of the older members of the club who were -in the habit of dining. The majority of these, not unnaturally perhaps, -energetically protested against any alteration in an old custom, which, -as they quite truthfully declared, had always suited them very well. The -Duke then informed Mr. Gayner that if any change were made he and these -members would leave the club. Mr. Gayner, however, stood firm, saying he -had given his promise and must keep it, in consequence of which the -Duke, and the “old guard” with him, carried out their threat, and left -Boodle’s for ever. - -Mr. Gayner carried on the club on very liberal lines, and members were -allowed extraordinary credit. They could cash cheques for any amount, -for Gayner made a practice of keeping a very large sum of money in his -safe. This, it is said, often contained as much as two or three thousand -pounds, always in new notes. - -At the time of Mr. Gayner’s death, he was supposed to have been owed -over £10,000 by certain members of the club. He appears to have regarded -this as a sort of friendly charge, for a special clause in his will -stated that no member of Boodle’s was to be asked for money. The -best-natured of men, Mr. Gayner frequently assisted members who were in -financial difficulties. One of these, a young fellow who had recently -joined the club, asked him whether he could indicate any means of -raising £500, as he had debts to that amount which demanded immediate -payment. “I can’t think of allowing you to go to the Jews,” said Mr. -Gayner; “come with me to my room, and I’ll put that all right.” Arrived -in his sanctum, he produced notes for the required amount, and handed -them to the young man, telling him he might settle the debt any time he -liked. - -After the death of Mr. Gayner, and of his sister, who succeeded him, it -seemed at one time as if Boodle’s might cease to exist. At a critical -moment in the club’s history, however, certain members stepped forward, -and a complete reorganization was the result. The list of members was -thoroughly sifted, and a most capable secretary, who still presides over -the club’s fortunes, assumed control. - -Some alterations were made in the interior of the building, but care was -taken to leave unimpaired the old-world charm of the house, which, from -an architectural point of view, possesses much merit. - -The fine saloon, which, as has been said, was originally a -gambling-room, was thoroughly restored and made into a comfortable -lounge; it is a spacious and well-proportioned room, and contains a -finely-designed mantelpiece and a very ornamental chandelier, the latter -purchased after the reorganization. Except for some handsome inkstands -and a few accessories which are of good design and execution, there are -few works of art in this club, the hunting pictures on the staircase -being of no particular value. Boodle’s appears once to have possessed -portraits of Charles James Fox and the Duke of Devonshire, but these -have now disappeared. - -The furniture and general appearance of the club is essentially English, -and it is pleasant to observe that the air of old-world comfort for -which Boodle’s has always been noted remains unimpaired. - -A curious feature of Boodle’s is that the billiard-room is upstairs, a -somewhat inconvenient arrangement not infrequent in clubs founded in -past days. - -It should be added that a rule enforcing the wearing of evening dress by -members dining in the coffee-room still remains in force; but a smaller -apartment is set aside for those who for any reason do not find it -convenient to change their day clothes. - -Arthur’s Club, in St. James’s Street, was the original abode of White’s, -which occupied it from 1698 to 1755, since which date the house has, of -course, undergone a good deal of change. In the eighteenth century, -owing to the association of a Mr. Arthur with the management of White’s, -the latter club was frequently spoken of as Arthur’s; this naturally -originated an idea that the two clubs were at one time connected, but -such in reality was never the case, the presumed parent of Arthur’s -having been a coffee-house of that name. - -The records of Arthur’s Club as at present constituted are, -unfortunately, somewhat scanty. It would appear, however, that after the -migration of White’s in 1755 another club was formed at 69 St. James’s -Street, and that it took the name of Arthur’s, which it still retains. - -In its present form the club-house was built by Mr. Hopper in 1825, -though probably a certain portion of the original coffee-house, erected -in 1736, was incorporated in the new building. A room on the -ground-floor (at the back of the house) is said to have been the -gaming-room of White’s Club during its tenure of the premises up to -1755; but if this is the case the decorative frieze and ceiling must -have been added later, as in style they belong to the nineteenth -century. During the rebuilding of 1825 everything seems to have been -sacrificed to the staircase, which now occupies the very large hall, -crowned by an elaborately-designed dome. There are, however, some -handsome rooms, notably the library, in which is an eighteenth-century -English sideboard of admirable design. In this and other rooms there is -a good deal of the heavy, solid mahogany furniture so popular about -seventy or eighty years ago. The examples in Arthur’s Club are certainly -the best of their kind, and are well in keeping with the design of the -house. There are very few pictures or engravings here—a print or two of -Arthur’s as it was in old days, a few portraits of members, and an -oil-painting of the late Sir John Astley (known as “the Mate”) are about -all. - -Arthur’s possesses a quantity of very fine silver plate, some of which -dates from the eighteenth century. - -This club still maintains some of the restrictions as regards smoking -which were so general in the clubs of other days, no smoking being -allowed in the library or morning-room. There are, however, ample -facilities for indulgence in tobacco in other parts of the house—notably -in the hall, where a very pleasant lounge has recently been contrived. - -Only recently has the regulation which prohibited visitors from being -admitted to dinner here been repealed. A room on the ground-floor (the -one reputed to have been the old gambling-room of White’s) is now set -aside as a dining-room for those privileged to be the guests of a member -of this very charming club. There is no tradition at Arthur’s of high -play at hazard, but whist was once very popular. “Sheep points and -bullocks” on the rubber were, it is said, quite common in the days when -so many country gentlemen were members. - -Arthur’s, it should be added, has always been a very popular club with -Wiltshire men, and its close connection with that county is still -maintained. - -As has been said, the chocolate-house in St. James’s Street, started by -Francis White in 1697, seems to have stood on the site of part of what -is now Arthur’s Club. John Arthur at this time was White’s assistant. -Here White carried on business till he died in 1711. His widow continued -to prosper as proprietress of the house, which became the centre of the -fashionable life of the day, and the place from which its amusements -were directed. Advertisements in the papers show that “Mrs. White’s -Chocolate-House, in St. James’s Street,” was the place of distribution -of tickets for all the fashionable amusements of the early years of the -eighteenth century. Opera was being produced at the Haymarket, and the -announcement of the performance of each new piece is accompanied by the -notice that tickets are to be obtained at Mrs. White’s. A little later, -Heidegger was taking the town by storm with his masquerades, ridottos, -and balls. He was quick to see that Mrs. White’s was an advantageous -ground from which to reach his patrons of the aristocracy. He -accordingly issued his admissions for these entertainments from White’s, -and requested those who were not using them to return them there, in -order to prevent their falling into bad hands, and so spoiling the -select character of his assemblies. - -John James Heidegger was a clever Swiss who, after leading a Bohemian -life all over Europe, had come to London, where he had for a time -co-operated with Handel in producing opera. His celebrity was chiefly -due to a remarkable ability for organizing masquerades. - -He was a very ugly man, and knew it. Consequently he would not have his -portrait painted. The Duke of Montagu, however, determined to obtain a -likeness, in order to play a trick at a masquerade. - -The Duke induced the Swiss Count, as he was called, to make one of a -select party, which (very appropriately) met to dine at the Devil -Tavern. The rest of the company, all chosen for their powers of hard -drinking, were in the plot, and a few hours after dinner Heidegger was -carried out of the room dead drunk. A daughter of Mrs. Salmon, the -waxwork-maker, was sent for, and took a mould from the unconscious man’s -face, from which she was ordered to make a cast in wax, and colour it to -nature. The King, who was a party to the joke, was to be present, with -the Countess of Yarmouth, at the next of Heidegger’s masquerades. The -Duke in the mean time bribed his valet to get all the information as to -the clothes the Swiss was to wear on the occasion, procured a man of -Heidegger’s figure, and, with the help of the mask, made him up into a -duplicate master of the revels. - -When the King arrived with the Countess and was seated, Heidegger, as -was usual, gave the signal to the musicians in the gallery to play the -National Anthem. As soon, however, as his back was turned, the sham -Heidegger appeared, and ordered them to play “Over the Water to -Charlie,” the Jacobite song, and the most insulting and treasonable -piece that could have been chosen to perform in the presence of royalty. - -The whole room was at once thrown into confusion. Heidegger rushed into -the gallery, raved, stamped, and swore, and accused the band of -conspiring to ruin him. The bewildered musicians at once altered the -tune to “God Save the King.” Heidegger then left the gallery to make -some arrangements in one of the smaller rooms. - -As soon as he disappeared, the sham Heidegger again came forward, this -time in the middle of the main room, in front of the gallery, and, -imitating Heidegger’s voice, damned the leader of the band for a -blockhead, and asked if he had not told him to play “Over the Water” a -minute before. The bandmaster, thinking Heidegger mad or drunk, lost his -head, and ordered his men to strike up the Jacobite air a second time. - -This was the signal for a confusion worse than before. There was great -excitement and fainting of women, and the officers of the Guards who -were present were only prevented from kicking Heidegger out of the house -by the Duke of Cumberland, who was in the secret. Heidegger rushed back -to the theatre, and was met by the Duke of Montagu, who told him that he -had deeply offended the King, and that the best thing he could do was to -go at once to His Majesty and ask pardon for the behaviour of his men. - -Heidegger accordingly approached the King, who, with the Countess, could -barely keep his countenance, and made an abject apology. He was in the -act of bowing to retire, when he heard his own voice behind him say: -“Indeed, Sire, it was not my fault, but that devil’s in my likeness!” He -turned round, and for the first time saw his double, staggered, and was -speechless. The Duke now saw that the joke had gone far enough, and -whispered an explanation of the whole affair. Heidegger recovered -himself and the masquerade went on, but he swore he would never attend -another until “that witch the wax-woman was made to break the mould and -melt down the mask” before his face. - -Hogarth’s plate, “Heidegger in a Rage,” was suggested by this story. - -Heidegger, it may be added, remained popular with the fashionable world -up to his death. He lived at Barn Elms, where the King honoured him with -a visit. He bore the reputation of great charity, and died in 1749, -“immensely lamented,” aged near ninety. - -That White’s Club was a great success from the very first is shown from -the old rate-books, where the prosperity of Mrs. White, the -proprietress, is reflected. The entries give us three degrees of -comparison: At White’s death, positive, “Widow White”; later, -comparative, “Mrs. White”; later still, superlative, “Madam White.” The -Bumble of the period was evidently impressed by her prosperity, and by -the fine company which met at her house. - -Madam White’s, indeed, was never an ordinary coffee-house, a proof of -which is that the usual charge of a penny made for entrance into such -places appears to have been increased. In earlier days, when it was a -chocolate-house, Steele (though he never became a member of the club) -was a constant frequenter, for in 1716 he lived opposite. In the first -number of the _Tatler_, published in 1709, he informs his readers that -“all accounts of gallantry, pleasure, and entertainment shall be under -the article of White’s Chocolate House,” while Will’s was to supply the -poetry, and the Grecian the learning. We find, accordingly, many of the -early numbers of the _Tatler_ dated from White’s. - -Madam White continued at the chocolate-house until some time between -1725 and 1729 (the exact year is uncertain, as the rate-books for those -years are missing), and she probably left the place with a fortune. - -At Mrs. White’s demise, Arthur became proprietor, and largely added to -the premises. These were burnt down in 1733, when he removed to Gaunt’s -Coffee-house till White’s had been rebuilt. His son, Robert Arthur, -appears as proprietor of the new house in 1736. - -During Robert Arthur’s life the most fashionable frequenters of his -chocolate-house became more and more exclusive, and the proprietor soon -found that catering for its members, all men of means and leisure, was -the chief part of his business, and more lucrative than the custom of -the general public. His interests, of course, lay in the direction of -meeting the wishes of his patrons, and in consequence of this members of -the public were eventually excluded. White’s Chocolate-house was thus -transformed into the private and exclusive society since known as -“White’s.” - -Though White’s was at this time reputed to be very exclusive, and -although certain qualifications were indispensable, some of the members -were drawn from a quite unaristocratic class. - -In Davies’s “Life of Garrick” is the following curious reference to -Colley Cibber as a member of White’s: “Colley, we are told, had the -honour to be a member of the great club at White’s; and so I suppose -might any other man who wore good clothes, and paid his money when he -lost it. But on what terms did Cibber live with this society? Why, he -feasted most sumptuously, as I have heard his friend Victor say, with an -air of triumphant exultation, with Mr. Arthur and his wife, and gave a -trifle for his dinner. After he had dined, when the club-room door was -opened, and the Laureate was introduced, he was saluted with loud and -joyous acclamation of ‘O King Coll! Come in, King Coll!’ and ‘Welcome, -welcome. King Colley!’ and this kind of gratulation, Mr. Victor thought, -was very gracious and very honourable.” - -The present White’s Club dates from 1755, in which year Robert Arthur -removed with the Young and Old Clubs which had met at his house—350 -members in all—to the “Great House” in St. James’s Street, which, though -much altered, is still White’s. He had purchased this building from Sir -Whistler Webster. One of its earlier occupants had been the Countess of -Northumberland, whom Walpole mentions as one of the last to practise the -unmaimed rites of the old peerage. “When she went out,” says he, “a -footman, bareheaded, walked on each side of her coach, and a second -coach with her women attended her. I think, too, that Lady Suffolk told -me that her granddaughter-in-law, the Duchess of Somerset, never sat -down before her without her leave to do so.” - -In course of time the management of the club came into the hands of -Martindale, a man whose name was connected with high play, of which he -frequently figured as an organizer. - -The house now began to have something of the organization which prevails -in modern clubs. - -About 1780, for instance, there was a regular club dinner at White’s, -when Parliament was sitting, at 12s. a head. In 1797 the charge for this -had fallen to 10s. 6d. Hot suppers were provided at 8s., and lighter -refreshments, with malt liquors, at 4s. At that time one of the rules -decreed “that Every Member who plays at Chess, Draughts, or Backgammon -do pay One Shilling each time of playing by daylight, and half-a-crown -each by candlelight.” - -George Raggett, who succeeded Martindale as manager of White’s, was -quite a character in his way. He understood how to get on with gambling -members, and owned the Roxburgh Club in St. James’s Square, where whist -was played for high stakes. Here, on one occasion, Hervey Combe, Tippoo -Smith, Ward, and Sir John Malcolm sat down on a Monday evening, played -through the night, through the following Tuesday and Tuesday night, and -finally separated at eleven on Wednesday morning. It is interesting to -notice that the separation took place then only because Mr. Combe had to -attend a funeral. That gentleman rose a winner of £30,000 from Sir John -Malcolm. - -Before leaving the club, Combe pulled out of his pocket a handful of -counters, amounting to several hundred pounds, over and above the thirty -thousand he had won from the Baronet, and gave them to Raggett, saying: -“I give them to you for sitting so long with us, and providing us with -all we required.” It was the practice of the astute Raggett to attend -his patrons personally whenever there was high play going on. “I make it -a rule never to allow any of my servants to be present when gentlemen -play at my clubs,” said he; “for it is my invariable custom to sweep the -carpet after the gambling is over, and I generally find on the floor a -few counters, which pays me for my trouble of sitting up.” This practice -made his fortune. - -As time went on, the club-house of White’s underwent considerable -alteration. In 1811, for instance, it was resolved to remove the -entrance by converting the second window from the bottom of the house -into a door, and to enlarge the morning-room by taking in the old -entrance hall. This gave room for an additional window. The old doorway -was utilized for this purpose, and the famous “Bow-Window at White’s” -was built out over the entrance steps, which may still be seen -supporting it. - -[Illustration: - - WHITE’S CLUB PREVIOUS TO 1811. -] - -Directly this window was made, Brummell, then in the heyday of his -fashionable prosperity, took possession of it, and, together with his -followers, made it a very shrine of fashion and an institution of West -End club-life. At that time only a select few dared to sit in it; an -ordinary member of the club would as soon have thought of taking his -seat on the throne in the House of Lords as of appropriating one of the -chairs in the bow-window. Nice questions of etiquette arose in -connection with the bow-window, and were duly discussed and settled. Its -occupants were so much in evidence to the outside world in St. James’s -Street that ladies of their acquaintance could not fail to recognize -them in passing. It was decided, after anxious discussion, that no -greeting should pass from the bow-window or from any window in the club. -As a consequence, the hats of the dandies were doffed to no passers-by. - -Not a few of the old school resented monopoly of the famous window by -Brummell and Lord Alvanley. “Damn the fellows!” said old Colonel -Sebright; “they are upstarts, and fit only for the society of tailors.” -Brummell made amusing use of his connection with the club. He was -reproached by an angry father whose son had gone astray in the Beau’s -company. “Really, I did all I could for the young fellow,” said he; “I -once gave him my arm all the way from White’s to Watier’s.” Later, when -he was coming to the end of his means and of his career in England, some -of his friends who had assisted him with loans became importunate. One -of these pressed him for the repayment of £500. “I paid you,” said the -Beau. “Paid me! When, pray?” “Why, when I was standing at the window at -White’s, and said as you passed, ‘How d’you do!’” - -About 1814 Brummell played much and unsuccessfully at White’s. One -night—the fifth of a most relentless run of ill-luck—his friend -Pemberton Mills heard him exclaim that he had lost every shilling, and -only wished someone would bind him never to play again. “I will,” said -Mills, and, taking out a ten-pound note, he offered it to Brummell on -condition that he should forfeit a thousand if he played at White’s -within a month from that evening. The Beau took it, and for a few days -discontinued coming to the club; but about a fortnight after, Mills, -happening to go in, found him gambling again. Of course the thousand -pounds were forfeited; but his friend, instead of claiming them merely -went up to him, and, touching him gently on the shoulder, said: “Well, -Brummell, you might at least give me back the ten pounds you had the -other evening.” - -After Brummell’s day was over, Lord Alvanley (a coloured print of whom -as “The Man from White’s” still hangs in the club) became the chief of -the bow-window party. Most of this nobleman’s time seems to have been -spent in endeavouring to get rid of a large fortune, the inheritance of -which had caused him to leave the Coldstream Guards, in which he had -served with distinction in the Peninsular War. Lord Alvanley was the -most noted bon-vivant of his day, and was utterly regardless of what his -dinners cost. One of his fancies was to have a cold apricot tart on his -sideboard every day throughout the year. Another instance of his -prodigality was the payment of 200 guineas to Gunter for a -luncheon-basket, which by an oversight had been forgotten in arranging a -day’s boating on the Thames—a costly picnic indeed! - -On one occasion Lord Alvanley organized a dinner at White’s, at which it -was agreed that whoever could produce the most expensive dish should -dine for nothing. The winner was the organizer, whose dish was a -fricassée composed entirely of the _noix_, or small pieces at each side -of the back, taken from thirteen kinds of birds, among them being one -hundred snipe, forty woodcocks, twenty pheasants, and so on, the total -amounting to about three hundred birds. The cost of the ridiculous dish -amounted to £108 5s. - -This extravagant and eccentric peer, who, it was said, never paid cash -for anything, was once asked by the sarcastic Colonel Armstrong, who -knew of this failing, what he had given for a fine horse he was riding. -“Nothing,” said his lordship; “I owe Milton 200 guineas for him.” -Another failing of Lord Alvanley’s caused his friends at country-houses -some anxiety. He always read in bed, and would never blow out his -candle, his method of extinguishing that light being usually to fling it -into the middle of the room; if this was ineffectual, he would throw a -pillow at it. Sometimes he would vary the proceedings by putting the -burning candle bodily under his bolster. - -Another frequenter of the bow-window was Lord Allen, who became such a -confirmed lover of London that, during the latter part of his life, it -was said his only walk was from White’s to Crockford’s, over the way and -back again. It was also said that he was so accustomed to the roar of -the London traffic, that to get him to sleep at Dover, where he was -visiting Lord Alvanley, that nobleman hired a hackney coach to drive in -front of his window at the inn all night, and sent out the boots at -proper intervals to call the time and the weather, like the London -watchmen. - -Lord Allen was a man of very moderate means, and eked out his income by -dining out as much as possible. An incivil remark at dinner to an old -lady caused her to say: “My lord, your title must be as good as board -wages to you!” - -Lord Allen was generally known as “King Allen.” In course of time, as a -result of his lounging life about town, he lost most of his not very -abundant money, when he withdrew to Dublin, where, in Merrion Square, he -slept behind a large brass plate with “Viscount Allen” upon it, which -verified the old lady’s remark; for it was as good to him as a regular -income, and brought endless invitations from people eager to feed a -Viscount at any hour of the day or night. - -Many distinguished men have belonged to White’s, and many more have -tried to do so. Louis Napoleon, during his exile in London, is said much -to have desired to be a member of White’s, but his wish was never -gratified. - -Count d’Orsay, who drew the portraits of many of his contemporaries, -some of whom were members of this club (lithographs of which portraits -hang in the morning-room), made several attempts to secure election, but -without success. As he was very popular amongst the men of his day, it -was probably merely the fact of his being a foreigner which kept him -out. - -Though the shell of Sir Whistler Webster’s “Great House” still exists at -White’s, many structural alterations have been made from time to time. -The most notable of these was undertaken in 1850, when Raggett, the then -proprietor, entrusted to Mr. Lockyer the work of remodelling the façade -of the old club-house. Four bas-reliefs, designed by Mr. George Scharf, -jun., representing the four seasons, were, under Lockyer’s direction, -inserted in the place of four sash-windows. At this period the old -balcony rails would seem to have been moved, and the present elaborate -cast-iron work substituted—a very doubtful improvement. The interior of -the club-house was also then redecorated by the firm of Morant, and -Victorian mantelpieces were introduced into some of the rooms. In all -probability these alterations, carried out at a period when taste was at -a low ebb, robbed White’s of much which the more enlightened taste of -to-day would have wished preserved. - -The management of White’s by Henry Raggett only ended at his death in -1859. He was the last of the proprietors of the club who were also the -owners of the freehold of the club building. - -Raggett was succeeded as manager by Percival, who continued in this -position till his death in 1882. The Misses Raggett, sisters of the late -proprietor, still owned the club-house, and consequently a certain -feeling of insecurity prevailed as to the future of the club. In 1868 a -proposal was made that the building should be purchased from the Misses -Raggett by the members; but it was found that the property was in -Chancery, and that nothing could be done. The club, still feeling -unsettled, decided to form a fund to provide against eventualities -connected with the tenure of the house. This they accomplished by -raising the entrance fee to nineteen guineas, ten of which were devoted -to the purpose, and placed in the hands of trustees. - -Lord Hartington reported, in 1870, that he had at last induced the -trustees of the Raggetts to name a price for the sale of the club -building. This was fixed at £60,000. He reported at the same time that -Percival held an unexpired lease of ten years at a rental of £2,100. The -club very naturally refused to entertain the idea of purchase at any -such figure. A reduced offer of £50,000, made a month later, they also -refused. - -A year afterwards the place was sold by auction. With a view to -purchase, members of White’s had subscribed for debentures to the amount -of £16,000. At the auction, the representative of the club bid £38,000 -for the property, but it was bought by Mr. Eaton, M.P., afterwards Lord -Cheylesmore, for £46,000. - -After some fruitless negotiations in 1877, when the number of members -had been increased to 600, Percival, negotiating on his own account with -Mr. Eaton, announced that he had obtained a new lease of thirty years, -from 1881, at a rent of £3,000 a year. In 1882 Mr. Percival died. The -management of White’s then passed to his son, as representative of Mrs. -Percival, the widow. - -In 1888 matters arrived at a crisis. Mrs. Percival announced her -intention of terminating her lease with Lord Cheylesmore, and it was -proposed by the committee to grant her a sum of £1,200 in consideration -of her carrying on the club business until the end of the year. There -were various meetings at which the proposal was discussed, and much was -said on both sides. Eventually it was carried, and negotiations were -entered into with two members of the club who had expressed themselves -willing to take over the management. In July of 1888 the management of -the Percivals came to an end by the signing of an agreement for the -future conduct of White’s by a member of the club, Mr. Algernon Bourke. - -Under his management White’s resumed its youth, and was again invested -with an air of sprightly insouciance, which in latter years had been -conspicuous by its absence. Drastic structural alterations, carried out -under the direction of Mr. Bourke, much improved the convenience of the -building. The courtyard, where was an old Well from which, up to quite -recent years, the water used in the club was drawn, was roofed over and -converted into a spacious billiard-room, and the large front room was -converted into a dining-room, certain alterations being made in the -apartment behind previously used for that purpose. - -Within the last two years some further alterations of a very judicious -nature have been carried out in the club-house. An upper story -containing servants’ bedrooms has been added, but this has scarcely -altered the appearance of the house, and the façade remains practically -the same as it has been for the last fifty-seven years. - -Portfolios seem formerly to have been preserved at White’s, which -contained engravings of well-known members. Many of these were framed by -Mr. Bourke, who, adding to the number, formed the present valuable and -interesting collection. On each of these prints the date at which its -subject belonged to White’s is inscribed in pencil. As a club record of -past membership the series is unique. - -In the dining-room of the club are several paintings, and among them is -a portrait of the first Duke of Wellington, by Count d’Orsay. This, I -believe, is one of two portraits painted by the Count. The Iron Duke, it -is said, was much pleased with them, and declared that d’Orsay was the -only artist who had ever painted him as a gentleman. - -Other oil-paintings here represent George II and George III—a modern -portrait shows the late Duke of Cambridge in undress uniform. There are -also a few other pictures, including two of horses by John Wooton. All -the pictures in this room, with the exception of the portrait of George -II, originally in the house dining-room (now the committee-room next -door), were acquired after the reconstitution of the club by Mr. Bourke -in 1888. On the other hand, some Italian pictures and a curious portrait -of a woman, supposed to have been in White’s since its foundation, have -disappeared. The same fate, unfortunately, has befallen the fine old -silver plate which belonged to the club up to comparatively recent -years; and most of the original furniture is in other hands. - -The whimsical coat of arms which, carved in wood, hangs over the -fireplace in the entrance hall is, of course, a modern copy of the -design invented by Horace Walpole and his friends at Strawberry Hill. - -The worth of some of the old furniture in White’s was great, as may be -realized when it is stated that the present possessor of two small -sideboards formerly in the dining-room was a short time ago offered £600 -apiece for them by a well-known expert. The original eighteenth-century -dining-room chairs (the place of which is now supplied by copies) were -also of great interest and value. - -A curious old oak table, now in the committee-room at White’s, is in no -way connected with the history of that club. It was originally the -dining-table of the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks, and has on it three -carvings. Two of these represent the mitre and Beefeater’s cap which -figured in the ceremonial of that institution, and the centre one a -gridiron, which was its crest. As has already been mentioned, this table -was purchased by Mr. Bourke. - -A richly decorated piano which formerly stood in what is now the -card-room has gone, as have also a very ornamental French weather-glass -and some other _objets d’art_. - -Of late years great efforts have been made to recover anything connected -with the past history of White’s, and already, owing to the efforts of -certain members, several have been discovered and obtained. These -include the quaint original ballot-box and a complete set of the old -gaming counters, which, like those at Brooks’s, are inscribed with the -sums they represented. - -A feature of the downstairs lounge at White’s is the belt presented to -Heenan after his celebrated fight with Tom Sayers. This interesting -trophy, which is lent by a member (Mr. Gilbert Elliot), now hangs over -the mantelpiece beneath a not very successful bas-relief of the late -King, which was placed there during the alterations in 1888. It is said -that an unsophisticated visitor to the club-house being taken into the -lounge, after glancing at the silver belt and the bas-relief above, -eagerly inquired, “Did the King win it?” which remark naturally -occasioned much amusement. - -In the lease of White’s Club-house is a clause, dating from the middle -of the eighteenth century, which lays down that copies of the _Times_ -and of the _Racing Calendar_ should always be preserved, in consequence -of which, up to a few years ago, the cellars were filled with an -enormous mass of paper, much of which had been almost reduced to pulp, -owing to inflows of water during floods. The collection is now stored -elsewhere. - -White’s Club is just a year older than the Bank of England. It was -established before the last of the Stuarts had left the throne, and a -number of its members have fought England’s battles on land and sea. One -of these was Lord St. Vincent, the great sailor, who brought the West -Indies to the British Crown and won the naval battle of St. Vincent. -Rodney was a member, and his wife, when her husband had been greatly -impoverished by gaming debts and election expenses, sent the hat round -for him at White’s. Very inappropriately, however, the money was -provided by a Frenchman, the Marshal de Biron. George Keppel, third Earl -of Albemarle, who captured Havana in 1762, was another naval member, as -was Charles Saunders, who co-operated with General Wolfe in the assault -of the Heights of Abraham; so too was Boscawen, who went by the name of -“Old Dreadnought.” - -Besides having had a great number of gallant soldiers and sailors on its -list, this club can also boast that for many years the destinies of -Great Britain were practically in the hands of certain of its members. - -Sir Robert Walpole and his able rival, William Pulteney, afterwards Earl -of Bath, were members of the old club at White’s in 1756. In the debate -on the motion for the impeachment of Sir Robert in 1741, the latter, in -the course of a speech, quoted a verse from Horace. Pulteney rose and -remarked that the right honourable gentleman’s Latin and logic were -alike inaccurate. Walpole denied it, and a bet of a guinea was made -across the floor of the House. The matter was then referred to the Clerk -at the table, a noted scholar, and decided against the Minister. - -The guinea was handed to Pulteney, and is now in the British Museum, -with the following inscription in his handwriting: - -“This guinea, I desire, may be kept as an heirloom. It was won of Sir -Robert Walpole in the House of Commons; he asserting the verse in Horace -to be ‘Nulli pallescere culpæ,’ whereas I laid the wager of a guinea -that it was ‘Nulla pallescere culpa.’ I told him that I could take the -money without blush on my side, but believed it was the only money he -ever gave in the House where the giver and receiver ought not equally to -blush. This guinea, I hope, will prove to my posterity the use of -knowing Latin, and encourage them in their learning.” - -The betting-book at White’s, which is still in existence, bears witness -to the love of a past age for speculating about every manner of thing, -grave or gay. At one period of the eighteenth century chess was in high -favour at White’s. Several matches are recorded in the betting-book. -Lord Howe, for instance, engages “to play twelve games at chess with -Lord Egmont, and bets Lord Egmont twelve guineas to six guineas of each -game.” It is also recorded that M. de Mirepoix, the French Ambassador, -sent an invitation to all chess-players of both clubs[2] to meet him for -a game. He spells the word “clubs” “clamps.” - -Footnote 2: - - White’s was formed from the old and new clubs into which it was - originally divided. - -Lord Montfort, who eventually met with a tragic death at his own hands, -in consequence, it would appear, of the impecuniosity which followed on -his wild gaming, made a curious bet as to his powers as a horseman: - - -_July ye 17th, 1752._ - -Ld. Montfort to ride six days running. - -1st. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Downe one guinea to receive 10 gs. when he -rides 35 miles within the first day. - -2nd. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Ashburnham 1 guinea to receive 10 gs. when -he rides 25 miles within the second day. - - _pd._ - -3rd. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Waldegrave one guinea, to receive 10 gs. -when he rides 20 miles within the third day. - - _paid._ - -4th. Ld. Montfort gives Mr. Watson 1 guinea, to receive 10 gs. when he -rides 15 miles within the fourth day. - - _pd._ - -5th. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Downe 1 guinea, to receive 10 gs. when he -rides 10 miles within the fifth day. - -6th. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Howe 1 guinea to receive 10 guineas when he -rides 5 miles within the Sixth day. - - _Paid._ - - -Another wager of this nobleman dealt with the matrimonial intentions of -the proprietor of White’s: - - -Ld. Montfort wagers Ld. Ravensworth one hundred guineas, Duke of -Devonshire Fifty guineas, and Ld. Hartington fifty guineas, that Mr. -Arthur is not married in three year from ye date hereof, March 11th, -1754. - -N.B. Bob goes Twenty guineas with Ld. Montfort in this bet.[3] (Now Sir -Robt. Mackreth.) - -Footnote 3: - - A note added: “‘Bob,’ the waiter, married the daughter of Mr. Arthur, - the proprietor of the club, became prosperous, and was afterwards - knighted. He was subsequently Member for Castle Rising.” - - -The following are a few of the very numerous bets of which account is -given in this curious record: - - -_November 7th, 1758._ - -Mr. Cadogan engages to pay Mr. Willis twenty guineas, in consideration -of one guinea received from him, whenever he has in his possession, -either by purchase or gift, a Post Chaise with a crane neck. - - -The following bet, recorded in 1813, would appear to refer to some -incident in the life of Mr. Creevy which has escaped notice: - - -Col. Osborn bets Sir J. Copley 5 gs. that Mr. Creevy is imprisoned -before the announcement of the capture of Dantzic is received. - - J. COPLEY. - J. OSBORN. _pd._ - -_April 2nd._ - - -Mr. Methuen bets Col. Stanhope ten guineas to 1, that a certain worthy -Baronet understood between them does not of necessity part with his gold -ice-pails, before this day twelvemonth; the ice-pails being found at a -pawnbroker’s, will not entitle Col. Stanhope to receive his ten guineas. - - H. F. R. STANHOPE. - PAUL METHUEN. - -_White’s, April 10th, 1813._ - - -Mr. Raikes bets Sir Joseph Copley ten guineas that he does not play at -cards or dice at any Club in London in a year from this date. - - _settled._ - -_May 22nd, 1818._ - - -Lord Binning bets Lord Falmouth five guineas that a Roman Catholic -Bishop upon formally abjuring his Catholic faith, may be made a -Protestant Bishop without any new ordination in the Protestant Church. - - BINNING. - FALMOUTH. _pd._ - -_April 17th, 1825._ - - -Lord George Bentinck bets Col. Walpole a Rouleau that the Duke of St. -Albans marries Mrs. Coutts within six months of this day. Ld. Elliott -stands half the bet with Ld. G. Bentinck. - - G. BENTINCK. - -_January 8, 1826._ - - -July 8, paid a pony to the waiter for Col. Walpole.—G. BENTINCK. - -1 June pd. a pony Elliott. - -Lord Maidstone bets Ld. Kelburne six bets of £50 each that he has six -horses now in his own stable which he will ride over and shall clear a 5 -feet wall in the Leath country in Lincolnshire. - - SIR RICHARD SUTTON, BART. } _to be umpires._ - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . } - - -Lord Adolphus FitzClarence bets Mr. George Bentinck £10 that there is -not a shot fired in anger in London during the year 1851. - - -Mr. F. Cavendish bets Mr. H. Brownrigg 2/1 that he does not kill the -bluebottle fly before he goes to bed. - - W. FREDERICK CAVENDISH. - HENRY M. BROWNRIGG. _recd._ H.B. - -_July 17, 1856._ - - -At one time very large sums changed hands over the whist-table at -White’s. One of the most distinguished gamblers was Lord Rivers, known -in Paris as Le Wellington des Joueurs. This nobleman, it is said, once -lost £3,400 at whist by not remembering that the seven of hearts was in! -He played at hazard for the highest stakes that anyone could be got to -play, and at one time was supposed to have won nearly £100,000; but all, -together with a great deal more, went at Crockford’s. - -In earlier days White’s appears to have been an occasional resort of -very queer characters indeed. In Hogarth’s gambling scene at White’s we -see the highwayman, with the pistols peeping out of his pocket, waiting -by the fireside till the heaviest winner takes his departure, in order -to recoup himself of his losings. And in the “Beaux’ Stratagem,” Aimwell -asks of Gibbet: “Ha’n’t I seen your face at White’s?” - -M’Clean, the fashionable highwayman, had a lodging in St. James’s -Street, over against White’s; and he was as well known about St. James’s -as any gentlemen who lived in that quarter, and who, perhaps, went upon -the road, too. When M’Clean was taken, in 1750, Horace Walpole tells us -that Lord Mountfort, at the head of half White’s, went the first day; -his aunt was crying over him. As soon as they were withdrawn, she said -to him, knowing they were of White’s: “My dear, what did the Lords say -to you? Have you ever been concerned with any of them?” - -Mr. Pelham, the Prime Minister, who had originally been an officer, was -a well-known frequenter of the gaming-table at White’s, to which he -resorted even when in high office—a habit alluded to in the following -lines: - - - “Or chair’d at White’s, amidst the doctors sit, - Teach oaths to gamesters, and to nobles wit.” - - -General Scott, the father-in-law of George Canning and the Duke of -Portland, was known to have won at White’s £200,000, thanks to his -notorious sobriety and knowledge of this game. The General possessed a -great advantage over his companions by avoiding the excesses which used -not unfrequently to muddle their brains. He confined himself to dining -off something very light, such as a boiled chicken with toast and water, -and in consequence always came to the whist-table with a clear head. -Possessing a remarkable memory, with great coolness of judgment, he was -able honestly to win the enormous sum of £200,000. - -At Almack’s, a rival institution to White’s, there was also much high -play. According to the rule of the house, every player had to keep not -less than twenty to fifty guineas on the table in front of him, and -often there was as much as £10,000 in gold on the table. The players, -before sitting down at the gaming-table, removed their embroidered -clothes and substituted frieze greatcoats, or turned their coats inside -out for luck. They also put on short leather sleeves to save their lace -ruffles, and in order to guard their eyes from the light and keep their -hair in order they wore high-crowned straw hats, with broad brims -adorned with flowers and ribbons; whilst to conceal their emotions they -also wore shades or masks. - -George Selwyn, one evening at White’s, saw a member connected with the -postal service, Sir Everard Fawkener (the present writer’s -great-grandfather, and an indifferent card-player), losing a large sum -of money at piquet. Selwyn, pointing to the successful player, remarked: -“See now, he is robbing the mail!” - -On another occasion, in 1756, observing Mr. Ponsonby, the Speaker of the -Irish House of Commons, tossing about bank-bills at a hazard-table at -Newmarket, “Look,” he said, “how easily the Speaker passes the -money-bills!” - -Of the gambling at White’s in former days so much has been written that -it would be superfluous to dwell upon this phase in the history of the -club when George Selwyn played night after night. Selwyn, however, was -something more than a mere gambler, and possessed in a conspicuous -degree the power of scourging folly and self-pretension. The following -is an instance of his powers in this direction: - -One morning, when Selwyn was at the home of the Duke of Queensberry, a -newly-appointed Commissioner of Taxes made his appearance. This man was -in a tumult of joy at his preferment; but, though it was to the Duke he -had primarily been indebted for his good fortune, he hardly thanked him; -for he was possessed with the notion that it was from his own merit that -he had acquired the promotion. Entering the room, he assumed several -consequential airs, thinking that he was now as great a man as the Duke -himself. - -“So, Mr. Commissioner,” said Selwyn—“you will excuse me, sir, I forget -your name—you are at length installed, I find.” The word “installed” -conveyed an awkward idea; for the new Commissioner’s grandfather had -been a stable-boy. - -“Why, sir,” replied the other, “if you mean to say that I am at length -appointed, I have the pleasure to inform you that the business is -settled. Yes, I am appointed; and though our noble friend, the Duke -here, did oblige me with letters to the Minister, yet these letters were -of no use; and I was positively promoted to the office without knowing a -syllable about the matter, or even taking a single step in it.” - -“What! not a single step?” cried George. - -“No, not one, upon my honour,” replied the new-fledged placeman. “Egad, -sir! I did not walk a foot out of my way for it.” - -“And egad, sir!” retorted Selwyn, “you never before uttered half so much -truth in so few words. Reptiles, sir, can neither walk nor take -steps—nature ordained they should creep.” - -Like many men of his day, Selwyn did and said many things which a later -age would call very snobbish. Happening to be at Bath when it was nearly -empty, he was induced, for the mere purpose of killing time, to -cultivate the acquaintance of an elderly gentleman he was in the habit -of meeting in the Rooms. In the height of the following season Selwyn -encountered his old associate in St. James’s Street. He endeavoured to -pass unnoticed, but in vain. “What! do you not recollect me?” exclaimed -the indignant provincial. “I recollect you perfectly,” replied Selwyn, -“and when I next go to Bath I shall be most happy to become acquainted -with you again.” - -Though Selwyn appears to have preferred White’s, he did not entirely -confine his attention to it. It was in his day the fashion to belong to -as many clubs as possible—Wilberforce, indeed, mentions no fewer than -five to which he himself belonged: Brooks’s, Boodle’s, White’s, Miles -and Evans’s in New Palace Yard, and Goosetree’s, on the site of which -stands the Marlborough. As their names imply, all these clubs were -originally mere coffee-houses, kept by men of the above names, the most -celebrated of whom, next to the proprietors of White’s, was Brookes, or -Brooks, who founded the present club in St. James’s Street. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - BROOKS’S, THE COCOA-TREE, AND THE THATCHED HOUSE - - -At one time considerable rivalry existed between White’s and Brooks’s. -Great festivities took place all over the country in the spring of 1789, -and both White’s and Brooks’s gave balls, which seem to have occasioned -much unpleasant feeling between the party of the Prince of Wales and -that of the Court. - -Pitt was a member of both clubs (having been elected to Brooks’s in -1781, on the proposal of Fox), but he had a decided partiality for -White’s. - -The Prince detested White’s as the chosen club of Pitt, who had opposed -him during the King’s illness, and, as soon as the entertainment was -announced, forbade his friends to attend it, and it is said, together -with the Duke of York, sent their tickets to be sold at a public -library. - -Three weeks later, on April 21, Brooks’s followed with a grand ball at -the Opera House, one of the tickets for which is framed in the -“strangers’ room” on the ground-floor of the club. As a matter of fact, -the Prince’s conduct towards the ball at White’s gave a party character -to that at Brooks’s, with the result that all the ladies of the Court -refused to attend. - -Brooks’s was originally in Pall Mall, on or near the site of the present -Marlborough Club, and the precise date of its removal into St. James’s -Street cannot be positively fixed; but certain it is that the existing -house was built by Brooks, from designs by Holland, the architect, in -1778, and in a letter to G. Selwyn, dated in October of that year, T. -Townshend—afterwards first Viscount Sydney—says: “As a proof of our -increasing opulence, I need only show the New Opera House, which is now -fitting up at a monstrous expense … and Brooks’s new house, fitted up -with great magnificence, which is to be opened in a week or ten days.” -It was in consequence of these great expenses that the annual -subscription was doubled. - -The originator of Brooks’s seems to have been the Scotsman Almack, whose -real name was Macall, and in its early days the club consisted of 150 -members at an annual subscription of four guineas, with the proviso -that, “in case that proportion falls short of 400 guineas on the whole, -such deficiency shall be made good to Mr. Almack.” But this small number -of members soon expanded, and by 1776 had been doubled, by successive -additions of twenty, thirty, fifty, and fifty. Fifteen years passed, and -in 1791 another 150 were added, and 100 more in 1816, bringing the -numbers up to 550. Twenty-five more were added in 1823, and a like -number in 1857, bringing the total up to 600, at which it remained till -1901, when it was raised to 650, the present number. - -At the end of 1778 the club moved into its present premises, the new -house being owned by Brooks or Brookes, and after that date his name was -assumed as a title. - -[Illustration: - - PROMISED HORRORS OF THE FRENCH INVASION, BY GILLRAY. - Showing both White’s and Brooks’s Clubs. -] - -The subscription, fixed at four guineas in 1764, was before 1779 raised -to eight, and on May 25 in that year the committee, or whatever was the -governing body, granted Brooks an extra two guineas for two years only, -“in consideration of the great expense he hath been at in erecting and -fitting up his house”—viz., the present house. Brooks compounded with -those that were willing, for sixteen guineas paid down in advance. - -On April 17, 1791, the subscription was again raised to ten guineas, and -in addition an entrance fee of five guineas was imposed; and it was -further resolved that every member should pay one guinea in addition to -the subscription for that year, “in order that the new Regulations about -Dinner, Forfeits, etc., may take place immediately.” - -So matters continued until 1815, when the subscription was increased to -eleven guineas, “in consideration of the great expense the Masters of -the Club had been put to by various alterations of the Club-house.” - -On March 18, 1817, an additional guinea was imposed—to be paid on -January 1, 1818—for the express purpose of increasing the size of the -coffee-room. - -In 1828 it was resolved that the extra guinea added to the annual -subscription in 1815 should be reserved to form a fund, to be invested -in the names of the trustees, to be employed as the club should -thereafter direct. The present subscription is eleven guineas. - -The original rules are very strict on the subject of arrears, Rule XX -providing that all subscriptions shall be paid between March 1 and June -25; otherwise the defaulter is to be _ipso facto_ excluded and his name -erased. This excellent provision, however, seems to have been more -honoured in the breach than in the observance, for on June 8, 1800, -Griffin, who was the Master, was “authorized to inform members that, -being in arrears, they are no longer members of the Club, and the -Managers have directed him to recover the arrears due to him.” Yet, -notwithstanding the resolution of the managers, on May 3, 1806, Griffin -reported the arrears to amount to £6,000, which large sum had in 1809 -increased to £10,000. - -This generous confidence of the Masters in the ultimate solvency of -members endured until the death of Banderet, in spite of a periodical -protest against the large amount of house accounts outstanding for -dinners and other disbursements; and on one occasion it is said that he -represented to the managers that a certain member was £800 in his debt, -and, although he was quite ready to trust the gentleman to any amount, -he did think that, under the circumstances, he need not insist upon -having ortolans for his dinner every night. - -There is a very general impression that the eleventh guinea of the -subscription, still paid, was first imposed to pay the debts of C. J. -Fox, but of this there is no evidence whatever. That Fox’s debts were -paid by his friends is certain, and that he had many friends in Brooks’s -is equally so, and they doubtless were the chief contributors, but as -individuals only; the idea that Brooks’s ever contributed in its -corporate capacity is absolutely without foundation. - -The regulations passed in 1828 laid down that dinner at 10s. 6d. per -head shall be ready at a quarter before six every day from November 1 to -the Prince of Wales’s birthday (August 12th). “If the number at dinner -shall not exceed four, they shall have no reckoning to pay but for wine, -fruits, etc. If the number exceeds four, the 2 guineas shall be deducted -from the whole reckoning.” - -Dinner was served at half-past four; and the bill was brought in at -seven. Supper began at eleven, and ended at half an hour after midnight. -The cost of the dinner was 8s. a head, and of the supper 6s.; and anyone -who had been present during any part of the meal hours paid his share of -the wine, in accordance with the old law of British conviviality. - -No gaming was allowed in the “eating room” except “tossing up for -reckonings,” under the penalty of paying the whole bill of the members -present. - -The ballot took place between eleven at night and one in the morning, -which custom continued until 1844, when the hours were altered to -between three and five in the afternoon. A single black ball excluded, -and a member who joined any other club, except White’s, was at once -struck off the books. - -As manager of the club, Brooks appears to have been a most accommodating -individual. He is described by Tickell, in a copy of verses addressed to -Sheridan, as - - - “Liberal Brookes, whose speculative skill - Is hasty credit and a distant bill; - Who, nursed in clubs, disdains a vulgar trade, - Exults to trust, and blushes to be paid.” - - -It may be added that, as a consequence of the above-mentioned -diffidence, Brooks died a poor man in 1782. Indeed, according to -tradition, his creditors were so rapacious that, in order to defeat -them, his body was interred in a small vault, still existing, under the -pavement of St. James’s Street. For this, however, there is no sort of -evidence in the records of the club, and the legend may have been -suggested by the smallness of the vault, which would just contain a -coffin. - -Brooks was succeeded in the management by a Mr. Griffin, whose name can -be traced down to 1815, though for the six years preceding this date the -management figures as “Griffin and Co.” In 1815, however, he disappears, -and at some subsequent time the mastership devolved upon Wheelwright, -who in 1824 took Halse into partnership, and in 1831 retired; whereupon -Halse took Henry Banderet into partnership, himself retiring in 1846, -and receiving a grant from the club of £500 on account of his interest -in the unexpired lease of the house, and 50 guineas for the surrender of -his lodging therein. From that time until his death in 1880, Banderet -continued Master; and to him is to be attributed the credit of having -established in Brooks’s that refined if somewhat solemn comfort which -resembles rather the luxury of a first-class private house than a club, -and which has led to its being humorously described as “like dining in a -Duke’s house with the Duke lying dead upstairs.” His attention to his -duties as Master was unremitting, and it was said that, during the -thirty-four years in which he filled that post, he had never been known -to be absent, except on one occasion when he was persuaded to take a -holiday; but he found himself so miserable that by noon he was back at -Brooks’s, which he never afterwards left until his death, when the -entire management was taken over by the club. - -As a building, Brooks’s is a handsome and suitable club-house, which -from time to time has sustained a number of alterations, most of them of -a judicious kind. The balcony on the first-floor, formerly such a -feature of the façade, has long been removed. - -About twenty years ago considerable changes were made in the club-house, -and No. 2 Park Place was incorporated as part of it. Up to that time the -coffee-room had been what is now the strangers’ smoking-room on the -first-floor, the only smoking-room being the round room at the back of -the house, now divided into dressing-rooms. There was practically no -library, the only apology for one being a small room beyond the -coffee-room, containing little except Parliamentary reports, back -volumes of the _Edinburgh_ and _Quarterly Reviews_, and novels from a -circulating library. Opening out of this library was another small room -into which hardly anyone ever went, and through that, again, a very -small dressing-room which hardly anyone ever used. During the -alterations these uncomfortable little rooms, together with the rest of -No. 2 Park Place, were swept away, and the present coffee-rooms, with -library above, erected in their place, the old drawing-rooms and -coffee-rooms being given up to smokers and their guests. At the same -time the hall and staircase were entirely reconstructed. - -Amongst the important reforms introduced after Banderet’s death was the -institution of club bedrooms, and also the privilege of inviting guests -to dinner, and—in May 1896—to luncheon. - -There are some interesting relics of old days at Brooks’s, including a -complete set of the gaming counters used when the club was the scene of -much high play. These are well displayed in a case at the bottom of the -staircase. In the room upstairs, once the scene of so many late -sittings, the old gambling-table still remains. A semicircular cut in -this is said to have been made in order to accommodate the portly form -of Charles James Fox, a pastel portrait of whom, by Russell, is one of -the treasures of the club. - -Some old prints of Brooks’s in former days (and a water-colour drawing -of the gaming-room by Rowlandson in particular) convey an excellent idea -of the past life of the club, while a few portraits of celebrated -members decorate its walls. - -The fine room upstairs which was once devoted to high play would appear -to retain much of its ancient appearance, and the decorative scheme -employed on the walls seems to have been little changed. - -A treasured possession of this club is the old betting-book, in which -are many curious entries, one of which tells that Mr. Thynne, having, -according to a note written opposite his name in the club books, “won -only £12,000 during the last two months, retired in disgust, March 21, -1772; and that he may never return is the ardent wish of members.” - -The entries in this volume deal with all sorts of subjects, and range -from a bet of five hundred guineas to ten that none of the Cabinet were -beheaded by that day three years, to one of fifty that Mlle. Heinel does -not dance at the Opera House next winter. - -Brooks’s possesses a good deal of silver plate, which taken in the -aggregate is valued at some £4,000. The oldest piece is a marrow-spoon -of 1793, whilst perhaps the most interesting part of the collection is a -number of candlesticks, all Georgian. - -There are in Brooks’s two snuff-boxes—an antique one of mother-of-pearl, -and another of early Victorian date and design. - -The tranquillity for which this club is noted has rarely been disturbed -in recent times, but in 1886, when Mr. Gladstone introduced his Home -Rule Bill, Brooks’s became much perturbed and troubled by discord quite -out of keeping with the traditions of its sacred precincts. A member who -had been in Mr. Gladstone’s Cabinet, and who, it was said, had many -years before been himself “blackballed” when a candidate, was declared -to have spoken contemptuously of the Liberal Unionists as he descended -the stairs of the club, where he had been dining as a guest. The irate -Liberal Unionists immediately discovered an easy way of revenge. As luck -would have it, the son of the ex-Minister came up for election almost -immediately after his father’s ill-timed outburst of eloquence, and was -swiftly made to experience the same fate which had befallen his parent -many years before. As a consequence of this the supporters of Mr. -Gladstone, at the next opportunity, revenged themselves by treating the -eldest son of a Whig Unionist peer in the same way. Feeling began to run -high, and at each successive election the circle of carnage widened and -widened, until it began to be whispered that it would soon be impossible -for anybody to be elected to Brooks’s at all. Matters began to look very -serious—one member even declared that the shade of Fox had been observed -flitting about the passages; and though another member surmised that it -was only the solid figure of an ancient servitor of the club with a -bottle of port in his hand, which had been mistaken for the shade of the -statesman, both agreed in acknowledging that the situation was becoming -extremely grave. Happily, at this juncture Lord Granville came to the -rescue, and at the next election made a speech which caused a general -reconciliation. In a few well-chosen words he alluded to the antiquity -of the club, and the previous divisions in the party which it had -survived, and expressed a hope—using almost the words which Burke had -employed in a slightly different connection—which he believed all -present in their hearts really shared, that there should at least be one -place left in London where a truce might be allowed to the divisions and -animosities of mankind, and friends might still be allowed to meet one -another on the same terms as of old. - -Lord Granville’s speech produced a great effect, as the taking of the -ballot proved; for all the candidates, irrespective of their shades of -political opinion, were elected. Lord Granville afterwards declared that -he had never felt so nervous in his life. - -In the earlier days of its existence, Brooks’s, like so many other West -End resorts, was the scene of much high gambling, and large sums often -changed hands. - -Samuel Wilberforce, when he first joined the club, took part (he -afterwards declared) from mere shyness in a game of faro, George Selwyn -in the bank. A friend, astonished, called out, “What, Wilberforce, is -that you?” Selwyn quite resented the interference, and, turning to him, -said in his most expressive tone: “Oh, sir, don’t interrupt Mr. -Wilberforce; he could not be better employed.” - -As a matter of fact, this was not the sole occasion upon which -Wilberforce played, for he once kept the bank at Goosetree’s, which Pitt -also frequented. Another member, Mr. Bankes, in the absence of a banker, -playfully offered the philanthropist a guinea to do so. - -Wilberforce, as it happened, was very lucky, and rose the winner of -£600. He afterwards declared that the pain he felt at winning so much -money from young men who could not afford to lose without inconvenience -cured him of all partiality for play. - -Goosetree’s consisted almost exclusively of budding orators and -statesmen, but there was a good deal of gambling there. - -One of the largest winners at Brooks’s in the days of high play was -Alderman Combe, the brewer. One evening, whilst he was Lord Mayor, he -chanced to be engaged at a hazard-table there, Beau Brummell being one -of the party. “Come, Mash-tub,” said Brummell, who was the caster, “what -do you set?” “Twenty-five guineas,” answered the Alderman. “Well, then,” -returned the Beau, “have at the ‘_mare’s_’ pony.” He continued to throw -until he drove home the brewer’s twelve ponies running; and then, -getting up and making him a low bow, whilst pocketing the cash, he said: -“Thank you, Alderman; for the future I shall never drink any porter but -yours.” “I wish, sir,” replied the brewer, “that every other blackguard -in London would tell me the same.” - -A very successful whist-player at Brooks’s was Sir Philip Francis, by -some supposed to have written the “Letters of Junius.” He had held an -appointment in Calcutta, where play flourished, and, devoting his -attention to the game, became extraordinarily successful. It was said -that his winnings amounted to £30,000, and eventually he was able to -return to England a rich man. As a club-man he was noted for his -vitriolic utterances. - -Sir Philip had been the convivial companion of Fox, and during the short -administration of that statesman was made a Knight of the Bath. One -evening Roger Wilbraham came up to a whist-table at the club where Sir -Philip, who for the first time wore the ribbon of the Order, was engaged -in a rubber, and thus accosted him. Laying hold of the ribbon and -examining it for some time, he said: “So this is the way they have -rewarded you at last; they have given you a little bit of red ribbon for -your services, Sir Philip, have they? A pretty bit of red ribbon to hang -about your neck. And that satisfies you, does it? Now, I wonder what I -shall have? What do you think they will give me, Sir Philip?” - -The newly-made Knight, who had twenty-five guineas depending on the -rubber, and who was not very well pleased at the interruption, suddenly -turned round, and, looking at him fiercely, exclaimed: “A halter, and be -d——d to you!” - -Other great whist-players were the two Smiths, father and son, the first -a retired Major-General of the Indian Army, who brought home £150,000, -and was known as Hyder Ali in the West End. The son was called Tippoo, -and, like his father, was a fine whist-player. Indeed, at one time -Tippoo Smith was considered the best of his day. Another whist-playing -member, an old gentleman nicknamed Neptune, was not so successful; -indeed, he once flung himself into the sea in a fit of despair, as it -was said, “not being able to keep his head above water.” He was, -however, fished out in time, and, finding he was still solvent, played -on during the remainder of his life. - -Even in the days when considerable laxity prevailed as to club -elections, Brooks’s was very strict in such matters. As a matter of -fact, George IV, when Prince of Wales, was the only member of Brooks’s -who entered the club without being elected by ballot. He was anxious to -belong to it in order to have more frequent intercourse with Fox, and on -his first appearance every member got up and welcomed him by -acclamation. - -Fox, soon after he had got to know Sheridan, was so delighted with his -company and brilliant conversation that he became exceedingly anxious to -get him admitted as a member of this club, which he himself was in the -habit of frequenting every night. Sheridan was accordingly proposed, and -though on several occasions every gentleman was earnestly canvassed to -vote for him, yet he was always found to have one black ball whenever he -was balloted for, which was, of course, sufficient to prevent his -election. - -When Sheridan entered the House of Commons in September, 1780, the -members of Fox’s party were particularly anxious to get him into the -club, which was no easy task, as they well knew. George Selwyn and the -Earl of Bessborough, who both hated Sheridan, agreed not to absent -themselves during the time allotted by the regulations of the club for -ballots; and as one black ball sufficed to exclude a candidate, they -twice prevented his election (once in 1778, when proposed by Fox). - -This exclusion of Sheridan from Brooks’s was the subject of much -comment, and, according to one story, some of his friends resolved to -find out who the person was that so inveterately opposed the admission -of the orator. Accordingly the balls were marked, and old George Selwyn -(whose aristocratic prejudices would have induced him to blackball His -Majesty himself, if he could not produce proofs of noble descent for -three generations at least) was discovered to be the hostile party. This -was told the same evening to Sheridan, who desired that his name might -be put up again as usual, and the matter be left entirely in his hands. - -The next evening when there happened to be another election, Sheridan -arrived at Brooks’s, arm in arm with the Prince of Wales, just ten -minutes before the balloting began. Being shown into the candidates’ -waiting-room, the waiter was ordered to tell Mr. Selwyn that the Prince -desired to speak with him in the room below-stairs immediately. Selwyn -obeyed the summons without delay, and Sheridan entertained him for half -an hour with a political story, which interested him very much, but -which, of course, was a pure invention. - -During this time the ballot proceeded, Sheridan being duly elected. The -satisfactory result was announced to the Prince and the successful -candidate by the entrance of the waiter, who made the preconcerted -signal by stroking his chin with his hand. Sheridan immediately got up, -and, apologizing for an absence of a few minutes, told Selwyn “that the -Prince would finish the narrative, the end of which he would find very -remarkable.” - -Sheridan then went upstairs, and was formally introduced to the members -by Fox, being welcomed in the most flattering manner. - -The Prince, however, was left in a very awkward position, for, not -having paid much attention to the nonsensical story told by Sheridan to -Selwyn, he found himself all at sea. After floundering about for some -time, he at last burst out with: “To tell you the truth, I know as -little about this infernal story which Sherry has left me to finish as -an unborn child; but never mind, Selwyn, let’s go upstairs, and I dare -say Fox, or some of them, will be able to tell you all about it.” - -Accordingly the couple proceeded to the club-room, where the puzzled -Selwyn soon had his eyes completely opened to the whole manœuvre, when, -on his entrance, Sheridan, rising, made him a low bow, and thus -addressed him: - -“’Pon my honour, Mr. Selwyn, I beg pardon for being absent so long; but -the fact is, I happened to drop into devilish good company. They have -just been making me a member without even one black ball, and here I -am.” - -“The devil they have!” exclaimed Selwyn. - -“Facts speak for themselves,” replied Sheridan; “and as I know you are -very glad of my election, accept my grateful thanks” (pressing his hand -on his breast and bowing very low) “for your friendly suffrage. And now, -if you will sit down by me, I’ll finish my story, for I dare say His -Royal Highness has found considerable difficulty in doing so.” - -At first Selwyn was extremely wroth at the trick which had been played -upon him, but before the evening was out he shook hands with Sheridan -and welcomed him to the club. - -Unfortunately for the reliability of this story, the records of Brooks’s -show conclusively that, so far as the Prince and Lord Bessborough are -concerned, it is without foundation. Sheridan was returned for Stafford, -September 12, 1780. Mr. Fitzpatrick proposed him at Brooks’s on October -12 in the same year, and he was elected on November 2; but Lord -Bessborough did not become a member till 1782, nor was the Prince of -Wales one till 1783. - -Many of Sheridan’s _bons mots_ were recounted in the club years after -his death. During a conversation one day about Lord Henry Petty’s -projected tax upon iron, one member said that, as there was so much -opposition to it, it would be better to raise the proposed sum upon -coals. “Hold, my dear fellow!” said Sheridan; “that would be out of the -frying-pan into the fire with a vengeance.” - -On another occasion, Sheridan, having been told that Mr. Gifford, the -Editor of the _Quarterly Review_, had boasted of the power of conferring -and distributing literary reputation, said: “Yes, and in the present -instance I think he has done it so profusely as to have left none for -himself.” - -Another wit at Brooks’s was Dunning, Lord Ashburton, a somewhat -eccentric member. Though he only lived to the age of fifty-two, and -although he was very liberal and extravagant, he had made no less than -£150,000 during twenty-five years’ practice at the Bar. - -In spite of the fact that his name does not appear in the club list, the -notorious duellist, George Robert Fitzgerald, who was executed for a -cold-blooded murder in 1786, must in a sort of way be regarded as having -belonged to the club. He was, however, only in it once, though it was -his boast that he had been unanimously chosen a member. The history of -this is curious. - -Owing to Fitzgerald’s well-known duelling propensities, no first-class -London club would admit him. Nevertheless, he got Admiral Keith Stewart, -who knew that he must fight or comply, to propose him for Brooks’s. -Accordingly, the duellist went with the Admiral on the day of the -election to the club-house, and waited downstairs whilst the ballot was -in progress. - -The result, a foregone conclusion, was unfavourable to the candidate, -not even one white ball being among the black, the Admiral having been -among the first to deposit his. Nevertheless, to him it was decided -should fall the dangerous task of announcing the result to Fitzgerald. -He did not, however, care for such a mission at all. - -“I proposed the fellow,” said he, “because I knew you would not admit -him; but, by Jove! I have no inclination to risk my life against that of -a madman.” - -“But, Admiral,” replied the Duke of Devonshire, “there being no white -ball in the box, he must know that you have blackballed him as well as -the rest, and he is sure to call you out in any case.” - -Eventually it was decided that the waiter should tell Fitzgerald that -there was one black ball, and that his name must be put up again if he -wished it. In the mean time Fitzgerald had frequently rung the bell to -inquire “the state of the poll,” and had sent several waiters to -ascertain, but none daring to return, Mr. Brooks took the message from -the waiter who was descending the staircase, and boldly entered the room -with a coffee equipage in his hand. - -“Did you call for coffee, sir?” said Mr. Brooks smartly. - -“D——n your coffee, sir, and you too!” answered Mr. Fitzgerald, in a -voice which made the host’s blood run cold. “I want to know, sir—and -that without one moment’s delay, sir—if I am chose yet?” - -“Oh, sir,” replied Mr. Brooks, attempting to smile away the appearance -of fear, “I beg your pardon, sir, but I was just coming to announce to -you, sir, with Admiral Stewart’s compliments, sir, that, unfortunately, -there was one black ball in the box, sir, and consequently, by the rules -of the club, sir, no candidate can be admitted without a new election, -sir, which cannot take place, by the standing regulations of the club, -sir, until one month from this time, sir.” - -Thrusting aside Brooks, who protested that non-members might not enter -the club rooms, Fitzgerald flew upstairs, and entered the room without -any further ceremony than a bow, saying to the members, who indignantly -rose at the intrusion: “Your servant, gentlemen; I beg ye will be -sated.” - -Walking up to the fireplace, he thus addressed Admiral Stewart: “So, my -dear Admiral, Mr. Brooks informs me that I have been elected three -times.” - -“You have been balloted for, Mr. Fitzgerald, but I am sorry to say you -have not been chosen,” said Stewart. - -“Well, then,” replied the duellist, “did you blackball me?” - -“My good sir,” answered the Admiral, “how could you suppose such a -thing?” - -“Oh, I supposed no such thing, my dear fellow; I only want to know who -it was that dropped the black balls in by accident, as it were.” - -Fitzgerald now went up to each individual member, and put the same -question to all in turn, “Did you blackball me, sir?” until he made the -round of the whole club, and in each case he received a reply similar to -that of the Admiral. When he had finished his investigations, he thus -addressed the whole body: “You see, gentlemen, that, as none of ye have -blackballed me, I must be elected—it is Mr. Brooks that has made the -mistake. I was convinced it would end in this way, and am only sorry -that so much time has been lost as to prevent honourable gentlemen from -enjoying each other’s company sooner.” He then desired the waiter to -bring him a bottle of champagne, that he might drink long life to the -club and wish them joy of their unanimous election of a “raal gentleman -by father and mother, and who never missed his man.” - -After this nothing more was said by the members, who determined to -ignore the presence of their dangerous visitor, who drank three bottles -of champagne in enforced silence, for no one would answer him when he -spoke. With cool effrontery the latter sat drinking toasts and healths, -to the terror of the waiter. At length everyone was much relieved to see -him rise and prepare to depart. Before going, however, he took leave -with a low bow, at the same time promising to “come earlier next night -and have a little more of it.” It was then agreed that half a dozen -stout constables should be in waiting the next evening to bear him off -to the watch-house if he attempted again to intrude, but Mr. Fitzgerald, -aware probably of the reception he might get, never did. - -The eccentricities of Fighting Fitzgerald bordered closely upon madness, -and there is, indeed, reason to think that he was insane. According to -the custom of his day, he had in early life been obliged to fight a duel -with a man called Swords, who at the first discharge of his pistol had -shot off a part of Fitzgerald’s skull, materially injuring the fore part -of his brain. The consequence was delirium for a considerable time; but -those who knew him intimately were of opinion that he was affected by a -certain aberration of intellect until the day of his death, for from the -period of this wound he became hot-headed, insolent, quarrelsome, -cunning, and ferocious. - -In the more turbulent days of the past, incidents occurred in clubland -which would now be impossible. - -On one occasion, about three o’clock in the morning, the Duke of York, -Colonel St. Leger, Tom Stepney, and others, came up St. James’s Street -in very rollicking mood, and, reaching Brooks’s, knocked in vain for -admission, everyone being asleep. They were determined, however, to get -in, and, when the door was at length cautiously held open, rushed into -the inner hall. They commenced the destruction of chairs, tables, and -chandeliers, and kicked up such a horrible din as might have awakened -the dead. Every male and female servant in the establishment now came -running towards the hall from all quarters, in a state of semi-nudity, -anxious to assist in protecting the house or to escape from the supposed -housebreakers. During this riot there was no light, and the uproar made -by the maid-servants, who in the confusion rushed into the arms of the -intruders, and expected nothing short of immediate violence and murder, -was most tremendous. - -At length one of the waiters ran for a loaded blunderbuss, which, having -been cocked, and poised on an angle of the banisters, he would have -discharged amongst the intruders. From doing this, however, he was most -providentially deterred by the housekeeper, who, with no other covering -than her chemise and flannel petticoat, was fast approaching with a -light, which no sooner flashed upon the faces of these midnight -disturbers than she exclaimed: “For Heaven’s sake, Tom, don’t fire! It -is only the Duke of York!” The terror of the servants having vanished by -this timely address, the intruding party soon became more peaceable, and -were sent home in sedan-chairs to their respective homes. - -At that time many a challenge was given and accepted within the club -walls. One evening Fox, in the course of conversation, spoke -disparagingly of the gunpowder issued by the Government. Adams, who was -in some measure responsible for the supply, considered it reflection, -and sent Fox a challenge. Fox went out, and took his station, giving a -full front. Adams said: “You must stand sideways.” Fox said: “Why, I am -as thick one way as the other.” “Fire” was given. Adams fired, Fox did -not; and when they said he must, he said: “I’ll be d——d if I do! I have -no quarrel.” They then advanced to shake hands. Fox said: “Adams, you’d -have killed me if it had not been Government powder.” - -Dandy Raikes, though a member of Brooks’s, had never been known to enter -the club, till one day in March 1827 he saw Lord Brougham go in, upon -which he followed, and grossly insulted him during luncheon, with the -result that a challenge became inevitable. Lord Brougham applied to -General Ferguson, who had heard part at least of the insulting -expressions, to convey a challenge for him to Raikes. This, however, the -General peremptorily declined to do, upon the grounds of having been -mixed up in so many similar affairs. Brougham eventually got General Sir -Robert Wilson to deliver the challenge; but in the mean time he had been -taken into custody, carried to Bow Street, and bound over to keep the -peace. “This was owing to Jack the Painter, alias Spring Rice, who had -been present at the row, and had immediately hastened to Bow Street to -inform; his object, no doubt, being not to lose Brougham’s vote that -night upon that most vital of all subjects, the Catholic question.” - -The Hon. Frederick Byng, known as “the Poodle,” from his curly hair, was -a very well-known member of Brooks’s. He was one of the hundred -additional members selected in 1816 by the special committee, was a -prominent figure in London society, and had had many interesting -experiences. As a very small boy he had acted as a page of honour to -Prince George of Wales at his ill-starred marriage with the Princess -Caroline in 1795, and used to relate the curious incident of his being -taken to Carlton House to be looked at by the Prince before appointment. -He was in Paris in December 1815, and was present at the execution of -Marshal Ney. - -As an old man, the Poodle was very autocratic in his ways, and something -of a bully. He once severely reprimanded a younger member for lighting -his cigar beneath the balcony outside the club, which no longer exists. -On one occasion Mr. Byng was much disturbed to find seated before the -fire in the drawing-room a gentleman who, having pulled off his boots, -had rung the bell and asked the waiter for slippers! It turned out that -the perpetrator of this outrage was a new member, an M.P. for some -manufacturing constituency, who, of strangely unconventional habits -quite unknown to the committee, had been elected without anyone -troubling or caring much about him, and who presumably would have been -more at home in a commercial room than in the sacred precincts of the -club. - -Brooks’s is connected with an unsolved historical mystery, through one -of its members—Mr. Benjamin Bathurst (elected in May 1808)—a diplomatist -who disappeared in an unaccountable fashion, whilst on a mission from -Vienna to England in 1809, and was never heard of again. - -Mr. Bathurst had been sent to Vienna by his relative, Lord Bathurst, at -that time Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. It is believed that -the latter sent his kinsman to the Court of Vienna in order to induce -Austria to go to war with Napoleon, a mission which was completely -successful. - -Mr. Bathurst on this account entertained a strong belief that the great -Emperor bore him special enmity, and therefore, when the war was over, -apprehending, it is said, danger on the road, he resolved to return to -London by way of Berlin and North Germany. For this journey he assumed -the name of Koch, whilst his private secretary acted as courier, under -the name of Fisher. - -About midday on November 25, 1809, the two travellers with a valet -arrived at Perleberg, on the route from Berlin to Hamburg, halted at the -post-house for refreshments, and ordered fresh horses for the journey to -Lenzen, which was the next station. Near the post-house was an inn—the -White Swan—to which Bathurst went and ordered an early dinner, the -horses not to be put in until he had dined. The White Swan was not far -from the gate of the town, through which the road to Hamburg lay, and -outside of it was a poor suburb of cottages and artisans’ houses. After -lunch Bathurst inquired who was in command of the soldiers quartered in -the town; and having been directed to his address, he called upon -Captain Klitzing, the officer named, and requested that he might be -given a guard in the inn, saying that he was a traveller on his way to -Hamburg, and that he had strong and well-grounded suspicions that his -person was endangered. During this visit it is significant that he -showed great signs of agitation and fear. Captain Klitzing, though he -laughed at Mr. Bathurst’s apprehensions, nevertheless gave him a guard -of a couple of soldiers. - -When the latter reached the White Swan he countermanded the horses, -saying he would not start till night, considering that it would be safer -to travel along the dangerous portion of the route by night, when -Napoleon’s spies would be less likely to be on the alert, and remained -in the inn writing and burning papers. At seven o’clock he dismissed his -guard, and ordered the horses to be ready at nine. He stood outside the -inn, watching his portmanteau being replaced in the carriage, stepped -round to the heads of the horses, and disappeared for ever. - -After Bathurst’s disappearance had been realized—which was not for some -time—every effort was made to discover what had become of him. The next -morning the river was dragged, outhouses, woods, marshes, ditches were -examined, but not a trace could be found; nor was any trace ever found, -except that nearly three weeks later—December 16—two poor women, -gathering sticks in a wood, found a pair of breeches which were -unquestionably Bathurst’s. In the pocket was a paper with writing on it. -Two bullet-holes were in the breeches, but no traces of blood about -them, which could hardly have been the case had the bullets struck a man -wearing them. The paper was a half-finished letter to Mrs. Bathurst, -scratched in pencil, stating that he was afraid he would never reach -England, and that his ruin would be the work of Count d’Entraigues. -Large rewards were offered—£1,000 by the English Government, another -£1,000 by the family, and an additional 100 Friedrichs d’or by Prince -Frederick of Prussia; but all was in vain, and from that day to this the -fate of Mr. Bathurst remains a mystery.[4] - -Footnote 4: - - In December 1910, some woodcutters in the forest of Quitznow, near the - spot where the breeches were found, discovered a skeleton which may - have been that of Bathurst. - -No account of Brooks’s and its history would be complete without some -mention of the Fox Club—a club within a club which holds its meetings in -the club-house three or four times in the course of the Parliamentary -session, and whose object is to keep alive the memory of probably the -most distinguished, and certainly the most popular, member who has ever -belonged to Brooks’s—Charles James Fox. - -Owing to Fox’s love of play, some of his best friends, who would appear -to have been inspired by extraordinary affection, were half-ruined in -annuities, given by them as securities for him to the Jews. Annuities of -Fox and his society to the value of £500,000 a year were at one time -advertised to be sold. Walpole wondered what Fox would do when he had -sold the estates of all his friends. - -He once sat at hazard at Almack’s from Tuesday evening, the 4th, till -five in the afternoon of Wednesday, the 5th. An hour before he had -recovered £12,000 that he had lost, and by dinner, which was at five -o’clock, he had ended by losing £11,000. On the Thursday (February 6, -1772) he made a speech on the Thirty-nine Articles, in which one is -hardly surprised to hear that he did not shine. That evening he dined at -half-past eleven at night, and went to White’s, where he drank till -seven the next morning; thence to Almack’s, where he won £6,000; and -between three and four in the afternoon he set out for Newmarket. Well -for him that there was no Nonconformist conscience in those days! - -Fox during a late club-sitting once sketched out an idea for a kind of -new profession, “which was going from horse-race to horse-race, and so -by knowing the value and speed of all the horses in England to acquire a -certain fortune.” - -As a youth Fox had received a very lax training from his father, who -gave him a large allowance and condoned his extravagances. “Let nothing -be done,” said his lordship, “to break his spirit; the world will do -that for him.” At his death, in 1774, he left him £154,000 to pay his -debts; it was all hypothecated, and Fox soon became as deeply involved -as before. - -The chronicle of Fox’s financial vicissitudes makes sorry reading—at one -time with thousands in his pocket, at another without a shilling to pay -his chairmen. - -After a run of good luck, Fox would generally make some attempt to -liquidate the more pressing of his many liabilities; and on one -occasion, when Fortune had been propitious, remembering a long-standing -gambling debt which he owed to Sir John Lade, he sent a complimentary -card to the latter expressing his desire to discharge the claim. Sir -John no sooner saw the money than he called for pen and ink, and began -to make some calculations. “What now?” cried Fox. “Only calculating the -interest,” replied the other. “Are you so?” coolly rejoined Charles -James, and pocketed the cash, adding: “I thought it was a debt of -honour. As you seem to consider it a trading debt, and as I make it an -invariable rule to pay my Jew creditors last, you must wait a little -longer for your money.” - -Fox once played cards with Fitzpatrick at Brooks’s from ten o’clock at -night till near six o’clock the next morning, a waiter standing by to -tell them “whose deal it was,” they being too sleepy to know. - -The precise circumstances which led to the foundation of the Fox Club -are rather obscure, the first recorded dinner having taken place in -February 1829, when twenty-three members were present, though “Fox -Dinners” seem to have been held previous to that date. - -Until 1843 the Fox Club met at the Clarendon, but in that year, on an -application signed by sixteen members of the Fox Club, a rule was passed -granting permission to that body to use the great room at Brooks’s for -their meetings. Of these, the first always takes place on the Thursday -following the meeting of Parliament, the second and third as may be -fixed by the club in the course of the session, and the fourth at -Greenwich in July. - -No speeches are allowed, and only the four following toasts are given, -without “note or comment”: - - -1. “In the memory of Charles James Fox.” - -2. “Earl Grey and the Reform Bill.” - -3. “The memory of Lord Holland.” - - -This third toast was added by unanimous resolution on April 24, 1841, -and on June 5 following, on motion previously given by Sir Robert Adair -and Mr. Clive, £200 were voted from the funds of the club towards the -monument proposed to be erected to his memory, now just inside the -railings of Holland House, on the Hammersmith Road. - -On the pedestal of the monument in question are inscribed the following -lines: - - - “Nephew of Fox, and friend of Grey, - Be this my highest fame: - That those who know me best will say, - ‘He tarnished neither name.’” - - -4. “To the memory of Lord John Russell”—added on June 22, 1878, on the -motion of Mr. Grenville Berkeley. As originally proposed, the toast was -to the memory of “Earl Russell,” but at the next meeting it was -unanimously carried that the style by which he had been best known -should be adopted. This was done with the full approval of Lady Russell, -whose wishes in the matter had been consulted. - -Before leaving the clubs of St. James’s Street, two quaintly-named -institutions—the Thatched House and the Cocoa-tree—claim some attention. -The latter club-house is remarkable for the golden tree which, spreading -through two floors, is visible from the street. - -The Cocoa-tree Club originated from the Tory chocolate-house of the same -name which flourished in the days of Queen Anne. This was converted into -a club, probably before 1746, when the house was the headquarters of the -Jacobite party in Parliament. It is thus referred to in the above year -by Horace Walpole, in a letter to George Montagu: “The Duke has given -Brigadier Mordaunt the Pretender’s coach, on condition he rode up to -London in it. ‘That I will, sir,’ said he, ‘and drive till it stops of -its own accord at the Cocoa-tree.’” - -About 1780 very high play prevailed there. Writing to Mann in February -of that year, Horace Walpole says: “Within this week there has been a -cast at hazard at the Cocoa-tree (in St. James’s Street), the difference -of which amounted to one hundred and fourscore thousand pounds. Mr. -O’Birne, an Irish gamester, had won one hundred thousand pounds of a -young Mr. Harvey of Chigwell, just started into an estate by his elder -brother’s death. O’Birne said: ‘You can never pay me.’ ‘I can,’ said the -youth; ‘my estate will sell for the debt.’ ‘No,’ was the reply; ‘I will -win ten thousand—you shall throw for the odd ninety.’ They did, and -Harvey won.” - -Though never as fashionable a resort as White’s or Brooks’s, the -Cocoa-tree was frequented by many aristocratic sportsmen. Here it was -that Sir Harry Vane came after the victory of his famous horse -Hambletonian in the great match with Mr. Cookson’s Diamond in 1799. - -“At the Cocoa-tree,” wrote Horace Walpole in 1770, “Lord Stavordale, not -one-and-twenty, lost eleven thousand last Tuesday, but recovered it by -one great hand at hazard. He swore a great oath: ‘Now, if I had been -playing deep, I might have won millions.’” - -Sir Robert Macraith had for several years been head-waiter at the -Cocoa-tree, where he was known by the appellation of Bob, and at length -rose from that humble situation to the rank of Baronet. He was a clever, -good-natured, civil fellow, and greatly liked. When he himself succeeded -to the business, he was rather puzzled as to what would be the most -appropriate name for his house. George Selwyn calling in one morning, he -stated the difficulty to him, saying that he was afraid “Bob’s -Coffee-house” would sound rather queerly. “Oh no,” said George, “just -the thing; for then it will be Bob without, and robbing [Robin] within.” - -Councillor Dunning and Dr. Brocklesby one evening at the Cocoa-tree were -conversing on the superfluities of life, and the needless wants which -men in society created for their own discomfort. Selwyn, whose -aristocratic notions were such as to look with contempt on occupations -of all sorts—on that of a medical man as well as that of a -tailor—exclaimed: “Very true, gentlemen; I am myself an example of the -justice of your remarks, for I have lived nearly all my life without -wanting either a lawyer or a physician.” - -George Selwyn was an occasional visitor here, and on one occasion -happened to be present when a general officer in the American War was -describing to the company the phenomena of certain hot and cold springs, -which he said he had frequently found quite close to each other, during -his campaign in the south-western territory. Just as Selwyn entered the -room, he was saying that fish of various sorts abounded in the latter, -and that all that those of the army who were fond of fish had to do, -after the fatigue of a day’s march, in order to provide a dinner, was to -angle for a few moments with a string and hook in the cold spring, and, -as soon as the bait took, to pull out the fish and pop it in the hot -one, where it was boiled in the twinkling of an eye! - -This marvellous account operated differently on the several gentlemen -present; some were incredulous, others amazed, whilst all agreed that it -was exceedingly curious. - -“There is nothing at all surprising in the General’s narrative, -gentlemen,” said Selwyn, “and, indeed, I myself can vouch for the truth -of it; for when I was in France I was witness to similar phenomena. In -Auvergne there are springs similar to those in America, but with this -remarkable addition, that there is generally a third, containing hot -parsley and butter. Accordingly, the peasants and others who go -a-fishing usually carry with them large wooden bowls or ladles, so that, -after the fish has been cooked according to the General’s receipt, they -have a most delicious sauce provided for it at the same moment! You seem -to doubt my veracity, gentlemen; therefore I only beg that those who are -incredulous may set out for France as soon as they please, and see the -thing with their own eyes.” - -“But, Mr. Selwyn,” said the General, “consider the improbability of -parsley and butter.” - -“I beg your pardon, my good sir,” interrupted George; “I gave you full -credit for your story, and you are surely too polite not to believe -mine.” - -A constant frequenter of the Cocoa-tree was the eleventh Duke of -Norfolk, who, it may be added, was the first member of the House of -Lords to abandon pigtail and hair-powder. Discarding the traditions of -his family, he became a nominal Protestant, in order to avoid the -political disabilities under which the Roman Catholics of his day -suffered. He sat in Parliament, first as Earl of Surrey in the Commons, -and afterwards in the Upper House as Duke. A coarse-looking man who -looked rather like a butcher, his life was mainly passed in clubs and -coffee-houses; he is, indeed, said to have never been so happy as when -dining at the Beefsteak or the Thatched House, or breakfasting or -supping at the Cocoa-tree. When under the influence of wine he would say -that, “in spite of his having swallowed the Protestant oath, there were, -at all events, three good Catholics in Parliament—Lord Nugent, Gascoyne, -and himself,” so little store did he set on religion. A very heavy -drinker, he could swallow unlimited quantities of wine. - -The Duke, in spite of his convivial habits, was very proud of being the -head of all the Howards. On one occasion at the Cocoa-tree he declared -that it had been his intention to commemorate in 1783 the “tercentenary” -anniversary of the creation of his dukedom by giving a dinner at his -house in St. James’s Square to every person whom he could ascertain to -be descended in the male line from the loins of the first Duke. “But -having discovered already,” he added, “nearly six thousand persons who -claimed to be of the family, a great number of whom are in very obscure -or indigent circumstances, and believing, as I do, that as many more may -be in existence, I have abandoned the design.” - -The Duke was a constant speaker at public meetings at the Crown and -Anchor Tavern, and was deprived of his command of a militia regiment for -proposing as a toast, “The People, the Source of Power.” - -The Thatched House Club probably derives its rural name from an inn -which had existed in the days when St. James’s was a veritable hospital, -and not a palace. When the Court settled at St. James’s, it was -frequented by persons of fashion, and grew gradually in importance. In -1711 it appears still to have been a very modest hostelry, and even when -the Thatched House had grown into a recognized rendezvous of wits, -politicians, and men of fashion, Lord Thurlow alluded to it, during one -of the debates on the Regency Bill, as the “ale-house.” In the days of -Pitt and Fox, however, it had become one of the chief taverns at the -West End, and had added to its premises a large room for public dinners. - -The Thatched House was a favourite resort of Sheridan’s. One sharp -frosty day, when he was sitting here writing a letter, the Prince of -Wales came in and ordered a rump-steak. The day happened to be an -excessively cold one, and the Prince ordered a bumper of brandy and -water straight away. Having emptied the glass in a twinkling, he called -for a second and a third, which also having swallowed, he said, puffing -out his cheeks and shrugging his shoulders: “Now I am warm and -comfortable; bring me my steak.” The order was instantly obeyed, but -before His Royal Highness had eaten the first mouthful Sheridan -presented him with the following lines, which greatly increased his -good-humour: - - - “The Prince came in, and said ’twas cold, - Then put to his head the rummer; - Till swallow after swallow came, - When he pronounced it summer.” - - -The original Thatched House Tavern was demolished in 1814. The -ground-floor front consisted of a range of low-built shops, including -that of Rowland, the fashionable hairdresser of Macassar fame. The newer -Thatched House Tavern stood on the site of the present Conservative -Club, to build which it was pulled down in 1843, when it was moved to -another house a few doors nearer to the gate of the palace. - -The Thatched House Club will probably be long remembered by lovers of -Art as having been the abode of the great collector, the late Mr. George -Salting, whose rooms above the club were filled with priceless pictures -and _objets d’art_. The Thatched House was, I believe, the only club to -which he belonged. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER V - - CHANGES IN CLUB-LIFE AND WAYS - - -Amongst the changes which, during the last thirty years, have -transformed the West End of London, one of the most salient has been the -great increase in the number of clubs. Palatial buildings, each capable -of accommodating hundreds of members, now occupy a very great portion of -Pall Mall and Piccadilly. Although in other days the latter was by no -means a very clubbable thoroughfare, it now, at one end at least, -consists largely of clubs, most of them, however, differing widely from -those of an older age. - -The original conception of a London club was a retreat to which West End -men might betake themselves, certain that the troubles and worries of -the outside world would not follow into a building which they regarded -as a temple of dignified seclusion and repose. Perhaps the best -description of a club as it existed in former days was that given by a -witty Bishop, who defined it as a place “where women ceased from -troubling and the weary were at rest.” Another amusing definition was -that once given by George Augustus Sala. “A club,” said he, “is a weapon -used by savages to keep the white woman at a distance.” - -A club should certainly form a safe retreat from the cares of the world, -but it need not necessarily be a shrine of crystallized selfishness. - -The aim of club-life should be a sort of defensive alliance tacitly -concluded between a number of individuals, all moving in the same sphere -of life, against the troubles and perturbations by which humanity is -assailed. The fundamental charter of the perfect club ought to be an -unassuming, unobtrusive, and unenvious equality. - -Within the last twenty-five years or so the spirit of London club-life -has entirely changed; the old-fashioned club-man, whose whole life was -bound up with one or other of these institutions, is now, indeed, -practically extinct. In the days when the type in question was a feature -of the West End, the great majority of men living in that quarter of -London had no occupation, or, if they had one, it was of such an easy -and accommodating kind as to allow them plenty of spare time for -lounging. According to a modern estimate, however, few of the old -club-men were rich. The majority usually possessed from four to eight -hundred a year, which in the past was considered a comfortable enough -income for a bachelor. Living in rooms—a sitting-room and bedroom of a -very unluxurious kind, compared with the bachelor flats of to-day—the -life of a confirmed frequenter of clubland was uneventful but easy. As a -rule, he got up late and lounged about till lunch-time, when he would -betake himself to his favourite resort, and remain there till dinner, -perhaps indulging in a leisurely stroll in the afternoon. About seven he -would return to his rooms, dress, and then go back to his club to dine, -after which, except when he went to a party or theatre, he would sit -with congenial spirits, often till the small-hours of the morning, a -good deal of brandy and soda being incidentally consumed. It must be -remembered that there were fewer amusements in those days—no motors, no -golf, no restaurants, few theatres, and no palatial music-halls; also, -the City had not yet begun to exercise its fascinating and too often -costly spell over the inhabitants of the West End of the town. - -Strange-looking customers were some of the club-men of that bygone -day—old fogies with buff waistcoats, blue coats, and brass buttons; -heavy swells with peg-top trousers and long, drooping whiskers; -horsy-looking characters with spurs and bespattered riding-boots. No -wonder that in a description of a certain club decorated with trophies -of the chase there appeared the statement that “many old beasts of -members might be seen in the hall.” This, of course, arose through the -carelessness of a printer. - -To realize what most of the old-fashioned West End club-men were like, -one has only to turn to the pages of Captain Gronow’s “Reminiscences.” -Writing in 1866, Captain Gronow says: - -“How insufferably odious, with a few brilliant exceptions, were the -dandies of forty years ago! They were generally middle-aged, some even -elderly men, had large appetites, gambled freely, and had no luck; and -why they arrogated to themselves the right of setting up their fancied -superiority on a self-raised pedestal, and despising their betters, -Heaven only knows. They hated everybody and abused everybody, and would -sit together in White’s bow-window or the pit-boxes at the Opera. They -swore a good deal, never laughed, had their own particular slang, looked -hazy after dinner, and had most of them been patronized at one time or -other by Brummell or the Prince Regent.” - -The old-fashioned club-man had comparatively few interests, and even -those were of a comparatively narrow kind. His life, indeed, was centred -in his club, which often seemed to him the very centre and pivot of the -universe. - -As compared with those of to-day, the clubs of the past were very -primitive in their arrangements, though not a few had that peculiar -atmosphere of old-world comfort which is generally lacking in our more -hurried and strenuous existence. The clubs of the past were almost -without exception sombre and occasionally dingy resorts, entirely devoid -of bright-coloured decorations, whilst very few prints or pictures -adorned their walls. - -When modern improvements were first suggested in clubs, most of the -old-fashioned members fought strenuously against them. The introduction -of the electric light, for instance, was bitterly opposed; whilst the -telephone seemed to not a few of the older generation an attempt to -introduce mercantile outposts into the very heart of clubland. The old -club-men at first hated, and afterwards feared, the encroachments of -business methods into their kingdom. In the heyday of their sway, -indeed, few connected with commerce or the City had much chance of being -elected to a West End club, and it was only in the seventies of the last -century that a few determined scouts contrived to force an entry into -the portals through which the vast army of stockbrokers and the like -have since surged. At heart the old club-men probably believed that it -was undignified for a gentleman to enter any but certain recognized -professions, such as the army, navy, or diplomatic service; and the West -End was still permeated by the ideas of another age which had only just -passed away. - -Gradually, as a new and entirely different generation came to the front, -the aristocratic traditions which had dominated West End life were -discarded, and another kind of club-man began to make his influence -felt. - -Members of energetic temperament found the atmosphere of idle lassitude -which hung about some West End clubs so stifling that a number of them, -filled with a desire for exercise, formed what they called a “walking -society.” One of their favourite excursions was to St. Albans, which -they called their halfway house, and to this town they walked backwards -and forwards to dinner every Thursday. - -Now that the old-fashioned club-man has disappeared, a glance at his -ways may not be out of place. Generally a bachelor of the most confirmed -kind, his whole life centred in his club, to which he made it a habit to -go every day at the same hour, and when possible occupy the same chair, -which in course of time was accorded to him as a sort of right. - -Often an old-fashioned beau, he was as a rule rather a hard, selfish -man, provided by his club with all that he required. Not a few men of -this type declined to dine out, because they said they got a better -dinner at the club for some ten or twelve shillings than at the best -houses in town. “Why,” inquired one of them, “should I bore myself with -dull society when I can have the comfortable ease of the smoking-room? -If I want to be amused, I go to the theatre; if I want to read, I go to -the library. What have I to do with society,” he would ask, with a -sneer—“I who have no money, and not even a pretty wife?” Such an -individual was perfectly content with existence. Quiet, comfort, good -living, freedom from responsibility and anxiety, were the great objects -of his life, “and, begad, you don’t get that by marriage,” he would -remark. - -The confirmed club-man of to-day is, perhaps, a shade less cynical, but -a variation of the old type still exists, and in most West End clubs, -especially those of an old-fashioned sort, there is to be found some -member who is generally recognized as an institution of the place. - -Such a man is not infrequently the terror of the club servants, upon -whom he is ever ready to pounce when there arises the least cause for -complaint. He backs his bill remorselessly if the dish which is down for -eight o’clock appears a quarter of an hour late, or if the wine-butler -makes a mistake about the vintage that is ordered, or the waiter at his -table is not perfect in his duties. He knows to a day when everything is -in season, and woe betide the steward if at the earliest moment there is -no caviare, sufficient supply of plovers’ eggs, asparagus, green peas, -or new potatoes. He can tell the exact price of most things, and -instantly checks any attempt on the part of the club to overcharge. He -is the great authority on club discipline and club etiquette. Matters -outside the club, however, he views with more or less indifference. Talk -to him of some awful disaster, of some terrible commercial failure, -provided he be not affected by it, of some great national loss, of the -death of some great man, and his interest will hardly be excited; but -tell him that an excellent club cook has given notice, or that there has -been a “row” between certain members on a difference of opinion in the -committee, and you will at once find him an interested and attentive -listener. - -His daily life is regulated by habits which have gradually crystallized -into an almost undeviating monotony. - -He likes to read the same newspaper in the same chair in the same place, -to write his letters at the same table, to lunch at the same time, and -to have his dinner served by the same waiter at the same hour in the -same corner of the coffee-room. In such matters he is the strictest and -most staunch of Conservatives. Never was there a man whom it is more -easy to find, for one knows the hour to a moment when he takes his daily -stroll, when he smokes his first cigar, when he lunches, dines, writes -his letters, reads, and goes through the programme of his thoroughly -selfish but not uncomfortable life. He cares little for society, and, -with the exception of running down for an occasional visit to some -country-house (where he is certain of the cook), or going to the Riviera -for a fortnight, seldom leaves town. The club is his home, and at heart -he dislikes leaving its walls. Unlike the old-fashioned club-man, -however, he is not unaffable to new members or strangers, and is fully -alive to the increased comfort to be obtained from any modern -improvement. - -The confirmed frequenter of clubs knows everything that is going on, and -imparts such information as he feels inclined to give with none of the -mystery and importance of semi-ignorance, but simply and naturally. He -knows what young women are going to the altar, and what young men are -going to the dogs; what people have been prevented from going to Court, -and what spendthrifts are about to be forced to go through another. He -is well acquainted with the latest good stories about town, and explains -mysterious floating gossip as to meditated divorces or hushed-up -scandals. As a matter of fact, his conversation is generally amusing, -and occasionally instructive. - -The life of such a man, as has been said, is centred in his club, and he -sees members come and go, hears of their prosperity or ruin, marriages -or deaths, with imperturbable equanimity; indeed, it would require an -invasion or an earthquake to make him effect any change in his habits. - -So he lunches and dines, dines and lunches, till the sands of the -hourglass have run out, and the moment comes for him to enter that great -club of which all humanity must perforce become members. - -A few questions will be asked in the club as to his end, his fortune or -lack of fortune; his witticisms will linger for a while, and his good or -bad points be discussed; but in a year or so he will become as -completely forgotten as if he had never been. - -As London clubs began to multiply, their gradual increase drew away most -of the sporting men from the old hostelries which at one time it had -been the fashion to frequent. Theodore Hook alluded to this in some -humorous lines: - - - “If any man loves comfort, and has little cash to buy it, he - Should get into a crowded club—a most select society; - While solitude and mutton cutlets serve _infelix uxor_, he - May have his club (like Hercules), and revel there in luxury. - - “Yes, clubs knock houses on the head; e’en Hatchett’s can’t demolish - them; - Joy grieves to see their magnitude, and Long longs to abolish them. - The inns are out; hotels for single men scarce can keep alive on it; - While none but houses that are in the family way thrive on it.” - - -Since those days clubs have multiplied enormously; indeed, almost every -profession, every pastime, and every point of view has its club. Whilst -most of these institutions are frankly mundane in their aims, a few are -very solemn in tone. At one club, for instance, morning and evening -prayers are read every day. The club in question was founded for men of -very Evangelical views, some of whom, it was wickedly said, were so -devout as to demand that a club rule should be passed prohibiting -members from entering the coffee-room unless in a “state of grace.” Of -late years, however, a less severe tone has prevailed amongst its -members, many of whom are distinguished men. - -Sixty years ago the fact of club membership implied some social position -or distinction on the part of the individual. White’s, Brooks’s, -Boodle’s, Arthur’s, and a few other establishments, constituted really -exclusive clubland, and to be elected to them was a matter of no little -difficulty. A man of obscure birth, or one unknown to the committee, -would have been sure of being blackballed. Clubs were then filled by -those who belonged either to the same political party or the same -fashionable coterie, the members of which were all more or less known to -each other. The Tory patrician belonged to White’s; the Whig politician -of old family was a member of Brooks’s; the country gentleman put his -name down at Boodle’s or Arthur’s; the distinguished lawyer, divine, or -man of letters, became a member of the Athenæum; and the soldier, who -was a field officer, of the United Service. The membership of such clubs -constituted an exclusive circle. - -A club was a place in which men wrote letters and met their friends. -Beyond being a comfortable lounge, it was of little service to its -members. - -Many tacitly recognized conventions prevailed in connection with -club-life. For instance, it was not then at all the thing to raise one’s -hat to a lady whom one knew, should she pass the club window. A great -many members lunched in the coffee-room with their hats on, whilst in -certain clubs evening dress at dinner was obligatory. Some clubs, -including Boodle’s, even to-day set aside a small apartment, separate -from the regular dining-room, for members who prefer to dine in day -clothes. - -Formerly, it should be added, hats were far more generally worn in clubs -than is now the case. In some it was the traditional custom to wear them -at all times and in all parts of the house. At the old “Rag,” the -practice was said to have survived from the time when the club-house was -so cheerless and the funds so limited that the management economized -coals, for which reason the members were at great pains to keep -themselves warm. - -In his own club a man used to be considered as having entirely cut -himself off from communication with the outside world, and acknowledging -people from the windows by a bow or nod was then quite contrary to club -usage, which prescribed an Olympian stare. - -At certain of the older clubs a few customs, dating back to the -eighteenth century, were up to quite recently still in vogue. - -At Arthur’s, Boodle’s, White’s,[5] and, I think, Brooks’s, for instance, -change was given in washed silver. The money was first plunged in hot -water and cleaned, after which it was placed in a wash-leather bag; this -was whirled round in the air at the end of a short cord till all the -coins contained in it were dry. - -Footnote 5: - - The water from the old well in the courtyard here was supposed to be - particularly excellent and healthy, and many members made a daily - practice of drinking a glass of it. - -The custom of giving washed silver lasted latest at Arthur’s, where it -was only abandoned a few years ago. It seems a pity that such a cleanly -and hygienic custom should have fallen into disuse. - -Another old custom was the house dinner, where members dined together. -At White’s and Boodle’s this function used to be a great feature—highly -appreciated by some of the older, more stingy, or impecunious members. -Immemorial custom prescribed that the first four members who put their -names down as diners should have dinner “free of cost,” and a certain -gang of old gentlemen used to make a regular practice of being in these -club-houses in good time to inscribe their names. - -Wine, of course, had to be paid for, but the most economical contented -themselves with table-beer. There was great consternation amongst the -“fraternity of free feeders” when, during the early seventies of the -last century, these house dinners were abolished. - -Some few clubs still retain the snuff-box which once figured on the -mantelpiece of every club. In most, however, it has disappeared. -Snuff-taking has become obsolete since the triumph of the -cigarette—perhaps a more pernicious habit. - -The question of smoking has frequently caused great agitation in London -clubs. In 1866, for instance, White’s, where cigars had not been allowed -at all till 1845, was much perturbed concerning tobacco, some of the -younger members wishing to be allowed to smoke in the drawing-room, -whilst the older ones bitterly opposed such a proposal. A general -meeting was held to decide the question, when a number of old gentlemen -who had not been seen in the club for years made their appearance, -stoutly determined to resist the proposed desecration. “Where do all -these old fossils come from?” inquired a member. “From Kensal Green,” -was Mr. Alfred Montgomery’s reply. “Their hearses, I understand, are -waiting to take them back there.” - -The non-smoking party triumphed, and as an indirect result was founded -the Marlborough Club, where, for the first time in the history of West -End Clubland, smoking, except in the dining-room, was everywhere -allowed. - -As a matter of fact, the restrictions as to smoking which still prevail -in a number of old-fashioned clubs are for the most part out of date and -absurd. At the present time people smoke in ladies’ boudoirs, and almost -invariably in dining-rooms after dinner. The great restaurants, a large -portion of whose clientèle consists of refined ladies, permit smoking -everywhere. - -Nevertheless, in a number of club morning-rooms, libraries, and -sitting-rooms, the resort for the most part of a number of middle-aged -men, often of a somewhat derelict-looking type, tobacco is entirely -banned. - -The whole thing is merely a perpetuation of an out-of-date prejudice. -The regulations against smoking which prevail in different clubs clearly -demonstrate the small foundation of reason which underlies such -restrictions. - -The Carlton allows smoking in its library; the Junior Carlton does not. -The Conservative Club, on the other hand, has an excellent rule which -permits members to smoke in the morning-room after a certain hour in the -morning. - -Regulations against smoking in libraries are particularly senseless, as -tobacco smoke can have nothing but a beneficial effect upon books, which -it has a tendency to preserve. - -In old days clubs did not welcome strangers; indeed, it was said that if -anyone not a member should fall down in a fit at the door of one or two -of the more exclusive clubs, he would be denied even a glass of water. A -few clubs allowed visitors, but took care to extend only a cold welcome -to them. As a matter of fact, they were usually treated like the -members’ dogs—they might be left in the hall under proper restraint, but -access to any other part of the house, except, perhaps, some cheerless -apartment kept as a strangers’ dining-room, was forbidden. Of late -years, however, all this has been changed except in a very few clubs, -such as the Guards’, which positively forbids any strangers to enter its -doors. Only very recently has Arthur’s admitted strangers to dine. The -Carlton allows guests only to pass its threshold, but not to go beyond -the great hall, and the Athenæum allots them a small room near the -entrance, where members may interview their friends. The latter club -also allows a member to give a formal dinner-party in the morning-room, -converted for the time being into a house dining-room, and here as many -as ten guests may be hospitably welcomed. The Travellers’ permits -strangers to dine, except during the Parliamentary season, whilst the -Oxford and Cambridge Club allows six members to entertain two guests -apiece. The Garrick is far more liberal, for here a member may introduce -three friends to the strangers’ coffee-room for dinner, or two for -luncheon or supper. Members of this club may also give luncheon-parties -to ladies on one day of the week. - -As regards the admission of ladies to clubs, it is very doubtful if, -according to the strict letter of the law, ladies can be excluded from -any institution of this sort which admits strangers, for there is no -mention of sex in any book of club rules. Indeed, a member of a certain -military club is said once to have brought his wife to dine, and defied -the authorities by asking for the book of the rules, in which he -triumphantly pointed out that there was no stipulation as to sex. - -Not a few clubs in old days were anything but sociable places for young -men, who, when elected, were often shy at frequenting them, on account -of the stern looks which certain of the older members, who had their -particular corners and chairs, were wont to cast at them. Gloomy abodes -of misanthropic selfishness some of these clubs seem to have been, where -sociability and conversation were at a considerable discount. - -Dr. Johnson was probably the most staunch defender of clubs who ever -lived; his reply to someone who was rather inclined to decry such -institutions is historic. A gentleman venturing one day to say to the -learned Doctor that he sometimes wondered at his condescending to attend -a club, the latter replied: “Sir, the great chair of a full and pleasant -town club is, perhaps, the throne of human felicity.” - -His, of course, was the day of literary clubs, more suited to the spirit -of the eighteenth century than to that of to-day. In modern times most -of the literary clubs founded for conversation have been complete -failures. So much talking, and nothing said! Everyone failing, because -everyone is attempting; in a word, nothing of the club feeling, which -demands the postponement of our petty selfloves to the general -gratification, and strikes only in unison with the feelings and -sentiments of all! - -A good deal of wine was generally consumed during the symposiums which -the great talkers of the past loved. At one meeting-place where a -literary club was wont to meet, the landlord was said to keep a special -kind of port expressly for such parties, which those who frequented the -house christened “the philosopher’s port.” A cynic declared that in one -respect it certainly merited its name, for a good deal of philosophy was -necessary to swallow it. - -Thackeray, unlike Dr. Johnson, was rather inclined to disparage clubs. -Speaking of the town life of a past age, he said: “All that fuddling and -boozing shortened the lives and enlarged the waistcoats of the men of -that age. They spent many hours of the four-and-twenty, nearly a fourth -part of each day, in clubs and coffee-houses, where they dined, drank, -and smoked. Wit and news went by word of mouth; a journal of 1710 -contained the very smallest portion of either the one or the other. The -chiefs spoke; the faithful habitués sat around; strangers came to wonder -and to listen.... The male society passed over their punch-bowls and -tobacco-pipes almost as much time as ladies of that age spent over -spadille and manille.” - -Tom Hood expressed an equally unfavourable view in 1838: - - - “One selfish course the Wretches keep; - They come at morning chimes; - To snatch a few short hours of sleep— - Rise—breakfast—read the _Times_— - - Then take their hats, and post away, - Like Clerks or City scrubs, - And no one sees them all the day— - They live, eat, drink, at Clubs!” - - -Many women regarded such places as dens of iniquity. “I believe that -mine will be the fate of Abel,” said a devoted wife to her husband one -day. “How so?” inquired the husband. “Because Abel was killed by a club, -and your club will kill me if you continue to go to it every night.” - -Dr. Johnson defined a club as “an assembly of uncertain fellows meeting -amidst comfortable surroundings,” and in the earliest days, when the -club was developing out of the coffee-house as a social institution, its -chief attraction lay in the wit of its members and the similarity of -their tastes and opinions. Members then were contented with a -comparatively simple standard of comfort, and esteemed congenial -companionship the best furniture a club could possess; but with the -lapse of years a different spirit began to prevail. In the luxurious -palaces of to-day most of the members are very often unknown to one -another; such places are, in reality, rather luxurious restaurants and -hotels than clubs. - -Many clubs now have bedrooms for the use of members; in a few instances -these are let by the year. Such a convenience is highly appreciated, for -to a bachelor the advantages of living in a club are very great. Here he -may have all the comforts of a private house without its worries, in -addition to which every species of modern convenience is at his command. - -Latterly a good deal of attention has been devoted to the decoration of -club-houses generally, most of which now contain prints and pictures. - -The present being a more or less luxurious age, modern club-men require -more pleasing surroundings than their forbears, who asked little beyond -comfortable chairs and blazing fires. - -Until comparatively recent years, the interior of the great majority of -West End clubs was somewhat bare, such attempts at decoration as existed -being for the most part confined to feeble designs in stencil, whilst -pictures and prints were either few in number or did not exist at all. -The furniture was generally of mid-Victorian date—comfortable, though -rather heavy in design. - -At a certain number of clubs, wax candles were placed upon the -dining-tables, and these were very necessary in the days when oil-lamps -and gas were the best illuminants procurable. The light of the lamps was -not unpleasant, but in some of the rooms lit by gas the heat was often -perfectly intolerable. - -As an instance of the persistence of club tradition, it may be added -that even at the present time, when electricity floods most of the -coffee-rooms with light, some clubs still retain the candles which were -so useful in the past. - -The growth of the club system undoubtedly effected a great revolution in -the domestic life of men generally, and especially in that of the -younger ones. Married men, accustomed to the refinement and luxury of a -club, gradually imported many amenities into their homes, and -endeavoured, so far as their means permitted, to reproduce some of the -perfections of management as it is found in clubs. - -It was, however, in the life of the bachelor that the introduction of -this state of affairs caused the greatest change. The solitary lodgings -and the tavern dinners were relegated to the limbo of the past. All he -now needed was a bedroom, for the club provided him with the rest of his -wants. It began to matter little in what dingy street or squalid quarter -a man lodged, for the club was his address, and society inquired no -further. He did not need to purchase an envelope or a sheet of notepaper -throughout the year, for the club provided him with all the stationery -he could possibly require. There was no longer any occasion for him to -buy a book, a magazine, or newspaper, for in his club he would find a -library such as few private houses could furnish, and in the -morning-room every newspaper and weekly review that had a respectable -circulation. - -Here was to be found economy without privation for the man of modest -means and small wants, whilst in some clubs even a confirmed sybarite -could satisfy his tastes. - -The excessively moderate scale of expenditure for which a man can live -comfortably at many a club is highly attractive to the parsimonious. - -A certain member, as well known for his economical way as for his vast -wealth, made a study of living at the smallest possible cost in the -several clubs to which he belonged. It was, for instance, his habit to -take full advantage of the privileges to be obtained in return for -table-money, and when he dined the table would be covered with -pickle-bottles and other things included in such a charge. One evening a -fellow-member, noticing this, inquired of the steward the reason why -such an array had been collected. “It’s for a member, sir,” was the -reply, “who likes profusion.” - -The lover of profusion was especially noticeable on account of his -unpolished boots, which stupid servants, as he said, were always wanting -to wear out by blacking. - -A member of several clubs, he once discovered, amongst the rules of a -certain old-established one, an ancient and unrepealed rule which laid -down that slices of cold ham were to be provided free for any members at -their lunch. In high glee, he determined to profit by this, and before -long the attention of the committee was called to the quick -disappearance of ham after ham, which for a time had furnished a series -of Gargantuan meals. The rule, of course, was at once abolished, and the -parsimonious member betook himself elsewhere. - -Very different in his habits was a witty old gourmet who was always -urging the steward to procure luxuries in and out of season. He was -especially fond of pâté de foie gras, and made that official promise to -get a fine one from Strasbourg. This, however, was a long time in making -its appearance; and after waiting a week or so, the lover of good things -became impatient at the delay. Taking the man to task, he reminded him -that delays are dangerous, to which the steward replied that he heard -pâtés were not good that year. “Nonsense,” was the rejoinder, “we will -soon put that right. Depend upon it, it is only a false report that has -been circulated by some geese.” - -The same member once had reason for much comical complaint in connection -with a pâté which, in this case, had been sent him as a present by a -noted connoisseur. Several members of the committee were invited to -partake of the delicacy, and they were all agreed as to its peculiar -excellence; as one of them facetiously said, it made one realize that -the problem, “Is life worth living?” was, after all, merely “a question -de foi(e).” A few days later, however, what was the surprise of the -giver of the feast to receive a reprimand from the committee, calling -his attention to the rule which forbade members to bring food into the -club! - -“Ah,” said he, “if I had only told them I was expecting more pâtés, they -would have left me alone; mine was too small, and probably they were -annoyed at not having had a second go at it.” - -Though good-natured and hospitable, this lover of good living was very -touchy upon certain gastronomic matters. He did not speak to a friend of -his for years owing to the latter’s contention that carrots should -always be put in a _navarin_—a statement which, the old gourmet -declared, placed anyone making it outside the ranks of civilized man. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - ELECTIONS—COMMITTEES—REGULATIONS—RULES - - -The transformation of the West End of London has entailed the -destruction of numbers of the old box-like Georgian houses, and when the -demand for new clubs arose, the quaint little shops in Pall Mall and St. -James’s Street—almost the last survival of which is Lock’s hat-shop—were -gradually demolished, in order to make way for huge edifices of palatial -appearance. New political clubs, new professional clubs, new social -clubs, sprang into existence, till what was a luxury for the few became -a comparative necessity for the many. - -In these days rich men often belong to a great number of clubs, and the -present writer was told by a well-known cosmopolitan that his -subscriptions of this kind amounted at one time to no less than £200 a -year. This, however, included various racing and yachting clubs, as well -as two or three on the Continent. - -There are now clubs accessory to almost every kind of pursuit and sport, -and the number increases every year. At the present time London alone -possesses more than two hundred, whereas sixty or seventy years ago only -about thirty existed. About one hundred have been founded during the -past thirty years, dividing between them no fewer than some 120,000 -members. At the beginning of the nineteenth century there were probably -not more than 1,200 men who belonged to clubs; at the present day there -are probably considerably more than 200,000! - -The revolution as regards clubs in London only commenced about a quarter -of a century ago, and has raged with unabated energy ever since till -to-day. People in every rank of life have their club, and the social -distinction which was formerly attached to membership of a number of -these institutions has in consequence sustained a considerable decline, -even fashionable West End clubs having lost much of their old prestige. - -In consequence of this there would seem to be a somewhat gloomy future -in store for some of these formerly exclusive institutions, not a few of -which, like old families of ancient lineage, do their best to conceal -the straitened condition of their finances, generally produced by -paucity of members. - -Clubs into which admission could only be gained, twenty or thirty years -ago, by those whose names had been on the candidates’ book for nine, -ten, or even twelve years, are now obliged to elect members put down -only a year or two before. In some cases, indeed, it is to be feared -that amalgamation with another club is the only policy which will -prevent complete extinction and restore healthy vitality. In certain -instances, it must be confessed, an apathetic committee, not alive to -the changed and changing conditions of club-life, is responsible for the -decadence of the institution over which it presides. - -An absolute essential to the prosperity of a club is a good committee; -the best of all is that which consists of three elements. In the first -place, it should contain two or three well-known men to act as -figureheads, their names being a guarantee for the social standing of -the club. In the second, one or two members ought to be thoroughly -conversant with business matters, and well fitted to deal with the -details of club finance. And, lastly, a certain proportion of its -members ought to be men well in touch with the life of the club, and -therefore thoroughly acquainted with its needs. They should have a wide -knowledge of men and social matters, in order to exercise due -discrimination in dealing with candidates for election; and this is -especially important in a club where the ordinary members do not take -part in the ballot. In these days there are many with axes to grind, and -strange things have been done in some West End clubs of late years in -order to secure the election of candidates. At times, indeed, certain -individuals have become noted for their lack of discretion in proposing -individuals whom, for some reason or other, they desired to conciliate. -As a matter of fact, the hold which the City has obtained over West End -life is largely responsible for the election of many a member to clubs -where, thirty or forty years ago, his admission would have been quite -out of the question. - -In old days everyone in the West End, more or less, knew everyone else; -for society was then a very limited circle compared with what it is -to-day, when people come and go with such startling rapidity that it -grows increasingly difficult to discover who and what a candidate may -be. - -Considerable ingenuity has occasionally been exercised in the direction -of concealing the antecedents of an undesirable but wealthy candidate. - -The election of rich men to a club merely because they are rich has, on -occasion, been defended by the vague plea that it is not a bad thing for -a club; as a matter of fact, it is a very bad thing indeed. Whilst a -candidate of this sort is usually exceedingly anxious to be elected, it -is not unusual, when his aim is achieved, for him to trouble himself no -more, his desire having merely been to figure in the list of members. A -man of this sort, who had taken infinite trouble to secure election to a -certain club, and been successful in his efforts, had no sooner been -notified of his membership than he calmly remarked: “Ah, well, I don’t -suppose I shall use the place, except to wash my hands on my way to the -Park!” - -It is, indeed, men of moderate means rather than the very rich who use a -club most, and who are therefore its principal support. Millionaires and -financiers seldom spend much in their clubs, for, possessed of highly -trained chefs and luxurious houses, they have naturally little -temptation to spend their spare time elsewhere. The pleasures of social -intercourse which can be enjoyed at the club are equally easy to obtain -at home. - -In old days it was exceedingly difficult for men engaged in business to -obtain admission to a fashionable West End club. - -The son of a famous financier was once up for election to a fashionable -club, and all his friends in the club attended to support him. In those -days the ballot took place at night, and as eleven o’clock approached -the club became abnormally full; indeed, members came into the -drawing-room, where the election was held, who had not been seen in the -club for years. It was, however, soon evident to the proposer and -seconder that the crowd of members present had not come to support their -candidate. Realizing the situation, they took their stand by the -ballot-box, and as each of the strangers stepped up to record his vote, -one said to the other: “Here comes another assassin.” - -At White’s, blackballing was carried to such an extreme about the year -1833 that the rules had to be altered, and one blackball was no longer -allowed to exclude. - -At that time the system of rejection had been carried to a ludicrous -pitch. “We must pill that man,” a member would say; “it will do him -good.” “We really cannot have that fellow,” said another; “I saw him -wearing a black tie in the evening.” Sometimes there were personal -grudges or family quarrels which kept out candidates for years. - -In the early part of the last century, Charles Greville and Lord George -Bentinck had some difference about a turf transaction. Greville was -anxious for the election of Viscount Brackley, afterwards Earl of -Ellesmere; Lord George was equally determined that Viscount Brackley, as -Greville’s nominee, should remain outside the club. He never failed to -attend the ballot and drop in his black ball. - -Lord George was accustomed to take his dinner very late. He usually -dined at the club at eleven o’clock, at which hour the ballots also took -place. On one occasion, when Lord Brackley was up for election, Greville -was delighted to find, as he thought, that Lord George was for once -absent. “It’s all right this time,” said he, as the ballot-box was -brought to him; “Bentinck’s downstairs at dinner, and I shall get -Brackley in at last.” “Will you?” said a voice near him. He had not -noticed Lord George sitting beside him on the sofa. - -People who ought to know better sometimes exhibit the most lax conduct -in lending their aid to the candidature of disagreeable individuals, -whom for some reason or other it may suit them to please. On one -occasion the members of a certain somewhat exclusive club were much -disgusted at the conduct of a newly-elected member. It was eventually -discovered that the objectionable individual had been proposed by a -prominent political personage, whose candidate could not very well have -been rejected. The matter created great irritation, and it was -eventually hinted to the proposer that the new member was anything but -popular. - -“He’s a disagreeable man, I know; but then, you see, it doesn’t matter, -for I so seldom use the club,” was the grossly egotistical reply. No -wonder the political party of which this individual is considered one of -the shining lights has of late years had a hard struggle to hold its -own! - -One of the most original reasons for putting down a candidate was that -given by a somewhat unpopular member of a certain club. An acquaintance, -looking through the candidates’ book, observed that a name recently -inscribed was that of an individual whom his proposer had always -denounced as a regular club bore. - -“Why ever did you put him down?” asked the astonished member. “I thought -you particularly disliked him.” - -“Certainly I do,” was the reply; “and as, above all things, I wish to -prevent his getting in here, I thought the best way of insuring his -being pilled would be to propose him myself, being well aware that -anyone whom I may support will have but a very slight chance of escaping -a good many black balls.” - -Committee-men are not infrequently placed in a very uncomfortable -position when asked by friends to give their support to doubtful -candidates. A man of the world, well known for his ingenuity, used to -get out of the difficulty by invariably replying: “My dear fellow, you -may rely on me to do the proper thing.” - -With the vast increase of London clubs, an altogether different state of -affairs has arisen as regards the numbers of candidates waiting to come -up for election, and which in the majority of instances is far less -difficult than was formerly the case; few even of the old-established -clubs have been able to maintain their ancient exclusiveness. - -The Athenæum, Turf, and Travellers’ are still, however, not at all easy -about electing members. The latter, founded about 1819, in its early -days attracted a good deal of notice from the fact that a candidate for -admission was required to have been 500 miles distant from London; and a -considerable sensation was once caused by the discovery that several -members, who had originally entered their names, had not travelled the -prescribed distance. An investigation was made, and the newspapers of -the day published lists of places a visit to which was a sufficient -qualification for membership of the Travellers’. - -In former days, candidates sometimes had to wait for many years before -coming up for election. Owing, however, to various causes—of which the -chief was, perhaps, the great increase in the number of West End -clubs—this period now rarely exceeds two, or at most three, years. The -Bath Club is, I believe, an exception, because the facilities for -swimming and other exercises which this institution affords to its -members (drawn from both sexes) has caused a very large number of names -to be inscribed upon its books. In consequence of this, a candidate must -now expect a delay of several years before his name comes up for ballot. - -At not a few old-established clubs a paucity of candidates has been -produced by past injudicious and indiscriminating pilling. Men thinking -of joining the club became aware of the fate which might befall them, -and so in time the reputation of more than one club for extreme -exclusiveness has led from dire necessity to the other extreme of -letting in almost anyone willing to join. - -Club committees occasionally contain a member who has an innate tendency -to blackball everybody; in such cases a “pill” is always found in the -box, even when the candidate is perfectly eligible. An individual of -this sort was once considerably rebuffed. During an election it was -found that the minimum quorum of committee-men was not present, for they -were one short. To rectify matters, a notorious blackballer was hunted -up at his rooms, and told that an election was in progress. He rushed -back to the club, and at once voted, in most cases putting in a black -ball, according to his wont; but as his was the only adverse vote, the -rules having been observed, all candidates were elected. At the Athenæum -as many as ninety-three black balls were once allotted to an unpopular -candidate. But the greatest instance of blackballing probably ever known -took place some years ago at a ladies’ club, where one candidate -received three more black balls than the number of members present—a -case of excessive zeal indeed! - -At one West End club, where the election of members was conducted in a -somewhat peculiar manner, a curious incident once happened. - -Here the election was by the members in general, and not by a committee, -and the ballot was held in a room on the left of the entrance hall. At -one time it used to be a regular custom for the friends of a candidate -to hang about the door of this room canvassing in his favour, whilst, if -possible, detaining anyone likely to insert a black ball, by all -possible means. During a certain election, a visitor, coming to call -upon a friend at his club, found himself, on passing its portals, almost -forcibly bustled into this room, and eventually, thoroughly confused, -made to vote for an individual who would otherwise not have gained -admission to the club. - -While, as a rule, the resignation of a member or several members on -account of their candidates being rejected, or for some other reason, -does not affect the prosperity of a club, there have been instances of -serious injury being inflicted upon a club’s prestige by the defection -of some very influential member. Many years ago the prosperity of -White’s was seriously affected by the displeasure shown by the late King -at the continuance of some old-fashioned and absurd regulations as to -smoking; and Boodle’s, now in such a flourishing condition, was terribly -damaged at one time when the late Duke of Beaufort withdrew his name. -The blackballing of candidates submitted for election by prominent -members occasionally leads to much acrimonious comment, and sometimes -causes a number of resignations. - -Election or non-election to a club depends in some cases upon many -different causes, and a young man about whom nothing is known at all -often stands a better chance than a distinguished individual who during -his life has made enemies. Occasionally rejection is a compliment. - -The resignation of members disappointed at the failure of their -candidate is unreasonable, for a club is in reality a republic, where -everyone is equal, and no one has any right to level a pistol at the -heads of his fellow-members, or of his committee, whilst saying: “Vote -for my candidate, or I will leave the club.” Such an act is but a -revolutionary protest against the equality of club-life. If an -influential or popular member supports some candidate, the latter has -the advantage of the influence of his support, but there the preference -should end. The question really is not whether a particular candidate -deserves or does not deserve to be admitted, but whether the club -chooses to elect him, and anything beyond this is a breach of those -principles which conduce to the prosperity of clubland. - -The best method of filling up vacancies in the membership of a club -would really be selection rather than election, and there is no valid -reason why such a method of recruiting the membership of clubs should -not generally prevail. Were such a reasonable system in vogue, no one -would be submitted to the barbarous mortification of being rejected. As -things are now, anyone who has obtained a reputation is bound to make -enemies, and the more widely he is known, the more enemies he is certain -to have. Indeed, a prominent individual has often a very bad chance of -being elected under the system generally observed, an absurdity -emphasized by the fact that the late Mr. Gladstone was once rejected for -the club at Biarritz. - -Anyone whose life has been passed amidst publicity must have offended -many. Some hate him merely because they happen never to have met him, -and others because they have done so. Others hate him because their -friends do, and others, again, disapprove of him merely on political -grounds. It is, indeed, impossible to enumerate the variety of motives -which cause people to hate each other with reason, and even without -reason. This being so, one may well doubt the expediency of compelling -men to undergo the disgrace of being rejected for a club, according to -the system which at present prevails. As matters stand now, a -candidate’s rejection implies that he is unfit to be a member; but in -reality, in a large number of cases, it simply means that he is of -sufficient importance to have attracted the ill-will, envy, or dislike -of a number of people, many of whom know him only by repute. - -Another desirable reform, though one which is unlikely ever to be -carried out, would consist in investing committees or members with the -power of ejection as well as election. There would be little hardship in -a rule conferring the right of exclusion in cases of general -unpopularity, and this probably would seldom have to be exercised, as -the very fact of its existence would act as a check. - -Within recent years a good many club committees have shown a tendency in -the direction of the multiplication of rules. - -The old aristocratic clubs of the past troubled themselves little with -regulations and restrictions. In fact, they were excessively lenient. -With the gradual incursion of the commercial class into West End life, -however, a very different state of affairs has been brought about. - -All over Europe, and especially in England, the _bourgeoisie_ adore -regulating somebody or something, and the tendency remains long after -members of this class have entered what are known as fashionable -circles, and managed to obtain a hold upon the committees of exclusive -clubs. In such a position, not a few of them have added largely to the -number of rules, some of which in certain clubs are multiplied to the -point of absolute absurdity. - -Occasionally edicts of this kind possess a certain unconscious humour, -as is well exemplified in a by-law, still amongst the rules of a certain -club, which sets forth that “Members smoking pipes may not sit or stand -in the windows.” - -Whether legally such an edict can be enforced would seem to be very -doubtful. It is certainly within the right of a committee to prohibit -pipe-smoking altogether, and such a regulation prevails in several -clubs; in many more it is an unwritten law. In rooms, however, in which -pipe-smoking is allowed, it is certainly not within the powers of a -committee to define exactly where members shall station themselves -whilst “blowing their cloud.” As a matter of fact, committee-men not -infrequently fall into the error of thinking that a club committee can -issue any decrees it likes. Such, however, is very far from being the -case, and the reports of various lawsuits between individual members and -certain committees will show that in the majority of instances the -latter have not proved victorious. - -If, for instance, the subscription of a club be raised, members who -joined before the alteration cannot be compelled to pay more than their -original subscription. The great increase in club rules and regulations -has sometimes produced confusion as to what members may or may not do—a -state of affairs which was non-existent when the older West End clubs -were founded. - -The nature of the regulations then in vogue may be realized from an -inspection of a number of interesting volumes, dating back to 1737, -still preserved at White’s, in which are inscribed the names of members -of the old and new clubs, together with the few rules in force in the -eighteenth century. - -The books of rules issued in the middle of the last century contain very -much the same provisions. The earlier books are entirely in manuscript, -some of them elaborately bound; whilst those issued about 1840, though -smaller, are beautifully printed, and they still retain a certain air of -old-world luxury. The register of members kept by the proprietor of -White’s about seventy years ago much resembles one of those huge -gilt-edged tomes which were in use for registering various matters -connected with the Court of Versailles before the French Revolution. The -calligraphy in this volume and in some of the earlier club lists is -remarkable for its graceful and ornate character. Looking at them, one -realizes what an exclusive coterie frequented the old club-house in the -days when the aristocracy of England ruled supreme. - -West End club committees of old days were extremely conciliatory -regarding any minor breach of club law, in many cases straining a point -to overlook delinquencies which were not directly injurious to the best -interests of the members generally. Considerable laxity existed as to -debts incurred in a club, coffee-room accounts extending into three -figures being common; some of these were liquidated only at long -intervals. Expelling, or even threatening to expel, a member was -considered a step of extreme gravity, and one to be avoided by all -possible means. - -During the last twenty-five years, however, club-life, like everything -else, has become “more strenuous,” and anyone who habitually breaks the -rules is soon made to realize that he must either alter his ways or go. - -Committee-men, it should be added, whether good, bad, or indifferent, -generally have a rather difficult task, for they are certain to arouse -the opposition of some professional grumbler or other who is ever ready -to blame. As a matter of fact, very often the best-meant schemes are the -most unpopular, and there is a peculiar type of committee-man who often -incurs the hostility of members on account of his merits. This is the -individual who, possessed of an especial gift for management, takes the -direction of a club into his own hands, and, becoming practically an -autocrat, resents interference with his policy, which, it may be added, -is not infrequently a sound one, for this type of man has generally made -club management his hobby. Nevertheless, let him do as well as possible, -sooner or later his rule will become unpopular, members disliking the -idea of a one-man domination. - -It cannot be said that the majority of house committees are in any way -zealous about carrying out their functions. Where club cooking and its -material are above all criticism, the credit generally lies with the -efficient secretary, who in reality runs most clubs. - -Some clubs have numberless sub-committees to deal with different details -of management—wine committee, cigar committee, and goodness knows what -else. It is, however, doubtful whether the united efforts of all the -committee-men and sub-committee-men in the world are as successful as -those of one dominating individual, who knows exactly what the needs of -a club really are, and gets them satisfied. On the whole, the cooking -and food in West End clubs is very fair, and in many cases, if some -further degree of attention were devoted to minor details, would be -above criticism. - -A deplorable tendency, however, is the neglect of that old-fashioned -English cookery which in perfection is the delight of true -gastronomists. - -What is wanted in clubs is the very best material properly served and -cooked. Alas! it is to be feared that, with the exception of a very few -clubs, the best of everything now goes to the palatial restaurants, who -absolutely will not purchase the indifferent meat, game, and vegetables -which are foisted upon more easy-going customers. - -The craze for elaborate cooking in clubs would appear to have been -originated by George IV when Prince Regent. During dinner one evening at -Carlton House, the conversation chancing to turn upon club dinners, Sir -Thomas Stepney described them as being intensely dull, owing to their -eternal joints, beefsteaks, or boiled fowl with oyster sauce, followed -by an apple tart. Upon this the Prince, who was much interested, sent -for Watier, his own chef, and invited him then and there to take a house -and organize a dinner club. Accordingly a club was started at 81 -Piccadilly, by Watier; Madison, the Prince’s page, being manager; and -Labourier, one of the cooks from the royal kitchen, chef. It was soon -joined by the principal dandies, including Beau Brummell, and became the -scene of much high play, chiefly at macao. - -Brummell one day, when he had lost a large sum, called to the waiter: -“Bring me a flat candlestick and a pistol”; upon which another member, -Mr. Hythe, reputed as mad as a hatter, produced a couple of loaded -pistols from his pocket, which he placed on the table, coolly saying: -“Mr. Brummell, if you wish to put an end to your existence, I am -extremely happy to offer you the means without troubling the waiter.” -During another evening’s play, Raikes began to rally Jack Bouverie, -brother of Lord Heytesbury, on his bad luck, and the latter took it in -such bad part that he threw his play-bowl full of counters at Raikes’s -head. A great row ensued. Watier’s closed about 1819, many of its -leading members being then utterly ruined. After this the club-house was -run by a set of blacklegs as a common gaming-house, which eventually was -taken over by Crockford, who, in partnership with a man named Taylor, -set up a very successful hazard bank. - -Though Watier’s had but a short existence, it lasted long enough to give -men about town a taste for elaborate cooking, and no doubt contributed -to send many good old English dishes out of fashion. - -Owing to the large staff of servants maintained in most clubs, life is -rendered very easy for the members, though a certain number are ever -complaining of inattention on the part of the servants. These, as a -matter of fact, are kept more or less in perpetual motion. On the -whole, they are a most civil class of men, and for this reason -thoroughly deserve the Christmas subscription which serves as a sort -of gigantic, but quite justifiable, tip. This is a comparatively new -institution. It must be realized that club servants are not overpaid, -and when upon duty their work is particularly severe. The electric -bells never cease ringing until the club closes; every member expects -his wants to command immediate attention, and not a few are capricious -and exacting. In some of the big clubs the total of the contributions -is considerable—considerably over £500. This seems large, but, as -there are over 1,000 members in several clubs, such a sum is only what -might be expected. - -Club servants are an especial class apart, and some waiters change -constantly from club to club. This, of course, is not the case at -certain of these institutions, such as the Junior Carlton, which, having -a servants’ pension fund, attracts the very best class. In all clubs, -however, there are generally two or three old and popular servants who -are looked upon as regular features of the place. - -In the past, certain old retainers often became privileged characters, -and presumed upon their position. A waiter named Samuel Spring, having -on one occasion to write to George IV, when the latter was Prince of -Wales, commenced his letter as follows: “Sam, the waiter at the -Cocoa-tree, presents his compliments to the Prince of Wales,” etc. His -Royal Highness next day saw Sam, and, after noticing the receiving of -his note and the freedom of the style, said: “Sam, this may be very well -between you and me, but it will not do with the Norfolks and Arundels.” - -The most important servant in a club is, of course, the hall-porter. To -fill this post to perfection, very exceptional qualities are required. - -A hall-porter, in his capacity as a trusted and confidential club -servant, is acquainted with many delicate matters, and for this reason -should be a man of tact; he must, besides, discriminate between those -visitors a member may wish to see and those to whom the answer “Out of -town” must be given, in tones which admit of no further inquiry. He must -ever be on guard, carefully scanning every stranger who passes the club -portals, and, like royalty, should possess an unerring and inexhaustible -memory for faces. He must, of course, know every member by sight, and -never be obliged to ask his name, even when long absence abroad may have -altered his appearance, and rendered him almost unrecognizable to -acquaintances of other days. A good hall-porter, in short, should know -everything and everybody. - -A Scotch hall-porter—Shand, of the Turf Club—was a great character in -his way. Somewhat blunt and bluff by nature, he was very outspoken about -anything which did not meet with his approval, and at times would hazard -caustic remarks as to various phases of the club-life. Shand was -possessed of considerable shrewdness and common-sense, and it was -sometimes said that in certain matters his advice was better than that -of any two first-class lawyers together. Shand had his likes and -dislikes amongst members. This he made little attempt to conceal, his -manner varying in a marked degree. He was no respecter of persons, but -on account of his shrewdness and many sterling qualities was allowed -much latitude. - -On one occasion a member, before leaving for the country, instructed -Shand to forward a packet of photographs when it should arrive. The -gentleman was away two months, but no photographs were sent to him. On -his return to town he went to the Turf, where, much to his astonishment, -he was handed a proof photograph which had, he found, arrived six weeks -before. Shand was interrogated as to his reasons for not obeying -instructions. “You said photographs,” replied he. “Seeing there was only -one, and knowing you were away with your wife, I was not going to be -such a fool as to send it.” - -Many of the old school of club porters rather despised confirmed -bachelors who yielded to the allurements of matrimony. “No, sir,” said -one of these to an inquirer, “Mr. —— don’t come here now as he used; -since his marriage his habits ain’t reg’lar.” - -Club porters are very cognizant of the peculiar ways of members, and -quick to notice anything out of harmony with the general tenor of -club-life. The porter at a club where most of the members were so old -and infirm that quantities of crutches were left in the hall was -genuinely shocked to see a new member going quickly upstairs. - -Failure to recognize faces—which, in justice to club porters it should -be said, is in their case comparatively rare—has on occasion led to -serious consequences. - -The hall-porter of a certain great club, quartered upon another during -the autumnal period of renovation, was one day asked by a member who -strode hurriedly into the club, “Are there any letters for Mr. X.?” -giving a name in the club list. The porter looked hard at the gentleman, -for he could not positively convince himself for the moment that he knew -his face as one of the 1,500 members of the club. His gaze, however, was -met unflinchingly, and the new arrival’s air and appearance generally -giving no cause for suspicion, the porter, having eventually concluded -that this must be a member who had been out of England for some time, -handed over the letters, with which the gentleman retired into the inner -recesses of the club. - -Half an hour or so later a jeweller arrived and asked for Mr. X., to -whom he handed over a valuable piece of jewellery worth several hundreds -of pounds, which, he told the hall-porter on leaving, this gentleman (as -to whose social position and solvency there could be no question) had -ordered two days ago by letter. - -In due course Mr. X., after giving instructions that no letters were to -be forwarded, departed, taking the piece of jewellery with him. - -What was the hall-porter’s horror the next morning to find himself -confronted by another, and this time a real, Mr. X., who, on being told -the story of his double, at once dashed off to Scotland Yard. The first -Mr. X., it appeared, was an adroit swindler, who having by some means -discovered that the real Mr. X., an exceedingly wealthy man, had ordered -a jeweller to meet him at the club with a recent purchase, sent a -telegram from the latter saying that the setting would not be completed -till the next day, and had then gone to the club and personated this -member, who he knew only used it upon rare occasions. - -Another more impudent fraud was the case of a discharged club waiter, -who, disguising himself in a pair of blue spectacles, actually walked -into the club-house from which he had been dismissed two days before, -and, giving a well-known member’s name, cashed a cheque. He victimized -two other clubs in the same manner, and was eventually detected at a -fourth. - -One of the smaller West End clubs was formerly renowned for its -mechanical hall-porter, an individual who had but an arm and a leg, and -moved, it was said, entirely by machinery, the creaking of which, people -declared, could be heard when he handed out letters. - -A word here as to the porters’ boxes which now exist in every club. In -former days very few, if any, of these institutions contained such a -convenience. The porter used to sit in a chair in the hall, with a rack -containing the members’ letters behind him. He played much the same part -as the head-footman who opens the door at a private house. As late as -the eighties of the last century there was no porter’s box at White’s, -and the same state of affairs prevailed at Boodle’s up to quite recent -years. In former days, when life was more simple, there was little -necessity for the complicated arrangements of bells, telephones, and -speaking-tubes, which are essential to the life of a modern club. -Members then did not dash in and out, and clubland was distinguished by -its air of grave solemnity and calm. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - LATE SITTINGS—FINES—CARDS—CHARACTERS—SUPPER CLUBS - - -Amongst the changes in club-life in London, perhaps the most striking is -the almost total cessation of the late sittings in which members -formerly indulged. Various causes have contributed to make people in the -West End of London keep earlier hours, of which the most notable is that -the number of unoccupied men, who once formed a large proportion of -those living in what is called the fashionable part of the town, has -shrunk to a very small number, if it has not altogether ceased to exist. -In other days there were plenty of young bachelors with something under -a thousand a year who spent their life in complete idleness. A club was -the pivot of their existence, and here they would often sit till the -small-hours of the morning. - -Another cause of early hours is the great popularity of motoring and -golf, the widespread indulgence in which does anything but promote a -love of sitting up late. - -At the time when a great number of people had nothing to do all day, not -a few regarded the night as being the most amusing part of their -existence, when they could forgather with choice spirits and sit talking -one against the other, as the old phrase had it, “till all was blue.” - -As illustrating the lateness of the hours formerly kept by members of -some West End clubs, a story used to be told about a staid country -member who, arriving at one of these institutions, having travelled by a -night train, went up to the coffee-room and began to order breakfast, -upon which he was told, by a sleepy waiter, that no suppers were served -after 6 a.m. - -One of the latest sitters was Theodore Hook, so renowned for spontaneous -wit. He was very proud of a peculiar receipt of his own for the -prevention of exposure to the evil effects of night air. “I was once -very ill,” said he, “and my doctor gave me particular orders not to -expose myself to it; so I come up (from Fulham) every day to -Crockford’s, or some other place, to dinner, ever since which I have -made it a rule on no account to go home again till about four or five -o’clock in the morning.” - -Those were the days when the closing hours of a number of West End clubs -were much later than is at present the case. Now there are seldom many -members to be found in a club-house after one, and fines have become -rare. Up to about fifteen or twenty years ago, considerable laxity -prevailed as to enforcing these penalties which are exacted for sitting -up after a certain hour, but the introduction of more business-like -habits into West End life has put an end to such a state of affairs. -Late sittings at clubs were, of course, in the vast majority of -instances, connected with card-playing; and when this pastime was more -prevalent than is now the case, some confirmed lovers of whist, and -later of bridge, occasionally sat very late indeed. - -Whist is now practically an obsolete game, and it is curious to recall -that the introduction of short whist was once considered a great -innovation. “Major A.,” the author of “Short Whist,” a book which was -famous in the middle of the last century, gives the following account -of its origin: “This revolution was occasioned by a worthy Welsh -Baronet preferring his lobster for supper hot. Four first-rate -whist-players—consequently four great men—adjourned from the House of -Commons to Brooks’s, and proposed a rubber while the cook was busy. -‘The lobster must be hot,’ said the Baronet. ‘A rubber may last an -hour,’ said another, ‘and the lobster may be cold again or spoiled -before we finish.’ ‘It is too long,’ said a third. ‘Let us cut it -shorter,’ said the fourth. Carried _nem. con._ Down they sat, and -found it very lively to win or lose so much quicker. Besides -furnishing conversation for supper, the thing was new—they were -legislators, and had a fine opportunity to exercise their calling.” - -Another version was supplied by James Clay, who was one of the principal -authorities on whist in his day. His account is as follows: - -“Some eighty years back, Lord Peterborough having one night lost a large -sum of money, the friends with whom he was playing proposed to make the -game five points instead of ten, in order to give the loser a chance, at -a quicker game, of recovering his loss. The late Mr. Hoare of Bath, a -very good whist-player, and without a superior at piquet, was one of -this party, and used frequently to tell this story.” - -Whatever the origin of short whist may have been, the controversy -between the advocates of long whist and those who supported the new game -was a bitter struggle. Innovators are always hated, and have their -characters blackened by those who have grown too old to care for the -new, or those who are too unintelligent to do so. The clergy to a man -were for long whist. - -The laws of whist were first codified in England at the instance of Mr. -Baldwin. The Turf Club in 1863 was called the Arlington. The matter was -suggested to the committee of the Arlington, and a number of members -were appointed to investigate matters and compile a code. These were: -George Bentinck, M.P. for West Norfolk; John Bushe, son of the Chief -Justice of “Patronage” fame; J. Clay, M.P., chairman; Charles C. -Grenville; Sir Rainald Knightley, M.P.; H. B. Mayne, G. Payne, and -Colonel Ripon. When completed, the code was submitted to the Portland -Club, and a committee of this the chief whist club of the country -considered its contents. This committee consisted of H. D. Jones, -chairman, the father of the late “Cavendish,” who died in 1899; Charles -Adams, W. F. Baring, H. Fitzroy, Samuel Petrie, H. M. Riddell, and R. -Wheble. It was on April 30, 1864, that the code was officially -sanctioned—a red-letter day in the annals of whist. - -The triumph of bridge over whist is a matter of recent social history -which will be dealt with later on. - -The greatest breach of regulations ever committed was probably that -which occurred in a well-known West End club some thirteen or fourteen -years ago, when two members sat through the whole night at cards, and -became so absorbed in their game that they were still sitting there at -the re-opening at nine the next morning. Notwithstanding the arrival of -a number of outraged members, they continued playing till one, when, -having reluctantly risen from the card-table, they walked out into the -sunlight, handing in their resignations as they left. As a matter of -fact, the stakes played for were comparatively moderate, and the -differences at the close of the séance were consequently small. Both -men, it should be added, were confirmed sitters-up, and the abnormal -hours kept by them on several previous occasions had called forth -remonstrances from the committee. At the majority of London clubs, fines -are inflicted on those sitting up after the hours of one-thirty or two, -though in some cases they begin earlier or later. In such club-houses as -are not definitely closed at two-thirty or three, the fines gradually -rise till the hour of five or six o’clock is reached, when any further -sojourn in the club-house is punished by expulsion. - -The amount to be paid for remaining in certain clubs till the actual -time of closing is considerable; nevertheless there have been instances -of members remaining to the very last minute who were not card-players, -and merely sat up through indifference or thoughtlessness. - -The present writer remembers one member who actually had to pay a fine -of £17 for sitting all alone in a club till the doors were closed. This -gentleman had a perfect mania for not going to bed, and his habit of -keeping the whole club-house going, long after the other members were in -bed, eventually caused a complete readjustment of the scale of fines and -the adoption of an earlier hour for closing. As a matter of fact, though -he paid the heavy fines with perfect complacency, the sums received were -not sufficient to cover the expenses of lighting, servants, and the -like, for the whole establishment, of course, had to be kept going till -it was his pleasure to depart. - -In old days, quite a number of club-men would habitually turn night into -day; but this is no longer the case, and the few members who still -adhere to the habits of another age are generally regarded with little -favour by committees. Several clubs, as a matter of fact, have altered -their hours entirely to prevent the club-house from being kept open -solely for the benefit of one or two members. - -Another complaint against late sitters is that the club servants, in -consequence of being obliged to keep later hours, are unfitted for their -work; but there is really no particular reason why this should be the -case, as a different staff comes on duty towards the evening, the -members of which, at several clubs, are allotted a certain proportion of -any fines. - -The latest club of all used formerly to be the Garrick, where, in the -days when the late Sir Henry Irving, Mr. Toole, and others, came to -supper in the small dining-room, very late or rather very early hours -indeed were kept. Within the last few years, late sittings have ceased -to be the order of the day except on certain occasions, and new rules -have been made, the general tendency of which is to encourage a -comparatively early retirement to bed. An exception, however, is made in -favour of Saturday night, the traditional evening for suppers at the -Garrick. - -One of the latest clubs in London used to be the St. James’, founded -more than forty years ago by the late Marquis d’Azeglio and others. One -of the objects for which this club was formed was to provide a -meeting-place for secretaries and attachés after balls and parties, and -for this reason no fine at all was inflicted before 4 p.m. It may also -be added that in former years such fines as did exist were not very -rigorously enforced. Quite a different state of affairs, however, now -prevails, the whole scale of fines having been readjusted some years -ago, owing to which—and other causes—late sittings are now things of the -past. - -The Beefsteak Club, like the Garrick, once contained quite a number of -members who had a great disinclination to go to bed, and who lingered -late over the pleasant talk of the supper-table. Here also the spirit of -the age has effected a change, for practically all the old school of -Beefsteakers, of which that most delightful of men, the late Joseph -Knight, was such a brilliant example, are gone, and the hours kept are -now very reasonable. - -The Turf Club, which used formerly to be full of people after the -theatres were closed, is now somewhat deserted at night, and the same -state of affairs prevails at practically all the West End clubs. - -The late hours once kept by many club-men were in a great measure the -cause of the dislike with which a number of old-fashioned, strait-laced -people used to regard London clubs, which, as has already been said, -were denounced as pernicious resorts where drinking and gaming were by -no means unknown. To-day such accusations can no longer with any justice -be sustained. - -In France, however, the state of affairs as regards gaming, at least, is -very different, for, owing to the heavy tax levied by Government upon -club funds, no institution of the nature of a club can be prosperously -conducted without some amount of gambling. Indeed, most French clubs of -any social standing derive a considerable portion of their income from -card-money, and not a few permit baccarat, the profits of which, drawn -from the Cagnotte, bring in a large sum of money to the club funds. In -England, however, except in a few exceptional cases—Crockford’s, for -instance—no club has ever existed for the avowed purpose of play. To -begin with, public opinion has always viewed this pastime (which so -often degenerates into a vice) with extremely unfavourable eyes, and no -one of any position has cared to be seen openly risking large sums of -money upon the turn of a card. In addition to this, any protracted -continuance of high play in a club has always been reprobated by a large -majority of members as being likely to produce a scandal—and, as a -matter of fact, a scandal has almost invariably followed in the wake of -high play. - -The French, many of whom set aside a certain amount of money to be used -for play—a _bourse du jeu_, as it is called—are well aware of the danger -of losing their heads at cards; but the vast majority of Englishmen are -soon made nervous and excited when once they have been caught by the -fascination of play. For this reason—or some other—a high game never -goes on very long without the occurrence of a catastrophe, for sooner or -later someone will lose a far larger sum of money than he can either -afford or pay. The generality of club members limit their gambling to a -mild game of bridge, and there is very little play at anything else now. -Some twenty years ago, however, there was a slight epidemic of the -gaming fever in the West End of London, and quite a number of so-called -“clubs,” the only object of which was high play, were started, mostly by -shrewd veterans of the sporting world, some of whom remembered the days -when hazard had extracted such vast sums from the pockets of careless -Corinthians, and when wily Crockford conducted his great Temple of -Chance in St. James’s Street. Such clubs were, of course, furnished with -a committee and an elaborate set of rules, the most respected of which -were those relating to the fines. These, after a certain hour, brought -much grist to the proprietors’ mills. Such clubs were in reality little -but miniature casinos, and the main, if not the sole, qualification for -membership lay in being possessed of ample funds and a tendency to part -with them easily. The chief of these institutions were situated off -Piccadilly and St. James’s Street, about which the spirit of that -reckless speculation which raged in this neighbourhood so fiercely in -the eighteenth century has always had a tendency to linger. - -Baccarat was the game played at these haunts, and, though everything was -quite fairly conducted, the loss of large sums by well-known young men -about town eventually attracted considerable comment, and before very -long the Park Club was raided by the police, upon which occasion a high -legal luminary, it is said, was with the greatest difficulty smuggled -out of the place. A celebrated trial, at the end of which baccarat was -finally ruled to be an illegal game, resulted in the closing of this -club. A somewhat similar institution, the Field Club, rose on its ashes, -but this also was eventually raided and put an end to. Since that time -one or two small clubs have been formed by a certain number of people -desirous of playing bridge or poker for high stakes, but all of them -have had a brief existence. The clubs just mentioned, it should be -added, were quite different from the gaming clubs of the past, the -members being rich men well able to take care of themselves, and the -only reason for their cessation was that, as the membership was in every -case very limited, they got tired of playing at the game of dog eat dog. - -Sixty years ago, and later, there was a good deal of high play in London -clubs. During the action for libel brought by Lord de Ros, when he had -been accused of cheating at Graham’s, one witness admitted that in the -course of fifteen years he had won £35,000, chiefly at whist; another -said that his winnings averaged £1,600 a year. He generally played from -three to five hours daily before dinner, and did not deny often having -played all night. - -Graham’s, 87 St. James’s Street, was at that time the headquarters of -whist, and here it was said Lord Henry Bentinck invented the “Blue -Peter,” or call for trumps. - -Here Lieutenant-Colonel Aubrey, who declared that, next to winning, -losing was the greatest pleasure in the world, is supposed once to have -lost £35,000. - -Bridge is said to have been first played in London at the Portland in -the autumn of 1894, when it was introduced by Lord Brougham. - -He was, it is said, playing whist, and, as he dealt the last card, -neglected to turn it face upwards. By way of apology he then said: “I’m -sorry, but I thought I was playing bridge;” and by way of explanation he -gave a brief description of the new game, which so attracted his -fellow-members that it soon took the place of whist. - -Bridge, however, had been played long before this in Eastern Europe, and -even in Persia, where the present writer perfectly remembers it as a -popular game as far back as 1888. - -The members of a colony of Greeks, indeed, are said to have played a -sort of bridge in Manchester eighteen years before this, though the -value of no trumps and of four aces was rather less than is now the -case. - -The headquarters of bridge is the Portland Club, now located at the -corner of St. James’s Square. It moved here from Stratford Place, its -old original home having been in Bloomsbury Square. For everything -connected with bridge, as it was formerly for whist, the Portland is the -acknowledged authority as the arbiter of disputes and for the -promulgation of rules. There are about three hundred members of this -club, which admits guests to dine, after which they may play in a small -card-room specially reserved for their use. - -Another card-playing club, which, however, admits no strangers, is the -Baldwin, in Pall Mall East, which opens at two o’clock in the afternoon. -The stakes here are very small. - -Besides these admirably-conducted institutions, as Theodore Hook wrote, -there are several - - - “Clubs for men upon the turf (I wonder they aren’t under it); - Clubs where the winning ways of sharper folks pervert the use of - clubs, - Where _knaves_ will make subscribers cry, - ‘Egad! this is the _deuce_ of clubs.’” - - -The latter term certainly applied to Crockford’s, which was flourishing -when the lines in question were written. Here the wily proprietor -neglected nothing to attract men of fashion of that day, most of whose -money eventually drifted into his pockets. - -Well knowing the value of a first-class cuisine, he provided every sort -of culinary luxury, and took care that the suppers should be so -excellent as to make his club the resort of all sorts of men about town, -who flocked in about midnight from White’s, Brooks’s, and the Opera, to -titillate their palates and try their luck at the hazard-table -afterwards. Many who began cautiously, and risked but little, by degrees -acquired a taste for the excitement of play, and ended by staking large -sums, which they generally lost. Some few only were lucky; a certain -young blood, for instance, who one night won the price of his “troop” in -the Life Guards, purchased it, and never touched a dice-box again. - -If, however, people were more or less sure to lose their money at -Crockford’s, they were equally certain of getting admirable food at a -quite nominal price, and for this reason many men of small means had -little reason to complain of the great gambling institution in St. -James’s Street. - -As was once wittily said, a certain text of Scripture exactly applied to -the proprietor. This was: “He hath filled the hungry with good things, -and the rich he hath sent empty away.” - -Benjamin Crockford had begun life as a fishmonger near Temple Bar, but, -being of a sporting character, was accustomed to stake a few shillings -nightly at a low gaming-house kept by George Smith in King’s Place; -later, he was lucky in a turf transaction. His first venture as a -gaming-house proprietor was the purchase, for £100, of a fourth share in -a hell at No. 5, King Street. His partners here were men named Abbott, -Austin, and Holdsworth, and their operations were not above suspicion. -Afterwards Crockford, in partnership with two others, opened a French -hazard bank at 81 Piccadilly, and here again there was foul-play. The -bank cleared £200,000 in a very short time; false dice were found on the -premises and exhibited in a shop window in Bond Street for some days, -and Crockford was sued by numbers of his victims, but took care to -compromise every action before it had entered upon such an acute stage -as to entail publicity. - -Crockford’s patrons were all men of rank and breeding, the utmost -decorum was observed, and society at the club was of the most pleasant -and fashionable character. There was no smoking-room, and in the summer -evenings the habitués of Crockford’s used to stand outside in the porch, -with their cigars, drinking champagne and seltzer, and looking at the -people going home from parties or the Opera. White’s, except in the -afternoons, was deserted, members naturally going across the way, where -there was a first-rate supper with wine of unexceptionable quality -provided free of cost. - -Crockford was well repaid for his liberality in these matters. By the -profits of the hazard-table he realized in the course of a few years the -enormous sum of £1,200,000. - -Though the days when a certain number of London clubs were merely -gaming-houses in disguise have long gone, there still exist club-men -whose principal interest is the turf, and these not infrequently are -much interested in the tape, around which they congregate when any -important race is being run, the while mysterious murmurings and vague -vaticinations prevail. Such members are generally young; with the -increase of years they become, for the most part, profoundly indifferent -to the expensive question of first, second, or third. A few ardent -enthusiasts, however, retain their taste for this form of speculation, -in spite of the long and inevitable series of disappointments which are -the lot of the vast majority of starting-price backers. Rushing wildly -into the club, they fly at once to the tape, generally dashing off to -the telephone to put more money into some bookmaker’s pocket. - -The cricket enthusiast is another great patron of the tape, by which he -is either thoroughly depressed or rendered radiant, according to the -comparative failure or success of his favourite county. He is generally -a very kindly man, of innocent tastes and habits, which speaks well for -the humanizing influence of Lord’s and the Oval. - -Two clubs which are much frequented by the best class of sporting men -are the comparatively old-established Raleigh (founded in 1858), in -Regent Street, and the newer Badminton (founded in 1876), in Piccadilly, -both of them well-managed institutions. - -The Raleigh, which has always enjoyed a reputation for its cooking, in -its earlier days was the scene of many an amusing prank played by -younger members. All this, however, has long been a thing of the past. - -A striking change in club-life is the vastly decreased consumption of -alcohol. In former days, quite a number of members used every day to -imbibe a considerable quantity of pernicious brandy and soda, the excess -of which, without doubt, sent so many of the last generation to a -premature grave. I do not by any means wish to imply that such men -became intoxicated. Thirty or forty years ago, the drinking habits, so -prevalent at the beginning of the last century, had already fallen into -great disrepute, but brandy and soda was, for some unknown reason, -considered a fairly harmless drink, and many club-men imbibed small -quantities of it all the day through without in any way showing the -slightest effect. Nevertheless, the continuous stream of alcohol -insidiously ruined many a fine constitution. Sensible men of the present -age study their health far more carefully, and the amount of what are -known as “drinks” served daily in the best West End clubs is now very -small indeed. On the other hand, “teas,” which forty years ago were -little indulged in, are taken by almost everyone. - -As late as the early seventies of the past century most clubs contained -a few members of decidedly bibulous habits. These were often by courtesy -known as the “Captain” or “Major,” military titles for which a short -term of service in the auxiliary forces had scarcely qualified them. -They were, however, often original characters, whose occasional -eccentricities deserved the good-humoured toleration with which they -were viewed. - -To-day, however, a very different state of affairs prevails, and even -the slightest tendency to habitual excess is seriously resented; a -decided stigma, indeed, attaches to anyone even suspected of -intemperance, whilst any open demonstration of inebriety would certainly -call forth demands for drastic measures being applied to the member -indulging in such a breach of unwritten club law. - -The great diminution of drinking amongst the more prosperous classes is -nowhere more strikingly shown than by the great decrease of club -receipts derived from the sale of wine and spirits. On the other hand, -the consumption of mineral waters and other non-alcoholic beverages has -largely increased. - -Within the last two decades there has been a marked tendency in West End -clubland to relax the somewhat harsh restrictions formerly in force on -Sunday, which in England is so often a day of dulness and gloom, causing -one to wonder how Longfellow could ever have described it as “the golden -clasp which binds together the volume of the week.” At some clubs it is -still a very quiet day, no billiards or cards being played by members; -but in others “Sabbatarian strictness” has been relaxed. In one or two -clubs a sort of compromise exists, and members are permitted to play -billiards without the services of a marker. - -Club customs have, on the whole, changed but little. Curiously enough, -in spite of the increase of democratic ways in most West End clubs, the -custom of sitting down to dinner in evening dress has tended to increase -rather than to diminish. At the same time it must be acknowledged that -the greatest freedom is permitted in matters of costume, whilst the -smart frock-coat, once so conspicuous in clubland, has practically -disappeared. Straw hats and deerstalkers abound on club hat-pegs, and -lounge suits are worn throughout the day till dinner; top-hats and black -coats have decreased in number. - -Almost unlimited freedom now prevails as to choice of dress, and -sometimes, perhaps, this licence is carried too far. - -In the autumn most members of London clubs become wanderers, their -houses being given over to painters and decorators, whilst they receive -the hospitality of other clubs. A few, amongst which are the National -Liberal and the Garrick, never close; and, indeed, the membership of the -former is too large for this club to be received by any other. The -painting and decorating in clubs which never leave their habitations is -done by easy stages, one or two rooms at a time being given over to the -workmen engaged upon the renovating process which London smoke renders -so necessary. - -Whilst club-life, on the whole, has become less formal and ceremonious, -a certain number of old-established clubs still maintain a grave -solemnity of tone, and such institutions generally contain a -considerable number of “permanent officials”—the class which, whatever -party may nominally be in control, really runs the country. - -These men, whose lives are passed at various Government Offices, in -course of time acquire a peculiar look and manner, so entirely different -from that of ordinary humanity that the careful observer and student of -the “permanent official” is irresistibly prompted to inquire whether he -can ever have been young? The cut of his clothes, his walk, his -mannerisms, and the stately slowness of his movements, all betoken a -life passed amidst Government forms, schedules, and official papers. -Everything he does is prompted by routine, even to the ordering of a -generally well-chosen and moderate dinner. - -As he is perfectly aware of the fact that he belongs to the real ruling -caste of the land, the permanent official not unnaturally exudes the -dignity which he feels is necessary to his high position. One pictures -him in a tornado or an earthquake still speaking in the same measured -tones, and briefly asking (for he is generally a man of few words) who -is responsible? - -The permanent official, when married, generally has a very presentable -wife, chosen no doubt, like his dinner, with a view to not upsetting the -even tenor of his daily round. It is, however, almost impossible to -believe that he has ever been in love. If he has, any amorous -communications penned by him must, one is sure, have been carefully -copied and docketed for future reference. - -Many permanent officials—but not those of the Foreign Office, who are -generally agreeable men of the world—develop into mere automata, -radiating a sort of orderly gloom. - -The majority live to a good age, in latter years evolving into an even -less vivacious type—the “retired permanent official”—very solemn and -silent, not infrequently pompous, speaking scarcely at all. - -A foreigner of distinction, owing to his official position, had been -made an honorary member of a well-known London club. The number of -permanent officials included in its membership was such that the club -was a veritable Palace of Silence, and the foreigner, becoming depressed -by the pervading atmosphere of gloom, one day ventured to remark to an -acquaintance, a retired official of high rank: “You seem to have little -conversation here.” “Meet me to-morrow afternoon at three o’clock in the -smoking-room, and we will have a talk,” was the solemn reply. On the -morrow the foreigner duly repaired to the appointed place and met his -friend, who, settling himself upon a comfortable sofa, took out his -watch, looked at it, and said: “I am sorry I can only give you -twenty-five minutes.” For this space of time they talked, or rather the -foreigner did, for the other uttered little but an occasional word. -Precisely as the clock marked the appointed hour the latter rose, and, -somewhat wearily saying good-bye, walked out of the building. Judge of -the foreigner’s horror the next morning when, on opening his paper, he -read that Sir —— ——, his friend of the day before, had fallen down dead -in Pall Mall, stricken by cerebral collapse! The unwonted effort of the -previous day’s conversation had been too much for the poor man. For -years past he had been used to the almost unbroken silence of the club, -which with undeviating regularity he was wont to frequent. The -foreigner, who felt that he was practically guilty of homicide, declared -he would speak no more in English clubs, and would take good care to -warn his foreign friends against any similar murderous tactics should -they come to England. - -In many clubs there is a mysterious member or two, about whom nothing -seems to be known. No one can say who he is, what locality gave him -birth, or what his available means of subsistence may be. He is the -child of mystery, nor does he ever attempt to raise the veil, except -when he vaguely alludes to “his people in the North”; but whether he -means the North of England or the North of London no one whom he honours -with his acquaintance is ever able to discover. Everything about such a -man is a mystery, including the circumstances which led to his election. - -Whilst eccentricity, for the most part, takes the innocuous form of -avoidance of society, there have been people who have suffered from a -disquieting love of sociability. Such a one used to make a practice of -speaking to all his fellow-members, whether he knew them or not. One -day, however, finding himself seated opposite an old gentleman who was -reading a newspaper, this individual entirely failed to obtain any -answer at all to an incessant flow of talk, so, becoming angry, he at -last kicked up his foot and sent the paper flying into its astonished -reader’s face, the result being that the aggressor very shortly -afterwards retired from the club. - -It is said that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and it is -surprising how disagreeable one cantankerous man who uses his club can -make it to those around him. He is always coming upon the scene when not -wanted. If you go up to the library, you find him snoring on the sofa, -with the very book you have come in search of in his useless grasp. If -you dine accidentally at the club, your table is sure to be placed next -to his. Are you having a quiet chat with a friend, most assuredly will -this wretched being drop in and spoil the conversation. He is always -quarrelling with people, and asking you to support his complaints. Such -a man has no friends, and the list of his acquaintances is limited. - -In past days old members were sometimes very severe in their comments -upon newly-elected young men of whose ways they did not approve. One of -the latter, just elected to a club, having somehow incurred the wrath of -a certain irascible character, to his amazement heard him saying: “What -an insupportable cub that fellow is! What on earth were the committee -doing to elect him! Why, I’d give him a pony not to belong now.” This -perturbed the new member, who left the club-house thinking what course -he ought to take, and, as luck would have it, met on the staircase a -member who bore the well-deserved reputation of being a thorough man of -the world. Stopping the latter, he told him of the insulting remark, and -inquired what he ought to do. “Do?” was the reply; “why, nothing at -present. After you’ve used the club for another month, you’ll probably -be offered a hundred!” - -In more or less every club there are one or two solemn-looking members, -who are seldom known to speak to anyone, but spend their time in what -is, or looks like, deep study. Votaries of almost perpetual silence, -they are easily made to frown at the sound of conversation. The -favourite haunt of such as these is generally the library, which they -regard as their own domain, and where on no account must they be -disturbed. - -One of this class, who in the more expansive days of his youth, twenty -years before, had had a great friend who, after leaving the University, -went out to live in the East, was one day, according to his usual wont, -reading in the library of his club, when, to his horror, he heard the -door briskly open. A robust figure, whose countenance seemed not -entirely unfamiliar, strode up to him, and, seizing his hand heartily, -shook it. “Well, old fellow,” said the intruder, “it’s many a long day -since we met. Now let’s hear what you have been doing all these years.” -Without saying a word, the ruffled student raised a warning finger, and -pointed at the placard of “Silence” on the mantelpiece. - -“I was glad to see the man again,” said he afterwards; “but he had no -business to break one of our rules.” - -Another kind of club-man is the irascible pedant, whose idiosyncrasies -make conversation almost impossible. He will address you; he will -lecture; he will instruct you; but he will not chat with -you—conversation with him is a monologue. He is to preach, you are to -listen. If you interrupt him, he will look at you as if sincerely pained -by your audacity; if you advance an opinion, he will promptly contradict -it; and even if you ask him a question upon a subject of which he knows -nothing, he will reply at enormous length. - -It was a man of this kind who once described Niagara as a horrid place -where you couldn’t hear the sound of your own voice. - -In former days many clubs included amongst their members a privileged -joker or two, to whom very great tolerance was extended. This type of -individual used to be particularly fond of exercising his propensities -at the expense of the most solemn and pompous of his fellow-members, on -whom he would play all sorts of childish tricks. - -On one occasion, for instance, having got possession of an old -gentleman’s spectacles, a joker of this kind took out the glasses. When -the old man found them again, he was much concerned at not being able to -see, and exclaimed: “Why, I’ve lost my sight!” Thinking, however, that -the impediment to vision might be caused by the dirtiness of the -glasses, he then took them off to wipe them, but, not feeling anything, -became still more frightened, and cried out: “Why, what’s happened now? -I’ve lost my feeling, too!” - -Some irrepressible jokers have paid for their love of fun by having to -resign their membership. One of them, whose escapades were notorious in -London twenty years ago, sitting half asleep in a certain Bohemian club, -became very much annoyed at a very red-headed waiter who kept buzzing -about his chair. The sight of the fiery locks was eventually too much -for this wild spirit, and, darting up and seizing the man, he emptied an -inkstand over his head before he could escape. - -The result, of course, was expulsion from the club, besides which very -substantial compensation was rightly paid to the poor waiter, who -complained that he could not go about his work in a parti-coloured -condition, and it would take some time before the effects of the ink -disappeared. - -Members who have developed undue eccentricity occasionally cause -uneasiness to their fellow-clubmen, for it is sometimes difficult -exactly to define the point where personal idiosyncrasies become -disquieting to others. - -One individual, whom the writer recollects, used to enter a certain club -and call for all the back numbers which could be obtained of some weekly -paper, and then sit solemnly writing at a table surrounded by pile upon -pile of the periodical in question. After about an hour of this, he -would gather his papers together, and, striding up to the porter’s box, -would say: “Please inform the Prime Minister that, after due -consideration, I have decided that the Cabinet must resign. I will call -next Monday and leave word as to the composition of the new one.” - -A very eccentric member of one club had a disquieting craze which caused -him to walk perpetually up and down stairs. The moment he came in of a -morning he started for the top floor, going upstairs with a preoccupied -air, as though he had serious business on hand. Arrived at the topmost -landing, he would strike his forehead with the absent-minded despair of -a short memory, then turn on his heel and run down again. This operation -he would repeat many times a day. The installation of a lift was said to -have been a sad blow to him; at first he regarded it with profound -distrust, until, with increasing years, he discovered its value, when he -became very objectionable to his fellow-members by his excessive use of -it. - -Another original character who belonged to a well-known club used to -spend a considerable time every day contemplating himself in a huge -mirror, and bursting into explosive fits of laughter. During the whole -of this man’s membership he was supposed only to have once spoken to a -fellow-member, who, it should be added, was also rather eccentric. - -A less misanthropic though highly unconventional club-man used to remain -in bed all day, getting up only about seven, when he would go to his -club to have dinner, which was really a breakfast. This habit, it was -said, had been considerably strengthened by reason of the fact that, -having once broken through it, and got up early in order to witness some -sporting event, he had on his return found himself minus his watch—a -loss which more than ever convinced him of the dangers of early rising. - -Eccentric behaviour in a club once led to an amusing election incident. - -A well-known character, who had sat for a certain borough for years, got -into considerable trouble at his club—a very exclusive one—owing to -having one wet day taken off his boots in the smoking-room, and sat -warming his stockinged feet before the fire. Complaints were made to the -committee, the members of which, highly indignant, at first proposed to -turn the offender out. Eventually he escaped that extreme indignity, -though he was severely reprimanded. - -Shortly after this the culprit, owing to a General Election, found -himself obliged to defend his seat against an exceedingly active Radical -opponent possessed of much caustic wit. - -At this time hustings still existed, and candidates exchanged raillery, -amounting occasionally to abuse. - -Both candidates happened to have foreign names, and both entreated the -electors to give their votes only to a true-born Englishman. - -The sitting member was especially bitter, and indulged in uncompromising -abuse of his opponent—an alien against whose exotic ways he cautioned -the electors. - -“Alien indeed!” retorted the other. “Anyhow, I have never been nearly -turned out of a club for indecent exposure, like my traducer!” - -“Only my boots!” roared out his opponent. - -But all was in vain, and the electors, fully convinced that their old -member had appeared naked in his club, declined to re-elect him. - -About two years ago West End clubs were, it is said, at their worst as -regards membership; but since then the tide seems to have turned, and a -few then in a parlous state have once more found the path of prosperity. - -As a matter of fact, the competition of restaurants has improved the -cooking in clubs, and many committees have sensibly come to recognize -that an attitude of indifference to modern improvements and the changed -needs of members does not conduce to the well-being of the institutions -over which they preside. - -Then, too, a number of clubs which had been tottering for years have -disappeared, with the result that a number of others have gained -members. Of late years also, the craze for founding new clubs seems -rather to have died away, whilst the fashionable “restaurant clubs,” -which for a short time seemed likely to become popular features of West -End life, have entirely ceased to exist. - -The chief of these was the Amphitryon, established some twenty years ago -at 41 Albemarle Street, Piccadilly, and presided over by M. Émile Aoust, -once maître d’hôtel at Bignon’s in Paris. The object of the club was to -provide the attractions of a first-rate French restaurant, which at the -same time should be absolutely exclusive. The subscription was three -guineas, and no entrance fee was paid by the first 200 members who -joined the club, amongst whom were the then Prince of Wales and the Duke -of Connaught. - -The small club-house was comfortable enough, and the cuisine left little -to grumble at. About 700 members were enrolled, and candidates kept -flocking in. Members were only allowed to introduce three guests at a -time, for the accommodation in the dining-room was very limited. - -An inaugural dinner was given to the Prince of Wales, and a highly -successful evening was enjoyed by fourteen selected guests at the cost -of £120. “Kirsch glacé,” one of the _plats_ which figured in the menu, -is said to have caused some amusement, the _k_ being called a misprint -for _h_, the first letter of the name of a prominent foreign financier -then in great favour with smart society. - -The chief faults of this club were its expense and its limited -accommodation. A first-class dinner was absurdly expensive, costing -close upon £10 a head. In addition to this, the little tables were, on -account of the smallness of the premises, so closely packed that -intimate conversation was next to impossible. It must be observed, -however, that there were private rooms upstairs which could be reserved -for dinner-parties, and many were given. - -After a short time the Amphitryon closed its doors, and left behind it -nothing but the memory of some excellent dinners and a certain number of -heavy unpaid bills. - -A somewhat similar institution was the Maison Dorée Club, at No. 38 -Dover Street. The committee was an influential one, numbering amongst -its members the Dukes of St. Albans and Wellington, Lord Breadalbane, -Lord Dungarvan, Lord Castletown, Lord Camoys, Lord Lurgan, Prince Henry -of Pless, and Lord Suffield. The entrance fee was two guineas, and the -annual subscription the same sum. The cuisine was under the management -of the Maison Dorée, which was then in the last days of its existence in -Paris. - -The club-house was almost too elaborately decorated. Gold, indeed, had -spread even to the area railings, and the lock of the area door itself -was adorned with heavy dull gold! The pantry-maid, it was said, had a -solid gold key to open and shut the latter for the convenience of any -favoured policeman! On the whole, the building presented a most -imposing, if rather gaudy, appearance. The decorations of the -dining-room consisted principally of pastoral scenes painted on tapestry -panels in the French style, whilst a large glass tea-house overhung the -garden, and was supposed to form a highly attractive feature. - -The club, however, met with the same fate as the Amphitryon; indeed, it -fared a great deal worse, the latter for a time, at least, having been a -success, which the Maison Dorée never was. Lingering on in a moribund -state, it soon flickered out, its disappearance being followed some time -later by that of the parent restaurant in Paris, which, owing to lack of -support, ended its career, to the regret of all lovers of high-class -gastronomy. - -Later on, one or two other restaurants made an attempt to introduce -“supper clubs,” where members might remain after 12.30, the closing hour -which a ridiculous Act of Parliament fixes for all licensed premises. -None of these supper clubs, however, proved successful. Quite naturally, -people soon became tired of seeing the same faces; besides, there is -nothing that amuses ladies so much as scanning and criticizing the -heterogeneous crowds which nightly flock to restaurants after the -theatre. Willis’s—for a time much frequented by the smart world—was -remodelled and spoilt in order to make room for a club of this sort, -with the result that an excellent restaurant lost its popularity, and -finally disappeared altogether. - -Not very many years ago, before the registration of clubs was made -compulsory by law, there were many so-called “clubs” in London which -were little but revivals of the old night-houses and gaming-hells, -though the latter were always subject to occasional raids. Whether the -suppression of markedly Bohemian clubs generally was an entirely wise -measure seems somewhat doubtful; the mere hounding of dissipation from -one haunt to another effects no good, and in all probability the best -plan would have been to tolerate a certain number of such resorts, -provided they were orderly and did not constitute a nuisance to the -neighbourhood. - -The gambling clubs, often run by very shady characters, undoubtedly did -considerable harm to numbers of pigeons, who, however, would in most -instances have lost their money even had such resorts not existed. The -best known of these so-called “clubs,” however, were started solely to -pillage some rich young dupes who formed the support of such places and -their crowd of most dubious members. Clubs of this kind often provided a -very luxurious supper free, it being well worth the while of the -proprietor to attract anyone likely to keep the place going. As a rule, -the individual in question also laid the odds during the afternoon, and -some colossal pieces of roguery were not infrequently perpetrated in -connection with turf speculation. As late as the early eighties of the -last century, young men about town were exposed to every kind of -insidious robbery. The more blatant forms of West End brigandage seem -now to have abated; but human nature does not change, and very likely -they have merely altered in form. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - THE TRAVELLERS’—ORIENTAL—ST. JAMES’—TURF—MARLBOROUGH - —ISTHMIAN—WINDHAM—BACHELORS’—UNION—CARLTON—JUNIOR - CARLTON—CONSERVATIVE—DEVONSHIRE—REFORM - - -Though, as has before been said, the majority of West End clubs have -been obliged by force of circumstances to relax the exclusiveness which -was formerly one of their most salient features, a few still manage to -retain that social prestige which was the pride of quite a number in the -past. - -A conspicuous instance is the Travellers’, a club which from the days of -its foundation has always been somewhat capricious in electing members. -The list of public men who have been blackballed here is considerable. -The late Mr. Cecil Rhodes was rejected in 1895, and at different times -the late Lord Sherbrooke, the late Lord Lytton, Lord Randolph Churchill, -and other public men have met with the same ill fate. - -The Travellers’ Club was founded in the second decade of the nineteenth -century by Lord Castlereagh, the present club-house being built by Barry -in 1832. Considerable amusement was aroused by the qualification for -membership (which still exists). This laid down that candidates must -have travelled out of the British Isles to a distance of at least 500 -miles from London in a straight line. - -The supposed partiality of members for exploration was amusingly set -forth by Theodore Hook in the following lines: - - - “The travellers are in Pall Mall, and smoke cigars so cosily, - And dream they climb the highest Alps, or rove the plains of Moselai. - The world for them has nothing new, they have explored all parts of - it; - And now they are club-footed! and they sit and look at charts of it.” - - -The club-house would appear to have been little altered since its -erection, with the exception that a recess for smokers has been -contrived in the entrance hall. The building, it should be added, -narrowly escaped destruction on October 24, 1850, when a fire did great -damage to the billiard-rooms. These were, by the way, an afterthought, -and an addition to the original building; but they were by no means an -improvement upon the first design, for they greatly impaired the beauty -of the garden front. - -The library at the Travellers’ is a delightful room, most admirably -designed, with a fine classical frieze. A relic preserved here is -Thackeray’s chair; but as the only connection of the great novelist with -this club appears to have been a blackballing, the presence of such a -memento seems rather strange. - -Except the dining-room and the library, the interior of the Travellers’ -Club is somewhat cold and bare. No pictures decorate its walls, and the -general appearance of the place, whilst highly decorous, is hardly -calculated to delight the eye. - -The Travellers’ still clings to certain rules framed in a more formal -age, and smoking is prohibited except in certain rooms. It is rather -curious that, in days when ladies tolerate cigarettes in their very -boudoirs, not a few clubs should still treat smokers in the same way as -prevailed in the days when tobacco was only tolerated in one or two -uncomfortable apartments. - -Several distinguished men have belonged to this club, the membership of -which includes many high Government officials—heads of Departments, -Ambassadors, and Chargés d’Affaires. The general tone here is one of -solemn tranquillity; and though in former days there was a regular -muster of whist-players, which included Talleyrand, no game of cards -seems now to be played. - -During the season of autumnal renovation the Travellers’ extends its -hospitality to one or two other clubs. A dashing young soldier, becoming -in this way a visitor, and being desirous of playing bridge, called for -a couple of packs of cards and a well-known racing paper. To his intense -disgust the astounded waiter who took the order, after making inquiry, -reported that the cards would have to be obtained from outside, and the -Travellers’ did not take in the paper asked for. - -Though in a certain way a sociable club—for a large proportion of the -members are acquainted with one another—the Travellers’ is principally -given up to reading, dozing, and meditation. Of conversation there is -but little. - -Another club which was founded during the same epoch as the Travellers’ -was the Oriental. - -A hundred years ago there were several institutions connected with the -East in the West End. Such were the Calcutta Club, the Madras Club, the -Bombay Club, and the China Club, frequented chiefly by merchants and -bankers. These, however, were in reality associations rather than clubs. - -The Bombay Club was located at 13 Albemarle Street, and consisted of one -large news-room and an anteroom. It opened at ten in the morning and -closed at midnight, light refreshments being obtainable of the porter, -whilst smoking was strictly prohibited. - -The need for a regular club-house where Anglo-Indians and others might -meet in comfort gradually came to be felt, and in July 1824 the Oriental -Club was started at 16 Lower Grosvenor Street. The original club-house, -it may be added, has now become business premises, being occupied by -Messrs. Collard and Collard. It is said that when the owner of this -house gave it up to the club he sold some of its furniture and effects -to a certain Mr. Joseph Sedley, afterwards immortalized by Thackeray as -the pseudo-collector of Boggley Wallah. - -The first steward of the Oriental was a Mr. Pottanco, who had long been -employed by Sir John Malcolm, probably in the East. Members presented -books and pictures, and one, Sir Charles Forbes, cheered the hearts of -the Anglo-Indians by sometimes sending a fine turtle to be converted -into soup. - -The first chairman of the Oriental Club was Sir John Malcolm, a very -popular figure in society. Sir John was a great talker, on account of -which he had been nicknamed “Bahawder Jaw,” it was said, by Canning. -There were ten Malcolm brothers, two of them Admirals. All ten seem to -have possessed the same characteristic, for when Lord Wellesley was -assured by Sir John that he and three brothers had once met together in -India, the Governor-General declared it to be “impossible—quite -impossible!” Malcolm reiterated his statement. “I repeat it is -impossible; if four Malcolms had come together, we should have heard the -noise all over India.” - -Some of the members of the Oriental Club in old days, no doubt owing to -having resided for prolonged periods in the East, had eccentric ways. -One member was dissatisfied with the Gruyère cheese, calling it French, -not Swiss, and insisted that the waiter who brought it to him should -taste it. The waiter demurred, upon which the member complained of his -misconduct to the committee. The latter, however, took the waiter’s -part, rightly conceiving that it was no part of the waiter’s duty to act -as cheese-taster. In another case, a member removed his boots before the -library fire, and presently walked off in his stockinged feet into -another room. The library waiter, finding the ownerless boots, took them -away, and the member on his return was so greatly annoyed that he -stormed at the waiter, speaking to him, according to the waiter’s -evidence, “very strong.” Here again the committee, to whom it was -referred, sided with the waiter. - -There was no provision for smoking in the original club-house of the -Oriental, and permission to smoke within the walls was not accorded for -some forty years, although it was a constant source of dispute between -opposing factions. - -There are about thirty portraits in the Oriental Club; several of them -of a high class have been copied for public buildings and institutions -in India, where the individuals portrayed passed most of their careers. - -The Iron Duke, Lords Clive, Cornwallis, Wellesley, Lake, Hastings, -Gough, Warren Hastings, Major-General Stringer Lawrence, Sir John -Malcolm, Sir Henry Pottinger, Sir David Ochterlony, and Sir James Outram -are amongst the distinguished men whose portraits adorn this club, which -also possesses a painting of considerable historical interest, -representing the surrender to Marquis Cornwallis of the sons of Tippoo -as hostages for the fulfilment of the treaty of 1792. This was painted -by Walter Brown in 1793, and presented to the club in 1883 by O. C. V. -Aldis, Esq. - -Besides paintings and busts which have been presented, there is here a -silver snuff-box, the gift of a member, and a handsome silver -candelabrum presented to the club by Mr. John Rutherford on the -completion of fifty years of membership in 1880. - -In the Strangers’ Dining-Room hangs a stag-hunt by Snyders, the figures -by Rubens. The busts in this club include Sir Henry Taylor, by D. -Brucciani; and Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, by Baron Marochetti; whilst a -curious coloured print after P. Carpenter shows the ground of the -Calcutta Cricket Club on January 15, 1861. A number of fine heads and -sporting trophies presented by members decorate the interior of the -house. It should be added that the library at the Oriental, though not a -large one, is of considerable interest, as many of its books have been -written and presented by members. - -Though the St. James’ Club, at 106 Piccadilly, was not, like the -Travellers’ and the Oriental, founded for those who wander far afield, -its membership, owing to the club’s connection with diplomacy, generally -embraces many with an intimate knowledge of foreign countries, and even -the Far East. - -The club-house of the St. James’ was formerly the abode of the Coventry -Club, a somewhat Bohemian institution, where there was a good deal of -gambling and a free supper. It seems to have been an amusing place, to -which many diplomatists belonged. This club was established at 106 -Piccadilly—formerly Coventry House—in the early fifties of the last -century, and lasted a very short time, being closed in March 1854. In -1860 the house became the residence of Count Flahaut, the French -Ambassador, who added the eagles now to be seen amidst the decorations -of the dining-room ceiling of the present St. James’ Club. - -The fine mansion was originally built for Sir Hugh Hunlock by the -architect Kent, on the site of the old Greyhound Inn, and was bought by -the Earl of Coventry, in 1764, for £10,000, subject to the ground-rent -of £75 per annum. Sir Hugh must have found the expenses of completing -the house too much for him, for he does not seem ever to have lived -there, and, according to tradition, Lord Coventry bought the building -before the roof was on. - -Nevertheless a relic of Sir Hugh still remains in the area, and may be -seen from Piccadilly; this is a very fine leaden eighteenth-century -cistern, which is embellished with some moulding of good design and the -letters “H. H., 1761.” - -It is said that when the house was built it was the only mansion -standing west of Devonshire House. - -Up to 1889 there were no pictures or engravings in the St. James’ Club, -but in that year, when considerable additions were made at the back of -the building, a number of prints were presented by the various embassies -and legations. The most valuable gift received was a water-colour -drawing by Turner of the village of Clunie, near Lausanne, given by the -late Sir Julian Goldsmid. Some fine heads, a picture by Herbert -Schmaltz, and more prints were presented by other members. A certain -number of bedrooms exist for the use of the members, and from the point -of view of comfort the club leaves very little to be desired. - -The principal artistic feature of interest in the house is the -magnificent ceiling in the large dining-room, which is enriched with a -number of small paintings by Angelica Kauffmann. The centre painting is -surrounded by a number of cartouches set amidst a decorative design of -considerable artistic merit, probably the work of the brothers Adam. - -Here and in the adjoining smaller dining-room (where, most sensibly, -smoking is allowed after lunch and dinner) hang modern chandeliers of -admirable design. Both rooms were judiciously restored twelve years ago, -at which time some fine mahogany doors were rescued from the rubbish -heap. - -Special features of Coventry House in old days were two octagon rooms, -both of which had fine marble mantelpieces (now covered up) immediately -beneath windows. The octagon room on the first-floor—a boudoir—was, as -its remains still show, a triumph of eighteenth-century ornamentation. -Indeed, the exquisite taste exhibited on the walls, over-door, and -ceiling, give great cause for regret that such a perfect example of -English art should have been defaced in order to form the serving-room -which it now is. The carpet had been worked by Barbara, Countess of -Coventry, wife of the original owner of the mansion; and when the house -ceased to belong to the Coventry family, they took with them this -carpet, which in course of time was divided into two, the separate -portions going to different branches. The portion belonging to the -present Earl was some years ago once more completed by the addition of a -new half worked at the School of Art Needlework, and now forms the -centre of the drawing-room carpet at Croome. - -Worked in cross-stitch, it is of many colours on a neutral-tinted -ground; garlands and wreaths tied up with ribbons form part of the -design of this curious heirloom, which has been comparatively uninjured -by time. - -In connection with the St. James’ Club, it should be added that, -according to tradition, an underground passage once ran beneath -Piccadilly into the Park opposite, where the Lady Coventry who has just -been mentioned is supposed to have had a garden. This story was probably -suggested by the fact that the Ranger’s Lodge was nearly opposite, and -it is possible that there was some communication between that structure -and Coventry House. - -The St. James’ is one of the most agreeable and sociable clubs in -London, and still maintains much of that spirit of vitality which seems -within the last two decades to have deserted so many London clubs. - -In the early days of the St. James’ it was located in Bennett Street, -St. James’, and was later moved to No. 4 Grafton Street, now the abode -of the New Club. This is a fine old house, which still retains some of -the features it possessed when it was the residence of Lord Brougham. - -In the same house in Bennett Street first originated the Turf Club, -which was evolved from the Arlington. - -Of the Turf, which is probably the most exclusive club in London, there -is little to be said; for it is of quite modern foundation, and the -club-house, though comfortable in the extreme, has no particular -interest from an artistic point of view. Like the Athenæum, the Turf -employs a design taken from an antique gem on its notepaper, a centaur -having very appropriately been chosen. - -The lighting of the Turf was formerly by candles set in the chandeliers. -The latter still remain, but, now that electric light is used, the -candles are no longer lighted. - -Another fashionable club is the Marlborough, opposite Marlborough House -in Pall Mall. This was originally founded as a club where members should -not be restricted in their indulgence in tobacco at a time when a number -of regulations as to this habit existed in other clubs. King Edward VII, -then Prince of Wales, interested himself in the foundation of the -Marlborough Club, having sympathized, it was understood, with the -attempt made in 1866 to modify a rule at White’s which forbade smoking -in the drawing-room. The motion was defeated by a majority of -twenty-three votes, for the old school were bitterly opposed to such an -innovation. In consequence, the Prince, though remaining an honorary -member, ceased to use the club, the newly-founded Marlborough proving -more congenial to his tastes. - -At the present day the Marlborough is used chiefly as a lunching club. -At night, like many other clubs, it is now generally more or less empty. - -The club-house, being quite modern, contains little to call for mention. -In a former club, however, which stood on the same site, there was in -the days of high play a special room downstairs where money-lenders used -to interview such members as necessity had made their clients. The room -in question was known as the “Jerusalem Chamber.” - -The club-house of the Isthmian, at No. 105 Piccadilly, has known many -vicissitudes. At one time it was the Pulteney Hotel, and afterwards it -became the abode of Lord Hertford. Subsequently the house passed into -the hands of the late Sir Julian Goldsmid, who possessed an example of -the work of every living Royal Academician, as well as masterpieces by -Sir Joshua Reynolds and Romney. His collection of works of art was very -fine. - -In its early days, when the club-house was in Grafton Street, the -Isthmian was nicknamed the “Crèche.” It was originally founded as a club -for public-school men, and some of its members were very young—a fact -which gave rise to the humorous appellation in question. From Grafton -Street this club migrated to Walsingham House, where it remained until -that short-lived building was pulled down to make way for the palatial -Ritz Hotel. - -The Isthmian, it should be added, following the example of two or three -other modern clubs, reserves a portion of its club-house for the -entertainment of ladies, who are allotted a special entrance of their -own in Brick Street. - -The nickname of the “Crèche” applied to the Isthmian in its early days -was rather exceptional in its wit, for most of the attempts at humorous -club names have missed their mark. Another amusing instance, however, -was a suggested title for the now long-defunct Lotus, an institution -which was founded for the lighter forms of social intercourse between -ladies of the then flourishing burlesque stage and men about town. This -was the “Frou-Frou”—a delicate allusion alike to the principal founder, -Mr. Russell, and the fairer portion of the membership. - -[Illustration: - - OLD MANSIONS IN PICCADILLY, NOW CLUBS. - From a drawing of 1807. -] - -A pleasant social club which has recently been structurally improved, -bedrooms having been added, is the Windham, No. 11 St. James’s Square. -This club owes its name to the fact that the mansion was once the -residence of William Windham, who was considered a model of the true -English gentleman of his day. Though William Windham was a great -supporter of old English sports, including bull-baiting (which he -defended with such success in the House of Commons that only after his -death could a Bill against it be passed), he was at the same time an -accomplished scholar and mathematician. Dr. Johnson, writing of a visit -which Windham paid him, said: “Such conversation I shall not have again -till I come back to the regions of literature, and there Windham is -‘inter stellas luna minores.’” - -In this house also lived the accomplished John, Duke of Roxburghe; and -here the Roxburghe Library was sold in 1812. Lord Chief Justice -Ellenborough lived in the mansion in 1814, and subsequently it was -occupied by the Earl of Blessington, who possessed a fine collection of -pictures. The Windham, it should be added, was founded by Lord Nugent -for those connected with each other by a common bond of literary or -personal acquaintance. - -The club-house, which is very comfortable, contains a number of prints, -but, as the vast majority of these are modern, they scarcely call for -mention. - -The Bachelors’, at the corner of Piccadilly and Park Lane, is -essentially a young man’s club. Only bachelors can be elected, and any -member who becomes a Benedict must submit himself to the ballot in order -to be permitted to remain a member, being also obliged to pay a fine of -£25. Ladies may be introduced as visitors, but, it is almost needless to -add, their introducer is responsible for his guests being of a standing -eligible for presentation at Court. - -The same hospitable usage prevails at the Orleans in King Street, a -pleasant little club decorated with sporting engravings, which has -always prided itself upon the excellence of its cuisine. - -The Wellington, like the Bachelors’ and Orleans, is another sociable -club which offers its members the privilege of entertaining ladies in a -portion of the building specially set aside for their use. In the -club-house is a collection of fine heads, trophies of the successful -big-game shooting expeditions of sporting members. - -A long-established non-political club, essentially English in tone, is -the Union, at the south-west angle of Trafalgar Square. The original -home of this club was Cumberland House, where it was first started in -1805, the chairman then being the Marquis of Headfort. George Raggett, -well known as the manager of White’s, became club-master in 1807, and at -that time the membership was not to be less than 250. The Dukes of -Sussex and York, together with Byron and a number of other well-known -men, joined the club in 1812. Nine years later it was decided to -reconstitute the club and to build a new club-house, and Sir Robert Peel -and four other members of the committee selected the present site. By -that time the membership had increased to 800, and it was the first -members’ club in London. The fine club-house in Trafalgar Square, built -by Sir Robert Smirke, R.A., was opened in 1824. A most comfortable club, -the Union well maintains its long-established reputation for good -English fare and carefully selected wines. In old days its haunch of -mutton and apple tart were widely celebrated, and many gourmets belonged -to it. Amongst these was Sir James Aylott, a two-bottle man, who was one -day shocked to observe James Smith (part author of “The Rejected -Addresses”) with half a pint of sherry before him. After eyeing the -modest bottle with contempt, Aylott at last burst out with: “So I see -you have taken to those d——d life-preservers!” - -Most of the furniture at the Union is that supplied by Dowbiggin, the -celebrated upholsterer, seventy or eighty years ago, and there are some -good clocks by the royal clockmaker, Vulliamy. A good deal of the club -plate is silver bearing the date 1822, and there is a good library. No -pictures hang on the walls. The Union has been, ever since its -institution, an abode of solid comfort, and it prides itself upon -keeping up the old traditions of a London club-house as these were -understood a century ago. - -Amongst London’s political clubs, the Carlton unquestionably takes the -first place. Originally founded by the great Duke of Wellington and a -few of his most intimate political friends, it was first established in -Charles Street, St. James’s, in the year 1831. In the following year it -removed to larger premises, Lord Kensington’s, in Carlton Gardens. In -1836 an entirely new club-house was built in Pall Mall by Sir Robert -Smirke, R.A.; this was small, and soon became inadequate to its wants, -though a very large addition was made to it in 1846 by Mr. Sydney -Smirke, who in 1854 rebuilt the whole house, copying Sansovino’s Library -of St. Mark at Venice. - -This club contains members of every kind of Conservatism, many of them -men of high position in fortune and politics. - -The Carlton has been the scene of many important political consultations -and combinations. - -It was in the hall here that Lord Randolph Churchill learnt of the -appointment of Mr. Goschen to the Chancellorship of the Exchequer, -which, it is said, he had just resigned under the impression that, being -the only possible man for the position, he would be begged to reconsider -his decision. - -He was in the hall with a friend, when a boy came through to put up a -slip of telegraphic news. Lord Randolph stopped him and read the -telegram, after which he said: “All great men make mistakes! Napoleon -forgot Blücher—I forgot Goschen.” - -A well-known figure at the Carlton some years ago was Mr. Andrew -Montagu, known to his intimate friends as “the Little Squire,” whose -death created a considerable sensation; for, as was well known, he had -rendered great financial assistance to his party. He had, indeed, played -a more important part in the secret history of his own times than was -realized by the outside world. It has been asserted that about two -millions of his money was out on mortgage—partly advanced to important -politicians, and partly distributed amongst institutions connected with -Tory organizations. Mr. Montagu was a most generous and open-handed man, -and would always use his interest to assist young aspirants to place and -position, though he himself cared nothing for these. He was, it is said, -frequently offered a peerage; but as the particular title which he -desired was claimed by someone else, to whom it was eventually given, he -died plain Mr. Montagu, which he had been perfectly content to remain. - -The library upstairs contains a large number of volumes, and a most -complete collection of books necessary to the politician. Smoking is -allowed in the larger room, but not in the small library adjoining. - -A number of oil-paintings representing celebrated Conservative statesmen -decorate the walls of the Carlton. In the large entrance hall are -portraits of Lord North, Lord Chatham, Lord Castlereagh, and the great -Sir Robert Peel; on the staircase a portrait of the first Lord -Cranbrook; whilst the first-floor is adorned by fine full-length -pictures of the late Lord Salisbury by Sir Hubert Herkomer, and of Lord -Abergavenny by Mr. Mark Milbanke. The dining-room at the Carlton also -contains several portraits, amongst them Lord Beaconsfield,[6] after -Millais. Mr. Balfour, by Sargent, subscribed for by members, has been -added within recent years. Owing to an entirely new scheme of colour -decoration, the interior of this club-house is now very much improved. -The conversion of the great central hall into a comfortable carpeted -lounge with chairs is also an innovation of a most convenient kind. - -Footnote 6: - - One of the dining-room chairs bears the inscription: “Lord - Beaconsfield’s chair.” - -The Carlton possesses a quantity of good silver, and in the way of -comfort stands in front of almost all clubs in the world. Nowhere, -perhaps, are the minor details of everyday life so well looked after; -every kind of notepaper is at the command of members, whilst the -facilities for reference are unequalled. This club has a fine library, -which is presided over by a librarian. - -Perhaps the most prosperous club in London is the Junior Carlton, which -owns its own freehold. The property is said to be worth over £200,000. -This palatial club-house is modern in style, but in a small room off the -hall is a fine old mantelpiece, which was originally in one of the -houses pulled down to make way for the new building. - -Statues of Lord Beaconsfield and the fourteenth Earl of Derby decorate -the hall, whilst the pictures in the club-house include full-length -portraits of the late Queen Victoria by Sir Hubert Herkomer, and of the -late King Edward by the Hon. A. Stuart-Wortley. This was painted when -the King was Prince of Wales. In the smoking-room hang portraits of Lord -Beaconsfield, Lord Derby, Lord Abergavenny, the Iron Duke, and other -statesmen. A few pictures also hang on the staircase and elsewhere. - -The picture of the Duke of Wellington originally represented him -standing in the House of Lords, but for some reason or other the -background of benches was painted out by the artist. Within recent -years, however, the Upper Chamber has once more asserted itself by -bursting through the coat of paint. - -The library at the Junior Carlton Club is one of the most delightful -rooms in London—an abode of restful peace which was highly appreciated -by the late Lord Salisbury, who was often to be observed here reading. -It was said that he frequented this room because he was sure of finding -undisturbed quiet. Huge placards, on which are printed the word -“SILENCE,” are on each of the mantelpieces, and the reposeful atmosphere -of the place is seldom troubled by any sound louder than footfalls on -the soft carpet or the turning over of book-leaves. - -A round table in this club, used for private dinner-parties, is said to -be the biggest in London; twenty-five people can sit at it. - -The Conservative Club, which occupies a portion of the site of the old -Thatched House Tavern (pulled down in 1843), 74 St. James’s Street, was -designed by Sydney Smirke and George Basevi, 1845. The upper portion is -Corinthian, with columns and pilasters, and a frieze sculptured with the -imperial crown and oak wreaths; the lower order is Roman-Doric, and the -wings are slightly advanced, with an enriched entrance porch north and a -bay-window south. The interior was painted in colour by Mr. Sang, by -whom, after long years, it has since been redecorated. This happened a -few years ago, when, after considerable discussion, it was decided to -restore the original scheme of decoration which some little time before -had been discarded in favour of plain white marble. - -A bust of the late Queen Victoria is on the landing of the very handsome -staircase of the Conservative Club, and on the first-floor are other -busts, together with a full-length statue of Lord Beaconsfield. A -picture of the Piazza San Marco at Venice, by Canaletto, hangs in the -large smoking-room upstairs. - -A feature of this club is the excellent library, which is especially -rich in county histories. It is a quiet, restful room, and has -everything necessary to render it an ideal resort for lovers of books. - -The dining-tables in the Conservative Club date from its foundation, and -are of mahogany. The pleasing old custom of removing the tablecloth -after dinner still prevails. Unfortunately, about eleven years ago the -great majority of these little tables were sent to have their surfaces -planed down! The committee of that day (who must have been totally -devoid of any vestige of taste) were of opinion that the surface was -becoming too “old-looking.” The result is, that it will require a great -number of years before these tables regain the beautiful _patine_ which -still distinguishes those—about eight in number—which happily escaped -renovation. - -The Devonshire Club, in St. James’s Street, though originally a Liberal -or rather a Whig Club, now includes many shades of opinion, Liberal -Unionists being plentiful. There is a good library here. The club-house, -it is interesting to remember, was once a magnificent Temple of Chance, -over which presided the celebrated Crockford. - -[Illustration: - - CROCKFORD’S IN 1828. - From a drawing by T. H. Shepherd. -] - -The present building is, with some alterations, the same as the one -constructed in 1827—on the site of three houses then demolished—for the -famous ex-fishmonger by the brothers Wyatt. The decorations alone, it is -said, cost £94,000, and consist of two wings and a centre, with four -Corinthian pilasters and entablature, and a balustrade throughout; the -ground-floor has Venetian windows, and the upper story large French -windows. The entrance hall has a screen of Roman-Ionic scagliola columns -with gilt capitals, and a cupola of gilding and stained glass. The -staircase was panelled with scagliola, and enriched with Corinthian -columns. The grand drawing-room was in the style of Louis Quatorze, as -it was understood at that day; its ceiling had enrichments of -bronze-gilt, with door paintings à la Watteau. Upon the opening of the -club-house, it was described as “the New Pandemonium.” The gambling-room -(now the dining-room of the Devonshire Club) consisted of four chambers: -the first an anteroom, opening to a saloon embellished to a high degree; -out of it a small curiously-formed cabinet or boudoir, opening to the -supper-room. All these rooms were panelled in the most gorgeous manner, -spaces being adorned with mirrors, silk or gold enrichments, and the -ceilings as gorgeous as the walls. A billiard-room on the upper floor -completed the number of apartments professedly dedicated to the use of -the members. Whenever any secret manœuvre was to be carried on, there -were smaller and more retired places, whose walls might be relied upon -to tell no tales. - -Crockford, next to the late M. Blanc, of Monte Carlo fame, was probably -the most efficient manager of a gambling establishment who ever existed. - -He possessed great tact, and thoroughly understood how to humour his -clients, most of whose money eventually drifted into his pockets. - -A newly-elected member one night, during a lull in play, jokingly said -to Crockford: “I will bet a sovereign against the choice of your -pictures, of which there are many hanging round the walls, that I throw -in six mains.” To this he consented. The member took the box, and threw -in seven times successively, and then walked round the room to make his -selection. There was a St. Cecilia, by Westall, which he had before -admired, and that he chose, which of course provoked a good deal of -laughter. Other members then followed his example; the result being that -they won several of the oil-paintings, which they bore triumphantly -away. - -The cook, Louis Eustache Ude, was celebrated throughout Europe, as was -his successor Francatelli. Crockford’s policy was to run his -establishment on the most luxurious lines, making no profit except on -the gambling; and therefore the dinners, though perfect, were very -reasonable in price. In addition, all the dainties of the season, fish, -flesh, and fowl, were cooked after the most approved Parisian models, -and were tortured into shapes that defied recognition. One of the -favourite dishes was Boudin de cerises à la Bentinck—cherry pudding -without the stones—which was named after Lord George, a frequent visitor -to the club. No one was charged for ale or porter, until one day a -hungry member dined off the joint and drank three pints of bottled ale, -after which Crockford made a change in the charges, with the remark that -“a glass or two was all very well, but three pints were too much of a -good thing.” - -On one occasion, in the list of game on August 10, appeared some grouse. -The Marquis of Queensberry, a great sportsman, summoned Ude to Bow -Street, and had him fined for infringing the Game Laws. The following -day Lord Queensberry looked at the bill of fare, and no grouse appeared -in it. He was about to sit down to dinner, when a friend came in, who -proposed joining him. Each selected his own dishes. When they were -served, there was a slight hesitation in Ude’s manner, but they -attributed it to the fine he had recently paid. An entrée followed some -excellent soup and fish, Ude saying, “This is my lord’s,” uncovering a -dish containing a mutton cutlet à la soubise, “and this Sir John’s,” -placing the latter as far from the noble Marquis as possible. “Have a -cutlet,” said Lord Queensberry. The Baronet assented. “And you in return -can have some of my entrée.” At last it came to the moment when Sir -John’s dish was to be uncovered. “What on earth is this?” asked Ude’s -prosecutor, as he took up a leg of the salmis; “it cannot be partridge -or pheasant; bring the bill of fare.” The waiter obeyed. “Why, what does -this mean? ‘Salmis de fruit défendu!’—grouse, I verily believe.” Ude -apologized, declaring that the grouse had been in the house before he -was summoned. The Marquis chose to believe his statement, and allowed -the matter to drop. - -Some members were very particular and trying to the patience of the -world-famed French cook. At one period of his presidency, the ground of -a complaint formally addressed to the committee was that there was an -admixture of onion in the soubise. This chef was sensitive as to -complaints. Colonel Darner, happening to enter Crockford’s one evening -to dine early, found Ude walking up and down in a towering passion, and -naturally inquired what was the matter. “No matter, Monsieur le Colonel! -Did you see that gentleman who has just gone out? Well, he ordered a red -mullet for his dinner. I made him a delicious little sauce with my own -hands. The price of the mullet was marked as two shillings, and I asked -sixpence for the sauce; this he refuses to pay. The imbecile must think -that the red mullets come out of the sea with my sauce in their -pockets.” - -The Devonshire Club possesses some relics of Crockford’s in the shape of -an etching by R. Seymour, which hangs in the corridor smoking-room, -where are also six of the original chairs used in the old gaming-room. -The etching of Crockford was presented by Captain Shean; the chairs, in -1902, by another member—Mr. T. J. Barratt. - -[Illustration: - - INTERIOR OF THE REFORM CLUB. - From a drawing of 1841. -] - -The Reform Club, in Pall Mall, took its name from the great Reform -movement, which it was founded to promote, in opposition to the Carlton. -Its virtual founder and first chairman was Edward Ellice, who drew his -wealth from the Hudson Bay Company, and his political influence from his -long representation of Coventry and from his energy in supporting -Reform. It was said that he had more to do with the passing of the -Reform Bill of 1832 than any other man. The club was established in -1836, to be a nursery of the great political idea which that Bill -represented. For a few years it was domiciled in Gwydyr House, -Whitehall. At the house in Pall Mall, some years previously, the -temporary National Gallery had remained in the house of Mr. Angerstein, -whose pictures were the nucleus of the national collection. While, -therefore, the Reform Club was rising to accommodate its members, the -National Gallery was being built in Trafalgar Square to receive the -pictures. - -The architect of the new building was instructed to do his best to -produce a club-house finer than any yet built. The Reform is mostly -Italian in style, copied by Barry in some respects from the Farnese -Palace at Rome, designed by Michael Angelo. The chief feature of the -interior is a hall running up to the top of the building, an Italian -cortile surrounded by a colonnade, half Ionic and half Corinthian. The -Reform is about the only one of the older clubs which provides bedrooms -for its members—a convenience much appreciated by members. - -Let into the walls of this hall are a number of portraits of Liberal -politicians of the past. Amongst them are Bright and Palmerston. There -are also some busts of former great lights of the party, such as Mr. -Gladstone. A graceful statue of Elektra is another conspicuous ornament -of this well-proportioned hall. - -Like the Carlton, the Reform Club possesses a quantity of silver plate, -dating from the time of its foundation. - -The kitchen of the Reform was long presided over by Alexis Soyer, one of -the great cooks of history. He came to England on a visit to his -brother, who was chef to the old Duke of Cambridge, son of George III, -and afterwards was cook to several noblemen, till eventually appointed -chef of the club. Soyer created a great sensation in culinary circles by -introducing steam and gas. He cooked some famous political banquets for -the club, among them a dinner to O’Connell, another to Ibrahim Pasha, -and a third to Lord Palmerston. Soyer, indeed, became quite a public -character, being sent to Ireland during the great famine, to teach the -starving people how to dine on little or nothing; and at the worst -period of the Crimean winter it was hoped he might make amends for a -defective commissariat. - -Madame Soyer was as clever as her husband in another line: a woman of -considerable artistic attainments, she painted quite prettily in -water-colours. - -Both she and the great chef sleep their last sleep in Kensal Green -Cemetery, where a sort of mausoleum bears the appropriate inscription: -“Soyer tranquil.” - -One of the Reform Club’s triumphs was the breakfast given there on the -occasion of the Queen’s Coronation, which won high commendation. The -excellent cooking imparted celebrity to the great political banquets -given at the Reform. - -Soyer was a man of discrimination, taste, and genius. He was led to -conceive the idea of his great book on cookery—“Gastronomic -Regeneration”—he declared, by observing in the elegant library of an -accomplished nobleman the works of Shakespeare, Milton, and Johnson, in -gorgeous bindings, but wholly dust-clad and overlooked, while a book on -cookery bore every indication of being daily consulted and revered. -“This is fame,” exclaimed Soyer, seizing the happy inference, and -forthwith seized his pen. - -John Bright was often at the Reform, where it was said he passed his -time indulging in billiards and abstaining from wine. Other well-known -men who were members were Douglas Jerrold, Sala, William Black, James -Payn, and Thackeray, who became a member in 1840. He used to stand in -the smoking-room, his back to the fire, his legs rather wide apart, his -hands thrust into his trousers pockets, and his head stiffly thrown -backward, while he joined in the talk of the men occupying the -semicircle of chairs in front of him. It is said that on one occasion, -observing beans and bacon on the evening dinner list, he cancelled -without hesitation a dinner engagement elsewhere, on the ground that “he -had met an old friend he had not seen for many a long day.” - -At one time a small group of men, which Bernal Osborne nicknamed “the -press gang,” met daily for lunch at a table in one of the windows -looking out upon the gardens in front of Carlton Terrace. This group was -originally composed of James Payn and William Black, J. R. Robinson of -the _Daily News_, J. C. Parkinson, and Sir T. Wemyss Reid, but as time -went on others joined. At these luncheons there was always a great deal -of pleasant and harmless chaff, with some more serious talk, although by -mutual agreement politics were generally tabooed. James Payn was the -life and soul of the party, and dedicated one of the best of his -novels—“By Proxy”—to the group which he had so often enlivened. Another -lively spirit here was William Black, who, though not as brilliant a -talker as Payn, could cap his jests with an epigram or quaint joke of -much flavour. - -Bernal Osborne occasionally attended these lunches, where, however, he -curbed that mordant wit which was known to all and feared by most. At -the Reform lunches he was always harmless, though unable to resist -referring to Black’s habit of drinking a pint of champagne at luncheon. -He would point to the bottle, and say: “Young man, in ten years’ time -you will not be doing that.” Ten years later, however, Black recalled -Bernal Osborne’s warnings, and dwelt with pride upon the fact that he -had survived his censor. - -The very large political clubs, such as the Constitutional, the Junior -Constitutional, and the National Liberal, hardly come within the scope -of this book. It may, however, be mentioned that, whilst the National -Liberal has an ingeniously contrived system (the idea of which was -originally conceived by Mr. Arthur Williams, sometime M.P. for -Glamorgan) whereby very young men are attracted to join the club, -nothing of the sort seems to have been attempted by any similar -institution purporting to further the spread of Conservative principles. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - THE NATIONAL—OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE—UNITED UNIVERSITY—NEW UNIVERSITY—NEW - OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE—UNITED SERVICE—ARMY AND NAVY—NAVAL AND - MILITARY—GUARDS—ROYAL NAVAL CLUB—CALEDONIAN—JUNIOR ATHENÆUM - - -About the most valuable artistic possession owned by any London club is -the fine set of Flemish tapestries in the drawing-room of the National -Club, 1 Whitehall Gardens. These were acquired with the club-house in -1845 from Lord Ailsa, who had bought them in Belgium shortly after -Waterloo. The price paid was very moderate—£200—and at the present time -the tapestries in question are in all probability worth over ten times -as much. - -A curious and interesting feature at the National is the building which -now serves as a billiard-room; careful inspection reveals that in the -days before the construction of the Thames Embankment this was a -boat-house, up to which water flowed. An old member of the club -perfectly remembers barges coming up the river and unloading the bricks -with which an additional story was built. - -The National Club was originally founded for those holding strongly -Evangelical views; the late Lord Shaftesbury, of philanthropic fame, was -a member, and to it some staunch pillars of Protestantism still belong. -Of recent years a number of Government officials and literary men have -somewhat relieved the austerity of tone which formerly prevailed, but -the National yet adheres to most of the practices instituted at its -foundation, and remains the only club where morning and evening prayers -are regularly read. - -The tone of the National is rather more intellectual than that of the -majority of West End clubs. It somewhat resembles that of the grave -institutions frequented by Deans and Bishops, where the membership is -limited to those who have been at one of the great Universities. - -Of such clubs, the best known is the Oxford and Cambridge, which was -originally started, in 1830, at a meeting presided over by Lord -Palmerston at the British Coffee-house, in Cockspur Street. The club’s -first home was a house in St. James’s Square, where it remained till -suitable premises were built, in 1836–37, on the Crown property in Pall -Mall. These premises it still occupies. The architects were Sir Robert -Smirke and his brother Sydney, who produced an imposing façade on Pall -Mall, with very rich ornamental details. In panels over the upper -windows, seven in number, are arranged several bas-reliefs, executed by -Mr. Nicholl, who was also employed on those of the Fitzwilliam Museum at -Cambridge. The subject of that at the east end of the building is Homer; -then follow Bacon and Shakespeare. The centre panel contains a group of -Apollo and the Muses, with Minerva on his right hand, and a female, -personifying the fountain Hippocrene, on his left. The three remaining -panels represent Milton, Newton, and Virgil. - -In addition to many ordinary amenities of club-life, two chief -attractions here are the fine library and the excellent cellar, which -enjoys a well-deserved reputation for fine claret. - -The United University Club, the entrance of which is in Suffolk Street, -Pall Mall, was originally housed in a building constructed by W. -Wilkins, R.A., and J. P. Gandy, in 1826. An upper floor, with a -smoking-room, was added in 1852. A few years ago, however, the -club-house was entirely rebuilt from designs by Blomfield, the new -club-house being a sort of compromise between the Adam and Louis Seize -styles. A feature of this club is the very interesting collection of -Oxford University Calendars, with ornately engraved views and scenes, -many of them highly picturesque and quaint. The smoking-room also -contains a number of views of colleges, whilst in the dining-room hang -portraits in oil of the first Duke of Wellington, Lord Melbourne, and -Mr. Gladstone. Membership of this club is limited to 1,000—500 of the -University of Oxford, and 500 of the University of Cambridge. - -This was Mr. Gladstone’s favourite club, where he might sometimes have -been seen partaking of a simple dinner, his attention divided between a -chop and some learned work. - -Members of this club must have taken a degree at one of the two great -Universities, and many distinguished men have belonged to it—the Church -and the Bar being generally well represented. - -The New University Club, in St. James’s Street, built by Alfred -Waterhouse, R.A., in 1868, and the New Oxford and Cambridge, in Pall -Mall, are also flourishing institutions, which, however, do not appear -to contain any pictures or _objets d’art_ of conspicuous interest. - -Amongst the most important clubs of London are those used by the -military. In old days most officers spent a good deal of time in London, -many leading a life of luxurious ease. A curious incident illustrating -this occurred in 1858. - -In that year, on the occasion of one of the regiments of the Life Guards -being ordered to take part in a course of instruction at Aldershot, a -wealthy Captain tendered his resignation. The Commander-in-Chief, -however, declined to accept it, and eventually the gallant Captain was -persuaded by his Colonel to remain in the regiment, and undergo for a -short period the vicissitudes of camp life. At that time it was with -some difficulty that officers could be obtained for the Household -Cavalry, for to be a military man was often much the same thing as being -a man of pleasure. Clubs were thronged with officers at certain times of -the year. Though this state of affairs has passed away, the service -clubs still retain their popularity. Excellent management distinguishes -these institutions, of which the first to be established was the United -Service. This was founded in May 1831, as the General Military Club for -naval and military officers, by Sir Thomas Graham (afterwards Lord -Lynedoch), Lord Hill, and some other officers. Naval men, however, were -admitted in the following year, when the name was changed. At first it -was only open to officers of field rank, beginning with a Major in the -army, and the corresponding rank of Commander in the navy. The club’s -original abode was in Charles Street, St. James’s; the site of the -present premises in Pall Mall was obtained ten years later on a ninety -years’ lease from the Crown. The old club-house was then sold to the new -Junior United Service Club for £17,442, which considerable sum went to -defray the cost of the new building in Pall Mall. This, with furniture, -amounted to £49,743. Nash was the architect, and it was finished in -November 1828. An addition was made about 1858 by the acquisition of the -lease of the adjoining site, the sum of £34,000 being spent in -connecting it with the older house and adapting it for the purposes of a -club. - -The club-house is a fine building with a classical portico in the front -facing Pall Mall. The interior is well planned, and is a good specimen -of the style popular in Nash’s day. The Senior and Junior United -Service, with the Army and Navy, or “Rag,” once received the three -nicknames of “Cripplegate,” “Billingsgate,” and “Hellgate”—the first -from the prevailing advanced years and infirmity of its members; the -second on account of the supposed tendencies of certain officers who -followed the traditions of the army which “swore in Flanders”; and the -last from its love of high play. - -The United Service contains many interesting pictures and some -statuary, the most striking example of which, in the entrance hall, is -a colossal bust of the Duke of Wellington, by Pistrucci. Six other -busts represent Lord Seaton, by G. G. Adam; King William IV, by -Joseph; Nelson, by Flaxman; Sir Henry Keppel, by H.S.H. Prince Victor -of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; and Lieutenant-General Lord Cardigan, by -Marochetti (the gift of his widow). The sculptor of the sixth bust, -representing Admiral Sir Thomas M. Hardy, Bart., is unknown. - -The pictures in the morning-, coffee-, and smoking-rooms include the -following portraits: Admiral Viscount Exmouth (a copy by S. Lane, after -Lawrence); General Sir John Moore (a copy by W. Robinson, after -Lawrence); Major-General Charles G. Gordon, by Dickinson, from a -photograph; Field-Marshal Lord Raglan, by F. Grant; Field-Marshal Lord -Clyde (a copy by Graves, after F. Grant); Admiral Lord Rodney (a copy by -Bullock, after Reynolds); Field-Marshal H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, by -A. S. Cope, A.R.A.; Field-Marshal Sir John F. Burgoyne, by Graves, from -a photograph; Field-Marshal Viscount Combermere, by W. Ross; Charles, -fifth Duke of Richmond, K.G., by A. Baccani; John, first Duke of -Marlborough, by Sir G. Kneller; Field-Marshal the Marquis of Anglesey (a -copy by W. Ross, after Lawrence); General Lord Lynedoch, by Sir T. -Lawrence; Admiral Lord de Saumarez, by S. Lane; General Sir James -Macdonell (a copy by Say); Admiral Earl St. Vincent, by Sir W. Beechey; -Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge, Bart., by S. Drummond; Earl de Grey, by -H. W. Pickersgill; Field-Marshal Viscount Gough, by Sir F. Grant, R.A.; -Lieutenant-General Lord Saltoun, by Sir T. Lawrence; Vice-Admiral Sir -Francis Drake (a copy by Lane from an original in the possession of the -donor, Sir T. T. Drake); General Sir Ralph Abercrombie, by Colvin Smith; -Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, by T. Mackay; Field-Marshal -Sir Edward Blakeney, by Catterson Smith, R.H.A.; General Viscount -Beresford, by Reuben Sayers; Field-Marshal Lord Seaton, by W. Fisher; -General Hon. Sir G. Lowry Cole (a copy by Harrison after Lawrence); -Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm (a copy by Dickinson, after Lane); General -Sir J. Frederick Love, by A. Baccani; Field-Marshal Lord Strathnairn, by -Bassano, from a photograph; Admiral Viscount Keith (a copy by Hayes, -after Saunders); Admiral Sir Charles Napier, by J. M. Joy; General -George Augustus Elliott, Lord Heathfield (a copy by S. Lane, after Sir -T. Reynolds); Admiral Earl Howe (a copy by J. Harrison); the Emperor -Napoleon I, by an unknown artist (the gift of Colonel Bivar); Allied -Generals before Sevastopol; Major-General Sir R. Dick, by W. Salter; -General Sir George Brown, by Werner; Field-Marshal Lord Napier of -Magdala (a replica by S. Dickenson); Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas -Byam Martin, by T. Mackay. - -The grand staircase is embellished by a statue of H.R.H. the Duke of -York, by T. Campbell, and the following pictures: The Battle of -Trafalgar, by C. Stanfield; Admiral Lord Nelson, the head by Jackson, -finished by W. Robinson; Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington, by W. -Robinson; General Lord Hill, a replica by H. W. Pickersgill; and Admiral -Lord Collingwood, a copy by Colvin Smith, after Owen. There is also a -picture of The Battle of Waterloo, by G. Jones. - -In the upper billiard-room is a picture of the Battle of Trafalgar, the -frame of which is wood from the timbers of the _Victory_. - -The Junior United Service Club, amongst other valuable pictures, -possesses two from the brush of Sir Thomas Lawrence. Here are also a -number of military relics, including the sword which Lord Hill carried -at Waterloo. A more grim souvenir is some locks of hair from the heads -of women and children massacred during the Indian Mutiny at Cawnpore. - -Lord Kitchener and Sir John French are old members of this club. - -[Illustration: - - THE ARMY AND NAVY CLUB. - From an early drawing. -] - -The Army and Navy Club, in Pall Mall, known as the “Rag,” possesses one -of the finest club-houses in the world. It was originally established as -the Army Club, but owing to a desire expressed by the Iron Duke, naval -officers were admitted, and the name altered in consequence. The -club-house in Pall Mall was only opened some ten years later, having -been built as a copy of the Palazzo Rezzonico at Venice. The original -model for the building is still in the club. Captain William Duff, of -the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, first invented the nickname of the -“Rag.” He was a celebrated man about town at a time when -knocker-wrenching and other similar pranks were in favour; Billy Duff’s -exploits in such a line were notorious. Coming in to supper late one -night, the refreshment obtainable appeared so meagre that he nicknamed -the club the “Rag and Famish.” This tickled the fancy of the members, -and a club button, bearing the nickname and a starving man gnawing a -bone, was designed, and for a time worn by many members in evening -dress. Such buttons are still made. - -The original premises occupied by the Army and Navy Club, when it was -opened in 1838, were at the corner of King Street and St. James’s -Square, in a house, then numbered 16, which in 1814 had been Lord -Castlereagh’s. Two doors down was the house occupied by Mrs. Boehm in -1815. This lady, who “gave fashionable balls and masquerades,” was -entertaining the Prince Regent at dinner when the news of the victory of -Waterloo arrived. The post-chaise, containing Major Henry Percy, with -the despatches, stopped first at Lord Castlereagh’s, and then went on to -Mrs. Boehm’s. The carriage, out of the windows of which three French -eagles projected, was followed by a great crowd. The site of Mrs. -Boehm’s house now forms part of the East India United Service Club. - -Before the Army and Navy Club, another club, the Oxford and Cambridge -New University, occupied No. 16. The Army and Navy remained here until -the purchase of its present freehold site; but while the new house was -being built it moved into No. 13, then known as Lichfield House, and the -next but one to the north-west corner of the square. It was so called -after the Earl of Lichfield, who was Postmaster-General in Lord -Melbourne’s Administration, and it was the home of the club until -February 25, 1851. - -The new club-house has a frontage of 80 feet in Pall Mall and 100 feet -in St. James’s Square. The price of the site, together with the -excavations, concreting, and so forth, amounted to £52,000; the building -cost £54,000, and furnishing £10,000 more; so that the total outlay on -the club-house was £116,000. The architects were Messrs. Parnell and -Smith, who adopted as their model the well-known Palazzo Rezzonico, -which occupies a prominent position on the Grand Canal in Venice. -Representations of this palace hang in various rooms of the club. The -builders of the house were Messrs. Trego, Smith, and Appleford, and the -first stone of the new building was laid on May 13, 1848, by Colonel -Daniell, of the Coldstream Guards. - -The freeholds purchased by the club included a house owned by the -trustees of the Baroness de Mauley, which had formerly been in the -possession of Spencer, Earl of Wilmington, and afterwards of John, Earl -of Buckinghamshire. This was No. 20, St. James’s Square, which had at -more recent dates been occupied by the Hon. W. Ponsonby and by the -Parthenon and Colonial Clubs. Other properties purchased were the -freehold of Mr. Martineau, No. 3 George Street; Nos. 36 and 37, the -freehold of Mr. Malton; Mrs. Justice’s freehold, No. 38 Pall Mall; and -that of Mr. Tegart, No. 39 Pall Mall. - -This club contains some interesting relics; amongst them, in the -smoking-room, is a mantelpiece from the Malmaison, carved by Canova. One -of the figures supporting this, however, is modern, and the difference -from the other carved by the great sculptor can be clearly discerned. - -Another treasured possession of the Army and Navy Club is the Nell Gwynn -mirror, which is over the fireplace in the members’ smoking-room. This -was in Lord de Mauley’s house, and is probably a genuine relic. A silver -fruit-knife which is said to have belonged to the celebrated beauty, -bearing the date 1680, has its place in the smoking-room, just below the -mirror. The portrait of her by Sir Peter Lely which hangs in the same -room was presented by a member, and took the place of another for years -said to be Louise de Querouaille. In reality, this represents Mary of -Modena. - -As late as the eighteenth century the back room on the ground-floor of -the old house on this site was covered with looking-glass, as was said -to have been the ceiling also. Over the chimney-piece was a picture of -Nell Gwynn, whilst a portrait of her sister hung in another room. The -house then belonged to Thomas Brand, Esq., of the Hoo, in Hertfordshire. - -The tradition that Nell Gwynn lived in the house standing on the ground -now occupied by the Army and Navy Club, whilst now generally accepted, -has been questioned by some. According to another tradition it was the -house opposite—up to recent years used as part of the War Office—which -really belonged to the Merry Monarch’s favourite. This, it is said, -communicated by an underground passage with the house pulled down when -the present club was built. The passage was stopped up within the last -fifty years. - -Whether or not Nell Gwynn resided in a house on the site of which the -Army and Navy Club now stands, it is at any rate certain that part of it -was connected with the grant made by Charles II to her; for among the -title-deeds of the club property is a deed, dated 1725, which recites -that King Charles II, by letters patent dated April 1 in the seventeenth -year of his reign, gave and granted unto certain persons several pieces -or parcels of ground which formed part of a field or close called Pell -Mell Field, otherwise St. James’s Field. This grant was made on the -nomination of Henry Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans, to Baptist May and -Abraham Cowley, in trust for the second Earl of St. Albans, his heirs -and assigns, for ever. Evelyn records in his Diary that he saw and heard -the King (Charles II) in familiar discourse with “an impudent comedian, -Mrs. Nellie, as they called her,” who was looking over the garden wall -of a house standing on the north side of Pall Mall. The “Mall” was not -then the same as the present street, but an avenue shaded by trees lying -north of it, and following the line of the present south side of St. -James’s Square, so that a house on the north side of Pall Mall might -very well occupy the position of the corner house incorporated with the -club. - -A constant frequenter of the Army and Navy Club in old days was Prince -Louis Napoleon, afterwards the Emperor Napoleon III, who always took -great interest in everything connected with it. He had known it as a -young man when—an obscure and impoverished exile—he lived in a modest -lodging in King Street, St. James’s, in the immediate neighbourhood of -the club, which he practically made his home. Soon after his accession -to power in France, he presented the club with the fine piece of -tapestry which hangs on the grand staircase. This is dated 1849, the -year after he became Prince President of the French Republic. It -represents “The Worship of Pales,” and is of Gobelins manufacture in -1784. - -The Emperor ever cherished a kindly feeling for the club. When he -returned to England after his downfall, he gladly resumed his honorary -membership, and on his visits to town from Chislehurst he was frequently -seen in the club, lunching constantly in the coffee-room, with his -equerry seated opposite to him. He never failed to express a great -liking for the club, because, as he said, he was always treated in it as -a private person, and, except when he wished it, no particular notice -was taken of him. It may be added that quite a number of interesting -works of art relating to the Bonapartes are possessed by the club, and -are kept in the visitors’ drawing-room. - -The Army and Navy Club contains what amounts to quite a collection of -pictures, statuary, and works of art, some acquired by purchase, others -gifts of various members of the club. In the first category is a -colossal bust of Queen Victoria, by Alfred Gilbert, R.A., which is a -replica of that exhibited in the Royal Academy in 1887—the Jubilee year. -Another bust executed for the club, to replace one of plaster which had -been broken, is that of Field-Marshal H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, the -President of the club. This bust was executed by Admiral H.S.H. Prince -Victor of Hohenlohe (Count Gleichen), R.N., who was for many years, and -until within a short time of his death, a member of the club. Two -portraits in the inner hall—one of Queen Victoria, the other of the Duke -of Wellington—were purchased by subscription. - -Two interesting marble busts of T.R.H. the Prince and Princess of Wales -were presented by Admiral Sir Arthur Cumming, K.C.B. The late Captain J. -S. Manning, 1st Dragoon Guards, made some liberal gifts to the club, -including the clock and marble case on the centre chimney-piece in the -coffee-room. This member also gave several portraits, including one of -the first President of the club, H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, and of -Lord Nelson. Two silver snuff-boxes and a picture of the Battle of -Camperdown were likewise presented by him. - -In the coffee-room, panelled with portraits of distinguished officers, -are two fine busts of Wellington and Nelson, both presented by members. -A particularly interesting relic in the possession of the club is a -miniature portrait of Lady Hamilton, which was found in Lord Nelson’s -cabin after his death at Trafalgar, and which was presented to the club -by J. Penry Williams, Esq., late 1st Royals. The club also possesses -autograph letters of Lord Nelson and of the first Duke of Wellington. - -The Army and Navy started with a smoking-room at the very top of the -house, but in course of time gave up first one and then a second -strangers’ coffee-room to lovers of tobacco. A lift has now been -constructed to convey visitors to the original smoking-room upstairs. A -determined effort was made a few years back to allow smoking in the -beautiful morning-room facing Pall Mall, but this was defeated by a -small section of the older but fast-diminishing set opposed to smoking. - -A curious feature of the Army and Navy Club is the position of a -fireplace in the entrance hall, where it is under a short flight of -stairs leading to the main staircase. At first sight one is puzzled to -imagine where the outlet for the smoke can be. In the same club-house is -another fireplace situated directly beneath a window—a most unusual but -agreeable position. - -In 1862 the only service clubs existing in London were the United -Service, Junior United Service, and Army and Navy, which were all full. -To meet the want of another, a service club—the Naval and Military—was -founded in March of that year by a party of officers chiefly belonging -to The Buffs, then quartered at the Tower of London. These officers -were: Major W. H. Cairnes, The Buffs; Captain W. Stewart, The Buffs; -Lieutenant F. T. Jones, The Buffs; Captain L. C. Barber, R.E.; and H. H. -Barber, Esq., late 17th Lancers. - -The club commenced with 150 members, at an entrance fee of £15 15s., a -home subscription of £5 5s., and a supernumerary subscription of 10s. - -The first club-house was at No. 18 Clifford Street. Soon, however, it -was found too small, and at the end of 1863 a move was made to more -commodious premises at No. 22 Hanover Square, where the club remained -until the end of 1865. Cambridge House, full of Palmerstonian -associations, was taken in 1865, and opened in April of the next year. - -On the renewal of the lease in 1876, it was determined to make the house -as perfect as possible. Alterations were carried on from December of -that year till April 1878, during which time the original house was -entirely renovated. The structure was also enlarged, a new dining-room, -billiard-rooms, offices, and cellars being added on the site of the -stables and other offices. - -The upper smoking-room, in which hangs a portrait of General Sir W. -Nott, G.C.B., and some engravings after Hogarth, was once Lord -Palmerston’s bedroom, from which formerly a small semi-secret staircase -led to Whitehorse Street, by which it is said foreign spies and other -desirable or undesirable persons were admitted. The present card-room -was Lady Palmerston’s bedroom, opening into her boudoir—the octagon -room, which retains a beautiful ceiling. - -Mr. Gladstone used to say that Lord and Lady Palmerston once formed a -Ministry in this octagon room. - -The present library was the ball-room, and the State apartments were _en -suite_. - -The Duke of Cambridge—tenth child of George III—lived at Cambridge House -till his death in 1850, the year in which Queen Victoria, who had gone -to inquire after his health, was struck with a cane by Robert Pate, a -retired officer, just as the royal carriage was driving out of the gate. -Her bonnet was crushed over her forehead, and her cheek hurt. - -Pate was transported for seven years. - -A number of portraits and busts are in the Naval and Military—the Duke -of Wellington; Napoleon; Nelson, after Hoppner; Queen Victoria, by -Winterhalter; and George III, by Beechey. Some fine heads presented by -members also decorate this club, which is one of the most comfortable -and best managed in London. - -An interesting feature is the roll of honour in the corridor. This bears -the names of members who have lost their lives in the service of their -country since the foundation of the club. - -The Junior Naval and Military club, almost next door to the Naval and -Military, was founded about ten years ago, and has a large membership, -mostly drawn from officers of junior rank. The club-house is one of the -few modern buildings in London which have a façade of excellent though -restrained design. The exterior of this club affords an agreeable -contrast to most buildings of recent years, being quite free from the -superabundance of decoration which now disfigures so many West End -thoroughfares. - -The Guards’ Club was established in 1813 at a house in St. James’s -Street, next Crockford’s. The present club-house, however, was erected -only as far back as 1848; it was built from the designs of Mr. Henry -Harrison. Established for the three regiments of Foot Guards, it seems -originally to have been conducted on a military system. Billiards and -low whist were the only games indulged in. The dinner was, perhaps, -better than at most clubs, and considerably cheaper. - -The Guards’ club-house in St. James’s Street fell down on November 9, -1827, in consequence, it was said, of the walls being undermined in the -preparation for building a foundation to the new subscription house -about to be erected next door by Mr. Crockford. The following -epigrammatic verses were written on this occasion: - - - “‘Mala vicini pecoris contagia lædunt.’ - - What can these workmen be about? - Do, Crockford, let the secret out, - Why thus your houses fall. - Quoth he: ‘Since folks are not in town, - I find it better to pull down, - Than have no pull at all.’ - - “See, passenger, at Crockford’s high behest, - Red-coats by black-legs ousted from their nest; - The arts of peace o’ermatching reckless war, - And gallant Rouge undone by wily Noir! - - “‘Impar congressus’ … - - Fate gave the word—the king of dice and cards - In an unguarded moment took the Guards; - Contriv’d his neighbours in a trice to drub, - And did the trick by—turning up a club. - - “‘Nullum simile est idem.’ - - ’Tis strange how some will differ—some advance - That the Guards’ club-house was pulled down by chance; - While some, with juster notions in their mazard, - Stoutly maintain the deed was done by hazard.” - - -The Guards’ Club, it should be added, is considered as a guard-house, -and can be used by officers on duty. - -In St. James’s Square is the East India United Service Club, which was -founded in 1849. The present club-house really consists of two -mansions—Nos. 14 and 15—which were formed into one commodious and -handsome building by the skill of the architect—Mr. Adam Lee. The East -India United is of course an essentially Anglo-Indian club, and many -distinguished officials—civil as well as military—have been members. - -A number of pictures and prints are in this club-house, most of the -portraits of famous Anglo-Indians being copies of originals in the India -Office, National Portrait Gallery, and elsewhere. - -An interesting piece of plate here is a silver vase presented by the -Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s to Commodore Sir Nathaniel Dance, H.E.I.C., -upon the occasion of his defeating a French squadron on February 15, -1804. This was lent to the club in October 1895, by the great-nephew of -the Commodore, G. W. Dance, Esq., B.C.S. - -A quite modern military club, which has prospered exceedingly, is the -Cavalry, which was started in 1895 for officers who had served in the -various mounted arms, English and Indian cavalry, Royal Horse Artillery, -and Imperial Yeomanry. Unlike several other clubs started about the same -time, it flourished, and has a membership of 1,300. Here there is a -dining-room to which ladies are admitted as guests, which has no doubt -contributed to the success of the club. - -During the last year the comfortable club-house in Piccadilly was -enlarged, and it is now capable of accommodating a larger number of -members than before. - -Little is ever heard of the Royal Naval Club—one of the oldest in the -world, for it originated about 1674. Many great Admirals have belonged -to this convivial dining club, including Nelson, who is generally -supposed to have belonged to no club. At one time these dinners were -held in the large dining-room at the Thatched House, in St. James’s -Street, on the walls of which hung the portraits of the Dilettanti -Society, illuminated by wax candles in fine old glass chandeliers. - -During the present year yet another military club—the Junior Army and -Navy—has opened its doors at the Clock House, Whitehall, which was -originally built for Lord Carrington. - -The Caledonian, in Charles Street, St. James’s, also occupies a mansion -which was once in private hands. The largest house in the street, it was -erected in 1819 for Pascoe Grenfell, and subsequently became the -property of the Beresford family, from whom it was acquired by the -Caledonian Club. - -The Junior Athenæum, at the corner of Dover Street, Piccadilly, like the -Caledonian, was not intended for a club, having been built some sixty -years ago, at a cost of £30,000, for Mr. Henry Thomas Hope, whose -initial still remains upon the elaborate cast-iron railings of French -design. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE DILETTANTI—THE CLUB—COSMOPOLITAN —KIT-KAT—ROYAL - SOCIETIES’—BURLINGTON FINE ARTS—ATHENÆUM—ALFRED - - -Of the many convivial dining clubs which once abounded in London few now -survive, though the famous and venerable Dilettanti Society happily -still flourishes. Its dinners are held at the Grafton Galleries, and -certain quaint old usages are still maintained. A member who speaks of -the Society as “the club” has to pay some petty fine, whilst the -secretary when reading the minutes puts on bands. The presence of these -somewhat ecclesiastical additions to costume in one of the beautiful -portraits belonging to this club once caused the late Mr. Gladstone to -take the picture for that of a Bishop—which aroused some merriment. - -The Society was founded about 1734 by a number of gentlemen who had -travelled much in Italy, and were desirous of encouraging at home a -taste for those objects which had contributed so much to their -intellectual gratification abroad. Accordingly they formed themselves -into a Society, under the name of Dilettanti (literally, lovers of the -fine arts), and agreed upon certain regulations to keep up the spirit of -their scheme, which combined friendly and social intercourse with a -serious and ardent desire to promote the arts. In 1751 Mr. James Stuart -(“Athenian Stuart,” as he was called) and Mr. Nicholas Revett were -elected members. The Society liberally assisted them in their excellent -work, “The Antiquities of Athens.” In fact, it was in great measure -owing to the Dilettanti that, after the death of the above two eminent -architects, the work was not entirely relinquished, and a large number -of the plates were engraved from drawings in possession of the Society. -It was mainly through the influence and patronage of the Dilettanti -Society that the Royal Academy obtained its charter. In 1774 the -interest of £4,000 three per cents. was appropriated by the former for -the purpose of sending two students, recommended by the Royal Academy, -to study in Italy or Greece for three years. - -In old days the funds of the Society were greatly increased by the -fines. Those paid “on increase of income, by inheritance, legacy, -marriage, or preferment,” were very odd—for instance, 5 guineas by Lord -Grosvenor, on his marriage with Miss Leveson Gower; 11 guineas by the -Duke of Bedford, on being appointed First Lord of the Admiralty; 10 -guineas compounded for by Bubb Dodington, as Treasurer of the Navy; 2 -guineas by the Duke of Kingston, for a colonelcy of Horse (then valued -at £400 per annum); £21 by Lord Sandwich, on going out as Ambassador to -the Congress at Aix-la-Chapelle, and 2¾d. by the same nobleman, on -becoming Recorder of Huntingdon; 13s. 4d. by the Duke of Bedford, on -getting the Garter, and 16s. 8d. (Scotch) by the Duke of Buccleuch, on -getting the Thistle; £21 by the Earl of Holderness, as Secretary of -State; and £9 19s. 6d. by Charles James Fox, as a Lord of the Admiralty. - -The general toasts originally proposed and adopted by the Society were -“_Viva la Virtù_” “Grecian Taste and Roman Spirit,” and “Absent -Members.” To these was added, by a minute of March 7, 1741/2, “_Esto -præclara, esto perpetua_.” On March 29, 1789, it was resolved to add the -toast of “The King,” which was to precede all others. This addition was -no doubt due to the outburst of loyalty which took place when the King -resumed his authority, after his recovery from his first attack of -insanity, on March 10 of the same year. - -Walpole was very severe upon the Dilettanti. “The nominal qualification -for membership,” said he, “is having been in Italy, and the real one, -being drunk; the two chiefs are Lord Middlesex and Sir Francis Dashwood, -who were seldom sober the whole time they were in Italy.” Were the owner -of Strawberry Hill to attend a meeting of the Society at the present -time, he would be surprised to observe the sobriety which now prevails. - -In the distant past, some of the more juvenile members occasionally did -behave in a riotous manner. On January 30, 1734, for instance, a party -of young men, seven of whom (Harcourt, Middlesex, Boyne, Shirley, -Strode, Denny, and Sir James Gray) were members of the Dilettanti, met -to celebrate the birthday of one of the company present, by a dinner at -the White Eagle Tavern in Suffolk Street. The disorder caused by their -drunken revels attracted a crowd of people, who were led to believe that -the dinner was held to commemorate the execution of Charles I. on that -day, and that a calf’s head had been served at table by way of ridicule. -A bonfire was lit, and on the diners appearing at the windows they were -stoned by the mob, in spite of their protestations of fidelity to the -Government and the King. It ended in a riot, stirred up by a Catholic -priest, which the newspapers converted into an event of historical -importance. - -The Dilettanti Society has never lost sight of the main objects for -which it was founded, and in 1855 a project was started for reproducing -by some process of engraving the whole of the Society’s collection of -portraits. Sir Richard Westmacott, R.A., communicated with Mr. George -Scharf, jun. (afterwards Director of the National Portrait Gallery), and -received from him an estimate of the cost of engraving on wood the -thirty-one portraits in question. The cost, however, was probably the -reason which deterred the Society from proceeding in the matter. - -The Society once met at the Star and Garter Tavern in Pall Mall, but in -1800 transferred its meetings to a great room in the Thatched House -Tavern in St. James’s Street. - -The ceiling here was painted to represent the sky, and was crossed by -gold cords interlacing one another, from the knots of which hung three -large glass chandeliers. - -The room formed an admirable setting for the Society’s pictures, the -most remarkable of which are, of course, the three painted by Sir Joshua -Reynolds. - -[Illustration: - - A DINNER OF THE DILETTANTI SOCIETY AT THE THATCHED HOUSE. - From a drawing by T. H. Shepherd. -] - -The first of these is a group in the manner of Paul Veronese, containing -the portraits of the Duke of Leeds, Lord Dundas, Constantine Lord -Mulgrave, Lord Seaforth, the Hon. Charles Greville, Charles Crowle, -Esq., and Sir Joseph Banks. Another group in the same style contains -portraits of Sir William Hamilton, Sir Watkin W. Wynne, Richard Thomson, -Esq., Sir John Taylor, Payne Gallwey, Esq., John Smythe, Esq., and -Spencer S. Stanhope, Esq. The portrait of Sir Joshua shows him in a -loose robe, wearing his own hair. - -It should be added that earlier portraits in the possession of the -Society are by Hudson, Reynolds’s master. - -Some are in eighteenth-century costume, others in Turkish or Roman -dress. There is a convivial spirit in these pictures. Lord Sandwich, for -instance, in a Turkish costume, is shown casting an affectionate glance -upon a brimming goblet in his left hand, while his right holds a flask -of great capacity. Sir Bourchier Wrey is seated in the cabin of a ship -mixing punch and eagerly embracing the bowl, of which a lurch of the sea -would seem about to deprive him; the inscription is, _Dulce est desipere -in loco_. The Dilettanti possess a curious old portrait of the Earl of -Holderness in a red cap, as a gondolier, with the Rialto and Venice in -the background; there is Charles Sackville, Duke of Dorset, as a Roman -senator, dated 1738; Lord Galloway in the dress of a Cardinal. A curious -likeness of one of the earliest of the Dilettanti—Lord le -Despencer—portrays him as a monk at his devotions, clasping a brimming -goblet for his rosary, and with eyes not very piously fixed on a statue -of the Venus de’ Medici. Some of these pictures, indeed, recall the -Medmenham orgies, with which some of the Dilettanti were not unfamiliar. - -In 1884 the two groups by Sir Joshua Reynolds and the portrait of -himself were lent by the Society to the Grosvenor Gallery for an -exhibition of the collected works of the great master. In March, 1890, -on the Society’s removing from Willis’s Rooms, the two fine groups by -Sir Joshua were once more deposited on loan with the Trustees of the -National Gallery, until the whole collection of pictures was removed and -rehung in the Society’s new room in the Grafton Gallery. - -During recent years the Society has from time to time added to its -pictures. - -In January 1894, a portrait of Mr. William Watkiss Lloyd, painted by -Miss Bush, was received by the Society from his daughter, Miss Ellen -Watkiss Lloyd, having been bequeathed to the Society by her late father, -who had for many years been one of its most active and respected -members. After the death of Lord Leighton, President of the Royal -Academy, in January 1896, the Dilettanti, being anxious to obtain a -portrait of one of the most illustrious of their body, decided to have a -copy made of the portrait painted by Lord Leighton of himself for the -Uffizi Gallery at Florence. The work was entrusted to Mr. Charles -Holroyd (now Keeper of the National Gallery of British Art), and -completed before the close of the same year. In February 1896, on the -resignation by Mr. (now Sir) Sidney Colvin of his post as secretary and -treasurer of the Society, the Society ordered that a portrait of that -gentleman should be added to their collection. Sir Edward Poynter -undertook to paint the portrait of Mr. Colvin, which was, by permission -of the Society, sent to the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1897. Another -modern portrait of interest is Sir Edward Ryan, by Lord Leighton. - -The Dilettanti, the membership of which at the present day is largely -composed of high legal and Government officials, generally have six -dinners a year, and sometimes more, at the Grafton Galleries. The -ancient ceremonies, including the appointment of a functionary known as -the Imp, are retained. The father of the club at the present day is Mr. -W. C. Cartwright, who was originally introduced by the late Lord -Houghton. - -The Thatched House Tavern, in the large room of which the members of the -Dilettanti Society were once wont to assemble, was for a time also the -meeting-place of another somewhat similar society, the Literary Club. -This is now represented by The Club, which is perhaps the most exclusive -institution in Europe. So little known is the existence of this society -that at the foundation of the Turf Club it was at first proposed to call -it The Club; and, indeed, it was some time before the discovery that the -name had been long before appropriated placed the adoption of such an -appellation out of the question. The membership of The Club is limited -in the extreme, which may be realized when it is stated that since its -foundation, in 1764, not 300 members have secured election. Forty, -according to the regulations, is the extreme limit of membership. -Amongst distinguished men who have been members appear the names of Dr. -Johnson, Boswell, Garrick, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Oliver Goldsmith, Burke, -Fox, and Gibbon. In more modern times many prominent personalities have -been members—amongst them Mr. Gladstone, Lord Leighton, Professor -Huxley, Lord Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, Lord Goschen, the Duke of Argyll, -Lord Herschell, Lord Dufferin, Lord Wolseley, Sir Mountstuart Grant -Duff, Mr. Arthur Balfour, Lord Peel, Mr. Asquith, Sir Edward Poynter, -and many others whose names are well known in legal, political, -artistic, and literary circles. - -The club was founded in 1764 by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Dr. Samuel -Johnson, and for some years met on Monday evenings at seven. In 1772 the -day of meeting was changed to Friday, and about that time, instead of -supping, they agreed to dine together once in every fortnight during the -sitting of Parliament. In 1773 The Club, which soon after its foundation -consisted of twelve members, was enlarged to twenty; March 11, 1777, to -twenty-six; November 27, 1778, to thirty; May 9, 1780, to thirty-five; -and it was then resolved that it should never exceed forty. It met -originally at the Turk’s Head, in Gerrard Street, and continued to meet -there till 1783, when their landlord died, and the house was soon -afterwards shut up. They then removed to Prince’s, in Saville Street; -and on his house being, soon afterwards, shut up, they removed to -Baxter’s, which afterwards became Thomas’s, in Dover Street. In January -1792, they removed to Parsloe’s, in St. James’s Street; and on February -26, 1799, to the Thatched House, in the same street. - -The club received the name of Literary Club at Garrick’s funeral. - -In the early days of The Club, Dr. Johnson was exceedingly particular as -to the admission of candidates, and would not hear of any increase in -the number of members. Not long after its institution, Sir Joshua -Reynolds was speaking of the club to Garrick. “I like it much,” said the -great actor briskly; “I think I shall be of you.” When Sir Joshua -mentioned this to Dr. Johnson, the latter, according to Boswell, was -much displeased with the actor’s conceit. “He’ll be of us!” growled he; -“how does he know we will permit him?” - -Sir John Hawkins tried to soften Johnson, and spoke to him of Garrick in -a very eulogistic way. “Sir,” replied Johnson, “he will disturb us by -his buffoonery.” In the same spirit he declared to Mr. Thrale that, if -Garrick should apply for admission, he would blackball him. “Who, sir?” -exclaimed Thrale, with surprise: “Mr. Garrick—your friend, your -companion—blackball him?” “Why, sir,” replied Johnson, “I love my little -David dearly—better than all or any of his flatterers do; but surely one -ought to sit, in a society like ours, - - - ‘Unelbowed by a gamester, pimp, or player.’” - - -By degrees the rigour of the club relaxed; some of the members grew -negligent. Beauclerk lost his right of membership by neglecting to -attend. Nevertheless, on his marriage (with Lady Diana Spencer, daughter -of the Duke of Marlborough, and recently divorced from Viscount -Bolingbroke), he claimed and regained his seat in the club. The number -of the members was likewise augmented. The proposition to increase it -originated with Goldsmith. “It would give,” he thought, “an agreeable -variety to their meetings; for there can be nothing new amongst us,” -said he: “we have travelled over each other’s minds.” Johnson was piqued -at the suggestion. “Sir,” said he, “you have not travelled over my mind, -I promise you.” Sir Joshua, less confident in the exhaustless fecundity -of his mind, felt and acknowledged the force of Goldsmith’s suggestion. -Several new members therefore were elected; the first, to his great joy, -was David Garrick. Goldsmith, who was now on cordial terms with the -great actor, zealously promoted his election, and Johnson gave it his -warm approbation. - -The meetings of the Literary Club were often the occasion of much -discussion between Edmund Burke and Johnson. One evening the former -observed that a hogshead of claret, which had been sent as a present to -the club, was almost out, and proposed that Johnson should write for -another in such ambiguity of expression as might have a chance of -procuring it also as a gift. One of the company said: “Dr. Johnson shall -be our dictator.” “Were I,” said Johnson, “your dictator, you should -have no wine; it would be my business ‘cavere ne quid detrimenti -respublica caperet.’ Wine is dangerous; Rome was ruined by luxury.” -Burke replied: “If you allow no wine as dictator, you shall not have me -for master of the horse.” - -Dr. Johnson for a time completely dominated the club, and once, in his -usual grandiloquent manner, said to Boswell: “Sir, you got into the club -by doing what a man can do. Several of the members wished to keep you -out; Burke told me he doubted if you were fit for it. Now you are in, -none of them are sorry.” _Boswell_: “They were afraid of you, sir, as it -was you proposed me.” _Johnson_: “Sir, they knew that if they refused -you they would probably have never got into another club—I would have -kept them all out.” - -At last, owing to his ill-temper and rudeness, the great lexicographer’s -influence in the club sensibly decreased. - -The club possesses a very valuable collection of autographs of former -distinguished members, and amongst its memorials is a portrait of Sir -Joshua Reynolds, with spectacles on, similar to the picture in the Royal -Collection; this portrait was painted and presented by Sir Joshua, as -the founder of the club. - -Another club which was once the resort of many clever and distinguished -men was the Cosmopolitan, in Charles Street, Berkeley Square. This -ceased to exist not very many years ago. The house in which it held its -meetings had been pulled down, and though the Cosmopolitan migrated to -the Alpine Club, it did not long survive the change. Its meetings were -held twice a week, in the evening, no meals whatever being served, -though light refreshments were supplied. The house in Charles Street had -previously contained the studio of Watts the painter, and a great -feature of the club-room was a very large picture representing a scene -from the “Decameron,” which had been painted by that artist. This is now -in the Tate Gallery. When the Cosmopolitan was dissolved, a certain sum -of money remained, and this, on the suggestion of a former leading -member, is gradually being spent in dinners at which former members from -time to time foregather. - -A dining club which for a time attracted considerable attention was the -Roxburghe, which originated under the following circumstances: The Duke -of Roxburghe was a noted bibliophile; the sale of his library, which -excited great interest in 1812, lasted for forty-two days, and on the -evening when the sale had been concluded the club was formed by about -sixteen bibliomaniacs, after a dinner at the St. Albans Tavern, Lord -Spencer being in the chair. The Roxburghe consisted mostly of men -devoted to rare books. Tomes containing alterations in the title-page, -or in a leaf, or in any trivial circumstance, were bought by these -collectors at £100, £200, or £300, though the copies were often of small -intrinsic worth. Specimens of first editions of all authors, and -editions by the early printers, were never sold for less than £50, £100, -or £200. So great became this mania that, in order to gratify the -members of the club, facsimile copies of clumsy editions of trumpery -books were reprinted. In some cases, indeed, it became worth the while -of unscrupulous people to palm off forgeries upon the more credulous of -these collectors. - -The club issued various publications, but its costly dinners attracted -more attention than anything else. On one occasion the bill was above £5 -10s. per head, and the list of toasts included the “immortal memory” not -only of John, Duke of Roxburghe, but of William Caxton, Dame Juliana -Berners, Wynkyn de Worde, Richard Pynson, the Aldine family, and “The -Cause of Bibliomania all over the World.” In one year, when Lord Spencer -presided over the club feast, the “Roxburghe Revels” thus recorded the -fact: “Twenty-one members met joyfully, dined comfortably, challenged -eagerly, tippled prettily, divided regretfully, and paid the bill most -cheerfully.” - -The bill of one of the dinners of the Roxburghe Club held at Grillion’s -Hotel has been preserved. Its curious phraseology is due to the French -waiter who made it out: - - - DINNER (_sic_) DU 17 JUIN, 1815. - - £ s. d. - 20 20 0 0 - Desser 2 0 0 - Deu sorte de Glasse 1 4 0 - Glasse pour 6 0 4 0 - 5 Boutelle de Champagne 4 0 0 - 7 Boutelle de harmetage 5 5 0 - 1 Boutelle de Hok 0 15 0 - 4 Boutelle de Port 1 6 0 - 4 Boutelle de Maderre 2 0 0 - 22 Boutelle de Bordeaux 15 8 0 - 2 Boutelle de Bourgogne 1 12 0 - [Not legible] 0 14 0 - Soder 0 2 0 - Biere e Ail 0 6 0 - For la Lettre 0 2 0 - Pour faire une prune 0 6 0 - Pour un fiacre 0 2 0 - — — — - 55 6 0 - Waiters 1 14 0 - — — — - £57 0 0 - - -Amongst the curious old clubs of the eighteenth century, the Kit-Kat, -founded about 1700, deserves attention. This was composed of thirty-nine -noblemen and gentlemen zealously attached to the House of Hanover, among -them six Dukes and many other peers. The club met at a small house in -Shire Lane, by Temple Bar, where a famous mutton-pie man, by name -Christopher Katt, supplied his pies to the club suppers and gave his -name to the club, although it has been stated that the pie itself was -called “kit-kat.” - -The extraordinary title of the club is explained in the following lines: - - - “Whence deathless Kit-Kat took its name, - Few critics can unriddle; - Some say from pastrycook it came. - And some from Cat and Fiddle. - - “From no trim beaux its name it boasts, - Grey statesmen or green wits. - But from the pell-mell peck of toasts - Of old cats and young kits.” - - -A feature of the club was its toasts. Every member was compelled to name -a beauty, whose claims to the honour were then discussed; and if her -name was approved, a special tumbler was consecrated to her, and verses -to her honour engraved on it. Such of these tumblers as still survive -must be very rare. When only eight years old, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu -enjoyed the honour of having her charms commemorated on one of these -“toasting tumblers.” Her father, afterwards Duke of Kingston, in a fit -of caprice proposed “The Pretty Little Child” as his toast. The other -members, who had never seen her, objected, but, the child having been -sent for, found her charming, and yielded. The forward little girl was -handed from knee to knee, petted and caressed by the assembled wits. -Another celebrated toast of the Kit-Kat, mentioned by Walpole, was Lady -Molyneux, who, he says, died smoking a pipe. - -Several of the more celebrated of these “toasts” had their portraits -hung in the club-room. - -The character of the club was political as well as literary, but its -chief aim was the promotion of culture and wit. The members subscribed -the sum of 400 guineas to offer as prizes for the best comedies written. - -This club at one period of its existence had a room built for the -members at Barn Elms (now the highly prosperous Ranelagh Club). This was -hung with portraits painted by Kneller, which, being all of one size, -originated the name “Kit-Kat,” which is still in use. - -A prominent member of the Kit-Kat Club was the famous Court physician, -Dr. Samuel Garth, who, while dining one evening, protested that he must -leave early, as he had many patients to visit. Nevertheless he lingered -on hour after hour. Sir Richard Steele, who was present, reminded him of -his professional duties, when Garth produced a list of fifteen patients. -“It matters little,” he cried, “whether I see them or not to-night. Nine -or ten are so bad that all the doctors in the world could not save them, -and the remainder have such tough constitutions that they want no -doctors.” - -A celebrated early eighteenth-century literary club was the Royal -Society, instituted by a number of literary men who met in Dean’s Court, -there to dine on fish and drink porter. One of these gatherings expanded -into the Club of Royal Philosophers, or, as it came to be called, the -Royal Society Club. They dined together on Thursdays, usually to the -number of six, but sometimes more. A favourite dining-place was -Pontack’s, the celebrated French eating-house in Abchurch Lane, City; -and they also dined at the Devil Tavern, near Temple Bar, and at the -Mitre Tavern, in Fleet Street. In 1780 the club, as it had become, went -to the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand; and here they remained -for sixty-eight years, only removing to the Freemasons’ Tavern, in Fleet -Street, in 1848. Finally, when the Royal Society was installed at -Burlington House in 1857, the club held its meetings at the Thatched -House, in St. James’s Street, which they frequented until that tavern -was demolished. - -As time went on, the cost of the club dinner gradually rose. It began at -1s. 6d. per head, then went to 4s., including wine and 2d. to the -waiter, and was afterwards increased to 10s. The wine was laid in at £45 -the pipe, or 1s. 6d. per bottle, and charged by the landlord at 2s. 6d. -This club was sometimes known as Dr. Halley’s, for Halley was said to -have been its founder. - -An eccentric member was the Hon. Henry Cavendish, commonly called the -“Club Crœsus.” Though wealthy, he seldom had enough money in his pockets -to pay for his dinner, and his manners were extraordinary. He picked his -teeth with a fork, carried his cane stuck in his right boot, and was -very angry when anyone else hung his hat on the peg he preferred in the -hall. Yet he was not unsociable; he is said to have left a large legacy -to a fellow-member—Lord Bessborough—in gratitude for his pleasant -conversation. - -Cavendish was rather a misogynist. One evening a pretty girl chanced to -be at an upper window on the opposite side of the street, watching the -philosophers at dinner. She attracted notice, and one by one they got up -and mustered round the window to admire the fair one. Cavendish, who -thought they were looking at the moon, bustled up to them in his odd -way, and, when he saw the real object of their study, turned away with -intense disgust, and grunted out “Pshaw!” - -The President of the Royal Society was always elected president of the -club. Princes, Ministers, men of high rank, and Ambassadors were -entertained together with men of science, great ecclesiastics, and -distinguished soldiers and sailors; Franklin, Jenner, John Hunter, Sir -Joshua Reynolds, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Gibbon, Wedgwood, Turner, De la -Beche, and Brunel were amongst these. - -The modern Royal Societies Club, in St. James’s Street, has no -connection with the ancient institution just mentioned. It was founded -in 1894, and its members either belong to learned societies, -Universities, and institutions of the United Kingdom, or are well known -in the spheres of Literature, Science, and Art. The committee possesses -the right of granting the use of certain rooms in the club-house for -lectures or for meetings of any of the societies or institutions -recognized by the constitution of the club. This club has a somewhat -peculiar subscription, town members—that is, those residing within a -radius of twenty miles—paying eight guineas, country members six, and -colonial and foreign members two. - -A club which has done much to promote a knowledge and appreciation of -art in London is the Burlington Fine Arts, now at 17 Savile Row. This -was founded in 1866, when the Marquis d’Azeglio, then Sardinian Minister -in London, and a well known connoisseur, was chairman. In the early days -there were 250 members, and the club premises were at No. 177 -Piccadilly. At that time the Fine Arts Club was still in existence, and -most of its members joined what was called the Burlington Fine Arts -Club, on account of its premises being opposite Burlington House, into -which the Royal Academy had just moved. Exhibitions of considerable -importance were held in the rooms in Piccadilly, the first chiefly of -French etchings, and the last (in 1870) of original drawings by Raphael -and Michael Angelo. In that year the club moved to Savile Row, where was -built the present gallery, which has been the scene of a series of -annual exhibitions. - -The membership of this flourishing association of art-lovers is now 500, -and since the foundation of the club its annual exhibitions have -gathered together many priceless works of art in the club-house. This, -however, contains no furniture or _objets d’art_ calling for mention, -with the exception of an Italian sixteenth-century mirror boldly carved -out of walnut wood in the style of Michael Angelo. The present chairman -is Lord Brownlow, whilst the secretarial duties are most ably performed -by Mr. Beavan. - -The foremost modern literary club in England is of course the Athenæum, -which was first established in 1824, under the name of The Society. The -latter appellation was, however, changed to the Athenæum at an inaugural -dinner given at No. 12 Waterloo Place. - -Three years later the committee, having obtained possession of a more -convenient site, part of which had been occupied by the recently -demolished Carlton House, entrusted Decimus Burton with the task of -building a suitable club-house. In the course of its construction Croker -insisted that the Scotch sculptor, John Heming, should contribute a -frieze designed as a reproduction of that of the Parthenon—an -ornamentation at the time characterized as an extravagant novelty. In -spite of a good deal of opposition, Croker carried the day, and the -construction of an ice-house, which had been advocated by several -members, was abandoned in order to afford funds for the classical -decoration. - -In connection with this was written the epigram: - - - “I’m John Wilson Croker, - I do as I please: - They ask for an Ice-house, - I’ll give ’em—a Frieze.” - - -The new Athenæum club-house was formally opened in February 1830, some -soirées being given, to which ladies were admitted, though not without -protest. The building, which is of some architectural interest, was -erected on the west end of the courtyard of old Carlton House, the -smoking-room being exactly under what was the Prince Regent’s -dining-room. - -In the finely-proportioned hall eight pale primrose pillars on broad -bronzed bases, copied from the Temple of the Winds at Athens, support -the panelled waggon roof, the Pompeian ornamentation being of an -original design. The two statues in niches, “Venus Victrix” and “Diana -Robing,” were chosen by Sir Thomas Lawrence, who also designed the club -seal. - -On the right of the hall is the morning-room, redecorated in 1892, when -the ceiling was elaborately painted by Sir Edward Poynter. The bust of -Milton in this room was bequeathed by Anthony Trollope; in the adjoining -writing-room hangs a portrait of Dr. Johnson by Opie, the gift of Mr. -Humphry Ward. The drawing-room upstairs, one of the finest rooms in -London, has no fewer than eleven windows. But the chief glory of the -Athenæum is its library, the view from which embraces the pretty garden, -where a rookery once existed. The annual expenditure on books since 1848 -has averaged about £450. The Athenæum library is by far the finest and -most important club library in the world, all departments of foreign as -well as English books being represented by rare and complete examples. -Moreover, there is on its shelves one of the best collections of -reference books in England, and the bookcases are stored with valuable -volumes—rare tomes dealing with history, topography, and archæology, as -well as sumptuously-bound books on art. Of these a number were obtained -under a legacy of the Rev. Charles Turner, and others were left by the -late Mr. Felix Slade. The collection of English pamphlets is also -singularly complete, and includes 21 volumes collected together by Sir -James Mackintosh, 43 by Dr. Nasmith the antiquary, 139 volumes by Morton -Pitt, 23 volumes by Gibbon on historical and financial subjects, 23 -volumes devoted to foreign and colonial affairs, and 52 volumes of -smaller publications relating to America. Amongst literary matter of a -lighter description preserved in this library are 26 portfolios -containing newspapers and caricatures collected during the siege of -Paris and the Commune. In a case is preserved a large number of proof -engravings, most of them after portraits of members. These were executed -by George Richmond, R.A., who presented the collection. An interesting -relic of Thackeray is the original manuscript of “The Orphan of -Pimlico,” in the great novelist’s beautiful handwriting. - -A portrait of George IV was formerly over the fireplace. Sir Thomas -Lawrence, its painter, was engaged in finishing the sword-knot and -orders only a few hours before his death. He intended to present it to -the club, but, as his executors declined to part with it, the painting -was eventually purchased for £128 10s. This portrait is now in the -museum of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, having been handed over to the -Corporation of that town in 1858. Busts of Dr. Johnson (presented by Mr. -Percy Fitzgerald) and of Pope (a bequest) are here, together with the -carved armchair used by Dickens at Gad’s Hill, in which, on the day of -his death, the great novelist had been sitting at work on “Edwin Drood.” -Many will remember “The Empty Chair” which appeared in the then -newly-founded _Graphic_ in June 1870. Macaulay’s corner, near the books -on English history, is a well-known feature of this library, which the -late Mark Pattison said he thought the most delightful place in the -world, especially on a Sunday morning. At the table in the south-west -corner Thackeray used constantly to work. A great habitué of the library -in the early days of the club was Isaac Disraeli, who, as befitted the -author of the “Curiosities of Literature,” was one of the earliest -members—indeed, one of the founders of the club. His invariable costume -consisted of a blue coat with brass buttons, a yellow waistcoat, and -knee-breeches. A similar fashion was followed by another member—Dr. -Booth—as late as 1863. - -One evening, in or about the year 1830, a non-member, young Benjamin -Disraeli, in defiance of the club rules, coolly walked upstairs to the -library, and there proceeded to confer with his father. He was duly -requested to withdraw, and it is perhaps not extraordinary that the -future Prime Minister should have been blackballed in 1832. The reason -given at the time for this rejection was that his proposer or seconder -had rendered himself particularly unpopular. - -It was not until thirty-four years later that the great statesman became -a member of the Athenæum, to which he was admitted under the rule -allowing the committee to elect annually a limited number of persons -“who have attained to distinguished eminence.” As Lord Beaconsfield he -seems to have used the club but little, although, according to -tradition, he abstracted from the library his own “Revolutionary Epick,” -written in 1834. - -In a corner of the Athenæum library the late Cardinal Manning, who had -been elected at a time when he was attending the Vatican Council, used -to sit quietly reading. At one time he used the club a good deal, as did -another venerable ecclesiastic, Dr. Tatham, noted for eccentricity and -long sermons. Yet another divine well known at the Athenæum was the -nonagenarian Bishop Durnford, of Chichester. Bishops have always been -more or less abundant at this club, for which reason, when an unusually -large number were collected together for Convocation, Abraham Hayward is -said to have grumbled out: “I see the Bishops are beginning to swarm: -the atmosphere is alive with them; every moment I expect to find one -dropping into my soup.” - -There was a great storm amongst the Bishops when Bishop Colenso visited -England, and, as can be imagined, his admission to the Athenæum as an -honorary member was violently opposed. - -Samuel Wilberforce, Lord Lytton the novelist, Abraham Hayward (the -Vernon Tuft of Samuel Warren’s “Ten Thousand a Year,” still remembered -by some), and many other celebrated characters, were frequenters of this -peaceful room. Here, too, Theodore Hook dashed off much brilliant work. -This spontaneous and volatile wit at one time used the club a great -deal. He it was who wrote the lines: - - - “There’s first the Athenæum Club, so wise, there’s not a man of it - That has not sense enough for six (in fact, that is the plan of it); - The very waiters answer you with eloquence Socratical, - And always place the knives and forks in order mathematical.” - - -Hook dined much at the Athenæum—often, it was said, “not wisely, but too -well.” The name of his favourite spot in the dining-room—“Temperance -Corner”—is still preserved. Here he used to call for toast-and-water and -lemonade, which the waiters quite understood was his humorous way of -indicating the various alcoholic beverages of which he was so fond. Hook -loved to sit long over his meals, in which respect it is interesting to -remember he was quite unlike Dickens, who often lunched standing, off -sandwiches. - -It was at the foot of the Athenæum staircase that the author of -“Pickwick” ended his unfortunate estrangement from Thackeray, being -intercepted by the latter and forced to shake hands. - -Intellect rather than love of comfort formerly distinguished most -members of the club, and for this reason, perhaps, the Athenæum has -never been noted for its cooking. “Asiatic Sundays” was the name given -to the Sabbaths, on which curry and rice always appeared on the bill of -fare. Another Athenæum dinner was known for its marrow-bones and jam -roly-poly puddings. Sir Edwin Landseer once denounced an Athenæum -beefsteak in a terse manner: “They say there’s nothing like leather; -this beefsteak is.” A boar’s head on the sideboard was described by a -witty member as the head of a certain member who had at last met with -the thoroughly deserved fate of decapitation. - -Kinglake, the historian, lived almost entirely at the Athenæum, even -when aged, infirm, and terribly deaf. People used to say that, when they -talked to him, everybody in the room heard except Kinglake. Like many -deaf men, he was given to shouting in people’s ears, and on one occasion -was heard screaming to Thackeray at the top of his voice: “Come and sit -down; I have something very private to tell you: no one must hear it but -you.” Another distinguished soldier, equally deaf, used to select the -smoking-room of his club for confidential conversations with members of -his staff, putting momentous questions and receiving answers which were -given in such a loud tone that everyone heard his official secrets. - -The Athenæum has never been very favourable to the stage. Some of the -great actors of the past, however, belonged to it, notably Sir Henry -Irving, who was a most popular member. - -Other actor members were Charles Mathews the elder, Macready, Charles -Mayne Young, Charles Kemble, Charles Kean, and Daniel Terry. - -Considering the partiality of literary men for tobacco, it seems curious -that the only smoking-room in this club used to be in the basement. To -supply a pressing need, an upper floor was a short time ago constructed -at the top of the building; and smokers can now be conveyed by a lift, -put in at the time of the alterations in 1900. - -Membership of the Athenæum would seem to favour a man’s chances of -living to a green old age, and certain members have belonged to the club -for an extraordinary number of years. Mr. Lettsom Elliot, for instance, -who died in 1898, had been a member since 1824, when he was elected at -the first committee meeting of the club. Mr. Elliot had kept a copy of -the first list of members, and in 1882 he had a reprint of this -produced, which forms a record of considerable interest. On this -committee were Chantrey, the sculptor; John Wilson Croker; Sir Humphry -Davy; Sir Thomas Lawrence; Sir James Mackintosh; Tom Moore, the poet; -Sir Walter Scott; together with some others. Amongst distinguished -ordinary members have been Benjamin Brodie; Mark Isambard Brunel, the -engineer; Dibdin; Isaac Disraeli; Lord Ellenborough; Michael Faraday; -John Franklin; Henry Hallam; James Morier, the diplomatist, and author -of “Haji Baba”; Samuel Rogers; Sir John Soane, who bequeathed to the -nation the Soane Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields; Joseph Turner; Charles -Kemble; Charles Mathews the elder; Westall, the artist; David Wilkie; -Henry Holland; Blanco White, a friend of Coleridge’s; Whately; Newman; -Jekyll, the wit; John Stuart Mill; and Herbert Spencer. - -The last-named was fond of playing billiards in the club, where he is -said to have made the famous remark to a very skilful antagonist: -“Though a certain proficiency at this game is to be desired, the skill -you have shown seems to argue a misspent youth.” - -A club which somewhat resembled the present Athenæum in character was -the Alfred, founded in 1808 for men of letters, travellers, and the -like. It was first started at a house in Albemarle Street, when it -appears to have been a very solemn institution. A member, indeed, not in -sympathy with its tone, called it the “dullest place in the world, where -bores prevailed to the exclusion of every other interest, and one heard -nothing but idle reports and twaddling opinions. It is,” said he, “the -asylum of doting Tories and drivelling quidnuncs.” - -Lord Byron, however, called it “a pleasant club—a little too sober and -literary, perhaps, but, on the whole, a decent resource on a rainy day.” - -In 1811, three years after its foundation, there were no fewer than 354 -candidates for six vacancies, but this happy state of affairs did not -last. - -Sir William Fraser described the Alfred as having been “a sort of minor -Athenæum,” which perhaps caused a wag to say the title should be changed -from Alfred to “Halfread.” - -Lord Alvanley, who was a member, once said at White’s: “I stood the -Alfred as long as I could, but when the seventeenth Bishop was proposed -I gave in; I really could not enter the place without being put in mind -of my Catechism.” The Bishops, it is said, resigned the club when a -billiard-table was introduced. In the course of time the Alfred -languished, and was finally dissolved in 1855. - -Hatred of tobacco, it is said, caused the end of the Alfred. A certain -influential section of members persistently opposing any improvement in -the smoking-room, which was at the top of the house and stigmatized as -an “infamous hole,” the committee would make no concession, and so the -club was eventually closed. - -When it was evident that the Alfred could not maintain an independent -existence (though perfectly solvent), a sort of coalition was formed -with the Oriental. A large number of members were admitted to the latter -without entrance fee, but most of the Alfred members joined other clubs, -especially the Athenæum. - -A flourishing little literary club of modern origin is the Savile, in -Piccadilly. This possesses a very curious table, which was purchased -some years ago. It would appear to have been made during the -mid-Victorian period, and is embellished with a number of curious -designs in various woods—masterpieces of the inlayer’s art. Amongst -these is a portrait of the late Queen Victoria. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - THE GARRICK—JOCKEY CLUB AT NEWMARKET—ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON AT - COWES—CONCLUSION - - -Though various London clubs possess a certain number of pictures and -_objets d’art_, the Garrick stands alone in the ownership of a unique -collection. This, however, has been described so frequently that any -detailed treatment would be superfluous. - -The Garrick was originally started at 35 King Street, Covent Garden, in -1831, “for the purpose of bringing together the ‘patrons’ of the drama -and its professors, and also for offering literary men a rendezvous.” - -The club-house had been a family hotel. It was comfortable enough when -it was first transformed into the home of the Garrick Club, but in -course of time the building was found insufficient for the increased -number of members, and in 1864 the club removed to a new house built for -them a little farther west than the old one, in the then newly-made -Garrick Street—a classic region associated with the old club-house. - -The new Garrick was built by Mr. Marrable, who cleverly surmounted -certain difficulties connected with the back of the building. - -The bulk of the Garrick Club collection consists of the gallery formed -by the elder Mathews, who had a passion for collecting theatrical -portraits, and who purchased most of the pictures owned by Mr. Harris, -the old lessee of Covent Garden. - -Mrs. Mathews, the actor’s wife and biographer, describes how the -pictures were saved from the swindling tenant who robbed them of their -rent in the King’s Road cottage. Mathews’s “giant hobby,” as she calls -it, was then (1814) in its infancy; but the Mr. Tonson who succeeded -them in the cottage begged to be allowed to retain the pictures, which -were at that time hanging in one small room. Mathews, who would as soon -have left behind him an eye or a limb as these his treasures, managed to -retain them. Later on he built at his house at Hampstead a special -gallery for his pictures, which had then considerably increased in -number. Many writers came there to see them, all of whom were not -equally appreciative. When, however, Mathews found a real judge of art, -he called it “receiving a dividend,” and would launch out into all sorts -of disquisitions as to his treasures, enlivened by anecdotes and -imitations of the persons portrayed. Inquisitive people, who came to see -the actor as a celebrity rather than to inspect his pictures, irritated -and exasperated him by their behaviour and their mistakes, which were -often absurd. Harlowe’s fine picture of Mrs. Siddons as Lady Macbeth was -taken for a portrait of Mrs. Mathews; Dewilde’s exquisite portrait of -Miss De Camp—Mrs. Charles Kemble—in male attire, in “The Gentle -Shepherd,” was praised as being Master Betty. One individual, who had -evidently never entered a London theatre, asked why there was no -portrait of Milton. Eventually all the pictures were exhibited in Oxford -Street, and there still exists a catalogue of this exhibition, to which -a characteristic article of Charles Lamb’s, which appeared in the -_London Magazine_, is prefixed. - -During Mathews’s lifetime the collection was removed to the Garrick -Club. It then practically passed into the possession of a member, Mr. -John Durrant, who eventually gave the pictures to the club. - -There are many good portraits of Mathews at the Garrick, of which the -most remarkable is, perhaps, the one by Harlowe, who depicted him in -four perfectly different and distinct characters—a tribute to the -actor’s versatility. The four characters are those of Fond Barneyl, the -idiot newsvendor of York; another weak-minded simpleton catching a fly; -Mr. Wiggins, an extraordinarily stout man, in a farce called “Mrs. -Wiggins”; and Mathews himself in ordinary day dress. Another good -portrait, by Clint, A.R.A., shows Liston and Mathews in “The Village -Lawyer,” the former as Sheepface, the latter as Scout. Liston impressed -people on casual acquaintance with an idea of inveterate gravity; as -Sheepface he fairly amazed Mathews, and in this part made him laugh so -much that he was hardly able to go on. - -Two of the finest pictures in the Garrick are those representing Garrick -and Mrs. Pritchard in “Macbeth,” and Garrick and Mrs. Cibber in “Venice -Preserved.” Zoffany, who excelled in theatrical portraiture, painted -both of these. Another portrait by him shows the great actor as Lord -Chalkstone. - -The fine picture of Macbeth is highly interesting on account of -Garrick’s costume. Though a stage reformer, he did not dare to discard -old traditions of dress, and played the Highland thane in a long-skirted -blue coat with crimson cuffs, and a full-bottomed wig of the Georgian -period. Occasionally he acted Macbeth in the costume of a fashionable -gentleman of the day—a suit of black silk, with silk stockings, and -shoes, buckles at the knees and feet, a full-bottomed wig, and sword. - -Benjamin West once asked Garrick why he adhered to this ridiculous -usage, to which he replied that he was afraid of his audience, who would -have thrown bottles at him if he had dared to change. John Philip -Kemble, when stage-manager at Drury Lane, finally corrected the -absurdities of stage costume, although Henderson appears to have -preceded him in this respect. In Romney’s picture of Henderson as -Macbeth, which is in the club, the chieftain appears as a medieval -warrior wearing body armour, with arms and legs bare. In 1772 Macklin -played Macbeth at Covent Garden in the dress of a Highlander, but, being -a clumsy old man, he is said to have looked more like a Scotch piper -than a warrior. Kemble, oddly enough, first played Othello in the full -uniform of a British General—as Macbeth he wore a hearse-like plume in -his bonnet; whilst Mrs. Crough, the singer, who played the First Witch, -wore powdered hair and the fashionable costume of her day. - -Garrick excelled in the art of facial expression. When he sat to -Gainsborough, he paid, it is said, no fewer than sixteen visits to his -studio, and on each occasion wrought a change in his features. At length -the painter, declaring he could not paint a man with such a “Protean -phiz,” threw down his brush in despair. Garrick sat to Hogarth as -Fielding, after the novelist’s death, when the painter wished to paint a -posthumous likeness of the great writer. Dressed in a suit of Fielding’s -clothes, the actor cleverly assumed his features, look, and attitude. -Small wonder that Johnson, when he heard that Garrick’s face was growing -wrinkled, exclaimed: “And so it ought, for whose face has experienced so -much wear and tear as his?” - -At times this great actor would indulge in very unconventional -behaviour. Acting in a tragedy in which a Mr. Thomas Hurst—who was a -brandy-merchant—took a part, Garrick, conceiving Hurst too tame to -support him, reproved him publicly on the stage. “Mr. Hurst,” said he, -“if you will put MORE _British spirit_ into your _acting_, and LESS in -your _brandy_, you may send me _two gallons_ to-morrow morning.” Whether -the brandy-merchant was offended or not, history does not relate; but he -took care to remember the order, which he sent the following day, -writing at the bottom of the bill of parcels: “As per your order last -night, on the stage of Drury Lane Theatre.” - -Garrick once set up a man in a snuff-shop, and actually recommended his -snuff, known as “No. 37,” from the stage, as a result of which the -snuff-merchant realized an ample fortune. - -Garrick, as is well known, was not devoid of vanity, and was at times -fond of praising himself. During one evening at the Sublime Society, he -remarked that so many manuscript plays were sent him to read, that in -order to avoid losing them and hurting the feelings of the poor devils -the authors, he made a point of ticketing and labelling the play that -was to be returned, that it might be forthcoming at a moment’s notice. -“A fig for your hypocrisy!” exclaimed Murphy across the table. “You -know, Davy, you mislaid my tragedy two months ago, and I make no doubt -you have lost it.” “Yes,” replied Garrick; “but you forget, you -ungrateful dog, that I offered you more than its value, for you might -have had two manuscript farces in its stead.” - -Amongst the many fascinating actresses of other days who smile from the -Garrick walls, some mention must be made of Mrs. Oldfield—Pope’s -Narcissa. Mrs. Oldfield was supposed to be the daughter of a Captain -Oldfield. Her early years were passed with an aunt, who kept the Mitre -Tavern in St. James’s Market. At this resort she attracted attention for -her recitation of one of Beaumont and Fletcher’s comedies, and Rich, the -celebrated manager, gave her an engagement at Drury Lane. Starting at a -small salary, she quickly rose to speaking parts, and soon became the -leading lady on the stage of that day. She went to the theatre in a -chair escorted by two footmen, and, seldom mixing with her -fellow-actors, enjoyed a unique position in spite of a by no means -severe morality. She had one son by Arthur Maynwaring, and afterwards -lived under the protection of General Churchill, a brother of the great -Duke of Marlborough. It is said that Queen Caroline remarked to her one -day: “I hear that you and the General are married.” “Madam,” replied the -actress discreetly, “the General keeps his own secrets.” Mrs. Oldfield’s -children married well; her granddaughter became the wife of Lord Walpole -of Wolterton, and was the direct ancestress of the present writer. The -American novelist Mr. Winston Churchill is, I believe, a descendant of -the sprightly actress. - -From time to time the original collection at the Garrick Club has been -largely increased, and some of the additions are notable. One of the -most admirable modern portraits in the club now hangs over the -morning-room mantelpiece. It represents the late Sir Henry Irving in -morning dress, and was painted and presented by Sir John Millais. -Another good portrait of the veteran Phelps as Cardinal Wolsey, in -scarlet robes, is the work of that talented artist and actor—Mr. -Forbes-Robertson. Mr. Henry Neville, who died but recently, was painted -as Count Almaviva, by Mr. W. John Walton; and Sir Squire and Lady -Bancroft are represented in marble statuettes, done by the late Prince -Victor of Hohenlohe. A picture of Sir John Hare in one of his most -successful creations—Benjamin Goldfinch in “A Pair of Spectacles”—has -recently been added. - -In the Garrick are preserved some small silver candlesticks, formed of -little figures representing harlequins and the like. These were -presented by the writer’s great-uncle, Edward Walpole, known as Adonis -Walpole on account of his good looks. The rest of the set is in the -possession of Lady Dorothy Nevill. - -There have been many “characters” amongst Garrick members in former -days, of whom, perhaps, the most original was Tom Hill, who was an -authority upon most things—grave or gay. - -Born in 1760 at Queenhithe, he became a dry-salter, but, having -sustained financial losses in 1810, retired about that year to rooms in -the Adelphi, where he lived comfortably enough. A great collector of -books, chiefly old poetry, and theatrical relics, he was very well known -in literary and stage circles. - -Hill is said to have been the original of Paul Pry, but this is -doubtful. The great joke in connection with him was his age. James Smith -once said that it was impossible to discover his age, for the parish -register had been burnt in the Fire of London; but Hook capped this: -“Pooh, pooh!”—Tom’s habitual exclamation—“he’s one of the Little Hills -that are spoken of as skipping in the Psalms.” - -Till within three months of his death, Hill usually rose at five, took a -walk to Billingsgate, and brought the materials for his breakfast home -with him to the Adelphi. At dinner he would eat and drink like a -subaltern of five-and-twenty, and one secret of his continued vitality -was that a day of abstinence and repose uniformly followed a festivity. -He then nursed himself most carefully on tea and dry toast, tasted -neither meat nor wine, and went to bed by eight o’clock. But perhaps the -grand secret was the easy, imperturbable serenity of his temper, which, -when he died in 1841 at the age of eighty-one, enabled him to look -twenty years younger. It was probably due to this fact, also, that his -cheerfulness remained unimpaired, in spite of the comparative poverty of -his later years. - -Hill’s collection of old English poetry was dispersed in 1810, whilst -other rarities and memorials which he had got together took Evans, of -Pall Mall, a week to sell by auction. These included some very -interesting autograph letters, and among the memorials were Garrick’s -Shakespeare cup, a vase carved from the Bard’s mulberry-tree, and a -block of wood from Pope’s willow at Twickenham. - -The late sittings for which the Garrick was formerly renowned seem to -have become more or less things of the past. - -Supper at the Garrick some twenty-five years ago was, especially on -certain nights, a regular institution. The late Sir Henry Irving and Mr. -Toole were regular attendants, often sitting very late at the long table -in the smaller dining-room, where the supper-table was regularly laid. -Many of those who assembled round the festive board have now, like the -before-mentioned theatrical stars, joined the great majority. - -At that time, except for lunch, the Garrick Club was not, during the -day, used by so many members as at present, nor was the club-house so -comfortable or the pictures and relics displayed to such advantage. -Those desirous of smoking were also hampered by restrictions, which have -since been removed. As a result of the enlightened policy pursued in -recent years, this club is now one of the most sociable and agreeable in -London, whilst its membership is still largely composed of men well -known in the literary and theatrical worlds. - -The Arts Club, now in Dover Street, was formerly located at 17 Hanover -Square. “Sweet Seventeen,” as it came to be called, was a fine old -Georgian house, with marble mantelpieces and ceilings painted by -Angelica Kauffmann. Some of the rooms were originally panelled, and the -staircases were of old oak; but all these fine things are now dispersed, -and the house has been pulled down. At the time when it was occupied by -the Arts Club the walls were further adorned by pictures which were lent -for exhibition, and which completed a _tout ensemble_ of singular charm. - -Another club of which much has been written is the Savage, started in -1855. This Bohemian institution has always had a number of celebrities -on its list. In its early days the membership included George -Cruikshank, J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford, Shirley Brooks, Dion Boucicault, -and George Augustus Sala. Sala’s name appears in the first list, and he -served on the first committee, but although he twice joined the club he -was not a “Savage” when he died. Other notable members of those days -were “Mike” Halliday, Arthur Sketchley, Sir Squire Bancroft, Sothern, -Henry S. Leigh, “Tom” Robertson, Lord Dunraven (then Lord Adair), Joseph -Hatton, Kendal, George Henty the war-correspondent (who won great fame -as a writer of boys’ books), W. S. (now Sir William) Gilbert, and Arthur -Sullivan the composer. - -In connection with Bohemian clubs, some mention of the Players’ Club, at -16 Granmercy Park, New York, may not be out of place. The club in -question was opened on the last night of 1888 by the late Mr. Edwin -Booth, who, having purchased the building, remodelled and furnished it -as a club-house, and presented the title-deed to the members as a free -gift. - -Membership of the Players’, like that of the Garrick, is not confined to -actors alone. It also resembles the latter club in that it contains many -prints and mementoes of great theatrical stars who have passed away, -including a priceless collection of costumes and properties. The memory -of Edwin Booth is commemorated firstly by the conservation, in an -untouched condition, of the bedroom in which the last years of his life -were passed; and secondly by the Booth library, containing a fine -collection of volumes bequeathed to the club by the great actor. - -The contents of Edwin Booth’s bedroom are kept exactly as in his -lifetime, even to the last book he read, with a mark on the last page -the great actor turned. A chair and skull used by him in “Hamlet” are -also here. - -On the last night of the old year, club custom at the Players’ ordains -that about midnight a loving-cup should be passed round amongst members, -in order that they may drink to the memory of the founder. - -“Ladies’ day” is an annual festival of this club, held on Shakespeare’s -birthday—April 23rd—on which date a number of ladies, either connected -with or interested in the stage, are entertained. - -This and “founders’ night” are the only two functions held, and -consequently invitations are very highly prized. Each member is allowed -but two cards of admission. - -Another Bohemian New York club is the Lambs. The funds to pay off a -mortgage of 36,000 dollars on the club-house in West Thirty-sixth Street -were raised in a highly characteristic manner. For the space of one week -a company consisting entirely of stars—actors, musicians, and -authors—formed themselves into a minstrel troupe and toured through -eight cities, with the result that they made 67,000 dollars. Each member -of this troupe on its dispersal received one dollar as a souvenir of his -services. - -The present club-house of the Lambs, at West Forty-fourth Street, cost -no less than 300,000 dollars. It is a most luxurious building furnished -with every modern convenience, and contains a theatre where the Lambs -hold their famous Gambols, and where plays never performed elsewhere are -played. Besides their private Gambols, the Lambs give an annual public -Gambol at a New York Theatre, to see which the public can obtain tickets -through members. - -The Lambs are exceedingly charitable to any of their number who may be -overwhelmed by misfortune or sickness, and, indeed, membership of the -club has been said to constitute an insurance against adversity. Many a -stricken actor has had reason to bless the club, which on one occasion, -through a benefit performance organized in conjunction with the players, -obtained a comfortable annuity for an actor who had been seized by an -incurable malady. - -Whilst hardly a club in the sense now usually understood, the Jockey -Club possesses rooms at Newmarket, and a number of sporting prints are -to be seen here. The most interesting relic in the possession of the -club, however, is a hoof of Eclipse, formed into an inkstand. On the -front are the royal arms in gold in high relief, and on the pedestal is -the following inscription: “This piece of plate, with the hoof of -Eclipse, was presented by His Most Gracious Majesty William the Fourth -to the Jockey Club, May 1832.” This hoof was originally given as a prize -in a Challenge race (rather like “The Whip”) run on Ascot Thursday. The -King gave an additional £200, and there was a £100 sweepstake between -members of the Jockey Club. It was run for soon after it was presented, -in the year of the great Reform Bill, on the same afternoon that -Camarine and Rowton ran a dead-heat for the Gold Cup, and over the same -course. One subscriber scratched, and, of the other two, Lord -Chesterfield, with the famous Priam (Conolly up), beat General Grosvenor -and Sarpedon, ridden by John Day. In 1834 Lord Chesterfield won again -with Glaucus (Bill Scott up), beating Gallopade, who had won for Mr. -Cosby the year before. Twelve months later the hoof was challenged for -by Mr. Batson, but there was no reply. It is much to be regretted that -no sporting event is now connected with this historic hoof. Considering -how small an interest the contests for the Whip have excited of late -years, there is little likelihood of this relic being again run for on -Newmarket Heath. - -Eclipse is closely connected with the history of the Jockey Club. This -race-horse of historic memory lived for twenty-five years, and the years -in question just coincided with the period during which the Jockey Club -grew into a powerful body. It was also the time of the foundation of the -Derby, the Oaks, and the St. Leger. Then it was that the Jockey Club -first began to be quoted as a real and powerful authority, and when its -rulings were first accepted by racing men. The sentence of “warning -off,” originally established by precedent, was legally recognized in -1827, when, in the case of the Duke of Portland _v._ Hawkins, a man to -whom the Jockey Club objected was successfully proceeded against for -trespass on the freehold property of the club. - -Although the memory of Eclipse is intimately connected with the history -of the Jockey Club, it is a rather remarkable thing that his owner never -succeeded in obtaining admittance to that exclusive circle. Colonel -O’Kelly’s one great grievance, which led him persistently to denounce -the Jockey Club, was the stubborn refusal of the members to elect him. - -On one occasion, when Colonel O’Kelly was making a contract with a -jockey, he stipulated as a special condition that he should never ride -for any of the _black-legged_ fraternity. The consenting jockey saying -“he was at a loss to know who the Captain meant by the black-legged -fraternity,” he instantly replied, with his usual energy: “Oh, ——, my -dear, and I’ll soon make you understand who I mean by the black-legged -fraternity! There’s the Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Dorset,” etc., -naming the principal members of the Jockey Club, “and all the set of -_thaves_ that belong to the humbug societies and _bugaboo_ clubs, where -they can meet and rob one another without fear of detection.” - -Though old O’Kelly was never admitted, his nephew Andrew became a member -soon after his uncle’s death. - -The Jockey Club appears to have been founded about 1752. The first -public mention of the new association—which is to be found in Mr. John -Pond’s “Sporting Kalendar”—evidently assumes the familiarity of his -readers with the club; for it makes the simple announcement for 1752 of -“a contribution free plate by horses the property of noblemen and -gentlemen belonging to the Jockey Club,” and by the May meeting of 1753 -two “Jockey Club Plates” were being regularly run for. The list of -members as shown by these and similar races run for between this year -and 1773, and the date when the “Racing Calendar” was first produced by -James Weatherby, “Keeper of the Matchbook,” indicate very clearly what -were the objects of a club the origin and early history of which are -wrapped in considerable obscurity. - -Another very exclusive institution is the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes, -which was originally founded by a number of noblemen and gentlemen (as -the old-world phrasing ran) desirous to promote the science of marine -architecture and the naval power of the kingdom. Prize cups were -frequently given to be sailed for, not only by their own vessels, but by -those of other clubs; the pilot and fishing vessels of the Island were -not forgotten; and liberality and national utility were the main objects -of the club. The result of all this was that great improvement in the -construction of ships was absolutely forced upon the Government of that -day. - -On June 1, 1815, a body of gentlemen met at the Thatched House Tavern in -St. James’s Street, under the presidency of Lord Grantham, and decided -to form a club which should consist only of men who were interested in -the sailing of yachts in salt water. These gentlemen nominated -themselves with others to the number of forty-two to form a list which -should constitute the original members of the club, decided upon a small -subscription, and drew up a few simple rules to govern their -newly-formed yacht club. - -The original idea of the club would seem to have been merely an -association of those yacht-owners who frequented Cowes during the -summer, and it was to be maintained by a couple of annual meetings—one -in the spring at the Thatched House, the other at a dinner at the hotel -at East Cowes. There was at first no club-house, and the subscription -was only two guineas. The qualification for any future candidate was the -possession of a yacht of a certain tonnage, the payment of an entrance -fee of three guineas, and the occupation of such a social position as -should commend him to the members of the club, who would consider the -matter at a general meeting. - -The original title was the Yacht Club, and the rules relating to -yachting were few and simple. Every member, upon payment of his three -guineas to the secretary and treasurer, was entitled to two copies of -the signal-book, “and will be expected to provide himself with a set of -flags according to the regulations contained therein.” That same -signal-book was the subject of a great deal of anxious consideration -during the next few years. The club paid Mr. Finlaison £45 for printing -the first copies, which they soon found to be based upon a wrong system, -and appointed a committee to consider the matter, who called in “the -well-known skill and experience of Sir Home Popham, K.C.B.,” to assist -them in devising a new set. A few years later these also were found -wanting “as clumsy and inconvenient,” by reason of the number of flags -employed, when the Yacht Club adopted the code “composed by Mr. -Brownrigg, midshipman of H.M.S. _Glasgow_, it being thought that two -flags, two pennants, and an ensign are all that can be required.” - -Members were requested to register the name, rig, tonnage, and port of -registry, of their vessels with the secretary, and the club adopted as a -distinguishing ensign “a white flag with the Union in the corner, with a -plain white burgee at the masthead.” - -Lord Uxbridge, afterwards the first Marquis of Anglesey, of Waterloo -fame, was one of the original founders of the club. He was very proud of -the whiteness of the decks of his famous cutter, the _Pearl_, and when -he gave a passage to Lord Adolphus FitzClarence, who wore carefully -varnished boots which left marks on the deck after a shower, he told off -one of his hands to follow the offender with a swab and remove the mark -of each footstep. - -The first Commodore of the club was the Hon. Charles Pelham, so popular -in later years as Lord Yarborough, and as the owner of the two famous -yachts called the _Falcon_. Lord Yarborough’s memory was so revered -among his club-mates that when his son came up for election, nearly half -a century later, all the formalities of the ballot were dispensed with, -and he was elected with acclamation. - -Another original member was Lord FitzHarris, and his official yacht, the -_Medina_, of eighty tons, was always to be seen at the earlier functions -of the club. “She was the connecting link,” wrote his son, “between the -ships painted by Van de Velde and those which preceded ironclads. She -was built in William the Third’s reign, and her sides were elaborately -gilded. She was highest by the stern, with such a deep waist forward as -to endanger her going down head foremost if she shipped a heavy sea. She -had very little beam, and her complement consisted of Captain Love, -R.N., the master, and twelve men.” - -Sir William Curtis, the founder of the present banking house of Robarts, -Lubbock and Co., was another member. The Prince Regent often stayed with -him upon his luxurious yacht, the _Emma Maria_. Sir William was an -amiable and charitable man, of whom many amusing stories were told. He -went with George IV to Scotland in 1822, and appeared in complete -Highland costume at Holyrood, even down to the knife stuck in his -stocking. The King himself appeared in a kilt, and, it was said, was -much chagrined to find Curtis the only man in the room similarly clad. -The Baronet, on the other hand, was flattered to think that he alone -shared the Highland costume with His Majesty, and asked King George if -he did not think him well dressed. “Yes,” replied that monarch, “only -you have no spoon in your hose.” - -In 1821 the Yacht Club, for some obscure reason, changed the original -white ensign and jack with a white burgee to a red ensign and burgee. In -1824 they added the letters R.Y.C. and a crown and foul anchor to the -burgee; in 1826 they changed the ensign to a jack with a white border, -without any explanation being recorded in the minutes. - -In 1824 the club began to feel the want of a meeting-place at Cowes, and -a year later the Gloucester Hotel became its first habitation. To meet -the increased expenses resulting from the change, we may note that the -annual subscription was raised in the year of removal successively to £5 -and to £8, the entrance fee to £10, and the tonnage qualification for -the boats of new members was raised from 20 to 30 tons. - -After the vacation of Cowes Castle by Lord Anglesey, the Governor, the -Squadron acquired the old building, and, after a good deal of money had -been expended in alterations, the club took up its abode there in 1858. -Then began a new era in its history, and, owing to the interest taken by -the then Prince of Wales, its importance as an exclusive social -institution greatly increased. - -One of the most pleasant rooms in the present well-appointed club-house -is the library, over which the late Mr. Montagu Guest used to preside. -The collection of books here dates from 1835, when members were first -invited to increase the number of volumes owned by the club either by -donations of money or gifts of books. - -In the castle hang a number of pictures connected with the history of -the club. These include portraits of Lord Yarborough, the Earl of -Wilton, and other notabilities connected with the past history of the -Squadron. As a club-house, the old castle is one of the pleasantest in -the world. It is an ideal retreat for members tired of town, for whose -use a number of excellent bedrooms are provided. The Royal Yacht -Squadron is singularly fortunate in its secretary, a retired naval -officer of much urbanity and tactful charm. - -The Royal Yacht Club, as it was called in the early days of its -existence, did much to improve naval architecture, and was without doubt -of considerable national utility. - -Lord Yarborough’s _Falcon_ was a very fine vessel, as was the Duke of -Norfolk’s 210-ton cutter _Arundel_, which was said to be one of the -finest and fastest of its kind in the world. Lord Belfast quite put the -naval authorities to shame with his brig, the _Water Witch_. Taking the -given length of the worst and most despised class of vessels in King -William IV’s navy—that called the “ten-gun brig”—he declared that he -would construct a brig that should not only be superior for the purposes -of war, but should actually be made to outsail any vessel in the royal -navy—rather a bold declaration this, it must be acknowledged, more -particularly as two vessels built upon an improved and scientific plan -were to be opposed to him. To work, however, his lordship went, and the -product of his labours was the celebrated _Water Witch_, built for him -by Mr. Joseph White, of East Cowes, on the model of his former yachts, -the _Harriet_, _Thérèse_, and _Louisa_, and precisely the length of the -ten-gun brig, which, though incapable of either fighting or running, -was, unfortunately, quite capable of going to the bottom. - -Lord Yarborough enforced naval discipline on board the _Falcon_, the -crew of which were paid extra wages on condition that they submitted to -the usual rules in force on British vessels of war. These included -flogging under certain circumstances, and it is said that, in -consideration of the additional sum paid by Lord Yarborough, some of the -crew cheerfully submitted to the occasional application of the -cat-o’-nine-tails. - -Indeed, before the _Falcon_ left Plymouth Sound for a cruise, all hands -cordially signed a paper setting forth the usefulness of a sound -flogging in cases of extremity, and their perfect willingness to undergo -the experiment whenever it was deemed necessary for the preservation of -good order. - -In the early days of the club only two instances of blackballing seem to -have occurred. One was in the person of a noble Duke who had been -scratched off the list on account of not paying his annual subscription, -who, when he sought re-election, was excluded as a matter of course. The -other individual was the owner of a yacht like a river barge, with a -flat bottom, and he was rejected more in joke than otherwise, it being -reported that his yacht was two months on her voyage from the Thames to -Cowes, and that, moreover, the bulkhead and chimney in the cabin were of -_brick_! - -The candidates of that day, as may be judged from their almost -invariable success in the ballot, were generally of a highly acceptable -description. The same, perhaps, can hardly be said of some in recent -years, when, in accordance with the spirit of the age, certain -individuals, whose only claim to social consideration lay in their -wealth, have made attempts to force the Squadron portals. - -One of these received what was perhaps the most severe rebuff ever -sustained by a candidate, in the shape of no fewer than seventy-eight -black balls, which figure, it was said, would have been increased to -eighty had his proposer and seconder attended the election. It should be -added that the name of the candidate in question had been submitted for -election at the instigation of a highly important personage whose -suggestions it was impossible to ignore. - -A prominent figure at the Squadron from about 1834 to 1882 was the late -Mr. George Bentinck, well known as Big Ben. Mr. Bentinck was very bluff -and outspoken, and when in Parliament he once administered a violent -lecture to both front benches, shaking his finger at the distinguished -offenders who sat on both, and saying: “You know you have all ratted; -the only difference between you is that some of you have ratted twice.” - -He was no fair-weather yachtsman, and had the greatest contempt for -people who did not live on board their vessels, who employed captains or -sailing-masters, and who confined their yachting to the safe waters of -the Solent. He had no notion, as he said, of a Cowes captain who always -wanted to be ashore with his wife, so he commanded his own ships with -the strictest discipline, and with the thorough respect of his crew. -When in harbour, his first officer always knocked at his cabin door and -reported eight bells. “Are the boats up?” was Mr. Bentinck’s inquiry. -“Yes, sir.” “Very well, make it so;” and after that hour there was no -going ashore for anybody. He was always delighted to take friends on a -sea-voyage, but could never be induced to give any particulars as to -where bound or the probable length of the cruise, and very much resented -an inquiry on either point. People, accordingly, who accompanied him -always settled their affairs for a reasonable period, not knowing when -they would return. One of Mr. Bentinck’s trips from Cowes to Gibraltar -took forty-two days owing to bad weather, and on another voyage he -declared that his yacht, the _Dream_, once shipped twenty tons of water -in the Baltic. A somewhat unflattering caricature of Mr. Bentinck is -preserved in the club-house at Cowes. - -Another well-known member of the Squadron was Lord Cardigan, of -Balaclava fame, who exhibited considerable eccentricity as a yachtsman. -Whilst out sailing one day, his skipper said: “Will you take the helm, -my lord?” “No, thank you,” was the reply; “I never take anything between -meals.” Lord Cardigan was certainly not much of a sailor, and, according -to tradition, was accustomed to appear in a costume which included -military spurs. He was also, according to all accounts, a man of -somewhat unconciliatory temper, thoroughly imbued with a high sense of -the importance of his great social position. He was born in the closing -years of the eighteenth century, and was at strife with most of his -acquaintance throughout his career of seventy-one years. He was very -late in choosing the army as a profession, as he entered the service in -1824, at the age of twenty-seven, and by 1830 was a Lieutenant-Colonel, -promotion being easy for a rich nobleman in the days of purchase. - -Whilst the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes occupies a unique position as -the chief yachting club and authority in the United Kingdom, it cannot -boast a history dating back as far as an Irish yacht club—the “Royal -Cork”—which traces its origin from a very ancient yachting club existing -at Cork as far back as 1720. This would seem to have been a highly -convivial institution, for one of the rules ran: “Resolved that no -admiral do bring more than two dozen of wine to his treat, for it has -always been deemed a breach of the ancient rules and constitution of the -club, except when my lords the judges are invited.” - -At that date the rules and constitutions were described as being -ancient, and some of the customs connected with the club (curious -records of which are in the possession of the Royal Cork Yacht Club) -were picturesque and curious. - -Once a year the “Water Club” took part in a ceremony, something like -that performed by the Doge of Venice, when he was wedded to the -Adriatic. A contemporary writer thus describes this function: “A set of -worthy gentlemen, who have formed themselves into a body which they call -the ‘Water Club,’ proceed a few leagues out to sea once a year in a -number of small vessels, which for painting and gilding exceed the -King’s yacht at Greenwich and Deptford. Their admiral, who is elected -annually, and hoists his flag on board his little vessel, leads the van -and receives the honours of the flag. The rest of the fleet fall in -their proper stations, and keep their line in the same manner as the -King’s ships. This fleet is attended with a prodigious number of boats -with their colours flying, drums beating, and trumpets sounding, which -forms one of the most agreeable and splendid sights your lordship can -conceive.” - -The rules of this club dealt largely with conviviality. Rule XIV, for -instance, laid down “that such members of the club as talk of sailing -after dinner be fined a bumper.” - -In 1737 it was ordered “that for the future, unless the company exceed -the number of fifteen, no man be allowed more than one bottle to his -share and a peremptory.” - -The Royal Thames Yacht Club springs from the Cumberland Society which -was formed of members who had sailed for the Duke of Cumberland’s Cup. -His Grace himself was wont to present this cup to the winner at a -function of considerable solemnity. The boats of the society were all -anchored in line, flying the white flag with the St. George’s cross. The -captains waited in skiffs, and only boarded their boats when the Duke -appeared in his gilded barge and proceeded to the boat of the Commodore -of the fleet. The victorious captain was then summoned to that vessel -and introduced to the Duke, who filled the cup with claret and drank the -health of the winner, to whom he thereupon presented the cup. The winner -then pledged the health of His Royal Highness and his Duchess, and the -whole squadron sailed to Mr. Smith’s tea-gardens at the Surrey end of -Vauxhall Bridge, then a pleasant rural spot. - -The owner of the gardens in question, Mr. Smith, seems to have held the -post of Commodore in the society during the first five years of its -incorporation, and a year or two later his establishment took the name -of the society’s patron, and was thenceforward known as Cumberland -Gardens. - -It was the rule, after the annual dinner, for members to adjourn to -Vauxhall, close by, where they finished a jovial evening. - - * * * * * - -At the present day there exist a multitude of other clubs, but scarcely -any of them come within the scope of this volume—which the writer hopes -may prove not unwelcome both as a record of interesting club possessions -and as a modest contribution to the history of English social life. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - INDEX - - - Addison, Joseph, 19, 33 - - Ad Libitum Club, the, 52, 53 - - Albion Hotel, the, 3 - - Alfred Club, the, 283 - - Allen, Lord, 81, 82 - - Almack, William, 100 - - Almack’s, 95, 100 - - Alpine Club, the, 267 - - Alvanley, Lord, 79, 80–82, 283 - - American clubs, 295, 296 - - Amphitryon Club, the, 204–206 - - Apollo Club, the, 1 - - Arbuthnot, 26 - - Archer, Thomas, Lord, 31 - - Arlington Club, the (now the Turf Club), 181 - - Armstrong, Colonel, 81 - - Army and Navy Club, the, 244–251, 256; - Junior, 256 - - Arnold, Samuel James, 39–43 - - Arthur, John, 71, 75 - - Arthur, Robert, 75 - - Arthur’s, 63, 69–71, 144, 145, 148, 256 - - Arts Club, the, 294 - - Ashburton, Dunning, Lord, 115 - - “Asiatic Sundays” at the Athenæum, 280 - - Athenæum Club, the, 148, 162, 164, 256, 275–283; - Junior, 256 - - Aubrey, Lieutenant-Colonel, 188 - - Aylott, Sir James, 222–223 - - - Bachelors’ Club, the, 221 - - Badminton Club, the, 192 - - Baker, Mr., Master of Lloyd’s, 21 - - Baldwin Club, the, 189 - - Banderet, Henry, 104, 106 - - Bath Club, the, 163 - - Bathurst, Benjamin, 122 - - Batson’s, 9 - - Beaconsfield, the Earl of, 278–279 - - Beauclerc, Topham, 265, 266 - - Beaufort, Henry, Duke of, 66, 67, 165 - - Bedford Coffee-house, the, 28 - - Bedford, Francis, Duke of, 29 - - Beefsteak Club, the first, 19; - the present, 52, 53, 184 - - Beefsteaks, the Sublime Society of, 37–53, 87, 131 - - Belfast, Lord, 304 - - Bentinck, George (“Big Ben”), 306–307 - - Bentinck, Lord George, 160–161 - - Bentinck, Lord Henry, 188 - - Bessborough, the Earl of, 112, 114 - - Black, William, 235, 236 - - Blackballing, 160, 164 - - “Bloods,” 13 - - Bold Bucks, the, 17 - - Bolingbroke, Viscount, 26 - - Boodle’s (formerly the Savoir Vivre), 63–69, 98, 145, 165 - - Booth, Edwin, 295 - - Boswell, James, 267 - - Bourke, the Hon. Algernon, 50, 85, 86 - - Bowes, the late Mr., 56 - - Brackley, Lord, 160–161 - - Bridge, introduction of, 188 - - Bright, John, 235 - - British Coffee-house, the, 12 - - Broadhurst, Mr., 21 - - Brook Club, the (New York), 34 - - Brooks’s, 63, 98, 99–122, 129, 145, 189, 256 - - Brooks, the proprietor of the club-house, 98, 100, 101, 103, 104 - - Brothers’ Club, the, 26 - - Brougham, Lord, 120–121, 188 - - - - Brummell, Beau, 78–80, 109–110, 172 - - Bucks, the Society of, 33 - - Burke, Edmund, 266 - - Burlington Fine Arts Club, the, 274–275 - - Button’s, 3, 24, 27 - - Byerley, Thomas, 12 - - Byng, the Hon. Frederick, 121–122 - - Byron, Lord, 283 - - - Caledonian, 256 - - Cambridge Beefsteak Club, the, 55 - - Camelford, Lord, and the “blood,” 13–14 - - Candidates for election, 158 - - Cardigan, Lord, 307–308 - - Carlton Club, the, 147, 148, 223–225, 256 - - Castle Tavern, the, kept by Belcher and Spring, 32 - - Cavalry Club, the, 255 - - Cavendish, the Hon. Henry, 272–273 - - Chapter Coffee-house, the, 9, 10, 11 - - Chatterton, 10 - - Chelmsford Beefsteak Club, the, 54 - - Cheshire Cheese, the, 4–7 - - Child’s, 3, 9 - - Churchill, Lord Randolph, 224 - - Cibber, Colley, 76 - - Cider Cellar, the, 31 - - City Pickwick Club, the, 20 - - Clarke, Chamberlain, 8 - - Clarke, Sir Edward, 20 - - Club, the first, 1; - evolution of the, 2; - increase in the number of clubs, 135; - change in club-life, 136; - opposition to improvements, 138; - washed silver in change, and other customs, 145; - smoking in clubs, 146; - strangers visiting clubs, 147; - bedrooms for members, 151; - increased comfort, 151–152; - clubs of to-day and their members, 156; - elections and committees, 157; - hall-porters, 174; - porters’ boxes, 177; - late sittings, 178; - the Garrick the “latest” club, 183; - foreign clubs taxed, 185; - sporting-club-men, 191; - decrease in drinking, 192; - club-men and their foibles, 195–203; - restaurant clubs, 205; - registration of clubs, 207 - - Club-man, the modern, 139 - - Cocoa-tree, the, 1, 3, 63, 128–132 - - Coffee-houses, 1, 2, 3 - - Colenso, Bishop, 279 - - Committee, the club, 158 - - Conservative Club, the, 133, 147, 227–228 - - Constitutional Club, the, 236 - - Cooking, club, 170 - - Cosmopolitan Club, the, 267–268 - - Coventry, Lord, 215 - - Coventry House, 217 - - Crockford, Benjamin, 190, 228–232, 254 - - Crockford’s, 94, 185, 186, 190–191, 229–232 - - Croker, John Wilson, 275 - - Crown and Anchor Tavern, 35 - - Cunningham, Colonel, 13 - - Curtis, Sir William, 302–303 - - - Daffy Club, the, 32 - - Damer, Colonel, 232 - - Daniel’s, 9 - - Davies’s “Life of Garrick” _quoted_, 76 - - Defoe, Daniel, 19 - - Devonshire Club, the, 228–232 - - Devil Tavern, the, 1 - - Dickens and the George and Vulture, 20; - his chair, 278; - reconciliation with Thackeray, 280 - - Dickens Club, the, 7 - - Digby, Sir Kenelm, 31 - - Dilettanti Society, 256, 257–263 - - Disraeli, Isaac, 278 - - Dryden, John, 24, 25, 28 - - Dudley, Lord, 35 - - Duff, Captain William, 244 - - Durnford, Bishop, 279 - - - East India United Service Club, the, 254–255 - - Eccentric members, 198 - - Eclipse, the race-horse, 297–298 - - Edinburgh Club, the, 59 - - Edward VII, King, 165, 204, 205, 219 - - Edwards, Mr., and the introduction of coffee-houses, 18 - - Elections, 157 - - - - Ellice, Edward, 232 - - Elliot, Lettsom, 282 - - Essex Head, the, 8 - - Estcourt, Richard, 19 - - Etiquette at coffee-houses, 17–18 - - Evans’s, 31–32 - - “Everlasting,” the, 34 - - - Fines, 182 - - Fitzgerald, George Robert, 115–118 - - FitzHarris, Lord, 302 - - Foote, Samuel, 28–29 - - Forrest’s, 3 - - Fox, Charles James, 102, 106, 111, 120, 125–127 - - Fox Club, the, 124, 126–127 - - Francis, Sir Philip, 110–111 - - Fraser, Sir William, 283 - - - Gambling, French and English, 185–187 - - Gambling clubs, 185–188 - - Gardner, Mr. John, 19 - - Garraway’s Coffee-house, 3, 12, 21–23 - - Garrick, David, 28–29, 37, 265, 288–290 - - Garrick Club, the, 148, 183, 193, 256, 285–294 - - Garth, Dr. Samuel, 271 - - Garway, Thomas, 22 - - Gay, 26 - - Gayner, the late Mr., 65–68 - - George III, King, 3 - - George IV, King, 99, 111–114, 133, 171, 173, 302–303 - - George and Vulture, the first coffee-house, 18, 19, 20 - - George’s, 9 - - Giles’s, 3 - - Gladstone, W. E., 107, 166, 239, 257 - - Golden Fleece Club, the, 34 - - Goldsmid, Sir Julian, 219 - - Goldsmith, Oliver, 10, 266 - - Goosetree’s, 98, 109 - - Graham’s Club, 188 - - Granville, Lord, 108 - - Great Bottle Club, the, 33 - - Greaves, Samuel, 8 - - Grecian, the, 3 - - Green, John, 31–32 - - Greville, Charles, 160–161 - - Gronow’s “Reminiscences” _quoted_, 137 - - Groom’s, 19 - - Guards’ Club, the, 148, 253–254, 256 - - Guests, 147, 148 - - Gurney, Hudson, 58 - - Gwynn, Nell, 247 - - - Haggis Club, the, 59 - - Haines, Thomas, 27–28 - - Hall-porter, the, 174 - - Hamlin’s, 9 - - Hammond, Mr., 11 - - Hawkins, Sir John, 265 - - Hayward, Abraham, 279 - - Heidegger, John James, 71–74 - - Hell-Fires, the, 17, 19 - - Hill, Thomas, 292–293 - - Hogarth, William, 19, 29, 37, 289 - - Hole-in-the-Wall Club, the, 57 - - Hood, Tom, _quoted_, 150 - - Hook, Theodore, _quoted_, 143, 179, 189, 210, 279–280 - - House-dinners, 145, 146 - - Humbugs, the, 33 - - Hunlock, Sir Hugh, 215 - - Hurst, Thomas, 289 - - - Irving, Sir Henry, 20, 281 - - Isthmian Club, the, 219–220 - - - “Je ne sçai quoi” Club, the, 33 - - Jerdan, William, 42 - - Jockey Club, the, 297–299 - - Johnson, Dr., 2, 4, 5–8, 149, 151, 221, 265, 289 - - Johnson Club, the, 6–7 - - Jonathan’s, 3, 12 - - Jones, Inigo, 29 - - Jonson, Ben, 1, 4 - - Junior Athenæum Club, the, 256 - - Junior Carlton Club, the, 147, 173, 226–227, 256 - - Junior Constitutional Club, the, 236 - - Junior Naval and Military Club, the, 253 - - Junior United Service Club, the, 244, 251, 256 - - - Kemble, John, 32, 49 - - Kemble, John Philip, 288 - - King of Clubs, the, 34 - - Kinglake, Alexander, 281 - - King’s Coffee-house, 29 - - King’s Head, the, 7 - - Kit-Kat Club, the, 270 - - Kneller, Sir Godfrey, 29–30 - - - Lade, Sir John, 126 - - Lambs’ Club, the (New York), 296 - - Landseer, Sir Edwin, 281 - - Late sittings, 178 - - Lawn-market Club, the, 59 - - Leech, John, 20 - - Leinster, the Duke of, 39 - - Lely, Sir Peter, 29 - - Lewis, T., 25 - - Lindley, Ozias, 57 - - Literary Club, the, 263–267 - - Little-man’s Coffee-house, 12 - - Lloyd’s Coffee-house, 21 - - Locker, Frederick, 63 - - London Coffee-house, the, 20 - - Lotus Club, the, 220 - - Low, David, 30, 31 - - Lowther, Sir James, 9 - - Lying Club, the, 33 - - - Macaulay, Lord, 278 - - M’Clean, the highwayman, 94 - - Macklin, Charles, 288 - - Mackreth, Sir Robert, 91, 129 - - Maison Dorée Club, the, 206 - - Malcolm, Sir John, 212–213 - - Manning, Cardinal, 279 - - Marlborough Club, the, 147, 218–219 - - Martindale, John, 77 - - Mathews, Charles, 286–287 - - Mermaid Tavern, the, 1 - - Miles and Evans’s, 98 - - Military clubs, 240 - - Mills, Pemberton, 80 - - Mitre Tavern, 6, 8 - - Montagu, the Duke of, 72–74 - - Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley, 270–271 - - Montfort, Lord, 90–91, 94 - - Morris, Charles, 47–50 - - “Mug-house clubs,” 24 - - Murphy, Arthur, 290 - - - Nando’s, 3 - - Napoleon III, the Emperor, 82, 248–249 - - National Club, the, 237–238 - - National Liberal Club, the, 195, 236 - - National Sporting Club, the, 32 - - Naval and Military Club, the, 251–253, 256 - - Norfolk, Charles, eleventh Duke of, 46–50, 131–132 - - Northumberland, the Countess of, 77 - - North’s, 9 - - - Octagon rooms at St. James’s Club, 217; - at Naval and Military, 252 - - October Club, the, 34 - - Odd Fellows’ Club, 33 - - O’Kelly, Colonel, 298–299 - - Oldfield, Mrs., 290–291 - - Old Man’s Coffee-house, 3, 12 - - Old Slaughter’s, 3 - - Orford, the Earl of (Admiral Russell), 31 - - Oriental Club, the, 211–215 - - Orleans Club, the, 221 - - Orsay, Count d’, 82, 86 - - Osborne, Bernal, 236 - - “Ourselves,” 7 - - Oxford, Robert Harley, Earl of, 26 - - Oxford and Cambridge Club, the, 148, 238–239, 240 - - Oxford and Cambridge New University Club, the, 245 - - Ozinda’s, 3 - - - Past Overseers’ Society, the, 59–62 - - Pattison, Mark, 278 - - Payn, James, 235, 236 - - Peele’s Coffee-house, 8 - - Pelham, Henry, 94 - - Percival, the late Mr., 83, 84 - - “Percy Anecdotes,” the, 13 - - Percy Coffee-house, the, 12 - - Permanent official, the, 195–197 - - Piazza Coffee-house, the, 30 - - Pilgrims, the Society of, 33 - - Pinche’s School, Dr., 20 - - Pitt, William, 99 - - Players’ Club, the (New York), 295–296 - - Pon’s Coffee-house, 14 - - Pope, Alexander, 25, 26 - - Porters’ boxes, 177 - - Portland Club, the, 188 - - Pratt’s, 36 - - - - Prince of Wales Coffee-house, the, 13 - - Pulteney, William (afterwards Earl of Bath), 89–90 - - Purl Drinkers, the, 33 - - - Queen’s Arms, the, 8 - - Queensberry, the Marquis of, 230–231 - - - Radcliffe, Dr., 29–30 - - Raggett, father and son, 77, 78, 83, 222 - - Raikes, Dandy, 120 - - Rainbow, the (now Groom’s), 19 - - Raleigh Club, the, 192 - - Reform Club, the, 232–236 - - Restaurant clubs, 204 - - Revett, Nicholas, 258 - - Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 265 - - Rich, Henry, 37 - - Rivers, Lord, 93 - - Robertson, Joseph, 13 - - Robin’s, 12 - - Rogers, Samuel, 35 - - Rosee, Pasqua, 18, 19 - - Roxburghe Club, the, 268–269 - - Royal Cork Yacht Club, the, 308 - - Royal Exchange, the, 11, 12 - - Royal Naval Club, 255 - - Royal Societies’ Club, the, 273–274 - - Royal Society Club, the, 272–273 - - Royal Thames Yacht Club, the, 310 - - Royal Yacht Squadron, 299–308 - - Rules and regulations, 167–170 - - Rump Steak Club, 7 - - - St. Dunstan’s, 7 - - St. James’ Club, the, 184, 215–218, 256 - - St. James’ Coffee-house, 3 - - St. Leger, Colonel, 119–120 - - Sala, George Augustus, his definition of “club,” 135, 235, 294 - - Salisbury, Lord, 226 - - Salting, George, 134 - - Samsonic Society, the, 33 - - Savage Club, the, 294 - - Savile Club, the, 284 - - Savoir Vivre, the (now Boodle’s), 65 - - Sawdust Club, 7 - - Scott, General, 94–95 - - Scriblerus Club, the, 26 - - Selwyn, George, 95–97, 109, 112–114, 130–131 - - Shakespeare, 1, 4 - - Shand, the hall-porter at the Turf Club, 174 - - Shenstone, 9 - - Sheridan, R. B., 30, 111–115, 133 - - Silver, change given in washed, 145 - - Simpson, William, 6 - - Smith, Bobus, 34–35 - - Smith, Major-General (“Hyder Ali”), 111 - - Smith, Tippoo, 111 - - Smoking in taverns and clubs, 4, 146, 281, 283–284 - - Smyrna, the, 3, 12 - - Snuff-boxes formerly in clubs, 146 - - Soaping Club, the Edinburgh, 59 - - “Social Villagers,” the, 34 - - Soyer, Alexis, 233–235 - - Spencer, Herbert, 282–283 - - Spenser, Edmund, 34 - - Spring, Samuel, 173 - - Steele, Sir Richard, 19, 75, 271 - - Stepney, Sir Thomas, 119–120, 171 - - Stewart, Admiral Keith, 115–117 - - Strangers in clubs, 147 - - Stuart, James, 258 - - Sunday at clubs, 194 - - Supper clubs, 207 - - Sussex, the Duke of, 38–41 - - Swift, Jonathan, 19, 25, 26, 27 - - Sydney, Viscount, 100 - - Sylvester, Joshua, 4 - - - Tatham, Dr., 279 - - _Tatler_, the, _quoted_, 23, 75 - - Taylor, William, 58 - - Taxes on club funds in France and Germany, 185 - - Temperance, growth of, 193–194 - - Thackeray _quoted_, 150, 211, 212, 235, 278, 280 - - Thatched House Club, the, 131–134 - - Thatched House Tavern, the, 256, 260, 263, 300 - - The Club, 263–267 - - Thespian Club, the, 33 - - Thornhill, Sir James, 30 - - Thrale, Henry, 8, 265 - - Tobacco-box belonging to Past Overseers of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, - 59–62 - - - - Todd, Harry, 6 - - Tom’s, 2, 3, 12, 24, 28 - - Tourville, Admiral de, 31 - - Travellers’ Club, the, 148, 162, 163, 209–211, 256 - - Truby’s, 3 - - True Blue Club, the, 56 - - Turf Club, the, 162, 174, 181, 184, 218, 256, 263 - - Tyrawley, Lord, and the Frenchmen, 14–17 - - - Ude, Louis Eustache, 230, 231, 232 - - Union Club, the, 222 - - United Service Club, the (at first the General Military Club), 240–244, - 251, 256 - - United University Club, the, 239, 240 - - Uxbridge, Lord, 301–302 - - - Vernon, Admiral, 21 - - Visitors in clubs, 147 - - - Walpole, Horace, _quoted_, 77, 87, 128, 129, 259 - - Walpole, Sir Robert, 21, 89–90 - - “Water Club,” the, 309 - - Watier’s Club, 171–172 - - Webster, Sir Whistler, 77, 83 - - Wellington, the Duke of, 86 - - Wellington Club, the, 222 - - West, Benjamin, 288 - - West, James, 31 - - West, Thomas (proprietor of Tom’s), 24–25 - - Wet Paper Club, the, 11 - - Whistler, 53 - - White, Francis, 71 - - White, Mrs., 71, 74, 75 - - White’s, 2, 3, 50, 69–71, 74–98, 99, 129, 144, 145, 146, 165, 169, 189, - 191, 256 - - Wilberforce, Samuel, 109 - - Wilbraham, Roger, 110–111 - - Wilkes, John, 19, 37 - - Will’s, 3, 12, 24, 25, 28 - - Windham, William, 220–221 - - Windham Club, the, 220 - - - Yarborough, Lord, 302, 305 - - York, Frederick, Duke of, 99, 119–120 - - Young Man’s Coffee-house, 3, 12 - - - Zoffany, 29 - - - THE END - - - - - BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of London Clubs, by Ralph Nevill - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LONDON CLUBS *** - -***** This file should be named 60472-0.txt or 60472-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/7/60472/ - -Produced by deaurider and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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margin: auto; } - .tnbox {background-color:#E3E4FA;border:1px solid silver;padding: 0.5em; - margin:2em 10% 0 10%; } - .obox {border: double 3px; margin-left: 5%; margin-right:5%; } - .ibox {border-top: double 3px; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of London Clubs, by Ralph Nevill - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: London Clubs - Their History & Treasures - -Author: Ralph Nevill - -Release Date: October 12, 2019 [EBook #60472] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LONDON CLUBS *** - - - - -Produced by deaurider and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div> - <h1 class='c001'>LONDON CLUBS</h1> -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> -<div id='frontis' class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i004.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>THE ST. JAMES’ CLUB<br />(FORMERLY COVENTRY HOUSE)<br /><i>From a Water-colour Drawing by W. Walcot</i></span></p> -</div> -</div> -<div class='obox'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='xxlarge'>LONDON CLUBS</span></div> - <div class='c003'><span class='large'>THEIR HISTORY & TREASURES</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'> </p> -<div class='ibox'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div class='c000'><i>By</i></div> - <div class='c000'><span class='xlarge'>RALPH NEVILL</span></div> - <div class='c005'><span class='small'>AUTHOR OF “THE MERRY PAST,” “LIGHT COME, LIGHT GO,” ETC.</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> -<p class='c004'> </p> -<div class='ibox'> - -<p class='c004'> </p> -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/publogo.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> -<p class='c004'> </p> -<div class='ibox'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>LONDON: CHATTO & WINDUS</div> - <div class='c005'>MDCCCCXI</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> -<p class='c006'> </p> - -</div> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div>WITH NINE PLATES</div> - <div class='c007'><i>All rights reserved</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='large'>NOTE</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>The Author wishes to acknowledge the valuable -assistance he has received from several -Secretaries of Clubs mentioned in this volume, -particularly Captain <span class='sc'>Charles Percy Smith</span>, -who supplied him with information of considerable -interest.</p> -<p class='c006'>His best thanks are also due to the Committee -of the St. James’ Club for having -courteously allowed him to reproduce the -water-colour drawing shown in the Frontispiece.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c002' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_vii'>vii</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER I</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'> </td> - <td class='c011'><span class='xsmall'>PAGES</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The Origin of Clubs in Coffee-houses and Taverns.</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_1'>1</a>–<a href='#Page_32'>32</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER II</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Curious Clubs of the Past—Pratt’s—Beefsteak Clubs, Old and New</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_33'>33</a>–<a href='#Page_62'>62</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER III</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Clubs of St. James’s Street—Boodle’s, Arthur’s, and White’s</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_63'>63</a>–<a href='#Page_98'>98</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER IV</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Brooks’s, the Cocoa-tree, and the Thatched House</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_99'>99</a>–<a href='#Page_134'>134</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER V</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Changes in Club-Life and Ways</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_135'>135</a>–<a href='#Page_155'>155</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER VI</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Elections—Committees—Regulations—Rules</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_156'>156</a>–<a href='#Page_177'>177</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER VII</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Late Sittings—Fines—Cards—Characters—Supper Clubs</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_178'>178</a>–<a href='#Page_208'>208</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div><span class='pageno' id='Page_viii'>viii</span></div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER VIII</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The Travellers’—Oriental—St. James’—Turf—Marlborough—Isthmian —Windham—Bachelors’—Union—Carlton—Junior Carlton—Conservative—Devonshire—Reform</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_209'>209</a>–<a href='#Page_236'>236</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER IX</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The National—Oxford and Cambridge—United University—New University—New Oxford and Cambridge—United Service—Army and Navy—Naval and Military—Guards’—Royal Naval Club—Caledonian—Junior Athenæum</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_237'>237</a>–<a href='#Page_256'>256</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER X</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The Dilettanti—The Club—Cosmopolitan—Kit-Kat—Royal Societies’—Burlington Fine Arts—Athenæum—Alfred</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_257'>257</a>–<a href='#Page_284'>284</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>CHAPTER XI</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The Garrick—Jockey Club at Newmarket—Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes—Conclusion</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_285'>285</a>–<a href='#Page_310'>310</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='75%' /> -<col width='25%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'><span class='sc'>Index</span></td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_311'>311</a>–<a href='#Page_316'>316</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_ix'>ix</span> - <h2 class='c009'>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -</div> -<table class='table2' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='88%' /> -<col width='11%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c010'> </td> - <td class='c011'><span class='xxsmall'>TO FACE PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The St. James’ Club</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#frontis'><span class='small'><i>Frontispiece</i></span></a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Badges and Ring of the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_38'>38</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Badge of the Ad Libitum Club</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_38'>38</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>White’s Club previous to 1811</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_78'>78</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Promised Horrors of the French Invasion, by Gillray</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_100'>100</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Old Mansions in Piccadilly, now Clubs</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_220'>220</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Crockford’s in 1828</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_228'>228</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>Interior of the Reform Club</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_232'>232</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>The Army and Navy Club</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_244'>244</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c010'>A Dinner of the Dilettanti Society at the Thatched House</td> - <td class='c011'><a href='#Page_260'>260</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span><span class='xxlarge'>LONDON CLUBS</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER I<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>THE ORIGIN OF CLUBS IN COFFEE-HOUSES AND TAVERNS</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>The modern club, with its luxuries and comforts, -has its origin in the tavern and coffee-house of -a long-past age. The resorts in question have long -since entirely changed their character, although -they were once important features of London life, -and were used by all classes for purposes of conviviality -and conversation.</p> -<p class='c006'>The appellation “club” seems to have come -into use at the time when coffee-houses began -to be popular in London. The first notable London -club, of course, was the Mermaid, in Broad Street, -which was supposed to have been founded by -Raleigh, and which was the reputed scene of many -witty combats between Shakespeare and Ben -Jonson. The latter himself originated another -club—the Apollo—which had its meetings at the -Devil Tavern, near Temple Bar.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In course of time many landlords perceived the -advantage which would accrue to their business from -the setting apart of special rooms for privileged -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>customers; and gradually a number of fairly -exclusive clubs came into being.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Thus Tom’s, a coffee-house till 1764, in that year, -by a guinea subscription, was easily converted into -a fashionable club. In the same way White’s -and the Cocoa-tree changed their character from -chocolate-house to club. When once a house had -customers enough of standing and good repute, -well acquainted with each other, it was quite worth -while to purchase the power of excluding all but -subscribers, and to turn the place into a club; for by -such a proceeding undesirable characters, who could -obtain constant admission to an open house, were -at once kept outside the doors.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The evolution of the modern club has been so -simple that it can be traced with great ease. First -the tavern or coffee-house, where a certain number -of people met on special evenings for purposes -of social conversation, and incidentally consumed -a good deal of liquid refreshment; then the -beginnings of the club proper—some well-known -house of refreshment being taken over from the -proprietor by a limited number of clients for their -own exclusive use, and the landlord retained as -manager; and finally the palatial modern club, not -necessarily sociable, but replete with every comfort, -and owned by the members themselves. In such -places, however, the old spirit of club-life is generally -lost. Dr. Johnson, for example, can be imagined -passing through the portals of one of these huge -buildings, and saying: “Sir, this may be a palace, -but it is no club.” There is no doubt that in a great -measure he would be right.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span>It is believed that the first house in Pall Mall ever -used as a club was No. 86, originally built for -Edward, Duke of York, brother of George III. It -was opened as a “subscription house,” and called -the Albion Hotel towards the end of the last -century.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the early part of the eighteenth century there -were said to be no fewer than 2,000 coffee-houses -in London. Every profession, trade, class, party, -had its favourite coffee-house. The lawyers discussed -law or literature, criticized the last new play, -or retailed the legal scandal at Nando’s or the -Grecian, not very far away from the Temple. At -such places the young bloods of the Inns of Court -paraded their gowns in the morning, and swaggered -in their lace coats and Mechlin ruffles at night, -after the theatre. City men met to discuss the -rise and fall of stocks, and to settle the rate of -insurance, at Garraway’s or Jonathan’s; parsons -exchanged University gossip or discussed points of -theology at Truby’s or at Child’s, in St. Paul’s -Churchyard; whilst military men mustered to -grumble over their grievances at Old or Young -Man’s, near Charing Cross. The St. James’s and the -Smyrna were the headquarters of the Whig politicians, -whereas the Tories frequented the Cocoa-tree -or Ozinda’s, in St. James’s Street; Scotchmen -had their house of call at Forrest’s, Frenchmen -at Giles’s or Old Slaughter’s, in St. Martin’s Lane; -the gamesters shook their elbows in White’s and -the chocolate-houses round Covent Garden; and -the leading wits gathered at Will’s, Button’s, or -Tom’s, in Great Russell Street, where, after the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>theatre, there was piquet and the best of conversation -till midnight. At all these places, except a few -of the most aristocratic coffee or chocolate houses -of the West End, smoking was allowed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many of these old taverns must have been -exceedingly comfortable places, and the few which -survive have an especial charm. They carry one’s -thoughts irresistibly to the days when Dr. Johnson -blew his cloud by the side of an old-fashioned fireplace, -and occasionally floored some unhappy wight -with the sledge-hammer of his conversation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the last, if not the last, hostelries, which -still retains its ancient appearance, is the Cheshire -Cheese. This well-known house is half-way up -Fleet Street, on the northern side. It remains, I -believe, substantially as it was when, seven years -after the Restoration, it was rebuilt on the site -of that older Cheshire Cheese where Shakespeare -and many other Elizabethan wits were wont to -meet.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Ben Jonson was a frequent visitor, and here -occurred his dispute with Sylvester as to which of -them could make the best couplet in the shortest -time. The latter began:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I, Sylvester,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Kiss’d your sister.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The other’s retort was:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I, Ben Jonson,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Kiss’d your wife.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>“But that’s not rhyme,” said Sylvester. “No,” -said Jonson, “but it’s true.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The original courtyard of the Cheshire Cheese is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>now roofed over with glass, and here may be seen -some interesting old prints. These include two -by H. Bunbury—“A City Hunt” and “Hyde -Park, 1780”; while others are, “Destruction of -the Bastille, July 14, 1789,” after a painting by -H. Singleton, and a line engraving by James Heath, -from a painting by F. Wheatley of “The Riot in -Broad Street on the 17th of June, 1773.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dr. Johnson is supposed to have passed many -an evening here, and from his time down to the -present day unbroken links of tradition connect -the Cheshire Cheese of the twentieth century with -the Cheshire Cheese of the eighteenth.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The seat on which legend reports that the -redoubtable lexicographer sat is one of the most -treasured relics of the dining-room. Above it -hangs a copy of the famous portrait by Sir Joshua -Reynolds, now preserved in the National Gallery. -Underneath may be read the following inscription: -“The Favourite Seat of Dr. Johnson. Born -18th Septr., 1709. Died 13th Decr., 1784. In -him a noble understanding and a masterly intellect -were united with grand independence of character -and unfailing goodness of heart, which won -the admiration of his own age and remain as recommendations -to the reverence of posterity. ‘No, -Sir! there is nothing which has yet been contrived -by man by which so much happiness has been produced -as by a good tavern.’—<span class='sc'>Johnson.</span>”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A number of quaint pictures and prints are to be -found scattered over the house.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Upstairs is another copy of Sir Joshua’s oil-painting -of the Doctor. This, it is said, dates back -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>to Johnson’s time, and was painted in order that it -might adorn the room at the Mitre, in Chancery -Lane, where the club founded by Dr. Johnson -first held its meetings. Dr. Johnson’s Mitre has -long since been pulled down, but the club he founded -still exists, and it meets several times a year in what -was formerly the coffee-room. This is now known -as “William’s room,” on account of the portrait of -William Simpson which hangs over the fireplace. -William began to be a waiter at Ye Olde Cheshire -Cheese Chop-house in 1829, and his portrait, as -the inscription below says, “was subscribed for by -the gentlemen frequenting the coffee-room, and -presented to Mr. Dolamore (the landlord) to be -handed down as an heirloom to all future landlords -of ‘Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese,’ Wine Office -Court, Fleet Street.” The name of the artist is -unknown.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the opposite room is a picture of another -waiter—a portrait of Henry Todd, as the inscription -informs us, who commenced as waiter at Ye -Olde Cheshire Cheese February 27, 1812. It was -painted by Wageman, July 1827, and “subscribed -for by the gentlemen frequenting the coffee-room, -and presented to Mr. Dolamore (the landlord) in -trust to be handed down as an heirloom to all -future landlords of the Old Cheshire Cheese, Wine -Office Court, Fleet Street.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Besides being the meeting-place of the Mitre -Club, the Cheshire Cheese is used by a number of -clubs resembling somewhat those which were so -popular with a long-vanished generation. These -are: The Johnson Club, founded about twenty-five -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>years ago; the Sawdust Club, founded 1906; “Ourselves,” -founded 1897; St. Dunstan’s, founded -1890; the Rump Steak Club; the Dickens Club. -The Johnson Club is literary and social in character, -and consists of thirty-one members, who sup together -annually on or about December 13th, the -anniversary of the Doctor’s death. Various other -meetings are held throughout the year.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Doctor was certainly the most typical club-man -of a past age, and his name is connected with -quite a number of social clubs which held their -meetings at coffee-houses and taverns. Indeed, no -more clubbable man than the writer of the famous -Dictionary ever lived; but, then, sociability was the -main object of the clubs of his day, whereas the -modern tendency is more towards comfort and -efficient management than anything else. In most -large modern clubs quite a number of members are -totally unknown to their fellows, and there is no -reason why a member should speak to anyone at -all unless he wishes to do so. The majority of the -larger modern clubs are in reality merely comfortable -caravanserais—hotels receiving a certain -number of selected visitors who recognize no social -obligations within the club walls except such as -regulate ordinary civilized behaviour.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dr. Johnson founded several social clubs at the -taverns and coffee-houses which he loved to frequent. -One of these was the King’s Head, Ivy -Lane, Paternoster Row, a famous beefsteak house, -and here he spent every Tuesday evening in conversation -with the members of a social club of his -own foundation.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>At the Queen’s Arms, in St. Paul’s Churchyard, -the Doctor in later years founded a club of a similar -sort, and Boswell records that he was also desirous -of having a City club, the members of which he -suggested that Boswell should collect. “Only,” -added the great lexicographer, “don’t let there be -any patriots.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Yet another club instituted by Dr. Johnson was -one which met thrice a week at the Essex Head, in -Essex Street, Strand, at the time when that tavern -was kept by Samuel Greaves—an old servant of -Mr. Thrale’s. Failure to attend was penalized by a -fine of twopence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Mitre Tavern in Fleet Street, so often referred -to by Boswell, was Dr. Johnson’s favourite -supper-place, and here was planned the celebrated -tour to the Hebrides. It is interesting to remember, -in this connection, that Chamberlain Clarke, who -died in 1831, aged ninety-two, was the last survivor -of those friends with whom Dr. Johnson forgathered -at the Mitre.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Peele’s Coffee-house, at Nos. 177, 178, Fleet -Street, which afterwards became a tavern, was also -supposed to have been a haunt of Dr. Johnson, -whose portrait, painted on the keystone of a -chimney-piece, for years after his death formed one of -the attractions of the house. The artist was supposed -to have been Sir Joshua Reynolds. Peele’s was once -noted for its collection of old newspapers. Here -were preserved files from the following dates: The -<i>Gazette</i>, 1759; <i>Times</i>, 1780; <i>Morning Chronicle</i>, -1773; <i>Morning Post</i>, 1773; <i>Morning Herald</i>, 1784; -<i>Morning Advertiser</i>, 1794.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>Nearly every literary man of that time had his -favourite coffee-house.</p> - -<p class='c006'>George’s, at No. 213 Strand, near Temple Bar, -was the resort of Shenstone, who found it an -economical place. Probably it was for this reason -that the eccentric Sir James Lowther, a very rich -man, but penurious, also went there. On his first -visit he got the proprietors to change a piece of -silver in order to pay twopence for his coffee. A -few days later he returned expressly to tell the -woman that she had given him a bad halfpenny, -and demanded another in exchange for it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Clients of this coffee-house could read pamphlets -and papers for a very moderate subscription.</p> - -<p class='c006'>London hours were very different in those days. -Three o’clock, or at latest four, was the dining hour -of the most fashionable people, for in the country -no such late hours had been adopted. In London, -therefore, the men began to assemble soon after -six at the coffee-house they frequented—unless, -indeed, they were setting in for hard drinking, -which seems to have prevailed much less in private -houses than in taverns.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The conversation varied in different coffee-houses. -In those about the Temple, legal matters formed -the principal subject of discussion. On the other -hand, at Daniel’s, the Welsh coffee-house in Fleet -Street, it was mostly of births, pedigrees, and -descents; Child’s and the Chapter, upon glebes, -tithes, advowsons, rectories, and lectureships; -North’s, undue elections, false pollings, scrutinies, -and the like; Hamlin’s, infant baptism, lay ordination, -free-will, election, and reprobation; Batson’s, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>the prices of pepper, indigo, and saltpetre; and all -those about the Exchange, where the merchants -met to transact their affairs, were in a perpetual -hurry about stock-jobbing—cheating, and tricking -widows and orphans, and committing spoil and -rapine on the public, malicious people said.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In some coffee-houses and taverns political feeling -ran high. One noted chop-house near Holborn -lost its business owing to the democratic character -of a number of its frequenters, and eventually had -to be shut up. A new landlord, however, seeking -to restore its prosperity, exhibited the sign of the -King’s Head, referring to which a friend said to -him: “Do you think your new sign will keep -away old customers? Why, there is not one of -them but would like as much as ever to have a -chop at the King’s Head.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Chapter Coffee-house in Paternoster Row, -an ancient building with low rooms and heavy -beams, was in the eighteenth century the resort -of all the booksellers and publishers; and the -literary hacks, the critics, and even the wits, used -to go there in search of ideas or employment. -This was the place about which Chatterton wrote, -in those delusive letters he sent to his mother at -Bristol, while he was starving in London. The -Chapter also retained traditions of Oliver Goldsmith.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In later years it became the tavern frequented -by University men and country clergymen who -were up in London for a few days, and, having no -private friends or access into society, were glad to -learn what was going on in the world of letters, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>from the conversation which they were sure to hear -in the coffee-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At one time leather tokens were issued by the -proprietor; and the Chapter was noted for being -entirely managed by men, no women servants -being kept.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the north-east corner of the coffee-room was -a box known as the Witenagemote, which in the -early morning was occupied by a group of individuals -nicknamed the Wet Paper Club. The -name was derived from their habit of opening the -papers as soon as these were brought in by the -newsman, and reading them before they were dried -by the waiter; a dry paper was regarded as a stale -commodity. In the afternoon another party enjoyed -the wet evening papers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A gentleman who was considered a fixture in -this box was Mr. Hammond, a Coventry manufacturer, -who evening after evening, for nearly -forty-five years, was always to be found in the same -place, and during the entire period was well known -for his severe and often able comments on the -events of the day. Here he pontificated throughout -the days of Wilkes, of the American War, and -of the French War, and, being on the side of -liberty, was constantly in opposition to almost -everyone else.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Chapter continued to be a coffee-house up -to 1854, when it became a tavern.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Royal Exchange was the resort of all the -trading part of the City, foreign and domestic, from -half an hour after one till near three in the afternoon; -but the better sort generally met in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>Exchange Alley a little before, at three celebrated -coffee-houses called Garraway’s, Robin’s, and -Jonathan’s. In the first the people of quality who -had business in the City, and the most considerable -and wealthy citizens, congregated. In the third met -buyers and sellers of stock.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Royal Exchange Coffee-house resembled a -gaming-house more than anything else, being full -of gamesters, with the same sharp, intent looks, -with the difference only that there it was selling of -Bank stock, East India, South Sea, and lottery -tickets, instead of the cards and dice dear to -ordinary gamblers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The British Coffee-house in the West End was -much frequented by Scotchmen, whilst a mixture -of all sorts went to the Smyrna, not very far away. -There were other little coffee-houses much frequented -in this neighbourhood—Young Man’s for -officers, Old Man’s for stockjobbers, paymasters, and -courtiers, and Little Man’s for sharpers. Here there -were two or three faro tables upstairs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After the theatre fashionable men went to Tom’s -and Will’s Coffee-houses, where they played piquet -and indulged in conversation. Here you might see -blue and green ribbons and stars sitting familiarly -with private gentlemen, and talking with the same -freedom as if they had left their quality and degrees -of distance at home—a sight which amazed -foreigners not used to the liberty of speech permitted -in England.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A favourite resort of literary men was the Percy -Coffee-house in Rathbone Place, Oxford Street. -This was used by Thomas Byerley and Joseph -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>Robertson, who together produced the “Percy -Anecdotes” in 1820, writing as Sholto and Reuben -Percy. A large sum was realized by the work in -question, which began in 1820 and ran into forty-four -parts.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The West End coffee-houses were often disturbed -by the eccentricities of the “bloods.” A wild band, -for instance, frequented the Royal Chocolate-house -in St. James’s Street, where on one occasion a dispute -at hazard produced a quarrel, which became -general throughout the room; and, as they fought -with their swords, three gentlemen were mortally -wounded. The affray was at length ended by the -interposition of the Royal Guards, who were compelled -to knock the parties down indiscriminately -with the butt-ends of their muskets, as entreaties -and commands were of no avail. On this occasion -a footman of Colonel Cunningham’s, greatly attached -to his master, rushed through the swords, seized and -literally carried him out by force without injury.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Camelford, of duelling notoriety, one evening -entered the Prince of Wales Coffee-house, -Conduit Street, and, as was his usual custom, sat -down and began to read the papers. A dashing -fellow, and in his own opinion a first-rate blood, -happening to come in, threw himself on the opposite -seat of the same box, and, in a consequential tone, -bawled: “Waiter! bring me a pint of madeira and -a couple of wax candles, and put them in the next -box.” He then drew over to himself Lord Camelford’s -candles, and began to read, which proceeding -merely caused his lordship to look indignant, whilst -he continued reading his paper. The waiter soon -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>reappeared, and announced the completion of the -gentleman’s commands, who immediately lounged -round to his own box. Lord Camelford, having now -finished his paragraph, called out, in a mimicking -tone: “Waiter! bring me a pair of snuffers.” These -being quickly brought, his lordship laid down his -paper, walked round the table at which the “blood” -sat, snuffed out both the candles, and retired to his -seat. Boiling with rage and fury, the indignant beau -roared out: “Waiter, waiter! who the devil is this -fellow that dares to insult a gentleman? What is -he? What do they call him?” “Lord Camelford, -sir,” replied the other in a tone scarcely audible. The -coxcomb, horror-struck at the name of the dangerous -nobleman, said tremblingly, “What have I to pay?” -and, on being told, quietly laid down his money and -sneaked away, leaving his madeira untasted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Disturbances were frequently caused in coffee-houses -by dashing bucks who attempted either to -dominate or to upset the domination of others. At -the west end of Cecil Court, in St. Martin’s Lane, -there existed, towards the end of the reign of -George II, Pon’s Coffee-house, much frequented -by foreigners of distinction, officers, and men about -town. In the course of time the foreigners began -to dominate this place, always contriving to get one -of themselves into the chair, and occupying special -seats which were kept for them alone. This created -much ill-feeling, and at length reached the ears of -the celebrated Lord Tyrawley, at that time a gay -spark about town. Discussing the foreign ascendancy -which prevailed in this place, Lord Tyrawley -said, in his vigorous way: “It is all your own fault. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>The Frenchmen see you are afraid of them, and -therefore behave with insolence. I am sure they -are cowards, and if I was in the company I would -undertake to insult the lot with impunity, and leave -the room without being questioned or prevented by -any one of them.” This led to a conversation, which -ended in a bet that Lord Tyrawley would carry his -threat into execution, and on an appointed day he -proceeded to action.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Having made arrangements with a confederate, -his lordship entered the room in time enough to take -his seat in the president’s chair unquestioned, according -to the law of the place. Afterwards the confederate, -pretending to be a stranger, seated himself -unnoticed, in the same manner, in the deputy chairman’s -place at the bottom. As the Frenchmen -dropped in, one by one, they were surprised to perceive -the posts of honour thus unusually occupied. -They whispered and muttered to each other as their -numbers increased, but at last took their seats anywhere -they could. In tones of discontent, deep but -not loud, one whispered to his neighbour: “Connaissez-vous -celui-là?” pointing to the new president. -“Non.” “Ni l’autre?” “Non.” “Ni moi, non -plus; ma foi, c’est singulier! Ah! les drôles! Eh -bien, tout-à-l’heure le président viendra, et alors -nous verrons comme tout cela va finir!” At last -the French president arrived, and, finding the post -of honour unexpectedly filled by the two dashing -officers of rank, quietly took his seat, like his -countrymen, where he could find it. The others, -who were interested in the scene, seated themselves -at the lower end of the table, whilst the few French -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>who had come early seated themselves as near to -the new president as they could.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The two intruders enjoyed the scene in secret, -but behaved with politeness and affability to all, in -their respective circles, till at last dinner was served. -Lord Tyrawley formally did the honours—tasted -the soup, put on a critical look, and asked those -who were near him to taste, and favour him with -their opinions. They were surprised at his assurance, -but several tasted, and said simultaneously, -“Assez bien—comme à l’ordinaire—qu’en pensez-vous?” -and so on. Lord Tyrawley then exclaimed: -“It is most execrable stuff, and only fit to be placed -before pigs! Waiter” (the man crept forward trembling), -“what do you bring this stuff here for?” -The astonished servant looked silently towards the -Frenchmen, in the hopes of catching a hint, when -Tyrawley, in a rage, vociferated: “Don’t answer me, -sir! take it away, and bring me the next dish—take -it away instantly, I say!” So saying, he seized his -own plate in both hands, raised it above his head, -and then dashed it with all his force, with its flat -bottom, into the midst of the soup, which spread, -in a circular sheet, upon the table and the clothes -of all who sat at that end of it. The Frenchmen -started with horror and surprise, springing from -their seats to save their clothes, while his confederate -jumped up, exclaiming: “What do you mean by -that, sir?” “I mean to say,” said Lord Tyrawley, -with provoking coolness, “the soup is very bad.” -“Nonsense, sir,” said the apparently enraged deputy -chairman; “you have insulted every man here, -and I will see that you give me immediate -<span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>satisfaction.” “Oh, sir,” said the Peer, very -coolly, “if you are for that sport, I will indulge -you at once.” So saying, each took down his hat -and sword with great dignity, and, the challenger -strutting after the challenged, both descended into -the courtyard. The bespattered foreigners, finding -a duel was in progress, crowded the window for -good places to see the sight, till it was quite full. -The combatants took their ground, drew, and began -a very furious-looking assault; one fought retreating, -the other pushing him back till they were at -the end of the court in St. Martin’s Lane, when -they took off their hats, bowed gracefully to the -astonished Frenchmen, and walked away arm in -arm, laughing and kissing their hands to the company -they had left, leaving them to enjoy their -spoiled dinner and well-greased clothes as they were -best able.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The great dread of the peaceful citizens who -frequented taverns and coffee-houses was an incursion -by members of the clubs known as Bold Bucks -and Hell-Fires—for the most part composed of -deliberately abandoned villains. The Bold Bucks -were given up to licentiousness of an unbridled -kind; blind and bold love was their motto, and -their main object seems to have been the assimilation -of man to brute.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Hell-Fires, as may be gathered from their -appellation, aimed at an even more transcendent -malignity, and derided the forms of religion as -a trifle.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A regular code of etiquette was observed at coffee-houses. -At most of these, though not at the fashionable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>West End ones, a penny was usually laid on the -bar on entering, which entitled the guest to the use -of the room and of the news-sheet. Every rank of -life, except perhaps the very lowest, was represented -at one or other of these houses. Men met there -to transact business, talk politics, discuss the latest -play or poem, to play dice or cards. To one man -the coffee-house was an office for business, where -he received, and from which he dated, his letters; -to another, a place in which to push his fortunes -among patrons; to most, a lounging-place in which -to discuss the news and pass away the time. The -advertisements of the day are full of allusions to -them. One gentleman loses his watch or his sword, -and will give a reward if they are returned to Tom’s -or Button’s, “and no questions asked.” Another, -one Brown, “late City Marshall,” will settle all -affairs that he had in his hands while holding that -office, if the persons interested will repair to “Mr. -Gibbon’s Coffee-House at Charing Cross.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The first coffee-house—that is, the first house -where coffee was sold to the public in England—is -said to have been the George and Vulture, in -George Yard, Lombard Street, a house still in -existence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>About 1652 a Turkey merchant, Mr. Edwards -by name, is supposed to have brought to London -from Smyrna a Ragusan youth, Pasqua Rosee by -name, specially to prepare coffee for him every -morning. This servant he eventually allowed to -sell the new-fashioned infusion publicly, and eventually -the Ragusan established the first coffee-house -in London, at St. Michael’s Abbey, Cornhill, under -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>the title of Pasqua Rosee’s Inn, afterwards known -to fame as the George and Vulture.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old Rainbow in Fleet Street, now known -as Groom’s, was the second coffee-house; but the -owner of the Rainbow apparently did not purvey -a very attractive form of the new beverage, for he -was indicted by the Vestry for selling “a strong -drink called Coffee which annoyed the neighbourhood -by its evil smell.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Curiously enough, both houses, Groom’s and the -George and Vulture, now belong to the same proprietor, -Mr. John Gardner, who, when he recently -purchased the lease of the former, also acquired the -original coffee-making recipe.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a coffee-house the George and Vulture was a -well-known resort of poets, wits, and satirists. The -servants appear to have been very enterprising in -attracting customers, for they would rush out and -seize passers-by, crying: “Coffee, sir; tea, sir! -Walk in and try a fresh pot!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the George and Vulture, Swift discussed the -South Sea Bubble with his friends. Here, too, -came Richard Estcourt, of Drury Lane, and founded -the first Beefsteak Club. At a later period this -coffee-house, on account of its sign, was especially -popular with patriotic clubs. Amongst its patrons -were Addison and Steele, whilst Daniel Defoe -seems also to have been a visitor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In Georgian days the old coffee-house became -one of the most popular resorts of John Wilkes, and -there also went Hogarth and other well-known men -of the day, whilst members of the Hell-Fire Club -were constant though unwelcome visitors.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>In later times Charles Dickens immortalized the -George and Vulture by making it an abode of Mr. -Pickwick and Sam Weller; the old hostelry was -also selected by the great novelist as being the place -where subpœnas were served on Mr. Pickwick’s -friends in the famous case of Bardell and Pickwick. -Dickens’s affection for “the George” is now perpetuated -by the City Pickwick, a social club which -holds its meetings there.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dickens is supposed to have obtained the idea -for the name of Tom Pinch from Dr. Pinche’s -school, which in early Victorian days occupied the -site of the Deutsche Bank, close to the George and -Vulture, in George Yard. Sir Henry Irving was -a pupil here, as was that still surviving legal -luminary, Sir Edward Clarke.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another resort full of old-world memories—the -London Coffee-house, on Ludgate Hill, where -John Leech’s father and grandfather were proprietors—occupied -a Roman site. In 1800, behind -this house, in a bastion of the City Wall, was -found a sepulchral monument, dedicated to a faithful -wife by her husband, a Roman soldier. Here also -were found a fragment of a statue of Hercules -and a female head. In front of the coffee-house, -immediately west of St. Martin’s Church, stood -Ludgate.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This coffee-house was within the rules of the -Fleet Prison; and in the coffee-house were “locked -up” for the night such juries from the Old Bailey -Sessions as could not agree upon verdicts. In later -days it became a tavern.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A curious incident once occurred in this house. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>Mr. Broadhurst, the famous tenor, by singing a -high note caused a wineglass on the table to break, -the bowl being separated from the stem. Brayley, -the topographer, was present at the time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lloyd’s, now such a well-known institution, originated -in a coffee-house of that name, which flourished -as early as the very beginning of the eighteenth -century.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lloyd’s Coffee-house was originally in Lombard -Street, at the corner of Abchurch Lane, subsequently -in Pope’s-head Alley, where it was called -“New Lloyd’s Coffee-house”; but on February 14, -1774, it was removed to the north-west corner of -the Royal Exchange, where it remained until the -destruction of that building by fire. When the -Royal Exchange was rebuilt, special rooms were set -aside for Lloyd’s, which assumed the form in which -it flourishes to-day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lloyd’s, as a place for insuring ships, was at first -started by an astute individual who saw the possibilities -of a meeting-place for underwriters and -insurers of ships’ cargoes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As early as the year 1740, it is recorded that Mr. -Baker, Master of Lloyd’s Coffee-house, in Lombard -Street, waited on Sir Robert Walpole with the news -of Admiral Vernon’s capture of Portobello. This -was the first account received thereof, and, as it -proved to be true, Sir Robert was pleased to order -Mr. Baker a handsome present.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another resort, somewhat similar to Lloyd’s, was -Garraway’s Coffee-house—the first place where tea -was sold in England. It was during the time of -the South Sea Bubble that this became the scene -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>of great mercantile transactions. The original -proprietor was Thomas Garway, tobacconist and -coffee-man. He issued the following curious circular: -“Tea in England hath been sold in the leaf -for six pounds, and sometimes for ten pounds the -pound weight, and in respect of its former scarceness -and dearness, it hath been only used as a -regalia in high treatments and entertainments, and -presents made thereof to princes and grandees till -the year 1651. The said Thomas Garway did purchase -a quantity thereof, and first publicly sold the -said tea in leaf and drink, made according to the -directions of the most knowing merchants and -travellers into those eastern countries; and upon -knowledge and experience of the said Garway’s -continued care and industry in obtaining the best -tea, and making drink thereof, very many noblemen, -physicians, merchants, and gentlemen of quality, -have ever since sent to him for the said leaf, and -daily resort to his house in Exchange Alley, aforesaid, -to drink the drink thereof; and to the end -that all persons of eminence and quality, gentlemen -and others, who have occasion for tea in leaf, may -be supplied, these are to give notice that the said -Thomas Garway hath tea to sell from ‘sixteen to -fifty shillings per pound.’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1673 there were some great sales of wine at -Garraway’s. These took place “by the candle”—that -is, by auction while an inch of candle burnt. -In the <i>Tatler</i>, No. 147, we read: “Upon my coming -home last night, I found a very handsome present -of French wine left for me, as a taste of 216 hogsheads, -which are to be put to sale at £20 a hogshead, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>at Garraway’s Coffee-house, in Exchange Alley,” -etc. A sale by candle is not, however, by candlelight, -but during the day. Such sales took place -by daylight, and at the commencement of the sale, -when the auctioneer had read a description of the -property and the conditions on which it was to be -disposed of, a piece of candle, usually an inch long, -was lit, the last bidder at the time the light went -out being declared the purchaser.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Garraway’s was famous for its sandwiches and -sherry, pale ale, and punch. The sandwich-maker, -it was said, occupied two hours in cutting and -arranging the sandwiches before the day’s consumption -commenced. The sale-room was on the first-floor, -with a small rostrum for the seller, and a few -rough wooden seats for the buyers. Sales of -drugs, mahogany, and timber, were its speciality -in the fifties of the last century, when twenty or -thirty property and other sales sometimes took place -in a day. The walls and windows of the lower room -were covered with sale placards—unsentimental -evidences of the mutability of human affairs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1840 and 1841, when the tea speculation was -at its height, and prices were fluctuating sixpence and -eightpence per pound on the arrival of every mail, -Garraway’s was frequented every night by a host of -the smaller fry of dealers, and there was much more -excitement than ever occurred on ’Change when the -most important intelligence arrived. Champagne -flowed, and everyone ate and drank, and went, as -he pleased, without the least question about the -bill; yet everything was paid, though such a state -of affairs continued for several months.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>At one time many taverns were the meeting-places -of “mug-house clubs,” amusing resorts where -gentlemen, lawyers, and tradesmen used to meet -in a great room, seldom under a hundred in number.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Such assemblies usually had a president, who sat -in an armchair some steps higher than the rest of -the company, to keep the whole room in order. A -harp played all the time at the lower end of the -room; and every now and then one or other of the -company rose and entertained the rest with a song, -some being good singers. Here nothing was drunk -but ale, and every gentleman had his separate mug, -which he chalked on the table where he sat, as it -was brought in. A free-and-easy atmosphere -pervaded the place, and everyone did and said -exactly what he pleased.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A number of these “mug-house clubs” were to be -found in Cheapside and its vicinity, and others about -Covent Garden, a district which formerly abounded -in well-known coffee-houses. In the eighteenth -century, in Russell Street alone, were three of -the most celebrated: Will’s, Button’s, and Tom’s. -Will’s, as is well known, was closely connected -with Dryden, the <i>Tatler</i>, and the <i>Spectator</i>; and -its wits’ room, on the first-floor, was celebrated -throughout the town. So was Button’s, with its -lion’s head letter-box, and the young poets in the -back room. Tom’s, No. 17, on the north side of -Russell Street, and of a somewhat later date, was -taken down in 1865. The premises remained, with -but little alteration, long after they ceased to be a -coffee-house. It was named after its original proprietor, -Thomas West, who, November 26, 1722, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>threw himself, in a delirium, from the second-floor -window into the street, and died immediately. The -upper portion of the premises was the coffee-house, -under which lived T. Lewis, the bookseller, Pope’s -publisher.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Will’s Coffee-house, known as the Wits’, which -was very celebrated in its day, was at No. 23, Russell -Street, Bow Street. Dryden first made it a resort -of wits. The poet used to sit in a room on the -first-floor, and his customary seat was by the fireside -in the winter, and at the corner of the balcony, -looking over the street, in fine weather; he called -the two places his winter and his summer seat. In -the eighteenth century this room became the dining-room. -In Dryden’s day people did not sit in boxes, -as subsequently, but at various tables which were -dispersed through the room. Smoking was permitted -in the public room, and was then much in -vogue; indeed, it does not seem to have been considered -a nuisance, as it was some years later. Here, -as in other similar places of meeting, the visitors -divided themselves into parties; the young beaux -and wits, who seldom approached the principal table, -thought it a great honour to have a pinch out of -Dryden’s snuff-box.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In later years Will’s Coffee-house became an -open market for libels and lampoons.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Swift thought little of the frequenters of Will’s; -he used to say the worst conversation he ever heard -in his life was to be heard there. The wits (as they -were called), said he disparagingly, used formerly -to assemble at this house; that is to say, five or six -men who had written plays or at least prologues, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>or had a share in a miscellany, came thither, and -entertained one another with their trifling compositions, -assuming as grand an air as if they -had been the noblest efforts of human nature, or -as if the fate of kingdoms depended on them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was Swift who framed the rules of the Brothers’ -Club, which met every Thursday. “The end of -our club,” said he, “is to advance conversation and -friendship, and to reward learning without interest -or recommendation. We take in none but men of -wit or men of interest; and if we go on as we -began, no other club in this town will be worth -talking of.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Brothers’, which was really a political club, -broke up in 1713, and the next year Swift formed -the celebrated Scriblerus Club, an association rather -of a literary than a political character. Oxford and -St. John, Swift, Arbuthnot, Pope, and Gay were -members. Satire upon the abuse of human learning -was their leading object. The name originated as -follows: Oxford used playfully to call Swift <i>Martin</i>, -and from this sprang Martinus Scriblerus. Swift, -as is well known, is the name of one species of -swallow (the largest and most powerful flier of the -tribe), and martin is the name of another species, the -wall-swallow, which constructs its nest in buildings.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Scriblerus Club broke up owing to quarrels -between Oxford and Bolingbroke. Swift tried the -force of humorous expostulation in his fable of the -“Fagot,” where the Ministers are called upon to -contribute their various badges of office to make -the bundle strong and secure, but all was in vain. -And at length, tired with this scene of murmuring -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>and discontent, quarrel, misunderstanding, and -hatred, the Dean, who was almost the only mutual -friend who laboured to compose these differences, -made a final effort at reconciliation; but his scheme -entirely failed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Button’s Coffee-house was another resort of wits. -Here, in the early part of the reign of Queen Anne, -Swift first began to come, being known as “the mad -parson.” He knew no one; no one knew him. He -would lay his hat down on a table, and walk up and -down at a brisk pace for half an hour without -speaking to anyone, or seeming to pay attention -to anything that was going forward. Then he -would snatch up his hat, pay his money at the bar, -and walk off without having opened his lips. At -last he went one evening to a country gentleman, -and very abruptly asked him: “Pray, sir, do you -know any good weather in the world?” After -staring a little at the singularity of Swift’s manner -and the oddity of the question, the gentleman -answered: “Yes, sir, I thank God I remember a -great deal of good weather in my time.” “That -is more,” replied Swift, “than I can say. I never -remember any weather that was not too hot or -too cold, too wet or too dry; but, however God -Almighty contrives it, at the end of the year ’tis -all very well.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At Tom’s Coffee-house in 1764 was formed a -high-class club of about 700 members, paying each -a guinea subscription. A card-room was on the -first-floor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club flourished, so that in 1768, “having -considerably enlarged itself of late,” Thomas Haines, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>the then proprietor, took in the front room of the -next house westward as a coffee-room. The front -room of No. 17 was then appropriated exclusively as -a card-room for the subscription club, each member -paying one guinea annually, the adjoining apartment -being used as a conversation-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Tom Haines—Lord Chesterfield, as he was called, -on account of his good manners—was succeeded by -his son. The house ceased to be a coffee-house in -1814.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It would be interesting to know what has become -of the old snuff-box—a most curious relic. It -was a big tortoiseshell box, bearing on the lid, in -high relief in silver, the portraits of Charles I and -Queen Anne; the Boscobel oak, with Charles II -amid its branches; and at the foot of the tree, on -a silver plate, was inscribed “Thomas Haines.” At -Will’s the small wits grew conceited if they dipped -but into Mr. Dryden’s snuff-box, and at Tom’s the -box probably received similar veneration.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Bedford Coffee-house, in the north-west -corner of the Piazza, was another celebrated Covent -Garden resort.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Here in its palmy days, about 1754, Foote -reigned supreme, his great rival being Garrick, -who, however, usually got the worst of the verbal -duels which constantly occurred. Garrick in early -life had been in the wine trade, and had supplied -the Bedford with wine; he was thus described by -Foote as living in Durham Yard, with three quarts of -vinegar in the cellar, calling himself a wine-merchant.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Leaving the Bedford one night in company with -Garrick, Foote dropped a guinea; and not being -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>able to find it, exclaimed: “Where on earth can it -be gone to?” “Gone to the devil, I think,” replied -Garrick, who had assisted in the search. “Well -said, David!” was Foote’s reply. “Let you alone -for making a guinea go farther than anybody else.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Tom King’s Coffee-house—a rough shed just -beneath the portico of St. Paul’s Church—was a -regular Covent Garden night-house. This haunt -of night-birds is shown in the background of -Hogarth’s print of “Morning,” where the prim -maiden lady, walking to church, is confronted -by two fuddled beaux from King’s Coffee-house -caressing two frail women. At the door a drunken -brawl is proceeding, whilst swords and cudgels are -being freely used.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Piazza (known in the reign of Charles I -as the “Portico walke”) in Covent Garden, the -destruction of a portion of which, in 1858, was, -from an artistic point of view, to be deplored, was -erected between 1634 and 1640 by Inigo Jones, -who also built St. Paul’s Church for Francis, Duke -of Bedford. Though a more ambitious scheme was -originally conceived, only the north and east sides -were, however, built, and half of the latter was -destroyed by fire about the middle of the eighteenth -century.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several distinguished artists lived in the Piazza, -including Sir Peter Lely and Zoffany. Sir Godfrey -Kneller came into the Piazza the year after Lely -died, and the house he occupied was near the steps -leading into Covent Garden Theatre. He had a -garden at the back, reaching as far as Dr. Radcliffe’s, -in Bow Street. Kneller was fond of flowers, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>had a fine collection. As he was intimate with -Radcliffe, he permitted him to have a door into -his garden; but Radcliffe’s servants gathering and -destroying the flowers, Kneller sent him word he -must shut up the door. Radcliffe replied peevishly: -“Tell him he may do anything with it but paint -it.” “And I,” answered Sir Godfrey, “can take -anything from him but physic.” Sir James Thornhill -also lived in the same neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Piazza Coffee-house, in Covent Garden, -was a favourite resort of Sheridan’s. Here it was -that he sat during the burning of Drury Lane -Theatre in 1809, calmly taking some refreshment, -which excited the astonishment of a friend. “A -man may surely be allowed to take a glass of wine -by his own fireside,” said Sheridan.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the site of the Piazza Coffee-house was built -the Floral Hall, in the Crystal Palace style of -architecture, if the latter word be applicable to -such a building. Henrietta Street, close by, was -once well known for what seems to have been the -first family hotel ever established in London, -opened by David Low in 1774.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Gold, silver, and copper medals were struck and -distributed by the landlord, as advertisements of -his house—the gold to the Princes, silver to the -nobility, and copper to the public generally. -Mrs. Hudson succeeded him, and advertised her -hotel “with stabling for one hundred noblemen -and horses.” The next proprietors were Richardson -and Joy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>For years the hotel was famous for its dinner -and coffee-room—called the “Star,” from the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>number of men of rank who frequented it. One -day the Duke of Norfolk entered the dining-room, -and ordered of the waiter two lamb chops, at the -same time inquiring: “John, have you a cucumber?” -The waiter replied in the negative—it was so early -in the season; but he would step into the market -and inquire if there were any. The waiter did so, -and returned with—“There are a few, but they -are half a guinea apiece.” “Half a guinea apiece! -Are they small or large?” “Why, rather small.” -“Then buy two,” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Low had purchased the house from the executors -of James West, President of the Royal Society, -and it had originally been the mansion of Sir -Kenelm Digby, who had his laboratory at the back. -In course of time it was practically rebuilt by the -Earl of Orford, better known as Admiral Russell, -who in 1692 defeated Admiral de Tourville. The -façade of the house originally resembled the forecastle -of a ship, and the fine old staircase was -formed of part of the vessel Admiral Russell commanded -at La Hogue; on it were handsomely -carved anchors, ropes, and the coronet and initials -of Lord Orford, who died there in 1727. The -house was afterwards occupied by Thomas, Lord -Archer, who had a well-stocked garden at the back. -Mushrooms and cucumbers were his especial hobby.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In course of time Evans, of Covent Garden -Theatre, removed here from the Cider Cellar in -Maiden Lane, and, using the large dining-room for -a singing-room, prospered until 1844, when he -resigned the property to Mr. John Green, well -known as Paddy Green, under whose rule the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>excellence of the entertainment attracted so great -an accession of visitors that there was built, in -1855, on the site of the old garden (Sir Kenelm -Digby’s), a handsome hall, to which the former -singing-room formed a sort of vestibule. This was -hung with portraits of celebrated actors and actresses -collected by the proprietor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The gallery was said to occupy part of the site -of the cottage in which the Kembles occasionally -resided during the zenith of their fame at Covent -Garden Theatre. Kemble first saw the light there.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the early seventies Evans’s ceased to attract, -and, after undergoing various vicissitudes and -sheltering several clubs, the house finally became -the headquarters of boxing, being now occupied by -the National Sporting Club. The original staircase -remains, and a number of prints recalling the -palmy days of the prize-ring decorate the walls of -the club-house.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Ninety years ago, it should be added, the prize-fighting -fraternity had a club of their own, called -the Daffy Club, which met at the Castle Tavern, -Holborn, then kept by the famous boxers, Tom -Belcher and Tom Spring. The walls of the long -room in which it met were adorned by a number of -sporting prints and portraits of famous pugilistic -heroes, amongst them Belcher himself, Gentleman -Jackson, Dutch Sam, Gregson, Humphreys, Mendoza, -Cribb, Molyneux, Gulley, Randall, Turner, -Martin, Harmer, Spring, Neat, Hickman, Painter, -Scroggins, Tom Owen, and many others.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER II<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>CURIOUS CLUBS OF THE PAST—PRATT’S—BEEFSTEAK CLUBS, OLD AND NEW</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>Many curiously-named clubs existed in the past. -Addison, for instance, speaking of the clubs of his -time, mentions several the names of which were -probably merely humorous exaggerations. Names -such as the Mum Club, the Ugly Club, can hardly -be considered to have been in actual use.</p> -<p class='c006'>Real clubs were the Lying Club, for which -untruthfulness was supposed to be an indispensable -qualification; the Odd Fellows’ Club; the Humbugs -(which met at the Blue Posts, in Covent -Garden); the Samsonic Society; the Society of -Bucks; the Purl Drinkers; the Society of Pilgrims, -held at the Woolpack, in the Kingsland Road; the -Thespian Club; the Great Bottle Club; the Aristocratic -“Je ne sçai quoi” Club, held at the Star and -Garter, in Pall Mall, of which the Prince of Wales -and the Dukes of York, Clarence, Orleans, Norfolk, -Bedford, and other notabilities, were members; the -Sons of the Thames Society; the Blue Stocking -Club; the “No Pay No Liquor” Club, held at the -Queen and Artichoke, in the Hampstead Road, and -of which the ceremony, on a new member’s introduction, -was, after his paying a fee on entrance of -one shilling, that he should wear a hat throughout -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>the first evening of his membership, made in the -shape of a quart pot, and drink to the health of his -brother members in a gilt goblet of ale. At -Camden Town met the “Social Villagers,” in a -room at the Bedford Arms.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the first clubs was the October Club, -composed of some hundred and fifty staunch Tories, -chiefly country Members of Parliament. They -met at the Bell, in King Street, Westminster—that -street in which Spenser starved, and Dryden’s -brother kept a grocer’s shop. A portrait of Queen -Anne, by Dahl, hung in the club-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another queer eighteenth-century institution -was the Golden Fleece Club, the members of -which assumed fancy names, such as Sir Timothy -Addlepate, Sir Nimmy Sneer, Sir Talkative Dolittle, -Sir Skinny Fretwell, Sir Rumbus Rattle, Sir -Boozy Prate-all, Sir Nicholas Ninny Sip-all, Sir -Gregory Growler, Sir Pay-little, and the like. The -main object of this club seems to have been a very -free conviviality.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Perhaps the most eccentric club of all was “the -Everlasting,” which, like the modern Brook Club -of New York, professed to go on for ever, its doors -being kept open night and day throughout the year, -whilst the members were divided into watches like -sailors at sea.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The craze for queerly-named clubs lasted into -the nineteenth century; for instance, the King of -Clubs was the fanciful name of a society founded -about 1801 by Bobus Smith. At first it consisted -of a small knot of lawyers, whose clients were -too few, or too civil, to molest their after-dinner -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>recreations; a few literary characters; and a small -number of visitors, generally introduced by those -who took the chief part in conversation, and seemingly -selected for the faculty of being good listeners.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The King of Clubs sat on the Saturday of each -month in the Strand, at the Crown and Anchor -Tavern, which at that time was a nest of boxes, -each containing its club, and affording excellent -cheer, though afterwards desecrated by indifferent -dinners and very questionable wine. The object -of the club was conversation. Everyone seemed -anxious to bring his contribution of good sense or -good-humour, and the members discussed books and -authors and the prevalent topics of the day, except -politics, which were excluded.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Rogers, the banker poet, was a member of the -King of Clubs. His funereal appearance gained him -the nickname of the Dug-up Dandy, and all sorts -of jokes were made concerning him. Once, when -Rogers had been at Spa, and was telling Ward -(afterwards Lord Dudley) that the place was so -full that he could not so much as find a bed to lie -in, and that he was obliged on that account to -leave it, “Dear me,” replied Ward, “was there no -room in the churchyard?” At another time Murray -was showing him a portrait of Rogers, observing -that “it was done to the life.” “To the death, you -mean,” replied Ward. Amongst other amusing -sallies of the same kind was his asking Rogers: -“Why don’t you keep your hearse, Rogers? You -can well afford it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A good example of what most of the little old-fashioned -clubs of other days were like is furnished -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>by Pratt’s, which, though not of very great antiquity, -occupies curious old-world premises just off -St. James’s Street. This quaint and agreeable little -club, still a flourishing institution, appears to have -been founded about 1841; the old manuscript -records of elections still exist. Though Pratt’s has -recently been reorganized, its distinctive features -have not been impaired, and the house remains -much in its original condition—the kitchen downstairs, -with its old-fashioned open fire, quaint dresser -filled with salmon-fly plates, old-world furniture -and prints, forming a delightful relic of the past. -A curious niche in this room would seem to have -once served as a receptacle for cards or dice, in the -days when the house was used for gambling, and -raids by the authorities were common.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Next the kitchen is the dining-room, in which is -a long table; the walls here are hung with old -prints of the time when the club was founded. -Both this room and the kitchen have very curious -mantelpieces, the upper portions of which are -formed of classical friezes which would seem to -have been brought here from some old mansion. -Throughout the quaint little building are cases of -stuffed birds and fish, and the accessories and -general appearance produce a singular effect not -lacking in old-world charm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Pratt’s formerly opened only late in the evening, -but its hours now admit of members lunching; -indeed, whilst great care has been taken to preserve -the original spirit of the club, many modern improvements -unobtrusively carried out make it a -most comfortable resort, whilst the convenience of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>members has been studied by the addition of four -bedrooms.</p> - -<p class='c006'>By far the most interesting of the old dining clubs -was the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks, founded about -1735 by Rich, the famous harlequin and machinist -of Covent Garden Theatre. At first it consisted -of twenty-four members, but the number was afterwards -increased. Hogarth, Wilkes, and many other -celebrated men, were members of this society, which -had many curious customs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Its officials consisted of a President of the Day, -Vice-President, Bishop, Recorder, and Boots.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The meetings were originally held in a room at -Covent Garden Theatre.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The President took his seat after dinner throughout -the season, according to the order in which his -name appeared on “the rota.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was invested with the badge of the society -by the Boots. His duty was to give the chartered -toasts in strict accordance with the list before him; -to propose all resolutions that had been duly made -and seconded; to observe all the ancient forms and -customs of the society; and to enforce them on -others. He had no sort of power inherent in his -position; on the contrary, he was closely watched -and sharply pulled up if he betrayed either ignorance -or forgetfulness on the smallest matter of routine -connected with his office. In fact, he was a target -for all to shoot at.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A Beefeater’s hat and plume hung on the right-hand -side of the chair behind him, and a three-cornered -hat (erroneously believed to have belonged -to Garrick) on the left. When putting a resolution, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>the President was bound to place the plumed hat -on his head and instantly remove it. If he failed -in one or the other act, he was equally reminded by -being called to order in no silent terms. The most -important obligation imposed on him was the necessity -of singing, whether he could sing or not, the -song of the day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Vice was the oldest member of the society -present, and had to carry out the President’s directions -without responsibility.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Bishop sang the grace and the anthem.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The most important official of all was the -Recorder. He had to rebuke everybody for -offences, real or imaginary, and with him lay the -duty of delivering “the charge” to each newly-elected -member, which was a burlesque function.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Boots was the last elected of the members, -and there was a grave responsibility attached to his -office. He was the fag of the brotherhood, and had -to arrive before the dinner-hour, not only to decant -the wine, but to fetch it from the cellar. This -latter custom was persevered in until the destruction -of the old Lyceum by fire, and was only then abandoned -by reason of the inaccessibility of the cellar, -when the society returned to the new theatre, the -rebuilt Lyceum, in 1838. No one was exempted -from this ordeal, and woe to him who shirked or -neglected it. The greatest enjoyment seemed to -be afforded, both to members and guests, by summoning -Boots to decant a fresh bottle of port at -the moment when a hot plate and a fresh steak -were placed before him.</p> - -<div class='figleft id004'> -<img src='images/i038a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>ORIGINAL BADGE OF THE SUBLIME SOCIETY.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figleft id004'> -<img src='images/i038b.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>LATER BADGE.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figleft id004'> -<img src='images/i038c.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>RING.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figleft id004'> -<img src='images/i038d.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>BADGE OF THE AD LIBITUM CLUB.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='figleft id004'> -<img src='images/i038e.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>REVERSE OF AD LIBITUM BADGE.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke of Sussex was Boots from the date of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>his election (April, 1808) to April, 1809, when a -vacancy occurred, and Mr. Arnold senior was -elected, releasing His Royal Highness from the -post. Indeed, until the society ceased to exist, the -Duke of Leinster, who had duly served his apprenticeship -(although he drank nothing stronger than -water himself), constantly usurped the legitimate -duties of the Boots by arriving before him and -performing the accustomed, but not forgotten, -services of the day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When any Boots showed signs of temper, or -any member was unruly or infringed the rules of -the society, a punishment was in store for him. It -was moved and seconded that such delinquent should -be put in the white sheet and reprimanded by the -Recorder; and if the “Ayes had it” (and they always -did have it), the sentence was carried out.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The offending party was taken from the room by -two members bearing halberds, preceded by a third -carrying the sword, and was brought back again in -the garb of penitence (the tablecloth). Then, after -a lecture from the Recorder, severe or humorous -according to the nature of his offence, he was -allowed to resume his place at the table.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It happened that Brother the Duke of Sussex was -put in the white sheet under the following circumstances: -His Royal Highness had come to the -“Steaks” with Brother Hallett, and on the road -the watch-chain belonging to the latter had been -cut and his bunch of seals stolen. The cloth removed, -Hallett addressed the President, recounted -the loss he had sustained, and charged the Duke as -the perpetrator of the robbery. The case was tried -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>on the spot; and the evidence having clearly established -the criminality of the accused (to a Beefsteak -jury), it was moved and resolved that His Royal -Highness should forthwith be put into the white -sheet and reprimanded for an act which might have -been considered a fault had the victim been a -stranger, but which became a crime when that -victim was a Brother. There was no appeal. His -Royal Highness reluctantly rose, was taken out in -custody, brought before the Recorder (Brother -Richards), and received a witty but unsparing -admonition for the offence of which he had been -unanimously found guilty. For a wonder, His -Royal Highness took it ill. He resumed his seat, -but remained silent and reserved. No wit could -make him smile, no bantering could rouse him, and -at an unusually early hour he ordered his carriage -and went away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next day Mr. Arnold, who had been the -mover of the resolution, went to the palace to -smooth the ruffled plumes of his royal confrère, and -took his son with him. In those days the Duke -rode on horseback, and as they turned out of the -gate leading from the gardens to the portico his -horse was at the door and His Royal Highness in -the act of coming out. By the time they neared the -entrance his foot was in the stirrup, and he saw them -approaching. Without a moment’s hesitation he -withdrew his foot, released the bridle, and, with both -his enormous hands extended, advanced three or -four steps to meet Mr. Arnold.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I know what you’ve come about,” he called -loudly out in his accustomed note (probably B flat), -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>and wringing both Mr. Arnold’s hands until he -winced with pain—“I know what you’ve come -about! I made a fool of myself last night. You -were quite right, and I quite wrong, so I shall come -next Saturday and do penance again for my bad -temper.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sometimes a member turned sulky when made to -do penance. On one occasion an individual of a -touchy disposition was put into the white sheet and -brought before the President, who admonished him -as a parent would a child—a Beefsteak sermon without -its usual bathos. The recipient listened to the -harangue without moving a muscle of his face. The -lecture done, he resumed his seat, but at the next -meeting sent in his resignation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Saturday was the day on which the dinners were -held. Each member was allowed to bring one -visitor. If he brought a second, he had to borrow -a name; in default of obtaining it, the visitor was -doomed to retire.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Visitors, unlike members, were not subjected to -any humorous penalties, but were most ceremoniously -treated. They were never unduly urged to -drink more than might be agreeable to them; one -bumper in the evening was alone imperative, but it -might be drunk in water. They were never pressed, -though always asked, to sing. A “suggestion” to -sing was the adopted word.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The only call to which it was imperative for the -visitor to respond was “a toast.” If he hesitated -too long, he was, perhaps abruptly, told he might -give anything the world produced—man, woman, or -child, or any sentiment, social or otherwise. Sometimes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>it happened that such prompting was in vain, -and the confused guest would nine times out of ten -propose the only toast he was prohibited from -giving—“The prosperity of the Sublime Society of -Beefsteaks.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Members were responsible for their guests, who -were made to understand that whatever passed -within the walls of the S.S.B.S. was sacred. William -Jerdan, Editor of the <i>Literary Gazette</i>, was a visitor, -and at a late hour he was observed to take a note -of a brilliant repartee that had been made.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The President, by whose side he sat, pointed to -the motto over the chimney-piece:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Ne fidos inter amicos</div> - <div class='line in1'>Sit qui dicta foras eliminet.”<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c013'><sup>[1]</sup></a></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='footnote c014' id='f1'> -<p class='c015'><span class='label'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. </span></p> -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Let none beyond this threshold bear away</div> - <div class='line'>What friend to friend in confidence may say.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c004'>“Jerdan,” he said, “you understand those words?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I understand one,” said Jerdan, looking sharply -round—“sit; and I mean to do it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Authors, and dramatic authors in particular, -were mercilessly chaffed when they dined with -the Sublime Society. Cobb, whose farce “The -First-Floor” achieved great popularity, used to -accept the satire and raillery of members with great -good-humour, generally silencing them one by one. -Storace composed some of his finest music for Cobb’s -comic operas, “The Haunted Tower” and “The -Siege of Belgrade,” which achieved success. An -Indian opera, “Ramah Drûg,” did not. Cobb was -much chaffed about these operas, especially about -the first-named.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Why ever,” one night said Arnold, “did you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>call your opera by such a name? There was no -spirit in it from beginning to end!” “Anyhow,” -exclaimed another inveterate punster, “‘Ramah -Drûg’ was the most appropriate title possible, for -it was literally ramming a drug down the public -throat.” “True,” rejoined Cobb; “but it was a -drug that evinced considerable power, for it operated -on the public twenty nights in succession.” “My -good friend,” said Arnold triumphantly, “that was -a proof of its weakness, if it took so long in working.” -“You are right, Arnold, in that respect,” retorted -Cobb. “Your play” (Arnold had brought out a -play, which did not survive the first night) “had -the advantage of mine, for it was so powerful a -drug as to be thrown up as soon as it was taken!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The first and last Saturdays of the season, and -the Saturday in Easter week, were “private.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>On these days no visitors were invited. The -accounts were gone into, and the amount of the -“whip” to regulate the past or accruing expenses -decided, the qualifications of such candidates as -were anxious, on the occasion of a vacancy, to join -the society discussed, and other matters connected -with its well-being debated.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Each member paid 5<i>s.</i> for his dinner, and 10<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> -for his guest. The entrance fee was £26 5<i>s.</i> until -1849, when it was reduced to £10 10<i>s.</i>, and there -were generally two annual whips of £5 each.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After the destruction of Covent Garden Theatre, -where it had met for seventy years, the Sublime -Society of Beefsteaks migrated to the Bedford -Coffee-house, where it remained till the building -of the Lyceum Theatre in 1809, in a special room -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>of which it took up its abode till 1830, when the -Lyceum also was burnt down.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After this it adjourned to the Lyceum Tavern, -in the Strand, and thence returned to the Bedford -Coffee-house, where it remained until 1838, when -a suite of rooms was built for it under the new roof -of the Lyceum. The original gridiron, dug out of -the ruins of Covent Garden and the Lyceum, formed -the centre ornament of the dining-room ceiling. -The entire room and ceiling were in Gothic architecture, -and the walls were hung with paintings -and engravings of past and present members, the -former the work of Brother Lonsdale. Folding-doors, -the entire width of the room, connected it -with an anteroom. When the doors were opened -on the announcement of dinner, an enormous grating -in the form of a gridiron, through which the fire was -seen and the steaks handed, afforded members a -view of the kitchen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There was no blackballing, but every would-be -member had to be invited at least twice as a guest, -in order that his qualifications might be ascertained, -and then, if he were put up, he was certain to be -elected. As a matter of fact, the formality of a ballot -was gone through, though there were no rejections.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When a new member was initiated, he and the -visitors were requested after dinner to withdraw to -an anteroom, where port and punch were provided -for them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The newly-elected member was then brought in -blindfolded, accompanied on his right by the Bishop -with his mitre on, and holding the volume in which -the oath of allegiance to the rules of the society -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>was inscribed, while on his left stood some other -member holding the sword of state. Behind were -the halberdiers. These were all decked out in the -most incongruous and absurd dresses—in all probability -originally obtained from Covent Garden -Theatre.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“The charge” was then delivered by the Recorder. -In it he dwelt on the solemnity of the -obligations the new member was about to take on -himself. He was made to understand, in tones -alternately serious and gay, the true brotherly spirit -of the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks; that while -a perfect equality existed among the Brethren, such -equality never should be permitted to degenerate -into undue familiarity; that while badinage was -encouraged in the freest sense of the word, such -badinage must never approach to a personality; and -that good fellowship must be united with good -breeding. Above all, attention was drawn to the -Horatian motto over the chimney-piece, and the -aspirant was warned that ignominious expulsion -was the fate of him who carried beyond those walls -words uttered there in friendship’s confidence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>That done, the following oath, dating from the -origin of the society, was administered:</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>OATH.</div> - <div class='c000'>YOU SHALL ATTEND DULY,</div> - <div>VOTE IMPARTIALLY,</div> - <div>AND CONFORM TO OUR LAWS AND ORDERS OBEDIENTLY.</div> - <div>YOU SHALL SUPPORT OUR DIGNITY,</div> - <div>PROMOTE OUR WELFARE, AND AT ALL TIMES</div> - <div>BEHAVE AS A WORTHY MEMBER IN THIS SUBLIME SOCIETY.</div> - <div>SO BEEF AND LIBERTY BE YOUR REWARD.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'><span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>This was read aloud, clause by clause, by the -Bishop, and repeated by the candidate; at the end -the book was rapidly exchanged by the cook, who -was called the Serjeant, for the bone of beef that had -served for the day’s dinner, carefully protected by a -napkin, and after the words</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>“SO BEEF AND LIBERTY BE MY REWARD”</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c008'>he was desired to kiss the book. Instead of this -he kissed its substitute, and by reason of a friendly -downward pressure from behind he generally did -so most devoutly.</p> -<p class='c006'>The bandage was then removed from his eyes; -the book on which he had sworn the oath was still -before him; and amid the laughter and congratulations -of his Brethren he again took his seat as a -member of the Sublime Society, and the excluded -guests were readmitted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Serjeant was a very important figure at the -meetings of the Sublime Society, and the office -was well filled by Heardson, the cook, whose -picture was engraved by J. R. Smith (the print -hangs in the modern Beefsteak). So great was his -affection for the “Society” that one of his last -requests was to be carried into the club-room to -take a farewell glance at the familiar scene, and -this he was allowed to do.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A great supporter of the Beefsteak Society was -the old Duke of Norfolk, and when he dined there -he would be ceremoniously ushered to the chair -after dinner, and invested with an orange-coloured -ribbon, to which a silver medal, in the form of a -gridiron, was suspended. In the chair he comported -himself with great urbanity and good-humour.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>Above all things, this Duke of Norfolk loved -long sittings, during which he would consume prodigious -quantities of wine, which seemed to affect -him but very little. Occasionally, however, towards -the close of the evening, the Duke, without exhibiting -any symptom of inebriety, became immovable -in his chair, as if deprived of all muscular volition. -When at his own house he had an especial method -of obviating the inconveniences of such a state, -and would ask someone to ring the bell three -times. This was the signal for bringing in a kind -of easy litter, consisting of four equidistant belts, -fastened together by a transverse one, which four -domestics placed under him, and thus removed his -enormous bulk, with a gentle swinging motion, up -to his apartment. Upon these occasions the Duke -would say nothing, but the whole thing was managed -with great system and in perfect silence.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another prominent member was Charles Morris, -who greatly enlivened the dinners by his wit, high -spirits, and singing. When he was in town nothing -kept him away, even when he was nearly eighty -years of age.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Die when you will, Charles,” said Curran, -“you’ll die in your youth.” And his words were -verified, for his spirits remained unquenched till -within a few days of his death. Morris wrote many -songs which he would sing himself. The following -is a specimen of his talents in that direction:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Let them rail who think fit, at my ways or my wit;</div> - <div class='line in3'>I reply to the foes of good living:</div> - <div class='line in1'>‘Heaven bade me be gay—to enjoy’s to obey,</div> - <div class='line in3'>And mirth is my prayer of thanksgiving.’</div> - <div class='line in1'><span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>When the crabbed with spleen would o’ershadow life’s scene,</div> - <div class='line in3'>I light up a spark to dispel it;</div> - <div class='line in1'>And if snarlers exclaim, ‘What’s this laughing fool’s name?’</div> - <div class='line in3'>Next verse of my ballad will tell it.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I’m a brat of old Horace—the song-scribbling Morris,</div> - <div class='line in4'>More noted for rhyme than for reason;</div> - <div class='line in2'>One who roars and carouses, makes noise in all houses,</div> - <div class='line in3'>And takes all good things in their season.</div> - <div class='line in2'>To this classic of joy, I became when a boy</div> - <div class='line in3'>A pupil most ardent and willing;</div> - <div class='line in1'>And through life as a man, I’ve stuck fast to this plan,</div> - <div class='line in3'>And passed it in flirting and filling.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>In his eighty-sixth year Morris bade adieu to the -Sublime Society in verse, but four years later, in -1835, he revisited it, and the members then presented -him with a large silver bowl, appropriately -inscribed, as a testimonial of their affectionate -esteem.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As was his habit, Morris did not fail to allude to -the gift in verse:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“When my spirits are low, for relief and delight,</div> - <div class='line in1'>I still place your splendid Memorial in sight;</div> - <div class='line in1'>And call to my Muse, when care strives to pursue,</div> - <div class='line in1'>‘Bring the Steaks to my Mem’ry, the Bowl to my view.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The bowl in question eventually passed into the -hands of the present Beefsteak Club; most unfortunately, -it was some years ago taken away by -thieves, who managed to obtain access to the club -premises, and it has never been recovered.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Charles Morris had very slender means to support -his family, but owing to the generosity of the old -Duke of Norfolk he was able to retire to a charming -rural retreat near Dorking, embosomed amidst the -undulating elevations of Surrey. Here, however, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>he seems not to have been entirely at ease, regretting -no doubt the sweet, shady side of Pall Mall, -of which he had so gracefully sung.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke assisted Morris, owing, it was said, to -the kindly suggestion of Kemble, the actor, who -one night had been dining at Norfolk House when -the Beefsteak bard had also formed one of the -party. When the latter had gone, a few guests -only remaining with the Duke, who liked late -sittings, His Grace began to deplore, somewhat -pathetically, the smallness of the stipend upon which -poor Charles was obliged to support his family, -observing that it was a discredit to the age that a -man who had so long gladdened the lives of so -many titled and opulent associates should be left -to struggle with the difficulties of an inadequate -income at a time of life when he had no reasonable -hope of augmenting it. Kemble, who had been -listening attentively, then broke out in peculiarly -emphatic tones: “And does your Grace sincerely -lament the destitute condition of your friend, with -whom you have passed so many agreeable hours? -Your Grace has described that condition most feelingly. -But is it possible that the greatest peer of -the realm, luxuriating amidst the prodigalities of -fortune, should lament the distress which he does -not relieve? The empty phrase of benevolence, -the mere breath and vapour of generous sentiment, -become no man; they certainly are unworthy of -your Grace. Providence, my Lord Duke, has -placed you in a station where the wish to do good -and the doing it are the same thing. An annuity -from your overflowing coffers, or a small nook of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>land clipped from your unbounded domains, would -scarcely be felt by your Grace; but you would be -repaid with usury, with tears of grateful joy, with -prayers warm from a bosom which your bounty will -have rendered happy.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke said nothing at the time, except stare -with astonishment at so unexpected a lecture; but -not a month elapsed before Charles Morris was -snugly invested in a beautiful sequestered retreat -surrounded by pretty grounds.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Captain Morris lived to the age of ninety-two, -dying in July, 1838. He lies in Betchworth -Churchyard, near the east end; his grave is -simply marked by a head- and foot-stone, with an -inscription of three or four lines; he who had sung -the praises of so many choice spirits has not here a -stanza to his own memory.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As time went on, the old customs and toasts of -the Sublime Society became out of date, and, -though certain modifications were attempted, it -ceased to exist in 1869, when its effects were sold. -The following is a list of the most important of them.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An oak dining-table with President’s cap, a mitre -and a gridiron carved in three separate circular compartments -at the top. This relic of past conviviality -is now at White’s Club, having been purchased by -the Hon. Algernon Bourke some years ago.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A carved oak President’s chair—now, I believe, -at Sandringham—and a number of members’ chairs -copied in oak from the Glastonbury Chair, the -backs carved with the gridiron and the arms and -initials of each member. A few of these chairs -belong to a firm of brewers.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>Forty-seven engraved portraits of members, -glazed in oak frames, on which were metal gridirons. -One or two of these are in the possession -of the present Beefsteak Club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Other <i>objets d’art</i> and curiosities were—</p> - -<p class='c006'>The ribbon and badge of the President in the -form of a silver gridiron, dated 1735.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two brown stoneware jugs, with silver lids and -mounts, the thumb-pieces gridirons.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A fine <i>couteau de chasse</i>, with engraved and -pierced blade, the handle formed of a group of -Mars, Venus, and Cupid, in silver, the mounting -of the sheath of open-work silver, chased with -arabesque figures, scrolls, and flowers. The reputed -work of Benvenuto Cellini; inscribed “Ex Dono -Antonio Askew, M.D.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>An oval ivory snuff-box, with a cameo of Dante -on the lid and inscription inside: “Presented to the -S.S.B.S. by B. G. B. [Dr. Babington], an honorary -member. The cameo of Dante on the lid of this -box was carved by its donor, and its wood formed -part of a mummy-case brought by him from Egypt -in 1815; the surrounding ivory was turned by -a friend”—in a leather case.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A circular snuff-box, formed of oak dug from -the ruins of the old Lyceum Theatre, after its -destruction by fire; a silver shield engraved with -the gridiron on the lid.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A wooden punch-ladle, with open-work handle, -and ten doilys.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A cigar-case, formed of a curious piece of oak.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A pair of halberds.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A large Oriental punch-bowl, enamelled with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>figures, butterflies, and flowers, inside and out, in a -case. Presented by Lord Saltoun, K.G.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another enamelled with figures and baskets of -flowers in medallions, with red and gold scale -borders. Presented by Baron Heath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A ditto, enamelled with figures.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A fluted ditto, with flowers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The President’s hat, a hat said to have belonged -to Garrick, and a Cardinal’s hat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The mitre of the late Cardinal Gregorio, presented -to the Sublime Society of the Beefsteaks by -Brother W. Somerville, in silk case.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Facsimile of an agreement between Rich and -C. Fleetwood, framed and glazed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Bust of John Wilkes, in marble.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There was in addition to this a certain amount -of plate, including cases of silver forks, engraved -with members’ names. One of these cases now -belongs to the Beefsteak Club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At one time the members wore a uniform consisting -of a blue coat and buff waistcoat, with brass -buttons impressed with the gridiron and motto, -“Beef and Liberty.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>They also wore rings bearing the same devices. -One of these rings, presented within recent years -by a member, is in the Beefsteak Club, which also -possesses a number of badges and other relics -connected with the Sublime Society and with the -Ad Libitum Club, a kindred organization, of -which Heardson also appears to have been the -cook.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The device of the Ad Libitum was more ornate -and graceful than that of the Sublime Society, with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>which it seems to have been closely connected, -though membership of the one did not necessarily -imply membership of the other. As far as can be -ascertained, no records of the Ad Libitum have been -preserved.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The present Beefsteak Club—less convivial in -its ways than the Sublime Society—was founded -about 1876, and its original dining-place was -a room in the building known till its demolition, -some years ago, as Toole’s Theatre. When -this was pulled down, it migrated to premises -specially built for it in Green Street, Leicester -Square. The membership is small, and consists -mostly of men well known in the political, theatrical, -and literary worlds. Opening only in the afternoon, -it is used chiefly as a place for dining and -supping amidst congenial and pleasant conversation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club consists of one long room, which has a -high-pitched roof in the design of which gridirons -are cleverly interposed. Here are hung a quantity -of old prints, the majority of them after Hogarth. -A number of etchings by Whistler (who was a -member) are also to be seen. The Beefsteak owns -a good deal of silver, much of which has been presented -from time to time by members; the -practice of giving plate being a usage of the -club. The most valuable possession is a tankard -of solid gold, on which are inscribed the names -of those members who took part in the Boer War. -This was purchased by subscription amongst the -members. The example of the Sublime Society -is followed in respect of there being one long -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>table in the place of the separate small ones in -use at other clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There formerly existed a number of curious dining -societies and clubs in the provinces, and some of -these still survive, amongst the number of which -is the Chelmsford Beefsteak Club, established in -1768. There does not appear to be any book older -than 1781, but in the middle of a book which commences -in 1829 is written a list of the members -from February 5, 1768, to October 18, 1850; and -as the whole is in the same handwriting, it is clear -the earlier lists of members must have been copied -from an older book, which has now disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The oldest book in the possession of the club is -one for entering the attendances of members, and -commences October 12, 1781. At that time the -members appear to have dined together weekly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the monthly dinners of the club, the chairman -proposes the following toasts:</p> -<p class='c016'>(<i>a</i>) “Church and Queen.”</p> -<p class='c017'>(<i>b</i>) “The Prince of Wales and the Rest of the -Royal Family.”</p> -<p class='c017'>(<i>c</i>) “Our Absent Members.”</p> -<p class='c017'>(<i>d</i>) “Our Visitors, if any.”</p> -<p class='c004'>No one is allowed to stand when proposing or -replying to a toast.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Morning dress is worn at dinner.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the last of the old school of members of -this club was Admiral Johnson, elected 1842, who -was the midshipman who supported Nelson’s head -as he lay dying in the cockpit of the <i>Victory</i>. It -was no uncommon thing for the Admiral to have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>three bottles of port put before him at 8 o’clock, -which he consumed by about 9.30. He was always -called upon for a song, and he used to sing about -fourteen verses of “On board the <i>Arethusa</i>.” His -usual hour for retirement was about 10.30, when -he would be escorted to his pony, and would ride -home to Baddow, three miles away. Admiral -Johnson remembered the time when the fine for -any member being unfortunate enough to be presented -with twins by his wife was the presentation -of a pair of buckskin breeches to each member of -the club, and he boasted of still possessing a pair -that Thomas W. Bramston, whilst member for the -county, had to pay him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At many old county dining clubs penalties of -this sort were enforced: members were fined for -marrying, for becoming a father, or for moving to -another house; and such fines usually consisted of -a certain number of bottles of wine. Other quaint -usages included the forfeiture of some small sum -for refusing to take the chair at dinner or for -leaving it to ring the bell, for allowing a stranger -to pay for anything consumed, and similar delinquencies.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another Beefsteak Club was that at Cambridge, -the members of which belonged to the University. -This club, now for some years in abeyance, was a -quaint survival from the past, and exactly reproduced -the dinner of eighteenth-century sportsmen. -Twenty-five years ago, when it still flourished, it -usually consisted of but four or five members, but -guests could be invited. The dining costume was -a blue cutaway coat with brass buttons, and buff -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>waistcoat, the tie being secured with a bull’s head. -The dinner was entirely composed of various dishes -of beef, beer only being drunk; some curious old -songs were sung, and the toasts, regulated by inflexible -precedent, were drunk in port from glasses -of a size regulated by immemorial custom. Amongst -these toasts was the health of the late Mr. Bowes, -who, when he was an undergraduate at Cambridge, -won the Derby with Mundig. This horse, after a -tremendous struggle, beat Ascot, belonging to the -present writer’s grandfather, by half a neck.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The dinners used to be held at the Red Lion -Inn, the head-waiter of which hostelry, Dunn by -name, was supposed to be the only individual alive -accurately acquainted with the exact rules and -traditions of the club. The proceedings were enlivened -by music played on a fiddle by a well-known -Cambridge character, White-headed Bob.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Cambridge Beefsteak Club possessed a good -deal of plate, valued at about £1,500. It had also -an income of some £200 a year, arising from sums -of money left to it by former members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A somewhat similar Cambridge dining club was -the True Blue, which also had few members. They -met several times in a term, wearing eighteenth-century -dress and white wigs; as a matter of fact, -the cost of this costume often deterred men from -joining, as did the rule that a new member should -drink off a bottle of claret at a draught. This -unpleasant custom, which might well have been -modified, seems to have killed the club, for I fancy -that, like the Cambridge Beefsteak, it has not met -for many years.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>A remarkable little provincial club which -flourished at Norwich at the beginning of the -nineteenth century was the Hole-in-the-Wall Club, -where a number of clever men used to meet. One -of the principal figures here was Dr. Frank Sayers, -a poet of no mean inspiration, a sound antiquary, -an elegant scholar, and an accomplished gentleman. -His accustomed chair was kept for him every -Monday, and it would have been a profanation had -any other occupant filled it. He was a man of -admirable wit, and the characters around him, -which no skill of selection could have got together -in any other club or in any other town, afforded -unfailing objects of his innocent and unwounding -pleasantry.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Amongst other eccentric frequenters of the Hole-in-the-Wall -was Ozias Lindley, a Minor Canon of -the cathedral, and Sheridan’s brother-in-law. He -was subject, beyond anyone living, to fits of absent-mindedness. -He out-Parson-Adamized Parson -Adams. One Sunday morning, as he was riding -through the Close, on his way to serve his curacy, -his horse threw off a shoe. A lady whom he had -just passed, having remarked it, called out to him: -“Sir, your horse has just cast one of his shoes.” -“Thank you, madam,” returned Ozias; “will you, -then, be kind enough to put it on?” In preaching, -he often turned over two or three pages at once of -his sermon; and when a universal titter and stare -convinced him of the transition, he observed coolly, -“I find I have omitted a considerable part of my -sermon, but it is not worth going back for,” and -then went on to the end.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>Hudson Gurney, at one time M.P. for Newport, -Isle of Wight, was also a frequenter of the snug -club-room of the Hole-in-the-Wall, and used to -bask in the sunshine of Sayers’s festive conversation. -His own heart, too, at that time beat high -with frolic and hilarity. Hudson’s was, from his -earliest prime, a clear, distinguishing intellect. He -was a well-read man, and his poetry, no fragment -of which is in print, except his admirable translation -of the Cupid and Psyche of Apuleius into -English verse, was by no means of a secondary kind.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At this club William Taylor smoked his evening -pipe, and lost himself in the cloudier fumes -of German metaphysics and German philology. -Taylor’s translation of Bürger’s “Leonore,” though -apparently now forgotten, was said to be better -than the original. While his erudition was unlimited, -however, it was principally concerned with -books that were not readable by others. His most -amusing quality (and it was that which kept an -undying grin upon the laughter-loving face of -Sayers) was his everlasting love of hypothesis, and -it was impossible to withstand the imperturbable -gravity with which he put forth his wild German -paradoxes. He proved, to the thorough dissatisfaction -of those who knew not how to confute him, -and to the unspeakable amusement of those who -thought it not worth their while—and that, too, by -a chemical analysis of colours, and the processes by -which animal heat and organic structure affect -them—that the first race of mankind was green! -Green, he said, was the primal colour of vegetable -existence—the first raiment in which Nature leaped -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>into existence; the colour on which the eye loved -to repose; and, in the primeval state, the first -quality that attracted man to man, and bound him -up in the circles of those tender charities and -affinities which kept the early societies of the race -together.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At one time Edinburgh was celebrated for its -quaint clubs, one of which was the Soaping Club, -the motto of which was, that “Every man should -soap his own beard”—that is, “indulge his own -humour.” The Lawn-market Club was an association -of dram-drinking, gossiping citizens, who met -every morning early, and, after proceeding to the -post-office to pick up letters and news, adjourned -to the public-house to talk and drink. The -Edinburgh, a “Viscera” club, flourished till quite a -late date; the members of this were pledged to -dine off food from the entrails of animals, such as -kidneys, liver, and tripe. This club seems to have -rather resembled the more modern Haggis Club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There were at one time a number of parochial -clubs in London. That of the parish of St. -Margaret’s, Westminster, which still exists, and -which consists of “Past Overseers,” possesses a -unique heirloom, which is at the same time an -important chronological record of public events.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1713 a small fourpenny tobacco-box, bought -at Horn Fair, Charlton, Kent, was presented by -Mr. Monck, a member of the Society of Past -Overseers, to his colleagues.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Seven years later, in 1720, the donor was commemorated -by the addition of a silver lid to the -box. In 1726 a silver side case and bottom were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>added. In 1740 an embossed border was placed -upon the lid, and the under-part enriched with an -emblem of Charity. In 1746 Hogarth engraved -inside the lid a bust of the Duke of Cumberland, -with allegorical figures and scroll commemorating -the Battle of Culloden. In 1765 an interwoven -scroll was added to the lid, enclosing a plate with -the arms of the City of Westminster, and inscribed: -“This Box to be delivered to every succeeding set -of Overseers, on penalty of five guineas.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The original Horn box being thus ornamented, -additional ornamentation in the shape of cases -continued to be provided by the senior overseers -for the time being. These were embellished with -silver plates engraved with emblematical and historical -subjects and busts. Among the first are -a view of the fireworks in St. James’s Park to -celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, 1749; -Admiral Keppel’s action off Ushant, and his -acquittal after a court-martial; the Battle of the -Nile; the repulse of Admiral Linois, 1804; the -Battle of Trafalgar, 1805; the action between the -<i>San Fiorenzo</i> and <i>La Piémontaise</i>, 1808; the Battle -of Waterloo, 1815; the bombardment of Algiers, -1816; view of the House of Lords at the trial of -Queen Caroline; the Coronation of George IV; -and his visit to Scotland, 1822.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Features of great interest are: Portraits of John -Wilkes, churchwarden in 1759; Nelson, Duncan, -Howe, Vincent; Fox and Pitt, 1806; George IV -as Prince Regent, 1811; the Princess Charlotte, -1817; and Queen Charlotte, 1818.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1813 a large silver plate was added to the outer -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>case, with a portrait of the Duke of Wellington, -commemorating the centenary of the agglomeration -of the box. Local occurrences are also commemorated: -The interior of Westminster Hall, with the -Westminster Volunteers attending Divine service -at the drumhead on the Fast Day, 1803; the Old -Sessions House; a view of St. Margaret’s from the -north-east; the west front tower; and the altar-piece. -On the outside of the first case is a clever engraving -of a cripple. The top of the second case represents -the Governors of the Poor in their board-room. It -bears this inscription: “The original Box and cases -to be given to every succeeding set of Overseers, on -penalty of fifty guineas, 1783.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1785 Mr. Gilbert exhibited the box to some -friends after dinner. That night thieves broke into -his house, and carried off all the plate that had been -in use; but the box had been removed beforehand -to a bedchamber.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1793 Mr. Read, a Past Overseer, detained the -box because his accounts were not passed. An -action was brought for its recovery, which was -long delayed, owing to two members of the society -giving Read a release, which he successfully pleaded -as a bar to the action. This rendered it necessary -to take proceedings in equity, and a bill was filed -in Chancery against all three, Read being compelled -to deposit the box with Master Leeds until the -end of the suit. Three years of litigation ensued. -Eventually the Chancellor directed the box to be -restored to the Overseers’ Society, and Mr. Read -paid in costs £300. The extra costs amounted to -£76 13<i>s.</i> 11<i>d.</i>, owing to the illegal proceedings of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>Mr. Read. The sum of £91 7<i>s.</i> was at once raised, -and the surplus spent upon a third case of octagon -shape. The top records the triumph: Justice -trampling upon a prostrate man, from whose face -a mask falls upon a writhing serpent. A second -plate, on the outside of the fly-lid, represents the -Lord Chancellor Loughborough pronouncing his -decree for the restoration of the box, March 5, 1796.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the fourth case is shown the anniversary -meeting of the Past Overseers’ Society, with the -churchwardens giving the charge previous to -delivering the box to the succeeding overseer. -He, on his side, is bound to produce it at certain -parochial entertainments, with at least three pipes -of tobacco, under the penalty of six bottles of claret, -and to return the whole, with some addition, safe -and sound, under a penalty of 200 guineas.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In more recent days additions to this box, forming -records of various important public events, have -from time to time been added. A tobacco-stopper -of mother-of-pearl, with a silver chain, is enclosed -within the box, and completes this unique memorial.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER III<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>CLUBS OF ST. JAMES’S STREET—BOODLE’S, ARTHUR’S, AND WHITE’S</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>The original clubland of the West End was -St. James’s Street, where the first clubs originated -from coffee-houses. In this historic thoroughfare—the -“dear old Street of Clubs and Cribs,” as -Frederick Locker called it—most of the sociable -institutions founded many decades ago still flourish.</p> -<p class='c006'>Such are White’s, Arthur’s, Brooks’s, the Cocoa-tree, -and Boodle’s, the latter of which, after passing -through a crisis which came near closing its doors -for ever, now once again flourishes as of yore.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This club-house was built about 1765 by John -Crunden, from the designs of Adam, but between -1821 and 1824 certain alterations and additions -were carried out from the designs of John Papworth, -an architect of that day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From an architectural point of view, Boodle’s is an -admirable specimen of the work of Robert Adam; -its street façade possesses many fine qualities, whilst -the ironwork is of good design.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A year or two ago it was rumoured that, in order -to comply with a clause in the lease, an additional -story was to be added to the building. Up to the -present time, however, to the gratification of all -possessing the slightest taste, no alteration has been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>made; and it is earnestly to be hoped that in these -days, when there is so much prating of culture and -love of art, such an act of vandalism (which it is -understood the club itself would bitterly deplore) -will not be committed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The saloon on the first-floor at Boodle’s has a very -fine and stately appearance, and opening out of it on -each side are two little rooms. One of these, according -to tradition, was, in the days of high play, occupied -by a cashier who issued counters and occupied -himself with details connected with the game; the -other was reserved for members wishing to indulge -in gaming undisturbed by the noise of the crowd -which thronged around the faro tables in the -saloon. These tables, it is said, are still in the club. -Towards the middle of the last century, though -gaming had long ceased to take place in the saloon, -there was a great deal of high gambling in the card-room -upstairs. As far as can be ascertained, faro -was once again played at that period.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Boodle’s in old days played a great part in fashionable -West End life. One of Gillray’s caricatures, -entitled “A Standing Dish at Boodle’s,” represents -Sir Frank Standish sitting at a window of this club, -which, it may be added, was noted for the large -number of Baronets who were members. It was, -indeed, said that anyone uttering the words, “Where -is Sir John?” in the club-house would immediately -find himself surrounded by a crowd of members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Boodle’s, it should be added, has always been -closely connected with Shropshire, from which -county its membership then, as now, was largely -recruited.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>The club was originally called the Savoir Vivre, -and at its inception was noted for its costly gaieties; -in 1774, for instance, its members spent 2,000 guineas -upon a ridotto or masquerade.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Gibbon was a member of Boodle’s, which, however, -in the past, as to-day, principally consisted of -county gentlemen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Up to comparatively recent years, before Boodle’s -was reorganized, it was managed, not by a committee, -but by a species of secret tribunal, the -members of which were supposed to be unknown, -though their duties corresponded with those of an -ordinary club committee. This conclave conducted -its proceedings with great secrecy, and its very existence -was only inferred from the fact that, at intervals -varying from six months to fifteen years, some -printed notice appeared in the club rooms. Even so, -this generally affected only dogs or strangers, both -of whom old-fashioned members regarded with about -equal dislike as unpleasant intruders.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Most of these notices, signed “By order of the -Managers,” quoted the “custom of the house existing -from time immemorial,” which, though unwritten, -was then the only approach to a code of laws for the -conduct of the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old elections at Boodle’s were peculiar, being -presided over by the proprietor. Fifteen years ago -or so, when Mr. Gayner, who then occupied that -position, was still alive, he would take his seat by -the ballot-box near the window in the back room on -the ground-floor, whilst in the adjoining front room -opening off it were the members. When a candidate -was proposed, they walked across, and deposited -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>black or white balls, after which they retired again -to the front room. After a short time, Mr. Gayner -would shout out “Elected” or “Not elected,” as the -case might be, the ceremonial being gone through -separately for every candidate. Wicked wags used -to say that the proprietor never troubled to make a -scrutiny as to the number of the balls, no candidate -whom he considered suitable for the election ever -being rejected, whilst an undesirable one was certain -to meet with an evil fate, even should there be no -black balls at all.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During Mr. Gayner’s reign, Boodle’s sustained a -severe blow owing to the retirement of the Duke -of Beaufort and a number of other old members. -On certain evenings, according to a time-honoured -custom, there was a house-dinner, and members -taking part in this had to put down their names -beforehand. The cost of wine, whether a man -drank much or little, was pooled, and equally -divided between everyone, a usage which, while it -well suited some of the older men who belonged to -a less temperate age, pressed heavily upon those of -a later generation, some of whom scarcely drank -anything at all. Resenting the injustice of this -exactment, by which they were made to pay for -other people’s wine, some of the latter remonstrated -with Mr. Gayner, and demanded that a more equitable -arrangement should be made. The latter, -realizing that such a protest was legitimate, then -promised that matters should be set right, and to -that end spoke to the Duke of Beaufort. The Duke -replied that, whilst such a remonstrance might be -just, he could not assent to any change without the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>concurrence of the older members of the club who -were in the habit of dining. The majority of these, -not unnaturally perhaps, energetically protested -against any alteration in an old custom, which, as -they quite truthfully declared, had always suited -them very well. The Duke then informed Mr. -Gayner that if any change were made he and these -members would leave the club. Mr. Gayner, however, -stood firm, saying he had given his promise and -must keep it, in consequence of which the Duke, -and the “old guard” with him, carried out their -threat, and left Boodle’s for ever.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mr. Gayner carried on the club on very liberal -lines, and members were allowed extraordinary -credit. They could cash cheques for any amount, -for Gayner made a practice of keeping a very large -sum of money in his safe. This, it is said, often -contained as much as two or three thousand pounds, -always in new notes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the time of Mr. Gayner’s death, he was supposed -to have been owed over £10,000 by certain -members of the club. He appears to have regarded -this as a sort of friendly charge, for a special clause -in his will stated that no member of Boodle’s was -to be asked for money. The best-natured of men, -Mr. Gayner frequently assisted members who were -in financial difficulties. One of these, a young -fellow who had recently joined the club, asked -him whether he could indicate any means of raising -£500, as he had debts to that amount which demanded -immediate payment. “I can’t think of -allowing you to go to the Jews,” said Mr. Gayner; -“come with me to my room, and I’ll put that all -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>right.” Arrived in his sanctum, he produced notes -for the required amount, and handed them to the -young man, telling him he might settle the debt -any time he liked.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After the death of Mr. Gayner, and of his sister, -who succeeded him, it seemed at one time as if -Boodle’s might cease to exist. At a critical moment -in the club’s history, however, certain members -stepped forward, and a complete reorganization was -the result. The list of members was thoroughly -sifted, and a most capable secretary, who still presides -over the club’s fortunes, assumed control.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some alterations were made in the interior of the -building, but care was taken to leave unimpaired -the old-world charm of the house, which, from an -architectural point of view, possesses much merit.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The fine saloon, which, as has been said, was -originally a gambling-room, was thoroughly restored -and made into a comfortable lounge; it is a spacious -and well-proportioned room, and contains a finely-designed -mantelpiece and a very ornamental chandelier, -the latter purchased after the reorganization. -Except for some handsome inkstands and a few -accessories which are of good design and execution, -there are few works of art in this club, the hunting -pictures on the staircase being of no particular value. -Boodle’s appears once to have possessed portraits of -Charles James Fox and the Duke of Devonshire, -but these have now disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The furniture and general appearance of the club -is essentially English, and it is pleasant to observe -that the air of old-world comfort for which Boodle’s -has always been noted remains unimpaired.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>A curious feature of Boodle’s is that the billiard-room -is upstairs, a somewhat inconvenient arrangement -not infrequent in clubs founded in past days.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It should be added that a rule enforcing the wearing -of evening dress by members dining in the -coffee-room still remains in force; but a smaller -apartment is set aside for those who for any reason -do not find it convenient to change their day clothes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Arthur’s Club, in St. James’s Street, was the -original abode of White’s, which occupied it from -1698 to 1755, since which date the house has, of -course, undergone a good deal of change. In the -eighteenth century, owing to the association of a -Mr. Arthur with the management of White’s, the -latter club was frequently spoken of as Arthur’s; -this naturally originated an idea that the two clubs -were at one time connected, but such in reality was -never the case, the presumed parent of Arthur’s -having been a coffee-house of that name.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The records of Arthur’s Club as at present constituted -are, unfortunately, somewhat scanty. It -would appear, however, that after the migration -of White’s in 1755 another club was formed at -69 St. James’s Street, and that it took the name -of Arthur’s, which it still retains.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In its present form the club-house was built by -Mr. Hopper in 1825, though probably a certain -portion of the original coffee-house, erected in -1736, was incorporated in the new building. A -room on the ground-floor (at the back of the house) -is said to have been the gaming-room of White’s -Club during its tenure of the premises up to 1755; -but if this is the case the decorative frieze and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>ceiling must have been added later, as in style they -belong to the nineteenth century. During the -rebuilding of 1825 everything seems to have been -sacrificed to the staircase, which now occupies the -very large hall, crowned by an elaborately-designed -dome. There are, however, some handsome rooms, -notably the library, in which is an eighteenth-century -English sideboard of admirable design. In this and -other rooms there is a good deal of the heavy, solid -mahogany furniture so popular about seventy or -eighty years ago. The examples in Arthur’s Club -are certainly the best of their kind, and are well in -keeping with the design of the house. There are -very few pictures or engravings here—a print or -two of Arthur’s as it was in old days, a few portraits -of members, and an oil-painting of the late Sir John -Astley (known as “the Mate”) are about all.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Arthur’s possesses a quantity of very fine silver -plate, some of which dates from the eighteenth -century.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This club still maintains some of the restrictions -as regards smoking which were so general in the -clubs of other days, no smoking being allowed in -the library or morning-room. There are, however, -ample facilities for indulgence in tobacco in other -parts of the house—notably in the hall, where a -very pleasant lounge has recently been contrived.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Only recently has the regulation which prohibited -visitors from being admitted to dinner here been -repealed. A room on the ground-floor (the one -reputed to have been the old gambling-room of -White’s) is now set aside as a dining-room for -those privileged to be the guests of a member of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>this very charming club. There is no tradition at -Arthur’s of high play at hazard, but whist was once -very popular. “Sheep points and bullocks” on the -rubber were, it is said, quite common in the days -when so many country gentlemen were members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Arthur’s, it should be added, has always been a -very popular club with Wiltshire men, and its close -connection with that county is still maintained.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As has been said, the chocolate-house in St. -James’s Street, started by Francis White in 1697, -seems to have stood on the site of part of what is -now Arthur’s Club. John Arthur at this time was -White’s assistant. Here White carried on business -till he died in 1711. His widow continued to prosper -as proprietress of the house, which became the centre -of the fashionable life of the day, and the place from -which its amusements were directed. Advertisements -in the papers show that “Mrs. White’s -Chocolate-House, in St. James’s Street,” was the -place of distribution of tickets for all the fashionable -amusements of the early years of the eighteenth -century. Opera was being produced at the Haymarket, -and the announcement of the performance -of each new piece is accompanied by the notice that -tickets are to be obtained at Mrs. White’s. A little -later, Heidegger was taking the town by storm -with his masquerades, ridottos, and balls. He was -quick to see that Mrs. White’s was an advantageous -ground from which to reach his patrons of the -aristocracy. He accordingly issued his admissions -for these entertainments from White’s, and requested -those who were not using them to return them -there, in order to prevent their falling into bad -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>hands, and so spoiling the select character of his -assemblies.</p> - -<p class='c006'>John James Heidegger was a clever Swiss who, -after leading a Bohemian life all over Europe, had -come to London, where he had for a time co-operated -with Handel in producing opera. His -celebrity was chiefly due to a remarkable ability -for organizing masquerades.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was a very ugly man, and knew it. Consequently -he would not have his portrait painted. -The Duke of Montagu, however, determined to -obtain a likeness, in order to play a trick at a -masquerade.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke induced the Swiss Count, as he was -called, to make one of a select party, which (very -appropriately) met to dine at the Devil Tavern. -The rest of the company, all chosen for their -powers of hard drinking, were in the plot, and a -few hours after dinner Heidegger was carried out of -the room dead drunk. A daughter of Mrs. Salmon, -the waxwork-maker, was sent for, and took a mould -from the unconscious man’s face, from which she -was ordered to make a cast in wax, and colour it -to nature. The King, who was a party to the -joke, was to be present, with the Countess of -Yarmouth, at the next of Heidegger’s masquerades. -The Duke in the mean time bribed his valet to -get all the information as to the clothes the Swiss -was to wear on the occasion, procured a man of -Heidegger’s figure, and, with the help of the -mask, made him up into a duplicate master of the -revels.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When the King arrived with the Countess and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>was seated, Heidegger, as was usual, gave the -signal to the musicians in the gallery to play the -National Anthem. As soon, however, as his back -was turned, the sham Heidegger appeared, and -ordered them to play “Over the Water to Charlie,” -the Jacobite song, and the most insulting and -treasonable piece that could have been chosen to -perform in the presence of royalty.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The whole room was at once thrown into confusion. -Heidegger rushed into the gallery, raved, -stamped, and swore, and accused the band of -conspiring to ruin him. The bewildered musicians -at once altered the tune to “God Save the King.” -Heidegger then left the gallery to make some -arrangements in one of the smaller rooms.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As soon as he disappeared, the sham Heidegger -again came forward, this time in the middle of the -main room, in front of the gallery, and, imitating -Heidegger’s voice, damned the leader of the band -for a blockhead, and asked if he had not told him -to play “Over the Water” a minute before. The -bandmaster, thinking Heidegger mad or drunk, -lost his head, and ordered his men to strike up the -Jacobite air a second time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This was the signal for a confusion worse than -before. There was great excitement and fainting -of women, and the officers of the Guards who -were present were only prevented from kicking -Heidegger out of the house by the Duke of -Cumberland, who was in the secret. Heidegger -rushed back to the theatre, and was met by the -Duke of Montagu, who told him that he had -deeply offended the King, and that the best thing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>he could do was to go at once to His Majesty and -ask pardon for the behaviour of his men.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Heidegger accordingly approached the King, -who, with the Countess, could barely keep his -countenance, and made an abject apology. He -was in the act of bowing to retire, when he heard -his own voice behind him say: “Indeed, Sire, it -was not my fault, but that devil’s in my likeness!” -He turned round, and for the first time saw his -double, staggered, and was speechless. The Duke -now saw that the joke had gone far enough, and -whispered an explanation of the whole affair. -Heidegger recovered himself and the masquerade -went on, but he swore he would never attend -another until “that witch the wax-woman was -made to break the mould and melt down the -mask” before his face.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Hogarth’s plate, “Heidegger in a Rage,” was -suggested by this story.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Heidegger, it may be added, remained popular -with the fashionable world up to his death. He -lived at Barn Elms, where the King honoured him -with a visit. He bore the reputation of great -charity, and died in 1749, “immensely lamented,” -aged near ninety.</p> - -<p class='c006'>That White’s Club was a great success from the -very first is shown from the old rate-books, where -the prosperity of Mrs. White, the proprietress, is -reflected. The entries give us three degrees of -comparison: At White’s death, positive, “Widow -White”; later, comparative, “Mrs. White”; later -still, superlative, “Madam White.” The Bumble -of the period was evidently impressed by her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>prosperity, and by the fine company which met at -her house.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Madam White’s, indeed, was never an ordinary -coffee-house, a proof of which is that the usual -charge of a penny made for entrance into such -places appears to have been increased. In earlier -days, when it was a chocolate-house, Steele (though -he never became a member of the club) was a constant -frequenter, for in 1716 he lived opposite. In -the first number of the <i>Tatler</i>, published in 1709, -he informs his readers that “all accounts of gallantry, -pleasure, and entertainment shall be under the -article of White’s Chocolate House,” while Will’s -was to supply the poetry, and the Grecian the -learning. We find, accordingly, many of the early -numbers of the <i>Tatler</i> dated from White’s.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Madam White continued at the chocolate-house -until some time between 1725 and 1729 (the -exact year is uncertain, as the rate-books for those -years are missing), and she probably left the place -with a fortune.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At Mrs. White’s demise, Arthur became proprietor, -and largely added to the premises. These -were burnt down in 1733, when he removed to -Gaunt’s Coffee-house till White’s had been rebuilt. -His son, Robert Arthur, appears as proprietor of -the new house in 1736.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During Robert Arthur’s life the most fashionable -frequenters of his chocolate-house became more -and more exclusive, and the proprietor soon found -that catering for its members, all men of means -and leisure, was the chief part of his business, and -more lucrative than the custom of the general public. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>His interests, of course, lay in the direction of meeting -the wishes of his patrons, and in consequence of -this members of the public were eventually excluded. -White’s Chocolate-house was thus transformed -into the private and exclusive society since -known as “White’s.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though White’s was at this time reputed to be -very exclusive, and although certain qualifications -were indispensable, some of the members were -drawn from a quite unaristocratic class.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In Davies’s “Life of Garrick” is the following -curious reference to Colley Cibber as a member of -White’s: “Colley, we are told, had the honour to -be a member of the great club at White’s; and so -I suppose might any other man who wore good -clothes, and paid his money when he lost it. But -on what terms did Cibber live with this society? -Why, he feasted most sumptuously, as I have heard -his friend Victor say, with an air of triumphant -exultation, with Mr. Arthur and his wife, and gave -a trifle for his dinner. After he had dined, when -the club-room door was opened, and the Laureate -was introduced, he was saluted with loud and joyous -acclamation of ‘O King Coll! Come in, King -Coll!’ and ‘Welcome, welcome. King Colley!’ and -this kind of gratulation, Mr. Victor thought, was -very gracious and very honourable.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The present White’s Club dates from 1755, in -which year Robert Arthur removed with the Young -and Old Clubs which had met at his house—350 -members in all—to the “Great House” in St. -James’s Street, which, though much altered, is still -White’s. He had purchased this building from Sir -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>Whistler Webster. One of its earlier occupants -had been the Countess of Northumberland, whom -Walpole mentions as one of the last to practise the -unmaimed rites of the old peerage. “When she -went out,” says he, “a footman, bareheaded, walked -on each side of her coach, and a second coach with -her women attended her. I think, too, that Lady -Suffolk told me that her granddaughter-in-law, the -Duchess of Somerset, never sat down before her -without her leave to do so.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In course of time the management of the club -came into the hands of Martindale, a man whose -name was connected with high play, of which he -frequently figured as an organizer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The house now began to have something of the -organization which prevails in modern clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>About 1780, for instance, there was a regular -club dinner at White’s, when Parliament was sitting, -at 12<i>s.</i> a head. In 1797 the charge for this had -fallen to 10<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> Hot suppers were provided at 8<i>s.</i>, -and lighter refreshments, with malt liquors, at 4<i>s.</i> -At that time one of the rules decreed “that Every -Member who plays at Chess, Draughts, or Backgammon -do pay One Shilling each time of playing -by daylight, and half-a-crown each by candlelight.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>George Raggett, who succeeded Martindale -as manager of White’s, was quite a character in -his way. He understood how to get on with -gambling members, and owned the Roxburgh Club -in St. James’s Square, where whist was played for -high stakes. Here, on one occasion, Hervey Combe, -Tippoo Smith, Ward, and Sir John Malcolm sat -down on a Monday evening, played through the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>night, through the following Tuesday and Tuesday -night, and finally separated at eleven on Wednesday -morning. It is interesting to notice that the -separation took place then only because Mr. Combe -had to attend a funeral. That gentleman rose a -winner of £30,000 from Sir John Malcolm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before leaving the club, Combe pulled out of -his pocket a handful of counters, amounting to -several hundred pounds, over and above the thirty -thousand he had won from the Baronet, and gave -them to Raggett, saying: “I give them to you for -sitting so long with us, and providing us with all -we required.” It was the practice of the astute -Raggett to attend his patrons personally whenever -there was high play going on. “I make it a rule -never to allow any of my servants to be present -when gentlemen play at my clubs,” said he; “for -it is my invariable custom to sweep the carpet after -the gambling is over, and I generally find on the -floor a few counters, which pays me for my trouble -of sitting up.” This practice made his fortune.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As time went on, the club-house of White’s -underwent considerable alteration. In 1811, for -instance, it was resolved to remove the entrance by -converting the second window from the bottom of -the house into a door, and to enlarge the morning-room -by taking in the old entrance hall. This gave -room for an additional window. The old doorway -was utilized for this purpose, and the famous “Bow-Window -at White’s” was built out over the entrance -steps, which may still be seen supporting it.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i076a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>WHITE’S CLUB PREVIOUS TO 1811.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Directly this window was made, Brummell, then -in the heyday of his fashionable prosperity, took -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>possession of it, and, together with his followers, -made it a very shrine of fashion and an institution -of West End club-life. At that time only a select -few dared to sit in it; an ordinary member of the -club would as soon have thought of taking his seat -on the throne in the House of Lords as of appropriating -one of the chairs in the bow-window. Nice -questions of etiquette arose in connection with the -bow-window, and were duly discussed and settled. -Its occupants were so much in evidence to the outside -world in St. James’s Street that ladies of their -acquaintance could not fail to recognize them in -passing. It was decided, after anxious discussion, -that no greeting should pass from the bow-window -or from any window in the club. As a consequence, -the hats of the dandies were doffed to no -passers-by.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Not a few of the old school resented monopoly -of the famous window by Brummell and Lord -Alvanley. “Damn the fellows!” said old Colonel -Sebright; “they are upstarts, and fit only for the -society of tailors.” Brummell made amusing use -of his connection with the club. He was reproached -by an angry father whose son had gone astray in -the Beau’s company. “Really, I did all I could for -the young fellow,” said he; “I once gave him my -arm all the way from White’s to Watier’s.” Later, -when he was coming to the end of his means and -of his career in England, some of his friends who -had assisted him with loans became importunate. -One of these pressed him for the repayment of -£500. “I paid you,” said the Beau. “Paid me! -When, pray?” “Why, when I was standing at the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>window at White’s, and said as you passed, ‘How -d’you do!’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>About 1814 Brummell played much and unsuccessfully -at White’s. One night—the fifth of a -most relentless run of ill-luck—his friend Pemberton -Mills heard him exclaim that he had lost every -shilling, and only wished someone would bind him -never to play again. “I will,” said Mills, and, taking -out a ten-pound note, he offered it to Brummell on -condition that he should forfeit a thousand if he -played at White’s within a month from that evening. -The Beau took it, and for a few days discontinued -coming to the club; but about a fortnight after, -Mills, happening to go in, found him gambling -again. Of course the thousand pounds were forfeited; -but his friend, instead of claiming them -merely went up to him, and, touching him gently on -the shoulder, said: “Well, Brummell, you might at -least give me back the ten pounds you had the other -evening.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>After Brummell’s day was over, Lord Alvanley -(a coloured print of whom as “The Man from -White’s” still hangs in the club) became the chief -of the bow-window party. Most of this nobleman’s -time seems to have been spent in endeavouring -to get rid of a large fortune, the inheritance of which -had caused him to leave the Coldstream Guards, in -which he had served with distinction in the Peninsular -War. Lord Alvanley was the most noted -bon-vivant of his day, and was utterly regardless of -what his dinners cost. One of his fancies was to -have a cold apricot tart on his sideboard every day -throughout the year. Another instance of his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>prodigality was the payment of 200 guineas to -Gunter for a luncheon-basket, which by an oversight -had been forgotten in arranging a day’s -boating on the Thames—a costly picnic indeed!</p> - -<p class='c006'>On one occasion Lord Alvanley organized a -dinner at White’s, at which it was agreed that -whoever could produce the most expensive dish -should dine for nothing. The winner was the -organizer, whose dish was a fricassée composed -entirely of the <i>noix</i>, or small pieces at each side of -the back, taken from thirteen kinds of birds, among -them being one hundred snipe, forty woodcocks, -twenty pheasants, and so on, the total amounting -to about three hundred birds. The cost of the -ridiculous dish amounted to £108 5<i>s.</i></p> - -<p class='c006'>This extravagant and eccentric peer, who, it was -said, never paid cash for anything, was once asked -by the sarcastic Colonel Armstrong, who knew of -this failing, what he had given for a fine horse he -was riding. “Nothing,” said his lordship; “I -owe Milton 200 guineas for him.” Another -failing of Lord Alvanley’s caused his friends at -country-houses some anxiety. He always read in -bed, and would never blow out his candle, his -method of extinguishing that light being usually to -fling it into the middle of the room; if this was -ineffectual, he would throw a pillow at it. Sometimes -he would vary the proceedings by putting -the burning candle bodily under his bolster.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another frequenter of the bow-window was -Lord Allen, who became such a confirmed lover of -London that, during the latter part of his life, it -was said his only walk was from White’s to Crockford’s, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>over the way and back again. It was also -said that he was so accustomed to the roar of the -London traffic, that to get him to sleep at Dover, -where he was visiting Lord Alvanley, that nobleman -hired a hackney coach to drive in front of his -window at the inn all night, and sent out the boots -at proper intervals to call the time and the weather, -like the London watchmen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Allen was a man of very moderate means, -and eked out his income by dining out as much as -possible. An incivil remark at dinner to an old -lady caused her to say: “My lord, your title must -be as good as board wages to you!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Allen was generally known as “King Allen.” -In course of time, as a result of his lounging life -about town, he lost most of his not very abundant -money, when he withdrew to Dublin, where, in -Merrion Square, he slept behind a large brass plate -with “Viscount Allen” upon it, which verified the -old lady’s remark; for it was as good to him as a -regular income, and brought endless invitations -from people eager to feed a Viscount at any hour -of the day or night.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many distinguished men have belonged to -White’s, and many more have tried to do so. -Louis Napoleon, during his exile in London, is -said much to have desired to be a member of -White’s, but his wish was never gratified.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Count d’Orsay, who drew the portraits of many -of his contemporaries, some of whom were members -of this club (lithographs of which portraits hang in -the morning-room), made several attempts to secure -election, but without success. As he was very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>popular amongst the men of his day, it was probably -merely the fact of his being a foreigner which -kept him out.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though the shell of Sir Whistler Webster’s -“Great House” still exists at White’s, many structural -alterations have been made from time to time. -The most notable of these was undertaken in 1850, -when Raggett, the then proprietor, entrusted to -Mr. Lockyer the work of remodelling the façade of -the old club-house. Four bas-reliefs, designed by -Mr. George Scharf, jun., representing the four -seasons, were, under Lockyer’s direction, inserted in -the place of four sash-windows. At this period the -old balcony rails would seem to have been moved, -and the present elaborate cast-iron work substituted—a -very doubtful improvement. The interior of -the club-house was also then redecorated by the firm -of Morant, and Victorian mantelpieces were introduced -into some of the rooms. In all probability -these alterations, carried out at a period when taste -was at a low ebb, robbed White’s of much which -the more enlightened taste of to-day would have -wished preserved.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The management of White’s by Henry Raggett -only ended at his death in 1859. He was the last -of the proprietors of the club who were also the -owners of the freehold of the club building.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Raggett was succeeded as manager by Percival, -who continued in this position till his death in 1882. -The Misses Raggett, sisters of the late proprietor, -still owned the club-house, and consequently a -certain feeling of insecurity prevailed as to the future -of the club. In 1868 a proposal was made that the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>building should be purchased from the Misses -Raggett by the members; but it was found that -the property was in Chancery, and that nothing -could be done. The club, still feeling unsettled, -decided to form a fund to provide against eventualities -connected with the tenure of the house. -This they accomplished by raising the entrance -fee to nineteen guineas, ten of which were devoted -to the purpose, and placed in the hands of trustees.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Hartington reported, in 1870, that he had -at last induced the trustees of the Raggetts to name -a price for the sale of the club building. This was -fixed at £60,000. He reported at the same time -that Percival held an unexpired lease of ten years -at a rental of £2,100. The club very naturally -refused to entertain the idea of purchase at any -such figure. A reduced offer of £50,000, made a -month later, they also refused.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A year afterwards the place was sold by auction. -With a view to purchase, members of White’s had -subscribed for debentures to the amount of £16,000. -At the auction, the representative of the club bid -£38,000 for the property, but it was bought by -Mr. Eaton, M.P., afterwards Lord Cheylesmore, -for £46,000.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After some fruitless negotiations in 1877, when -the number of members had been increased to 600, -Percival, negotiating on his own account with Mr. -Eaton, announced that he had obtained a new lease -of thirty years, from 1881, at a rent of £3,000 a year. -In 1882 Mr. Percival died. The management of -White’s then passed to his son, as representative of -Mrs. Percival, the widow.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>In 1888 matters arrived at a crisis. Mrs. Percival -announced her intention of terminating her lease -with Lord Cheylesmore, and it was proposed by the -committee to grant her a sum of £1,200 in consideration -of her carrying on the club business until the end -of the year. There were various meetings at which -the proposal was discussed, and much was said on -both sides. Eventually it was carried, and negotiations -were entered into with two members of the -club who had expressed themselves willing to -take over the management. In July of 1888 the -management of the Percivals came to an end by the -signing of an agreement for the future conduct of -White’s by a member of the club, Mr. Algernon -Bourke.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Under his management White’s resumed its -youth, and was again invested with an air of -sprightly insouciance, which in latter years had been -conspicuous by its absence. Drastic structural -alterations, carried out under the direction of Mr. -Bourke, much improved the convenience of the -building. The courtyard, where was an old Well -from which, up to quite recent years, the water used -in the club was drawn, was roofed over and converted -into a spacious billiard-room, and the large front -room was converted into a dining-room, certain -alterations being made in the apartment behind -previously used for that purpose.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Within the last two years some further alterations -of a very judicious nature have been carried out in -the club-house. An upper story containing servants’ -bedrooms has been added, but this has scarcely -altered the appearance of the house, and the façade -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>remains practically the same as it has been for the -last fifty-seven years.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Portfolios seem formerly to have been preserved at -White’s, which contained engravings of well-known -members. Many of these were framed by Mr. -Bourke, who, adding to the number, formed the -present valuable and interesting collection. On each -of these prints the date at which its subject belonged -to White’s is inscribed in pencil. As a club record -of past membership the series is unique.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the dining-room of the club are several paintings, -and among them is a portrait of the first Duke -of Wellington, by Count d’Orsay. This, I believe, -is one of two portraits painted by the Count. The -Iron Duke, it is said, was much pleased with them, -and declared that d’Orsay was the only artist who -had ever painted him as a gentleman.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Other oil-paintings here represent George II -and George III—a modern portrait shows the late -Duke of Cambridge in undress uniform. There are -also a few other pictures, including two of horses by -John Wooton. All the pictures in this room, with -the exception of the portrait of George II, originally -in the house dining-room (now the committee-room -next door), were acquired after the reconstitution -of the club by Mr. Bourke in 1888. On the -other hand, some Italian pictures and a curious -portrait of a woman, supposed to have been in -White’s since its foundation, have disappeared. The -same fate, unfortunately, has befallen the fine old -silver plate which belonged to the club up to comparatively -recent years; and most of the original -furniture is in other hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>The whimsical coat of arms which, carved in wood, -hangs over the fireplace in the entrance hall is, of -course, a modern copy of the design invented by -Horace Walpole and his friends at Strawberry -Hill.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The worth of some of the old furniture in White’s -was great, as may be realized when it is stated that -the present possessor of two small sideboards formerly -in the dining-room was a short time ago offered -£600 apiece for them by a well-known expert. The -original eighteenth-century dining-room chairs (the -place of which is now supplied by copies) were also -of great interest and value.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A curious old oak table, now in the committee-room -at White’s, is in no way connected with the -history of that club. It was originally the dining-table -of the Sublime Society of Beefsteaks, and has -on it three carvings. Two of these represent the -mitre and Beefeater’s cap which figured in the -ceremonial of that institution, and the centre one -a gridiron, which was its crest. As has already -been mentioned, this table was purchased by -Mr. Bourke.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A richly decorated piano which formerly stood -in what is now the card-room has gone, as have -also a very ornamental French weather-glass and -some other <i>objets d’art</i>.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Of late years great efforts have been made to -recover anything connected with the past history -of White’s, and already, owing to the efforts of -certain members, several have been discovered and -obtained. These include the quaint original ballot-box -and a complete set of the old gaming counters, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>which, like those at Brooks’s, are inscribed with the -sums they represented.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A feature of the downstairs lounge at White’s is -the belt presented to Heenan after his celebrated -fight with Tom Sayers. This interesting trophy, -which is lent by a member (Mr. Gilbert Elliot), now -hangs over the mantelpiece beneath a not very -successful bas-relief of the late King, which was -placed there during the alterations in 1888. It is -said that an unsophisticated visitor to the club-house -being taken into the lounge, after glancing at the -silver belt and the bas-relief above, eagerly -inquired, “Did the King win it?” which remark -naturally occasioned much amusement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the lease of White’s Club-house is a clause, -dating from the middle of the eighteenth century, -which lays down that copies of the <i>Times</i> and of the -<i>Racing Calendar</i> should always be preserved, in consequence -of which, up to a few years ago, the cellars -were filled with an enormous mass of paper, much -of which had been almost reduced to pulp, owing to -inflows of water during floods. The collection is -now stored elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c006'>White’s Club is just a year older than the Bank -of England. It was established before the last of -the Stuarts had left the throne, and a number of -its members have fought England’s battles on land -and sea. One of these was Lord St. Vincent, the -great sailor, who brought the West Indies to the -British Crown and won the naval battle of St. -Vincent. Rodney was a member, and his wife, -when her husband had been greatly impoverished -by gaming debts and election expenses, sent the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>hat round for him at White’s. Very inappropriately, -however, the money was provided by a Frenchman, -the Marshal de Biron. George Keppel, third -Earl of Albemarle, who captured Havana in -1762, was another naval member, as was Charles -Saunders, who co-operated with General Wolfe -in the assault of the Heights of Abraham; so too -was Boscawen, who went by the name of “Old -Dreadnought.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Besides having had a great number of gallant -soldiers and sailors on its list, this club can also -boast that for many years the destinies of Great -Britain were practically in the hands of certain of -its members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sir Robert Walpole and his able rival, William -Pulteney, afterwards Earl of Bath, were members -of the old club at White’s in 1756. In the debate -on the motion for the impeachment of Sir Robert -in 1741, the latter, in the course of a speech, quoted -a verse from Horace. Pulteney rose and remarked -that the right honourable gentleman’s Latin and -logic were alike inaccurate. Walpole denied it, -and a bet of a guinea was made across the floor of -the House. The matter was then referred to the -Clerk at the table, a noted scholar, and decided -against the Minister.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The guinea was handed to Pulteney, and is now -in the British Museum, with the following inscription -in his handwriting:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“This guinea, I desire, may be kept as an heirloom. -It was won of Sir Robert Walpole in the -House of Commons; he asserting the verse in -Horace to be ‘Nulli pallescere culpæ,’ whereas I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>laid the wager of a guinea that it was ‘Nulla -pallescere culpa.’ I told him that I could take the -money without blush on my side, but believed it -was the only money he ever gave in the House -where the giver and receiver ought not equally to -blush. This guinea, I hope, will prove to my -posterity the use of knowing Latin, and encourage -them in their learning.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The betting-book at White’s, which is still in -existence, bears witness to the love of a past age -for speculating about every manner of thing, grave -or gay. At one period of the eighteenth century -chess was in high favour at White’s. Several -matches are recorded in the betting-book. Lord -Howe, for instance, engages “to play twelve games -at chess with Lord Egmont, and bets Lord Egmont -twelve guineas to six guineas of each game.” It -is also recorded that M. de Mirepoix, the French -Ambassador, sent an invitation to all chess-players -of both clubs<a id='r2' /><a href='#f2' class='c013'><sup>[2]</sup></a> to meet him for a game. He spells -the word “clubs” “clamps.”</p> - -<div class='footnote c018' id='f2'> -<p class='c015'><span class='label'><a href='#r2'>2</a>. </span>White’s was formed from the old and new clubs into -which it was originally divided.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Montfort, who eventually met with a -tragic death at his own hands, in consequence, it -would appear, of the impecuniosity which followed -on his wild gaming, made a curious bet as to his -powers as a horseman:</p> -<p class='c004'><i>July ye 17th, 1752.</i></p> - -<p class='c006'>Ld. Montfort to ride six days running.</p> - -<p class='c006'>1st. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Downe one guinea -to receive 10 gs. when he rides 35 miles within the -first day.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>2nd. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Ashburnham 1 -guinea to receive 10 gs. when he rides 25 miles -within the second day.</p> -<div class='c019'><i>pd.</i></div> - -<p class='c006'>3rd. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Waldegrave one -guinea, to receive 10 gs. when he rides 20 miles -within the third day.</p> -<div class='c019'><i>paid.</i></div> - -<p class='c006'>4th. Ld. Montfort gives Mr. Watson 1 guinea, -to receive 10 gs. when he rides 15 miles within the -fourth day.</p> -<div class='c019'><i>pd.</i></div> - -<p class='c006'>5th. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Downe 1 guinea, -to receive 10 gs. when he rides 10 miles within the -fifth day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>6th. Ld. Montfort gives Ld. Howe 1 guinea to -receive 10 guineas when he rides 5 miles within the -Sixth day.</p> -<div class='c019'><i>Paid.</i></div> -<p class='c004'>Another wager of this nobleman dealt with the -matrimonial intentions of the proprietor of White’s:</p> -<p class='c004'>Ld. Montfort wagers Ld. Ravensworth one -hundred guineas, Duke of Devonshire Fifty -guineas, and Ld. Hartington fifty guineas, that -Mr. Arthur is not married in three year from ye -date hereof, March 11th, 1754.</p> - -<p class='c006'>N.B. Bob goes Twenty guineas with Ld. Montfort -in this bet.<a id='r3' /><a href='#f3' class='c013'><sup>[3]</sup></a> (Now Sir Robt. Mackreth.)</p> - -<div class='footnote c018' id='f3'> -<p class='c015'><span class='label'><a href='#r3'>3</a>. </span>A note added: “‘Bob,’ the waiter, married the daughter -of Mr. Arthur, the proprietor of the club, became prosperous, -and was afterwards knighted. He was subsequently Member -for Castle Rising.”</p> -</div> -<p class='c004'>The following are a few of the very numerous -bets of which account is given in this curious record:</p> -<p class='c004'><i>November 7th, 1758.</i></p> - -<p class='c006'>Mr. Cadogan engages to pay Mr. Willis twenty -guineas, in consideration of one guinea received -from him, whenever he has in his possession, either -by purchase or gift, a Post Chaise with a crane neck.</p> -<p class='c004'><span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>The following bet, recorded in 1813, would appear -to refer to some incident in the life of Mr. Creevy -which has escaped notice:</p> -<p class='c004'>Col. Osborn bets Sir J. Copley 5 gs. that Mr. -Creevy is imprisoned before the announcement of -the capture of Dantzic is received.</p> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>J. Copley.</span></div> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>J. Osborn.</span> <i>pd.</i></div> - -<p class='c006'><i>April 2nd.</i></p> -<p class='c004'>Mr. Methuen bets Col. Stanhope ten guineas to -1, that a certain worthy Baronet understood between -them does not of necessity part with his gold ice-pails, -before this day twelvemonth; the ice-pails -being found at a pawnbroker’s, will not entitle Col. -Stanhope to receive his ten guineas.</p> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>H. F. R. Stanhope.</span></div> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>Paul Methuen.</span></div> - -<p class='c006'><i>White’s, April 10th, 1813.</i></p> -<p class='c004'>Mr. Raikes bets Sir Joseph Copley ten guineas -that he does not play at cards or dice at any Club -in London in a year from this date.</p> -<div class='c019'><i>settled.</i></div> - -<p class='c006'><i>May 22nd, 1818.</i></p> -<p class='c004'>Lord Binning bets Lord Falmouth five guineas -that a Roman Catholic Bishop upon formally abjuring -his Catholic faith, may be made a Protestant -Bishop without any new ordination in the Protestant -Church.</p> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>Binning.</span></div> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>Falmouth.</span> <i>pd.</i></div> - -<p class='c006'><i>April 17th, 1825.</i></p> -<p class='c004'>Lord George Bentinck bets Col. Walpole a -Rouleau that the Duke of St. Albans marries -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>Mrs. Coutts within six months of this day. Ld. -Elliott stands half the bet with Ld. G. Bentinck.</p> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>G. Bentinck.</span></div> - -<p class='c006'><i>January 8, 1826.</i></p> -<p class='c004'>July 8, paid a pony to the waiter for Col. -Walpole.—<span class='sc'>G. Bentinck.</span></p> - -<p class='c006'>1 June pd. a pony Elliott.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Maidstone bets Ld. Kelburne six bets of -£50 each that he has six horses now in his own -stable which he will ride over and shall clear a -5 feet wall in the Leath country in Lincolnshire.</p> -<div class='lg-container-l'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='sc'>Sir Richard Sutton, Bart.</span> } <i>to be umpires.</i></div> - <div class='line'>. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . }</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>Lord Adolphus FitzClarence bets Mr. George -Bentinck £10 that there is not a shot fired in anger -in London during the year 1851.</p> -<p class='c004'>Mr. F. Cavendish bets Mr. H. Brownrigg 2/1 -that he does not kill the bluebottle fly before he -goes to bed.</p> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>W. Frederick Cavendish.</span></div> -<div class='c019'><span class='sc'>Henry M. Brownrigg.</span> <i>recd.</i> H.B.</div> - -<p class='c006'><i>July 17, 1856.</i></p> -<p class='c004'>At one time very large sums changed hands over -the whist-table at White’s. One of the most distinguished -gamblers was Lord Rivers, known in -Paris as Le Wellington des Joueurs. This nobleman, -it is said, once lost £3,400 at whist by not -remembering that the seven of hearts was in! -He played at hazard for the highest stakes that -anyone could be got to play, and at one time -was supposed to have won nearly £100,000; but -<span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>all, together with a great deal more, went at -Crockford’s.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In earlier days White’s appears to have been an -occasional resort of very queer characters indeed. -In Hogarth’s gambling scene at White’s we see the -highwayman, with the pistols peeping out of his -pocket, waiting by the fireside till the heaviest -winner takes his departure, in order to recoup himself -of his losings. And in the “Beaux’ Stratagem,” -Aimwell asks of Gibbet: “Ha’n’t I seen your face -at White’s?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>M’Clean, the fashionable highwayman, had a -lodging in St. James’s Street, over against White’s; -and he was as well known about St. James’s as any -gentlemen who lived in that quarter, and who, -perhaps, went upon the road, too. When M’Clean -was taken, in 1750, Horace Walpole tells us that -Lord Mountfort, at the head of half White’s, went -the first day; his aunt was crying over him. As -soon as they were withdrawn, she said to him, knowing -they were of White’s: “My dear, what did the -Lords say to you? Have you ever been concerned -with any of them?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mr. Pelham, the Prime Minister, who had -originally been an officer, was a well-known frequenter -of the gaming-table at White’s, to which -he resorted even when in high office—a habit alluded -to in the following lines:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Or chair’d at White’s, amidst the doctors sit,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Teach oaths to gamesters, and to nobles wit.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>General Scott, the father-in-law of George Canning -and the Duke of Portland, was known to have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>won at White’s £200,000, thanks to his notorious -sobriety and knowledge of this game. The General -possessed a great advantage over his companions by -avoiding the excesses which used not unfrequently -to muddle their brains. He confined himself to -dining off something very light, such as a boiled -chicken with toast and water, and in consequence -always came to the whist-table with a clear head. -Possessing a remarkable memory, with great coolness -of judgment, he was able honestly to win the -enormous sum of £200,000.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At Almack’s, a rival institution to White’s, there -was also much high play. According to the rule -of the house, every player had to keep not less than -twenty to fifty guineas on the table in front of him, -and often there was as much as £10,000 in gold on -the table. The players, before sitting down at the -gaming-table, removed their embroidered clothes -and substituted frieze greatcoats, or turned their -coats inside out for luck. They also put on short -leather sleeves to save their lace ruffles, and in order -to guard their eyes from the light and keep their -hair in order they wore high-crowned straw hats, -with broad brims adorned with flowers and ribbons; -whilst to conceal their emotions they also wore -shades or masks.</p> - -<p class='c006'>George Selwyn, one evening at White’s, saw a -member connected with the postal service, Sir -Everard Fawkener (the present writer’s great-grandfather, -and an indifferent card-player), losing -a large sum of money at piquet. Selwyn, pointing -to the successful player, remarked: “See now, he -is robbing the mail!”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>On another occasion, in 1756, observing Mr. Ponsonby, -the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, -tossing about bank-bills at a hazard-table at Newmarket, -“Look,” he said, “how easily the Speaker -passes the money-bills!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Of the gambling at White’s in former days so -much has been written that it would be superfluous -to dwell upon this phase in the history of the club -when George Selwyn played night after night. -Selwyn, however, was something more than a mere -gambler, and possessed in a conspicuous degree the -power of scourging folly and self-pretension. The -following is an instance of his powers in this direction:</p> - -<p class='c006'>One morning, when Selwyn was at the home of -the Duke of Queensberry, a newly-appointed Commissioner -of Taxes made his appearance. This man -was in a tumult of joy at his preferment; but, -though it was to the Duke he had primarily been -indebted for his good fortune, he hardly thanked -him; for he was possessed with the notion that it -was from his own merit that he had acquired the -promotion. Entering the room, he assumed several -consequential airs, thinking that he was now as -great a man as the Duke himself.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“So, Mr. Commissioner,” said Selwyn—“you will -excuse me, sir, I forget your name—you are at -length installed, I find.” The word “installed” conveyed -an awkward idea; for the new Commissioner’s -grandfather had been a stable-boy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Why, sir,” replied the other, “if you mean to -say that I am at length appointed, I have the -pleasure to inform you that the business is settled. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>Yes, I am appointed; and though our noble friend, -the Duke here, did oblige me with letters to the -Minister, yet these letters were of no use; and I -was positively promoted to the office without knowing -a syllable about the matter, or even taking a -single step in it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“What! not a single step?” cried George.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“No, not one, upon my honour,” replied the -new-fledged placeman. “Egad, sir! I did not -walk a foot out of my way for it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“And egad, sir!” retorted Selwyn, “you never -before uttered half so much truth in so few words. -Reptiles, sir, can neither walk nor take steps—nature -ordained they should creep.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Like many men of his day, Selwyn did and said -many things which a later age would call very -snobbish. Happening to be at Bath when it was -nearly empty, he was induced, for the mere purpose -of killing time, to cultivate the acquaintance of an -elderly gentleman he was in the habit of meeting -in the Rooms. In the height of the following -season Selwyn encountered his old associate in -St. James’s Street. He endeavoured to pass unnoticed, -but in vain. “What! do you not recollect -me?” exclaimed the indignant provincial. “I -recollect you perfectly,” replied Selwyn, “and -when I next go to Bath I shall be most happy to -become acquainted with you again.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though Selwyn appears to have preferred White’s, -he did not entirely confine his attention to it. It -was in his day the fashion to belong to as many -clubs as possible—Wilberforce, indeed, mentions -no fewer than five to which he himself belonged: -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>Brooks’s, Boodle’s, White’s, Miles and Evans’s in -New Palace Yard, and Goosetree’s, on the site of -which stands the Marlborough. As their names -imply, all these clubs were originally mere coffee-houses, -kept by men of the above names, the most -celebrated of whom, next to the proprietors of -White’s, was Brookes, or Brooks, who founded the -present club in St. James’s Street.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER IV<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>BROOKS’S, THE COCOA-TREE, AND THE THATCHED HOUSE</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>At one time considerable rivalry existed between -White’s and Brooks’s. Great festivities took place -all over the country in the spring of 1789, and both -White’s and Brooks’s gave balls, which seem to have -occasioned much unpleasant feeling between the -party of the Prince of Wales and that of the Court.</p> -<p class='c006'>Pitt was a member of both clubs (having been -elected to Brooks’s in 1781, on the proposal of Fox), -but he had a decided partiality for White’s.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Prince detested White’s as the chosen club -of Pitt, who had opposed him during the King’s -illness, and, as soon as the entertainment was -announced, forbade his friends to attend it, and -it is said, together with the Duke of York, sent -their tickets to be sold at a public library.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Three weeks later, on April 21, Brooks’s followed -with a grand ball at the Opera House, one of the -tickets for which is framed in the “strangers’ room” -on the ground-floor of the club. As a matter of fact, -the Prince’s conduct towards the ball at White’s -gave a party character to that at Brooks’s, with the -result that all the ladies of the Court refused to attend.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Brooks’s was originally in Pall Mall, on or near -the site of the present Marlborough Club, and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>precise date of its removal into St. James’s Street -cannot be positively fixed; but certain it is that the -existing house was built by Brooks, from designs by -Holland, the architect, in 1778, and in a letter to -G. Selwyn, dated in October of that year, T. Townshend—afterwards -first Viscount Sydney—says: -“As a proof of our increasing opulence, I need -only show the New Opera House, which is now -fitting up at a monstrous expense … and Brooks’s -new house, fitted up with great magnificence, which -is to be opened in a week or ten days.” It was in -consequence of these great expenses that the annual -subscription was doubled.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The originator of Brooks’s seems to have been -the Scotsman Almack, whose real name was Macall, -and in its early days the club consisted of 150 members -at an annual subscription of four guineas, with the -proviso that, “in case that proportion falls short of -400 guineas on the whole, such deficiency shall be -made good to Mr. Almack.” But this small number -of members soon expanded, and by 1776 had been -doubled, by successive additions of twenty, thirty, -fifty, and fifty. Fifteen years passed, and in 1791 -another 150 were added, and 100 more in 1816, bringing -the numbers up to 550. Twenty-five more were -added in 1823, and a like number in 1857, bringing -the total up to 600, at which it remained till 1901, -when it was raised to 650, the present number.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the end of 1778 the club moved into its -present premises, the new house being owned by -Brooks or Brookes, and after that date his name -was assumed as a title.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i100a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>PROMISED HORRORS OF THE FRENCH INVASION, BY GILLRAY.<br />Showing both White’s and Brooks’s Clubs.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The subscription, fixed at four guineas in 1764, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>was before 1779 raised to eight, and on May 25 in -that year the committee, or whatever was the -governing body, granted Brooks an extra two -guineas for two years only, “in consideration of the -great expense he hath been at in erecting and fitting -up his house”—viz., the present house. Brooks -compounded with those that were willing, for -sixteen guineas paid down in advance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On April 17, 1791, the subscription was again -raised to ten guineas, and in addition an entrance -fee of five guineas was imposed; and it was further -resolved that every member should pay one guinea -in addition to the subscription for that year, “in -order that the new Regulations about Dinner, -Forfeits, etc., may take place immediately.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>So matters continued until 1815, when the -subscription was increased to eleven guineas, “in -consideration of the great expense the Masters of -the Club had been put to by various alterations -of the Club-house.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>On March 18, 1817, an additional guinea was -imposed—to be paid on January 1, 1818—for the -express purpose of increasing the size of the coffee-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1828 it was resolved that the extra guinea -added to the annual subscription in 1815 should be -reserved to form a fund, to be invested in the names -of the trustees, to be employed as the club should -thereafter direct. The present subscription is eleven -guineas.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The original rules are very strict on the subject -of arrears, Rule XX providing that all subscriptions -shall be paid between March 1 and June 25; otherwise -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>the defaulter is to be <i>ipso facto</i> excluded and -his name erased. This excellent provision, however, -seems to have been more honoured in the breach -than in the observance, for on June 8, 1800, Griffin, -who was the Master, was “authorized to inform -members that, being in arrears, they are no longer -members of the Club, and the Managers have directed -him to recover the arrears due to him.” Yet, notwithstanding -the resolution of the managers, on -May 3, 1806, Griffin reported the arrears to amount -to £6,000, which large sum had in 1809 increased -to £10,000.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This generous confidence of the Masters in the -ultimate solvency of members endured until the -death of Banderet, in spite of a periodical protest -against the large amount of house accounts outstanding -for dinners and other disbursements; and -on one occasion it is said that he represented to the -managers that a certain member was £800 in his -debt, and, although he was quite ready to trust the -gentleman to any amount, he did think that, under -the circumstances, he need not insist upon having -ortolans for his dinner every night.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There is a very general impression that the -eleventh guinea of the subscription, still paid, was -first imposed to pay the debts of C. J. Fox, but of -this there is no evidence whatever. That Fox’s -debts were paid by his friends is certain, and that -he had many friends in Brooks’s is equally so, and -they doubtless were the chief contributors, but as -individuals only; the idea that Brooks’s ever -contributed in its corporate capacity is absolutely -without foundation.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>The regulations passed in 1828 laid down that -dinner at 10<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> per head shall be ready at a quarter -before six every day from November 1 to the -Prince of Wales’s birthday (August 12th). “If the -number at dinner shall not exceed four, they shall -have no reckoning to pay but for wine, fruits, etc. -If the number exceeds four, the 2 guineas shall be -deducted from the whole reckoning.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dinner was served at half-past four; and the bill -was brought in at seven. Supper began at eleven, -and ended at half an hour after midnight. The -cost of the dinner was 8<i>s.</i> a head, and of the -supper 6<i>s.</i>; and anyone who had been present -during any part of the meal hours paid his share of -the wine, in accordance with the old law of British -conviviality.</p> - -<p class='c006'>No gaming was allowed in the “eating room” -except “tossing up for reckonings,” under the -penalty of paying the whole bill of the members -present.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The ballot took place between eleven at night -and one in the morning, which custom continued -until 1844, when the hours were altered to between -three and five in the afternoon. A single black ball -excluded, and a member who joined any other club, -except White’s, was at once struck off the books.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As manager of the club, Brooks appears to -have been a most accommodating individual. He is -described by Tickell, in a copy of verses addressed -to Sheridan, as</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Liberal Brookes, whose speculative skill</div> - <div class='line in1'>Is hasty credit and a distant bill;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Who, nursed in clubs, disdains a vulgar trade,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Exults to trust, and blushes to be paid.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'><span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>It may be added that, as a consequence of the -above-mentioned diffidence, Brooks died a poor -man in 1782. Indeed, according to tradition, his -creditors were so rapacious that, in order to defeat -them, his body was interred in a small vault, still -existing, under the pavement of St. James’s Street. -For this, however, there is no sort of evidence in the -records of the club, and the legend may have been -suggested by the smallness of the vault, which -would just contain a coffin.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Brooks was succeeded in the management by a -Mr. Griffin, whose name can be traced down to -1815, though for the six years preceding this date -the management figures as “Griffin and Co.” In -1815, however, he disappears, and at some subsequent -time the mastership devolved upon Wheelwright, -who in 1824 took Halse into partnership, -and in 1831 retired; whereupon Halse took Henry -Banderet into partnership, himself retiring in 1846, -and receiving a grant from the club of £500 on -account of his interest in the unexpired lease of the -house, and 50 guineas for the surrender of his lodging -therein. From that time until his death in 1880, -Banderet continued Master; and to him is to be -attributed the credit of having established in Brooks’s -that refined if somewhat solemn comfort which -resembles rather the luxury of a first-class private -house than a club, and which has led to its being -humorously described as “like dining in a Duke’s -house with the Duke lying dead upstairs.” His attention -to his duties as Master was unremitting, and it -was said that, during the thirty-four years in which -he filled that post, he had never been known to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>be absent, except on one occasion when he was -persuaded to take a holiday; but he found himself so -miserable that by noon he was back at Brooks’s, -which he never afterwards left until his death, when -the entire management was taken over by the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a building, Brooks’s is a handsome and -suitable club-house, which from time to time -has sustained a number of alterations, most of -them of a judicious kind. The balcony on the -first-floor, formerly such a feature of the façade, -has long been removed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>About twenty years ago considerable changes -were made in the club-house, and No. 2 Park Place -was incorporated as part of it. Up to that time the -coffee-room had been what is now the strangers’ -smoking-room on the first-floor, the only smoking-room -being the round room at the back of the house, -now divided into dressing-rooms. There was practically -no library, the only apology for one being a -small room beyond the coffee-room, containing little -except Parliamentary reports, back volumes of the -<i>Edinburgh</i> and <i>Quarterly Reviews</i>, and novels from -a circulating library. Opening out of this library was -another small room into which hardly anyone ever -went, and through that, again, a very small dressing-room -which hardly anyone ever used. During the -alterations these uncomfortable little rooms, together -with the rest of No. 2 Park Place, were swept away, -and the present coffee-rooms, with library above, -erected in their place, the old drawing-rooms and -coffee-rooms being given up to smokers and their -guests. At the same time the hall and staircase -were entirely reconstructed.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>Amongst the important reforms introduced after -Banderet’s death was the institution of club bedrooms, -and also the privilege of inviting guests to -dinner, and—in May 1896—to luncheon.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There are some interesting relics of old days at -Brooks’s, including a complete set of the gaming -counters used when the club was the scene of much -high play. These are well displayed in a case at -the bottom of the staircase. In the room upstairs, -once the scene of so many late sittings, the old -gambling-table still remains. A semicircular cut -in this is said to have been made in order to -accommodate the portly form of Charles James -Fox, a pastel portrait of whom, by Russell, is one -of the treasures of the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some old prints of Brooks’s in former days (and -a water-colour drawing of the gaming-room by -Rowlandson in particular) convey an excellent idea -of the past life of the club, while a few portraits of -celebrated members decorate its walls.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The fine room upstairs which was once devoted to -high play would appear to retain much of its ancient -appearance, and the decorative scheme employed -on the walls seems to have been little changed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A treasured possession of this club is the old -betting-book, in which are many curious entries, one -of which tells that Mr. Thynne, having, according -to a note written opposite his name in the club -books, “won only £12,000 during the last two -months, retired in disgust, March 21, 1772; and that -he may never return is the ardent wish of members.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The entries in this volume deal with all sorts of -subjects, and range from a bet of five hundred guineas -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>to ten that none of the Cabinet were beheaded by -that day three years, to one of fifty that Mlle. -Heinel does not dance at the Opera House next -winter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Brooks’s possesses a good deal of silver plate, -which taken in the aggregate is valued at some -£4,000. The oldest piece is a marrow-spoon of 1793, -whilst perhaps the most interesting part of the -collection is a number of candlesticks, all Georgian.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There are in Brooks’s two snuff-boxes—an antique -one of mother-of-pearl, and another of early Victorian -date and design.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The tranquillity for which this club is noted has -rarely been disturbed in recent times, but in 1886, -when Mr. Gladstone introduced his Home Rule -Bill, Brooks’s became much perturbed and troubled -by discord quite out of keeping with the traditions -of its sacred precincts. A member who had been -in Mr. Gladstone’s Cabinet, and who, it was said, -had many years before been himself “blackballed” -when a candidate, was declared to have spoken contemptuously -of the Liberal Unionists as he descended -the stairs of the club, where he had been dining as -a guest. The irate Liberal Unionists immediately -discovered an easy way of revenge. As luck would -have it, the son of the ex-Minister came up for -election almost immediately after his father’s ill-timed -outburst of eloquence, and was swiftly made -to experience the same fate which had befallen his -parent many years before. As a consequence of this -the supporters of Mr. Gladstone, at the next opportunity, -revenged themselves by treating the eldest -son of a Whig Unionist peer in the same way. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>Feeling began to run high, and at each successive -election the circle of carnage widened and widened, -until it began to be whispered that it would soon -be impossible for anybody to be elected to Brooks’s -at all. Matters began to look very serious—one -member even declared that the shade of Fox had -been observed flitting about the passages; and -though another member surmised that it was only -the solid figure of an ancient servitor of the club -with a bottle of port in his hand, which had been -mistaken for the shade of the statesman, both agreed -in acknowledging that the situation was becoming -extremely grave. Happily, at this juncture Lord -Granville came to the rescue, and at the next election -made a speech which caused a general reconciliation. -In a few well-chosen words he alluded to -the antiquity of the club, and the previous divisions -in the party which it had survived, and expressed a -hope—using almost the words which Burke had -employed in a slightly different connection—which -he believed all present in their hearts really shared, -that there should at least be one place left in London -where a truce might be allowed to the divisions and -animosities of mankind, and friends might still be -allowed to meet one another on the same terms as -of old.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Granville’s speech produced a great effect, -as the taking of the ballot proved; for all the -candidates, irrespective of their shades of political -opinion, were elected. Lord Granville afterwards -declared that he had never felt so nervous in -his life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the earlier days of its existence, Brooks’s, like -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>so many other West End resorts, was the scene of -much high gambling, and large sums often changed -hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Samuel Wilberforce, when he first joined the -club, took part (he afterwards declared) from mere -shyness in a game of faro, George Selwyn in the -bank. A friend, astonished, called out, “What, -Wilberforce, is that you?” Selwyn quite resented -the interference, and, turning to him, said in his -most expressive tone: “Oh, sir, don’t interrupt Mr. -Wilberforce; he could not be better employed.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a matter of fact, this was not the sole occasion -upon which Wilberforce played, for he once -kept the bank at Goosetree’s, which Pitt also frequented. -Another member, Mr. Bankes, in the -absence of a banker, playfully offered the philanthropist -a guinea to do so.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Wilberforce, as it happened, was very lucky, and -rose the winner of £600. He afterwards declared -that the pain he felt at winning so much money -from young men who could not afford to lose without -inconvenience cured him of all partiality for -play.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Goosetree’s consisted almost exclusively of budding -orators and statesmen, but there was a good -deal of gambling there.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the largest winners at Brooks’s in the days -of high play was Alderman Combe, the brewer. -One evening, whilst he was Lord Mayor, he chanced -to be engaged at a hazard-table there, Beau Brummell -being one of the party. “Come, Mash-tub,” -said Brummell, who was the caster, “what do you -set?” “Twenty-five guineas,” answered the Alderman. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>“Well, then,” returned the Beau, “have at -the ‘<i>mare’s</i>’ pony.” He continued to throw until -he drove home the brewer’s twelve ponies running; -and then, getting up and making him a low bow, -whilst pocketing the cash, he said: “Thank you, -Alderman; for the future I shall never drink any -porter but yours.” “I wish, sir,” replied the brewer, -“that every other blackguard in London would tell -me the same.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A very successful whist-player at Brooks’s was -Sir Philip Francis, by some supposed to have -written the “Letters of Junius.” He had held an -appointment in Calcutta, where play flourished, -and, devoting his attention to the game, became -extraordinarily successful. It was said that his -winnings amounted to £30,000, and eventually he -was able to return to England a rich man. As a -club-man he was noted for his vitriolic utterances.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sir Philip had been the convivial companion of -Fox, and during the short administration of that -statesman was made a Knight of the Bath. One -evening Roger Wilbraham came up to a whist-table -at the club where Sir Philip, who for the first -time wore the ribbon of the Order, was engaged in -a rubber, and thus accosted him. Laying hold of -the ribbon and examining it for some time, he said: -“So this is the way they have rewarded you at last; -they have given you a little bit of red ribbon for -your services, Sir Philip, have they? A pretty bit -of red ribbon to hang about your neck. And that -satisfies you, does it? Now, I wonder what I shall -have? What do you think they will give me, Sir -Philip?”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>The newly-made Knight, who had twenty-five -guineas depending on the rubber, and who was not -very well pleased at the interruption, suddenly -turned round, and, looking at him fiercely, exclaimed: -“A halter, and be d——d to you!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Other great whist-players were the two Smiths, -father and son, the first a retired Major-General of -the Indian Army, who brought home £150,000, -and was known as Hyder Ali in the West End. -The son was called Tippoo, and, like his father, -was a fine whist-player. Indeed, at one time -Tippoo Smith was considered the best of his day. -Another whist-playing member, an old gentleman -nicknamed Neptune, was not so successful; -indeed, he once flung himself into the sea in a fit of -despair, as it was said, “not being able to keep his -head above water.” He was, however, fished out -in time, and, finding he was still solvent, played on -during the remainder of his life.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Even in the days when considerable laxity prevailed -as to club elections, Brooks’s was very strict -in such matters. As a matter of fact, George IV, -when Prince of Wales, was the only member of -Brooks’s who entered the club without being -elected by ballot. He was anxious to belong to -it in order to have more frequent intercourse -with Fox, and on his first appearance every -member got up and welcomed him by acclamation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Fox, soon after he had got to know Sheridan, -was so delighted with his company and brilliant -conversation that he became exceedingly anxious -to get him admitted as a member of this club, which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>he himself was in the habit of frequenting every -night. Sheridan was accordingly proposed, and -though on several occasions every gentleman was -earnestly canvassed to vote for him, yet he was -always found to have one black ball whenever he -was balloted for, which was, of course, sufficient to -prevent his election.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When Sheridan entered the House of Commons -in September, 1780, the members of Fox’s party -were particularly anxious to get him into the club, -which was no easy task, as they well knew. George -Selwyn and the Earl of Bessborough, who both -hated Sheridan, agreed not to absent themselves -during the time allotted by the regulations of the -club for ballots; and as one black ball sufficed to -exclude a candidate, they twice prevented his election -(once in 1778, when proposed by Fox).</p> - -<p class='c006'>This exclusion of Sheridan from Brooks’s was the -subject of much comment, and, according to one -story, some of his friends resolved to find out who -the person was that so inveterately opposed the -admission of the orator. Accordingly the balls -were marked, and old George Selwyn (whose aristocratic -prejudices would have induced him to blackball -His Majesty himself, if he could not produce -proofs of noble descent for three generations at least) -was discovered to be the hostile party. This was -told the same evening to Sheridan, who desired that -his name might be put up again as usual, and the -matter be left entirely in his hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The next evening when there happened to be -another election, Sheridan arrived at Brooks’s, arm -in arm with the Prince of Wales, just ten minutes -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>before the balloting began. Being shown into the -candidates’ waiting-room, the waiter was ordered -to tell Mr. Selwyn that the Prince desired to speak -with him in the room below-stairs immediately. -Selwyn obeyed the summons without delay, and -Sheridan entertained him for half an hour with a -political story, which interested him very much, but -which, of course, was a pure invention.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During this time the ballot proceeded, Sheridan -being duly elected. The satisfactory result was -announced to the Prince and the successful candidate -by the entrance of the waiter, who made the -preconcerted signal by stroking his chin with his -hand. Sheridan immediately got up, and, apologizing -for an absence of a few minutes, told Selwyn -“that the Prince would finish the narrative, the end -of which he would find very remarkable.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sheridan then went upstairs, and was formally -introduced to the members by Fox, being welcomed -in the most flattering manner.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Prince, however, was left in a very awkward -position, for, not having paid much attention to the -nonsensical story told by Sheridan to Selwyn, he -found himself all at sea. After floundering about -for some time, he at last burst out with: “To tell -you the truth, I know as little about this infernal -story which Sherry has left me to finish as an -unborn child; but never mind, Selwyn, let’s go -upstairs, and I dare say Fox, or some of them, will -be able to tell you all about it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Accordingly the couple proceeded to the club-room, -where the puzzled Selwyn soon had his eyes -completely opened to the whole manœuvre, when, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>on his entrance, Sheridan, rising, made him a low -bow, and thus addressed him:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“’Pon my honour, Mr. Selwyn, I beg pardon for -being absent so long; but the fact is, I happened -to drop into devilish good company. They have -just been making me a member without even one -black ball, and here I am.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“The devil they have!” exclaimed Selwyn.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Facts speak for themselves,” replied Sheridan; -“and as I know you are very glad of my election, -accept my grateful thanks” (pressing his hand on -his breast and bowing very low) “for your friendly -suffrage. And now, if you will sit down by me, -I’ll finish my story, for I dare say His Royal Highness -has found considerable difficulty in doing so.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At first Selwyn was extremely wroth at the trick -which had been played upon him, but before the -evening was out he shook hands with Sheridan and -welcomed him to the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Unfortunately for the reliability of this story, the -records of Brooks’s show conclusively that, so far as -the Prince and Lord Bessborough are concerned, it -is without foundation. Sheridan was returned for -Stafford, September 12, 1780. Mr. Fitzpatrick proposed -him at Brooks’s on October 12 in the same -year, and he was elected on November 2; but Lord -Bessborough did not become a member till 1782, -nor was the Prince of Wales one till 1783.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many of Sheridan’s <i>bons mots</i> were recounted in -the club years after his death. During a conversation -one day about Lord Henry Petty’s projected -tax upon iron, one member said that, as there was -so much opposition to it, it would be better to raise -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>the proposed sum upon coals. “Hold, my dear -fellow!” said Sheridan; “that would be out of the -frying-pan into the fire with a vengeance.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>On another occasion, Sheridan, having been told -that Mr. Gifford, the Editor of the <i>Quarterly Review</i>, -had boasted of the power of conferring and distributing -literary reputation, said: “Yes, and in -the present instance I think he has done it so profusely -as to have left none for himself.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another wit at Brooks’s was Dunning, Lord -Ashburton, a somewhat eccentric member. Though -he only lived to the age of fifty-two, and although -he was very liberal and extravagant, he had made -no less than £150,000 during twenty-five years’ -practice at the Bar.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In spite of the fact that his name does not appear -in the club list, the notorious duellist, George -Robert Fitzgerald, who was executed for a cold-blooded -murder in 1786, must in a sort of way be -regarded as having belonged to the club. He was, -however, only in it once, though it was his boast -that he had been unanimously chosen a member. -The history of this is curious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Owing to Fitzgerald’s well-known duelling propensities, -no first-class London club would admit -him. Nevertheless, he got Admiral Keith Stewart, -who knew that he must fight or comply, to propose -him for Brooks’s. Accordingly, the duellist went -with the Admiral on the day of the election to the -club-house, and waited downstairs whilst the ballot -was in progress.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The result, a foregone conclusion, was unfavourable -to the candidate, not even one white ball being -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>among the black, the Admiral having been among -the first to deposit his. Nevertheless, to him it was -decided should fall the dangerous task of announcing -the result to Fitzgerald. He did not, however, care -for such a mission at all.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I proposed the fellow,” said he, “because I knew -you would not admit him; but, by Jove! I have no -inclination to risk my life against that of a madman.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But, Admiral,” replied the Duke of Devonshire, -“there being no white ball in the box, he must -know that you have blackballed him as well as the -rest, and he is sure to call you out in any case.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Eventually it was decided that the waiter should -tell Fitzgerald that there was one black ball, and that -his name must be put up again if he wished it. In -the mean time Fitzgerald had frequently rung the -bell to inquire “the state of the poll,” and had sent -several waiters to ascertain, but none daring to -return, Mr. Brooks took the message from the waiter -who was descending the staircase, and boldly entered -the room with a coffee equipage in his hand.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Did you call for coffee, sir?” said Mr. Brooks -smartly.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“D——n your coffee, sir, and you too!” answered -Mr. Fitzgerald, in a voice which made the host’s -blood run cold. “I want to know, sir—and that -without one moment’s delay, sir—if I am chose -yet?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Oh, sir,” replied Mr. Brooks, attempting to smile -away the appearance of fear, “I beg your pardon, -sir, but I was just coming to announce to you, sir, -with Admiral Stewart’s compliments, sir, that, unfortunately, -there was one black ball in the box, sir, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>and consequently, by the rules of the club, sir, no -candidate can be admitted without a new election, -sir, which cannot take place, by the standing regulations -of the club, sir, until one month from this -time, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Thrusting aside Brooks, who protested that non-members -might not enter the club rooms, Fitzgerald -flew upstairs, and entered the room without any -further ceremony than a bow, saying to the members, -who indignantly rose at the intrusion: “Your servant, -gentlemen; I beg ye will be sated.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Walking up to the fireplace, he thus addressed -Admiral Stewart: “So, my dear Admiral, Mr. -Brooks informs me that I have been elected three -times.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“You have been balloted for, Mr. Fitzgerald, but -I am sorry to say you have not been chosen,” said -Stewart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Well, then,” replied the duellist, “did you blackball -me?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“My good sir,” answered the Admiral, “how -could you suppose such a thing?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Oh, I supposed no such thing, my dear fellow; -I only want to know who it was that dropped the -black balls in by accident, as it were.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Fitzgerald now went up to each individual -member, and put the same question to all in -turn, “Did you blackball me, sir?” until he made -the round of the whole club, and in each case he -received a reply similar to that of the Admiral. -When he had finished his investigations, he thus -addressed the whole body: “You see, gentlemen, -that, as none of ye have blackballed me, I must be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>elected—it is Mr. Brooks that has made the mistake. -I was convinced it would end in this way, -and am only sorry that so much time has been -lost as to prevent honourable gentlemen from enjoying -each other’s company sooner.” He then desired -the waiter to bring him a bottle of champagne, that -he might drink long life to the club and wish them -joy of their unanimous election of a “raal gentleman -by father and mother, and who never missed -his man.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>After this nothing more was said by the members, -who determined to ignore the presence of their -dangerous visitor, who drank three bottles of champagne -in enforced silence, for no one would answer -him when he spoke. With cool effrontery the latter -sat drinking toasts and healths, to the terror of the -waiter. At length everyone was much relieved to -see him rise and prepare to depart. Before going, -however, he took leave with a low bow, at the same -time promising to “come earlier next night and -have a little more of it.” It was then agreed that -half a dozen stout constables should be in waiting -the next evening to bear him off to the watch-house -if he attempted again to intrude, but Mr. Fitzgerald, -aware probably of the reception he might -get, never did.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The eccentricities of Fighting Fitzgerald bordered -closely upon madness, and there is, indeed, reason -to think that he was insane. According to the -custom of his day, he had in early life been obliged -to fight a duel with a man called Swords, who at -the first discharge of his pistol had shot off a part of -Fitzgerald’s skull, materially injuring the fore part -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>of his brain. The consequence was delirium for a -considerable time; but those who knew him intimately -were of opinion that he was affected by a -certain aberration of intellect until the day of his -death, for from the period of this wound he became -hot-headed, insolent, quarrelsome, cunning, -and ferocious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the more turbulent days of the past, incidents -occurred in clubland which would now be -impossible.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On one occasion, about three o’clock in the morning, -the Duke of York, Colonel St. Leger, Tom -Stepney, and others, came up St. James’s Street in -very rollicking mood, and, reaching Brooks’s, knocked -in vain for admission, everyone being asleep. They -were determined, however, to get in, and, when the -door was at length cautiously held open, rushed into -the inner hall. They commenced the destruction of -chairs, tables, and chandeliers, and kicked up such -a horrible din as might have awakened the dead. -Every male and female servant in the establishment -now came running towards the hall from all quarters, -in a state of semi-nudity, anxious to assist in protecting -the house or to escape from the supposed -housebreakers. During this riot there was no light, -and the uproar made by the maid-servants, who in -the confusion rushed into the arms of the intruders, -and expected nothing short of immediate violence -and murder, was most tremendous.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At length one of the waiters ran for a loaded -blunderbuss, which, having been cocked, and poised -on an angle of the banisters, he would have discharged -amongst the intruders. From doing this, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>however, he was most providentially deterred by -the housekeeper, who, with no other covering than -her chemise and flannel petticoat, was fast approaching -with a light, which no sooner flashed upon the -faces of these midnight disturbers than she exclaimed: -“For Heaven’s sake, Tom, don’t fire! -It is only the Duke of York!” The terror of the -servants having vanished by this timely address, -the intruding party soon became more peaceable, -and were sent home in sedan-chairs to their respective -homes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At that time many a challenge was given and -accepted within the club walls. One evening Fox, -in the course of conversation, spoke disparagingly of -the gunpowder issued by the Government. Adams, -who was in some measure responsible for the supply, -considered it reflection, and sent Fox a challenge. -Fox went out, and took his station, giving a full -front. Adams said: “You must stand sideways.” -Fox said: “Why, I am as thick one way as the -other.” “Fire” was given. Adams fired, Fox did -not; and when they said he must, he said: “I’ll be -d——d if I do! I have no quarrel.” They then -advanced to shake hands. Fox said: “Adams, -you’d have killed me if it had not been Government -powder.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dandy Raikes, though a member of Brooks’s, -had never been known to enter the club, till one -day in March 1827 he saw Lord Brougham go in, -upon which he followed, and grossly insulted him -during luncheon, with the result that a challenge -became inevitable. Lord Brougham applied to -General Ferguson, who had heard part at least of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>the insulting expressions, to convey a challenge for -him to Raikes. This, however, the General peremptorily -declined to do, upon the grounds of having -been mixed up in so many similar affairs. Brougham -eventually got General Sir Robert Wilson to deliver -the challenge; but in the mean time he had been -taken into custody, carried to Bow Street, and -bound over to keep the peace. “This was owing -to Jack the Painter, alias Spring Rice, who had -been present at the row, and had immediately -hastened to Bow Street to inform; his object, no -doubt, being not to lose Brougham’s vote that -night upon that most vital of all subjects, the -Catholic question.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Hon. Frederick Byng, known as “the -Poodle,” from his curly hair, was a very well-known -member of Brooks’s. He was one of the hundred -additional members selected in 1816 by the special -committee, was a prominent figure in London -society, and had had many interesting experiences. -As a very small boy he had acted as a page of -honour to Prince George of Wales at his ill-starred -marriage with the Princess Caroline in 1795, and -used to relate the curious incident of his being -taken to Carlton House to be looked at by the -Prince before appointment. He was in Paris in -December 1815, and was present at the execution -of Marshal Ney.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As an old man, the Poodle was very autocratic -in his ways, and something of a bully. He once -severely reprimanded a younger member for lighting -his cigar beneath the balcony outside the club, -which no longer exists. On one occasion Mr. Byng -<span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>was much disturbed to find seated before the fire -in the drawing-room a gentleman who, having -pulled off his boots, had rung the bell and asked -the waiter for slippers! It turned out that the -perpetrator of this outrage was a new member, an -M.P. for some manufacturing constituency, who, -of strangely unconventional habits quite unknown -to the committee, had been elected without anyone -troubling or caring much about him, and who -presumably would have been more at home in a -commercial room than in the sacred precincts of -the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Brooks’s is connected with an unsolved historical -mystery, through one of its members—Mr. Benjamin -Bathurst (elected in May 1808)—a diplomatist -who disappeared in an unaccountable -fashion, whilst on a mission from Vienna to -England in 1809, and was never heard of again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mr. Bathurst had been sent to Vienna by his -relative, Lord Bathurst, at that time Secretary of -State for Foreign Affairs. It is believed that the -latter sent his kinsman to the Court of Vienna in -order to induce Austria to go to war with Napoleon, -a mission which was completely successful.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mr. Bathurst on this account entertained a strong -belief that the great Emperor bore him special -enmity, and therefore, when the war was over, -apprehending, it is said, danger on the road, he -resolved to return to London by way of Berlin and -North Germany. For this journey he assumed the -name of Koch, whilst his private secretary acted as -courier, under the name of Fisher.</p> - -<p class='c006'>About midday on November 25, 1809, the two -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>travellers with a valet arrived at Perleberg, on the -route from Berlin to Hamburg, halted at the post-house -for refreshments, and ordered fresh horses for -the journey to Lenzen, which was the next station. -Near the post-house was an inn—the White Swan—to -which Bathurst went and ordered an early -dinner, the horses not to be put in until he had -dined. The White Swan was not far from the -gate of the town, through which the road to Hamburg -lay, and outside of it was a poor suburb of -cottages and artisans’ houses. After lunch Bathurst -inquired who was in command of the soldiers -quartered in the town; and having been directed -to his address, he called upon Captain Klitzing, the -officer named, and requested that he might be -given a guard in the inn, saying that he was a -traveller on his way to Hamburg, and that he had -strong and well-grounded suspicions that his -person was endangered. During this visit it is -significant that he showed great signs of agitation -and fear. Captain Klitzing, though he laughed at -Mr. Bathurst’s apprehensions, nevertheless gave -him a guard of a couple of soldiers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When the latter reached the White Swan he -countermanded the horses, saying he would not -start till night, considering that it would be safer -to travel along the dangerous portion of the route -by night, when Napoleon’s spies would be less -likely to be on the alert, and remained in the inn -writing and burning papers. At seven o’clock he -dismissed his guard, and ordered the horses to be -ready at nine. He stood outside the inn, watching -his portmanteau being replaced in the carriage, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>stepped round to the heads of the horses, and disappeared -for ever.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After Bathurst’s disappearance had been realized—which -was not for some time—every effort was -made to discover what had become of him. The -next morning the river was dragged, outhouses, -woods, marshes, ditches were examined, but not a -trace could be found; nor was any trace ever found, -except that nearly three weeks later—December 16—two -poor women, gathering sticks in a wood, -found a pair of breeches which were unquestionably -Bathurst’s. In the pocket was a paper with writing -on it. Two bullet-holes were in the breeches, but -no traces of blood about them, which could hardly -have been the case had the bullets struck a man -wearing them. The paper was a half-finished letter -to Mrs. Bathurst, scratched in pencil, stating that he -was afraid he would never reach England, and that -his ruin would be the work of Count d’Entraigues. -Large rewards were offered—£1,000 by the English -Government, another £1,000 by the family, and an -additional 100 Friedrichs d’or by Prince Frederick -of Prussia; but all was in vain, and from that day -to this the fate of Mr. Bathurst remains a mystery.<a id='r4' /><a href='#f4' class='c013'><sup>[4]</sup></a></p> - -<div class='footnote c018' id='f4'> -<p class='c015'><span class='label'><a href='#r4'>4</a>. </span>In December 1910, some woodcutters in the forest of -Quitznow, near the spot where the breeches were found, discovered -a skeleton which may have been that of Bathurst.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>No account of Brooks’s and its history would be -complete without some mention of the Fox Club—a -club within a club which holds its meetings in the -club-house three or four times in the course of the -Parliamentary session, and whose object is to keep -alive the memory of probably the most distinguished, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>and certainly the most popular, member who has -ever belonged to Brooks’s—Charles James Fox.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Owing to Fox’s love of play, some of his best -friends, who would appear to have been inspired -by extraordinary affection, were half-ruined in -annuities, given by them as securities for him to the -Jews. Annuities of Fox and his society to the value -of £500,000 a year were at one time advertised to -be sold. Walpole wondered what Fox would do -when he had sold the estates of all his friends.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He once sat at hazard at Almack’s from Tuesday -evening, the 4th, till five in the afternoon of -Wednesday, the 5th. An hour before he had -recovered £12,000 that he had lost, and by dinner, -which was at five o’clock, he had ended by losing -£11,000. On the Thursday (February 6, 1772) he -made a speech on the Thirty-nine Articles, in which -one is hardly surprised to hear that he did not shine. -That evening he dined at half-past eleven at night, -and went to White’s, where he drank till seven the -next morning; thence to Almack’s, where he won -£6,000; and between three and four in the afternoon -he set out for Newmarket. Well for him that -there was no Nonconformist conscience in those days!</p> - -<p class='c006'>Fox during a late club-sitting once sketched -out an idea for a kind of new profession, “which -was going from horse-race to horse-race, and so -by knowing the value and speed of all the horses -in England to acquire a certain fortune.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a youth Fox had received a very lax training -from his father, who gave him a large allowance -and condoned his extravagances. “Let nothing be -done,” said his lordship, “to break his spirit; the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>world will do that for him.” At his death, in 1774, -he left him £154,000 to pay his debts; it was all -hypothecated, and Fox soon became as deeply -involved as before.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The chronicle of Fox’s financial vicissitudes makes -sorry reading—at one time with thousands in his -pocket, at another without a shilling to pay his -chairmen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After a run of good luck, Fox would generally -make some attempt to liquidate the more pressing -of his many liabilities; and on one occasion, when -Fortune had been propitious, remembering a long-standing -gambling debt which he owed to Sir John -Lade, he sent a complimentary card to the latter -expressing his desire to discharge the claim. Sir -John no sooner saw the money than he called for -pen and ink, and began to make some calculations. -“What now?” cried Fox. “Only calculating the -interest,” replied the other. “Are you so?” coolly -rejoined Charles James, and pocketed the cash, -adding: “I thought it was a debt of honour. As -you seem to consider it a trading debt, and as I -make it an invariable rule to pay my Jew creditors -last, you must wait a little longer for your money.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Fox once played cards with Fitzpatrick at -Brooks’s from ten o’clock at night till near six -o’clock the next morning, a waiter standing by to -tell them “whose deal it was,” they being too -sleepy to know.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The precise circumstances which led to the foundation -of the Fox Club are rather obscure, the first -recorded dinner having taken place in February -1829, when twenty-three members were present, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>though “Fox Dinners” seem to have been held -previous to that date.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Until 1843 the Fox Club met at the Clarendon, -but in that year, on an application signed by sixteen -members of the Fox Club, a rule was passed -granting permission to that body to use the great -room at Brooks’s for their meetings. Of these, the -first always takes place on the Thursday following -the meeting of Parliament, the second and third as -may be fixed by the club in the course of the session, -and the fourth at Greenwich in July.</p> - -<p class='c006'>No speeches are allowed, and only the four following -toasts are given, without “note or comment”:</p> -<p class='c004'>1. “In the memory of Charles James Fox.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>2. “Earl Grey and the Reform Bill.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>3. “The memory of Lord Holland.”</p> -<p class='c004'>This third toast was added by unanimous resolution -on April 24, 1841, and on June 5 following, -on motion previously given by Sir Robert Adair and -Mr. Clive, £200 were voted from the funds of the -club towards the monument proposed to be erected -to his memory, now just inside the railings of -Holland House, on the Hammersmith Road.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the pedestal of the monument in question are -inscribed the following lines:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Nephew of Fox, and friend of Grey,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Be this my highest fame:</div> - <div class='line in1'>That those who know me best will say,</div> - <div class='line in2'>‘He tarnished neither name.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>4. “To the memory of Lord John Russell”—added -on June 22, 1878, on the motion of Mr. Grenville -Berkeley. As originally proposed, the toast -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>was to the memory of “Earl Russell,” but at the -next meeting it was unanimously carried that the -style by which he had been best known should be -adopted. This was done with the full approval of -Lady Russell, whose wishes in the matter had been -consulted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before leaving the clubs of St. James’s Street, -two quaintly-named institutions—the Thatched -House and the Cocoa-tree—claim some attention. -The latter club-house is remarkable for the golden -tree which, spreading through two floors, is visible -from the street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Cocoa-tree Club originated from the Tory -chocolate-house of the same name which flourished -in the days of Queen Anne. This was converted -into a club, probably before 1746, when the house -was the headquarters of the Jacobite party in Parliament. -It is thus referred to in the above year by -Horace Walpole, in a letter to George Montagu: -“The Duke has given Brigadier Mordaunt the -Pretender’s coach, on condition he rode up to London -in it. ‘That I will, sir,’ said he, ‘and drive till it -stops of its own accord at the Cocoa-tree.’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>About 1780 very high play prevailed there. -Writing to Mann in February of that year, Horace -Walpole says: “Within this week there has been -a cast at hazard at the Cocoa-tree (in St. James’s -Street), the difference of which amounted to one -hundred and fourscore thousand pounds. Mr. -O’Birne, an Irish gamester, had won one hundred -thousand pounds of a young Mr. Harvey of Chigwell, -just started into an estate by his elder brother’s -death. O’Birne said: ‘You can never pay me.’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>‘I can,’ said the youth; ‘my estate will sell for the -debt.’ ‘No,’ was the reply; ‘I will win ten thousand—you -shall throw for the odd ninety.’ They did, -and Harvey won.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though never as fashionable a resort as White’s -or Brooks’s, the Cocoa-tree was frequented by many -aristocratic sportsmen. Here it was that Sir Harry -Vane came after the victory of his famous horse -Hambletonian in the great match with Mr. Cookson’s -Diamond in 1799.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“At the Cocoa-tree,” wrote Horace Walpole in -1770, “Lord Stavordale, not one-and-twenty, lost -eleven thousand last Tuesday, but recovered it by -one great hand at hazard. He swore a great oath: -‘Now, if I had been playing deep, I might have -won millions.’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sir Robert Macraith had for several years been -head-waiter at the Cocoa-tree, where he was known -by the appellation of Bob, and at length rose from -that humble situation to the rank of Baronet. He -was a clever, good-natured, civil fellow, and greatly -liked. When he himself succeeded to the business, -he was rather puzzled as to what would be the most -appropriate name for his house. George Selwyn -calling in one morning, he stated the difficulty to -him, saying that he was afraid “Bob’s Coffee-house” -would sound rather queerly. “Oh no,” -said George, “just the thing; for then it will be Bob -without, and robbing [Robin] within.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Councillor Dunning and Dr. Brocklesby one -evening at the Cocoa-tree were conversing on the -superfluities of life, and the needless wants which -men in society created for their own discomfort. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>Selwyn, whose aristocratic notions were such as to -look with contempt on occupations of all sorts—on -that of a medical man as well as that of a tailor—exclaimed: -“Very true, gentlemen; I am myself -an example of the justice of your remarks, for I -have lived nearly all my life without wanting either -a lawyer or a physician.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>George Selwyn was an occasional visitor here, -and on one occasion happened to be present when -a general officer in the American War was describing -to the company the phenomena of certain -hot and cold springs, which he said he had frequently -found quite close to each other, during his campaign -in the south-western territory. Just as Selwyn -entered the room, he was saying that fish of various -sorts abounded in the latter, and that all that those -of the army who were fond of fish had to do, after -the fatigue of a day’s march, in order to provide a -dinner, was to angle for a few moments with a -string and hook in the cold spring, and, as soon as -the bait took, to pull out the fish and pop it in the hot -one, where it was boiled in the twinkling of an eye!</p> - -<p class='c006'>This marvellous account operated differently on -the several gentlemen present; some were incredulous, -others amazed, whilst all agreed that it -was exceedingly curious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“There is nothing at all surprising in the General’s -narrative, gentlemen,” said Selwyn, “and, indeed, -I myself can vouch for the truth of it; for when I -was in France I was witness to similar phenomena. -In Auvergne there are springs similar to those in -America, but with this remarkable addition, that -there is generally a third, containing hot parsley -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>and butter. Accordingly, the peasants and others -who go a-fishing usually carry with them large -wooden bowls or ladles, so that, after the fish has -been cooked according to the General’s receipt, -they have a most delicious sauce provided for it -at the same moment! You seem to doubt my -veracity, gentlemen; therefore I only beg that -those who are incredulous may set out for France -as soon as they please, and see the thing with their -own eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“But, Mr. Selwyn,” said the General, “consider -the improbability of parsley and butter.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I beg your pardon, my good sir,” interrupted -George; “I gave you full credit for your story, -and you are surely too polite not to believe mine.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A constant frequenter of the Cocoa-tree was -the eleventh Duke of Norfolk, who, it may be -added, was the first member of the House of -Lords to abandon pigtail and hair-powder. Discarding -the traditions of his family, he became a -nominal Protestant, in order to avoid the political -disabilities under which the Roman Catholics of -his day suffered. He sat in Parliament, first as -Earl of Surrey in the Commons, and afterwards in -the Upper House as Duke. A coarse-looking man -who looked rather like a butcher, his life was -mainly passed in clubs and coffee-houses; he is, -indeed, said to have never been so happy as when -dining at the Beefsteak or the Thatched House, -or breakfasting or supping at the Cocoa-tree. -When under the influence of wine he would say -that, “in spite of his having swallowed the Protestant -oath, there were, at all events, three good -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>Catholics in Parliament—Lord Nugent, Gascoyne, -and himself,” so little store did he set on religion. -A very heavy drinker, he could swallow unlimited -quantities of wine.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke, in spite of his convivial habits, was -very proud of being the head of all the Howards. -On one occasion at the Cocoa-tree he declared -that it had been his intention to commemorate in -1783 the “tercentenary” anniversary of the creation -of his dukedom by giving a dinner at his house in -St. James’s Square to every person whom he could -ascertain to be descended in the male line from the -loins of the first Duke. “But having discovered -already,” he added, “nearly six thousand persons -who claimed to be of the family, a great number -of whom are in very obscure or indigent circumstances, -and believing, as I do, that as many more -may be in existence, I have abandoned the design.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke was a constant speaker at public -meetings at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, and -was deprived of his command of a militia regiment -for proposing as a toast, “The People, the Source -of Power.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Thatched House Club probably derives its -rural name from an inn which had existed in the -days when St. James’s was a veritable hospital, and -not a palace. When the Court settled at St. -James’s, it was frequented by persons of fashion, -and grew gradually in importance. In 1711 it -appears still to have been a very modest hostelry, -and even when the Thatched House had grown -into a recognized rendezvous of wits, politicians, -and men of fashion, Lord Thurlow alluded to it, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>during one of the debates on the Regency Bill, as -the “ale-house.” In the days of Pitt and Fox, -however, it had become one of the chief taverns at -the West End, and had added to its premises a -large room for public dinners.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Thatched House was a favourite resort of -Sheridan’s. One sharp frosty day, when he was -sitting here writing a letter, the Prince of Wales -came in and ordered a rump-steak. The day -happened to be an excessively cold one, and the -Prince ordered a bumper of brandy and water -straight away. Having emptied the glass in a -twinkling, he called for a second and a third, -which also having swallowed, he said, puffing out -his cheeks and shrugging his shoulders: “Now I -am warm and comfortable; bring me my steak.” -The order was instantly obeyed, but before His -Royal Highness had eaten the first mouthful -Sheridan presented him with the following lines, -which greatly increased his good-humour:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The Prince came in, and said ’twas cold,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Then put to his head the rummer;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Till swallow after swallow came,</div> - <div class='line in2'>When he pronounced it summer.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The original Thatched House Tavern was -demolished in 1814. The ground-floor front consisted -of a range of low-built shops, including that -of Rowland, the fashionable hairdresser of Macassar -fame. The newer Thatched House Tavern stood -on the site of the present Conservative Club, to -build which it was pulled down in 1843, when it -was moved to another house a few doors nearer to -the gate of the palace.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>The Thatched House Club will probably be -long remembered by lovers of Art as having been -the abode of the great collector, the late Mr. -George Salting, whose rooms above the club were -filled with priceless pictures and <i>objets d’art</i>. The -Thatched House was, I believe, the only club to -which he belonged.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER V<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>CHANGES IN CLUB-LIFE AND WAYS</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>Amongst the changes which, during the last thirty -years, have transformed the West End of London, -one of the most salient has been the great increase -in the number of clubs. Palatial buildings, each -capable of accommodating hundreds of members, -now occupy a very great portion of Pall Mall and -Piccadilly. Although in other days the latter -was by no means a very clubbable thoroughfare, -it now, at one end at least, consists largely of clubs, -most of them, however, differing widely from those -of an older age.</p> -<p class='c006'>The original conception of a London club was -a retreat to which West End men might betake -themselves, certain that the troubles and worries -of the outside world would not follow into a building -which they regarded as a temple of dignified -seclusion and repose. Perhaps the best description -of a club as it existed in former days was that -given by a witty Bishop, who defined it as a place -“where women ceased from troubling and the -weary were at rest.” Another amusing definition -was that once given by George Augustus Sala. -“A club,” said he, “is a weapon used by savages -to keep the white woman at a distance.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>A club should certainly form a safe retreat from -the cares of the world, but it need not necessarily -be a shrine of crystallized selfishness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The aim of club-life should be a sort of defensive -alliance tacitly concluded between a number of -individuals, all moving in the same sphere of life, -against the troubles and perturbations by which -humanity is assailed. The fundamental charter -of the perfect club ought to be an unassuming, -unobtrusive, and unenvious equality.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Within the last twenty-five years or so the -spirit of London club-life has entirely changed; -the old-fashioned club-man, whose whole life was -bound up with one or other of these institutions, -is now, indeed, practically extinct. In the days -when the type in question was a feature of the -West End, the great majority of men living in -that quarter of London had no occupation, or, if -they had one, it was of such an easy and accommodating -kind as to allow them plenty of spare -time for lounging. According to a modern estimate, -however, few of the old club-men were rich. The -majority usually possessed from four to eight -hundred a year, which in the past was considered -a comfortable enough income for a bachelor. -Living in rooms—a sitting-room and bedroom of -a very unluxurious kind, compared with the bachelor -flats of to-day—the life of a confirmed frequenter -of clubland was uneventful but easy. As a rule, -he got up late and lounged about till lunch-time, -when he would betake himself to his favourite -resort, and remain there till dinner, perhaps indulging -in a leisurely stroll in the afternoon. About -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>seven he would return to his rooms, dress, and -then go back to his club to dine, after which, -except when he went to a party or theatre, he -would sit with congenial spirits, often till the small-hours -of the morning, a good deal of brandy and -soda being incidentally consumed. It must be -remembered that there were fewer amusements in -those days—no motors, no golf, no restaurants, few -theatres, and no palatial music-halls; also, the City -had not yet begun to exercise its fascinating and -too often costly spell over the inhabitants of the -West End of the town.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Strange-looking customers were some of the club-men -of that bygone day—old fogies with buff waistcoats, -blue coats, and brass buttons; heavy swells -with peg-top trousers and long, drooping whiskers; -horsy-looking characters with spurs and bespattered -riding-boots. No wonder that in a description of a -certain club decorated with trophies of the chase -there appeared the statement that “many old beasts -of members might be seen in the hall.” This, of -course, arose through the carelessness of a printer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>To realize what most of the old-fashioned West -End club-men were like, one has only to turn to -the pages of Captain Gronow’s “Reminiscences.” -Writing in 1866, Captain Gronow says:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“How insufferably odious, with a few brilliant -exceptions, were the dandies of forty years ago! -They were generally middle-aged, some even elderly -men, had large appetites, gambled freely, and had no -luck; and why they arrogated to themselves the -right of setting up their fancied superiority on a -self-raised pedestal, and despising their betters, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>Heaven only knows. They hated everybody and -abused everybody, and would sit together in White’s -bow-window or the pit-boxes at the Opera. They -swore a good deal, never laughed, had their own -particular slang, looked hazy after dinner, and had -most of them been patronized at one time or other -by Brummell or the Prince Regent.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old-fashioned club-man had comparatively -few interests, and even those were of a comparatively -narrow kind. His life, indeed, was centred -in his club, which often seemed to him the very -centre and pivot of the universe.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As compared with those of to-day, the clubs of -the past were very primitive in their arrangements, -though not a few had that peculiar atmosphere of -old-world comfort which is generally lacking in -our more hurried and strenuous existence. The -clubs of the past were almost without exception -sombre and occasionally dingy resorts, entirely -devoid of bright-coloured decorations, whilst very -few prints or pictures adorned their walls.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When modern improvements were first suggested -in clubs, most of the old-fashioned members fought -strenuously against them. The introduction of the -electric light, for instance, was bitterly opposed; -whilst the telephone seemed to not a few of the -older generation an attempt to introduce mercantile -outposts into the very heart of clubland. The old -club-men at first hated, and afterwards feared, the -encroachments of business methods into their kingdom. -In the heyday of their sway, indeed, few -connected with commerce or the City had much -chance of being elected to a West End club, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>it was only in the seventies of the last century that -a few determined scouts contrived to force an entry -into the portals through which the vast army of -stockbrokers and the like have since surged. At -heart the old club-men probably believed that it -was undignified for a gentleman to enter any but -certain recognized professions, such as the army, -navy, or diplomatic service; and the West End was -still permeated by the ideas of another age which -had only just passed away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Gradually, as a new and entirely different generation -came to the front, the aristocratic traditions -which had dominated West End life were discarded, -and another kind of club-man began to make his -influence felt.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Members of energetic temperament found the -atmosphere of idle lassitude which hung about some -West End clubs so stifling that a number of them, -filled with a desire for exercise, formed what they -called a “walking society.” One of their favourite -excursions was to St. Albans, which they called -their halfway house, and to this town they walked -backwards and forwards to dinner every Thursday.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Now that the old-fashioned club-man has disappeared, -a glance at his ways may not be out of -place. Generally a bachelor of the most confirmed -kind, his whole life centred in his club, to which he -made it a habit to go every day at the same hour, -and when possible occupy the same chair, which in -course of time was accorded to him as a sort of -right.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Often an old-fashioned beau, he was as a rule -rather a hard, selfish man, provided by his club -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>with all that he required. Not a few men of this -type declined to dine out, because they said they -got a better dinner at the club for some ten or -twelve shillings than at the best houses in town. -“Why,” inquired one of them, “should I bore myself -with dull society when I can have the comfortable -ease of the smoking-room? If I want to be -amused, I go to the theatre; if I want to read, I go -to the library. What have I to do with society,” -he would ask, with a sneer—“I who have no money, -and not even a pretty wife?” Such an individual -was perfectly content with existence. Quiet, comfort, -good living, freedom from responsibility and -anxiety, were the great objects of his life, “and, -begad, you don’t get that by marriage,” he would -remark.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The confirmed club-man of to-day is, perhaps, a -shade less cynical, but a variation of the old type -still exists, and in most West End clubs, especially -those of an old-fashioned sort, there is to be found -some member who is generally recognized as an -institution of the place.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Such a man is not infrequently the terror of the -club servants, upon whom he is ever ready to pounce -when there arises the least cause for complaint. He -backs his bill remorselessly if the dish which is down -for eight o’clock appears a quarter of an hour late, or -if the wine-butler makes a mistake about the vintage -that is ordered, or the waiter at his table is not perfect -in his duties. He knows to a day when everything -is in season, and woe betide the steward if at the -earliest moment there is no caviare, sufficient supply -of plovers’ eggs, asparagus, green peas, or new -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>potatoes. He can tell the exact price of most -things, and instantly checks any attempt on the -part of the club to overcharge. He is the great -authority on club discipline and club etiquette. -Matters outside the club, however, he views with -more or less indifference. Talk to him of some -awful disaster, of some terrible commercial failure, -provided he be not affected by it, of some great -national loss, of the death of some great man, and -his interest will hardly be excited; but tell him that -an excellent club cook has given notice, or that there -has been a “row” between certain members on a -difference of opinion in the committee, and you will -at once find him an interested and attentive listener.</p> - -<p class='c006'>His daily life is regulated by habits which have -gradually crystallized into an almost undeviating -monotony.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He likes to read the same newspaper in the same -chair in the same place, to write his letters at the -same table, to lunch at the same time, and to have -his dinner served by the same waiter at the same -hour in the same corner of the coffee-room. In such -matters he is the strictest and most staunch of -Conservatives. Never was there a man whom it is -more easy to find, for one knows the hour to a -moment when he takes his daily stroll, when he -smokes his first cigar, when he lunches, dines, writes -his letters, reads, and goes through the programme -of his thoroughly selfish but not uncomfortable life. -He cares little for society, and, with the exception -of running down for an occasional visit to some -country-house (where he is certain of the cook), or -going to the Riviera for a fortnight, seldom leaves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>town. The club is his home, and at heart he dislikes -leaving its walls. Unlike the old-fashioned -club-man, however, he is not unaffable to new -members or strangers, and is fully alive to the increased -comfort to be obtained from any modern -improvement.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The confirmed frequenter of clubs knows everything -that is going on, and imparts such information -as he feels inclined to give with none of the -mystery and importance of semi-ignorance, but -simply and naturally. He knows what young women -are going to the altar, and what young men are -going to the dogs; what people have been prevented -from going to Court, and what spendthrifts are about -to be forced to go through another. He is well -acquainted with the latest good stories about town, -and explains mysterious floating gossip as to -meditated divorces or hushed-up scandals. As a -matter of fact, his conversation is generally amusing, -and occasionally instructive.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The life of such a man, as has been said, is centred -in his club, and he sees members come and go, hears -of their prosperity or ruin, marriages or deaths, with -imperturbable equanimity; indeed, it would require -an invasion or an earthquake to make him effect any -change in his habits.</p> - -<p class='c006'>So he lunches and dines, dines and lunches, till -the sands of the hourglass have run out, and the -moment comes for him to enter that great club -of which all humanity must perforce become -members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A few questions will be asked in the club as to -his end, his fortune or lack of fortune; his witticisms -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>will linger for a while, and his good or bad points -be discussed; but in a year or so he will become -as completely forgotten as if he had never been.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As London clubs began to multiply, their gradual -increase drew away most of the sporting men from -the old hostelries which at one time it had been the -fashion to frequent. Theodore Hook alluded to -this in some humorous lines:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“If any man loves comfort, and has little cash to buy it, he</div> - <div class='line in3'>Should get into a crowded club—a most select society;</div> - <div class='line in1'>While solitude and mutton cutlets serve <i>infelix uxor</i>, he</div> - <div class='line in3'>May have his club (like Hercules), and revel there in luxury.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Yes, clubs knock houses on the head; e’en Hatchett’s can’t demolish them;</div> - <div class='line in3'>Joy grieves to see their magnitude, and Long longs to abolish them.</div> - <div class='line in1'>The inns are out; hotels for single men scarce can keep alive on it;</div> - <div class='line in3'>While none but houses that are in the family way thrive on it.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>Since those days clubs have multiplied enormously; -indeed, almost every profession, every -pastime, and every point of view has its club. -Whilst most of these institutions are frankly mundane -in their aims, a few are very solemn in tone. -At one club, for instance, morning and evening -prayers are read every day. The club in question -was founded for men of very Evangelical views, -some of whom, it was wickedly said, were so devout -as to demand that a club rule should be passed -prohibiting members from entering the coffee-room -unless in a “state of grace.” Of late years, however, -a less severe tone has prevailed amongst its -members, many of whom are distinguished men.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>Sixty years ago the fact of club membership -implied some social position or distinction on the -part of the individual. White’s, Brooks’s, Boodle’s, -Arthur’s, and a few other establishments, constituted -really exclusive clubland, and to be elected to them -was a matter of no little difficulty. A man of obscure -birth, or one unknown to the committee, would -have been sure of being blackballed. Clubs were -then filled by those who belonged either to the same -political party or the same fashionable coterie, the -members of which were all more or less known -to each other. The Tory patrician belonged to -White’s; the Whig politician of old family was a -member of Brooks’s; the country gentleman put his -name down at Boodle’s or Arthur’s; the distinguished -lawyer, divine, or man of letters, became a member -of the Athenæum; and the soldier, who was a field -officer, of the United Service. The membership of -such clubs constituted an exclusive circle.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A club was a place in which men wrote letters -and met their friends. Beyond being a comfortable -lounge, it was of little service to its members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many tacitly recognized conventions prevailed in -connection with club-life. For instance, it was not -then at all the thing to raise one’s hat to a lady -whom one knew, should she pass the club window. -A great many members lunched in the coffee-room -with their hats on, whilst in certain clubs evening -dress at dinner was obligatory. Some clubs, including -Boodle’s, even to-day set aside a small -apartment, separate from the regular dining-room, -for members who prefer to dine in day clothes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Formerly, it should be added, hats were far more -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>generally worn in clubs than is now the case. In -some it was the traditional custom to wear them at -all times and in all parts of the house. At the old -“Rag,” the practice was said to have survived from -the time when the club-house was so cheerless and -the funds so limited that the management economized -coals, for which reason the members were at -great pains to keep themselves warm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In his own club a man used to be considered as -having entirely cut himself off from communication -with the outside world, and acknowledging people -from the windows by a bow or nod was then quite -contrary to club usage, which prescribed an Olympian -stare.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At certain of the older clubs a few customs, -dating back to the eighteenth century, were up to -quite recently still in vogue.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At Arthur’s, Boodle’s, White’s,<a id='r5' /><a href='#f5' class='c013'><sup>[5]</sup></a> and, I think, -Brooks’s, for instance, change was given in washed -silver. The money was first plunged in hot water -and cleaned, after which it was placed in a wash-leather -bag; this was whirled round in the air at -the end of a short cord till all the coins contained -in it were dry.</p> - -<div class='footnote c018' id='f5'> -<p class='c015'><span class='label'><a href='#r5'>5</a>. </span>The water from the old well in the courtyard here was -supposed to be particularly excellent and healthy, and many -members made a daily practice of drinking a glass of it.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The custom of giving washed silver lasted latest -at Arthur’s, where it was only abandoned a few -years ago. It seems a pity that such a cleanly and -hygienic custom should have fallen into disuse.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another old custom was the house dinner, where -members dined together. At White’s and Boodle’s -this function used to be a great feature—highly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>appreciated by some of the older, more stingy, or -impecunious members. Immemorial custom prescribed -that the first four members who put their -names down as diners should have dinner “free of -cost,” and a certain gang of old gentlemen used to -make a regular practice of being in these club-houses -in good time to inscribe their names.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Wine, of course, had to be paid for, but the -most economical contented themselves with table-beer. -There was great consternation amongst the -“fraternity of free feeders” when, during the early -seventies of the last century, these house dinners -were abolished.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some few clubs still retain the snuff-box which -once figured on the mantelpiece of every club. In -most, however, it has disappeared. Snuff-taking -has become obsolete since the triumph of the -cigarette—perhaps a more pernicious habit.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The question of smoking has frequently caused -great agitation in London clubs. In 1866, for instance, -White’s, where cigars had not been allowed -at all till 1845, was much perturbed concerning -tobacco, some of the younger members wishing to -be allowed to smoke in the drawing-room, whilst -the older ones bitterly opposed such a proposal. A -general meeting was held to decide the question, -when a number of old gentlemen who had not been -seen in the club for years made their appearance, -stoutly determined to resist the proposed desecration. -“Where do all these old fossils come from?” -inquired a member. “From Kensal Green,” was -Mr. Alfred Montgomery’s reply. “Their hearses, -I understand, are waiting to take them back there.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>The non-smoking party triumphed, and as an indirect -result was founded the Marlborough Club, -where, for the first time in the history of West End -Clubland, smoking, except in the dining-room, was -everywhere allowed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a matter of fact, the restrictions as to smoking -which still prevail in a number of old-fashioned clubs -are for the most part out of date and absurd. At the -present time people smoke in ladies’ boudoirs, and -almost invariably in dining-rooms after dinner. The -great restaurants, a large portion of whose clientèle -consists of refined ladies, permit smoking everywhere.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Nevertheless, in a number of club morning-rooms, -libraries, and sitting-rooms, the resort for the most -part of a number of middle-aged men, often of a -somewhat derelict-looking type, tobacco is entirely -banned.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The whole thing is merely a perpetuation of an out-of-date -prejudice. The regulations against smoking -which prevail in different clubs clearly demonstrate -the small foundation of reason which underlies such -restrictions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Carlton allows smoking in its library; the -Junior Carlton does not. The Conservative Club, -on the other hand, has an excellent rule which -permits members to smoke in the morning-room -after a certain hour in the morning.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Regulations against smoking in libraries are particularly -senseless, as tobacco smoke can have -nothing but a beneficial effect upon books, which -it has a tendency to preserve.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In old days clubs did not welcome strangers; -indeed, it was said that if anyone not a member -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>should fall down in a fit at the door of one or two -of the more exclusive clubs, he would be denied -even a glass of water. A few clubs allowed visitors, -but took care to extend only a cold welcome to -them. As a matter of fact, they were usually -treated like the members’ dogs—they might be -left in the hall under proper restraint, but access to -any other part of the house, except, perhaps, some -cheerless apartment kept as a strangers’ dining-room, -was forbidden. Of late years, however, all -this has been changed except in a very few clubs, -such as the Guards’, which positively forbids any -strangers to enter its doors. Only very recently has -Arthur’s admitted strangers to dine. The Carlton -allows guests only to pass its threshold, but not to -go beyond the great hall, and the Athenæum allots -them a small room near the entrance, where members -may interview their friends. The latter club also -allows a member to give a formal dinner-party in -the morning-room, converted for the time being -into a house dining-room, and here as many as ten -guests may be hospitably welcomed. The Travellers’ -permits strangers to dine, except during the Parliamentary -season, whilst the Oxford and Cambridge -Club allows six members to entertain two guests -apiece. The Garrick is far more liberal, for here a -member may introduce three friends to the strangers’ -coffee-room for dinner, or two for luncheon or -supper. Members of this club may also give -luncheon-parties to ladies on one day of the week.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As regards the admission of ladies to clubs, it is -very doubtful if, according to the strict letter of the -law, ladies can be excluded from any institution of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>this sort which admits strangers, for there is no -mention of sex in any book of club rules. Indeed, -a member of a certain military club is said once -to have brought his wife to dine, and defied the -authorities by asking for the book of the rules, in -which he triumphantly pointed out that there was -no stipulation as to sex.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Not a few clubs in old days were anything but -sociable places for young men, who, when elected, -were often shy at frequenting them, on account of -the stern looks which certain of the older members, -who had their particular corners and chairs, were -wont to cast at them. Gloomy abodes of misanthropic -selfishness some of these clubs seem to -have been, where sociability and conversation were -at a considerable discount.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dr. Johnson was probably the most staunch -defender of clubs who ever lived; his reply to -someone who was rather inclined to decry such -institutions is historic. A gentleman venturing -one day to say to the learned Doctor that he sometimes -wondered at his condescending to attend a -club, the latter replied: “Sir, the great chair of -a full and pleasant town club is, perhaps, the throne -of human felicity.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>His, of course, was the day of literary clubs, more -suited to the spirit of the eighteenth century than -to that of to-day. In modern times most of the -literary clubs founded for conversation have been -complete failures. So much talking, and nothing -said! Everyone failing, because everyone is attempting; -in a word, nothing of the club feeling, -which demands the postponement of our petty selfloves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>to the general gratification, and strikes only -in unison with the feelings and sentiments of -all!</p> - -<p class='c006'>A good deal of wine was generally consumed -during the symposiums which the great talkers -of the past loved. At one meeting-place where -a literary club was wont to meet, the landlord was -said to keep a special kind of port expressly for -such parties, which those who frequented the house -christened “the philosopher’s port.” A cynic declared -that in one respect it certainly merited its -name, for a good deal of philosophy was necessary -to swallow it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Thackeray, unlike Dr. Johnson, was rather inclined -to disparage clubs. Speaking of the town life of a -past age, he said: “All that fuddling and boozing -shortened the lives and enlarged the waistcoats -of the men of that age. They spent many hours -of the four-and-twenty, nearly a fourth part of each -day, in clubs and coffee-houses, where they dined, -drank, and smoked. Wit and news went by word -of mouth; a journal of 1710 contained the very -smallest portion of either the one or the other. -The chiefs spoke; the faithful habitués sat around; -strangers came to wonder and to listen.... The -male society passed over their punch-bowls and -tobacco-pipes almost as much time as ladies of that -age spent over spadille and manille.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Tom Hood expressed an equally unfavourable -view in 1838:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“One selfish course the Wretches keep;</div> - <div class='line in2'>They come at morning chimes;</div> - <div class='line'>To snatch a few short hours of sleep—</div> - <div class='line in2'>Rise—breakfast—read the <i>Times</i>—</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>Then take their hats, and post away,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Like Clerks or City scrubs,</div> - <div class='line'>And no one sees them all the day—</div> - <div class='line in2'>They live, eat, drink, at Clubs!”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>Many women regarded such places as dens of -iniquity. “I believe that mine will be the fate of -Abel,” said a devoted wife to her husband one day. -“How so?” inquired the husband. “Because Abel -was killed by a club, and your club will kill me if -you continue to go to it every night.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dr. Johnson defined a club as “an assembly of -uncertain fellows meeting amidst comfortable surroundings,” -and in the earliest days, when the club -was developing out of the coffee-house as a social -institution, its chief attraction lay in the wit of its -members and the similarity of their tastes and -opinions. Members then were contented with a -comparatively simple standard of comfort, and esteemed -congenial companionship the best furniture -a club could possess; but with the lapse of years a -different spirit began to prevail. In the luxurious -palaces of to-day most of the members are very often -unknown to one another; such places are, in reality, -rather luxurious restaurants and hotels than clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many clubs now have bedrooms for the use of -members; in a few instances these are let by the -year. Such a convenience is highly appreciated, -for to a bachelor the advantages of living in a -club are very great. Here he may have all the -comforts of a private house without its worries, in -addition to which every species of modern convenience -is at his command.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Latterly a good deal of attention has been devoted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>to the decoration of club-houses generally, most of -which now contain prints and pictures.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The present being a more or less luxurious age, -modern club-men require more pleasing surroundings -than their forbears, who asked little beyond -comfortable chairs and blazing fires.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Until comparatively recent years, the interior -of the great majority of West End clubs was -somewhat bare, such attempts at decoration as -existed being for the most part confined to feeble -designs in stencil, whilst pictures and prints were -either few in number or did not exist at all. The -furniture was generally of mid-Victorian date—comfortable, -though rather heavy in design.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At a certain number of clubs, wax candles were -placed upon the dining-tables, and these were very -necessary in the days when oil-lamps and gas were -the best illuminants procurable. The light of the -lamps was not unpleasant, but in some of the rooms -lit by gas the heat was often perfectly intolerable.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As an instance of the persistence of club tradition, -it may be added that even at the present time, -when electricity floods most of the coffee-rooms -with light, some clubs still retain the candles which -were so useful in the past.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The growth of the club system undoubtedly -effected a great revolution in the domestic life of -men generally, and especially in that of the younger -ones. Married men, accustomed to the refinement -and luxury of a club, gradually imported many -amenities into their homes, and endeavoured, so far -as their means permitted, to reproduce some of the -perfections of management as it is found in clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>It was, however, in the life of the bachelor that -the introduction of this state of affairs caused the -greatest change. The solitary lodgings and the -tavern dinners were relegated to the limbo of the -past. All he now needed was a bedroom, for the -club provided him with the rest of his wants. It -began to matter little in what dingy street or -squalid quarter a man lodged, for the club was his -address, and society inquired no further. He did -not need to purchase an envelope or a sheet of notepaper -throughout the year, for the club provided -him with all the stationery he could possibly require. -There was no longer any occasion for him to buy a -book, a magazine, or newspaper, for in his club he -would find a library such as few private houses -could furnish, and in the morning-room every newspaper -and weekly review that had a respectable -circulation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Here was to be found economy without privation -for the man of modest means and small wants, -whilst in some clubs even a confirmed sybarite could -satisfy his tastes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The excessively moderate scale of expenditure for -which a man can live comfortably at many a club -is highly attractive to the parsimonious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A certain member, as well known for his economical -way as for his vast wealth, made a study -of living at the smallest possible cost in the several -clubs to which he belonged. It was, for instance, -his habit to take full advantage of the privileges to -be obtained in return for table-money, and when he -dined the table would be covered with pickle-bottles -and other things included in such a charge. One -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>evening a fellow-member, noticing this, inquired of -the steward the reason why such an array had been -collected. “It’s for a member, sir,” was the reply, -“who likes profusion.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The lover of profusion was especially noticeable -on account of his unpolished boots, which stupid -servants, as he said, were always wanting to wear -out by blacking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A member of several clubs, he once discovered, -amongst the rules of a certain old-established one, -an ancient and unrepealed rule which laid down -that slices of cold ham were to be provided free for -any members at their lunch. In high glee, he -determined to profit by this, and before long the -attention of the committee was called to the quick -disappearance of ham after ham, which for a time -had furnished a series of Gargantuan meals. The -rule, of course, was at once abolished, and the parsimonious -member betook himself elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Very different in his habits was a witty old -gourmet who was always urging the steward to -procure luxuries in and out of season. He was -especially fond of pâté de foie gras, and made that -official promise to get a fine one from Strasbourg. -This, however, was a long time in making its appearance; -and after waiting a week or so, the lover of -good things became impatient at the delay. Taking -the man to task, he reminded him that delays are -dangerous, to which the steward replied that he -heard pâtés were not good that year. “Nonsense,” -was the rejoinder, “we will soon put that right. -Depend upon it, it is only a false report that has -been circulated by some geese.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>The same member once had reason for much -comical complaint in connection with a pâté which, -in this case, had been sent him as a present by a -noted connoisseur. Several members of the committee -were invited to partake of the delicacy, and -they were all agreed as to its peculiar excellence; -as one of them facetiously said, it made one realize -that the problem, “Is life worth living?” was, after -all, merely “a question de foi(e).” A few days later, -however, what was the surprise of the giver of the -feast to receive a reprimand from the committee, -calling his attention to the rule which forbade members -to bring food into the club!</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Ah,” said he, “if I had only told them I was -expecting more pâtés, they would have left me -alone; mine was too small, and probably they were -annoyed at not having had a second go at it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though good-natured and hospitable, this lover -of good living was very touchy upon certain gastronomic -matters. He did not speak to a friend of -his for years owing to the latter’s contention that -carrots should always be put in a <i>navarin</i>—a statement -which, the old gourmet declared, placed anyone -making it outside the ranks of civilized man.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VI<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>ELECTIONS—COMMITTEES—REGULATIONS—RULES</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>The transformation of the West End of London -has entailed the destruction of numbers of the old -box-like Georgian houses, and when the demand -for new clubs arose, the quaint little shops in -Pall Mall and St. James’s Street—almost the last -survival of which is Lock’s hat-shop—were gradually -demolished, in order to make way for huge edifices -of palatial appearance. New political clubs, new -professional clubs, new social clubs, sprang into -existence, till what was a luxury for the few became -a comparative necessity for the many.</p> -<p class='c006'>In these days rich men often belong to a great -number of clubs, and the present writer was told -by a well-known cosmopolitan that his subscriptions -of this kind amounted at one time to no less than -£200 a year. This, however, included various racing -and yachting clubs, as well as two or three on the -Continent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There are now clubs accessory to almost every -kind of pursuit and sport, and the number increases -every year. At the present time London alone -possesses more than two hundred, whereas sixty -or seventy years ago only about thirty existed. -About one hundred have been founded during the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>past thirty years, dividing between them no fewer -than some 120,000 members. At the beginning -of the nineteenth century there were probably not -more than 1,200 men who belonged to clubs; at -the present day there are probably considerably -more than 200,000!</p> - -<p class='c006'>The revolution as regards clubs in London only -commenced about a quarter of a century ago, and -has raged with unabated energy ever since till -to-day. People in every rank of life have their -club, and the social distinction which was formerly -attached to membership of a number of these institutions -has in consequence sustained a considerable -decline, even fashionable West End clubs -having lost much of their old prestige.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In consequence of this there would seem to be a -somewhat gloomy future in store for some of these -formerly exclusive institutions, not a few of which, -like old families of ancient lineage, do their best to -conceal the straitened condition of their finances, -generally produced by paucity of members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Clubs into which admission could only be gained, -twenty or thirty years ago, by those whose names -had been on the candidates’ book for nine, ten, or -even twelve years, are now obliged to elect members -put down only a year or two before. In some -cases, indeed, it is to be feared that amalgamation -with another club is the only policy which will -prevent complete extinction and restore healthy -vitality. In certain instances, it must be confessed, -an apathetic committee, not alive to the changed and -changing conditions of club-life, is responsible for the -decadence of the institution over which it presides.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>An absolute essential to the prosperity of a club -is a good committee; the best of all is that which -consists of three elements. In the first place, it -should contain two or three well-known men to -act as figureheads, their names being a guarantee -for the social standing of the club. In the second, -one or two members ought to be thoroughly conversant -with business matters, and well fitted to -deal with the details of club finance. And, lastly, -a certain proportion of its members ought to be -men well in touch with the life of the club, and -therefore thoroughly acquainted with its needs. -They should have a wide knowledge of men and -social matters, in order to exercise due discrimination -in dealing with candidates for election; and -this is especially important in a club where the -ordinary members do not take part in the ballot. -In these days there are many with axes to grind, -and strange things have been done in some West -End clubs of late years in order to secure the election -of candidates. At times, indeed, certain individuals -have become noted for their lack of -discretion in proposing individuals whom, for -some reason or other, they desired to conciliate. -As a matter of fact, the hold which the City has -obtained over West End life is largely responsible -for the election of many a member to clubs where, -thirty or forty years ago, his admission would have -been quite out of the question.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In old days everyone in the West End, more or -less, knew everyone else; for society was then a -very limited circle compared with what it is to-day, -when people come and go with such startling rapidity -<span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>that it grows increasingly difficult to discover who -and what a candidate may be.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Considerable ingenuity has occasionally been exercised -in the direction of concealing the antecedents -of an undesirable but wealthy candidate.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The election of rich men to a club merely because -they are rich has, on occasion, been defended by the -vague plea that it is not a bad thing for a club; as -a matter of fact, it is a very bad thing indeed. -Whilst a candidate of this sort is usually exceedingly -anxious to be elected, it is not unusual, -when his aim is achieved, for him to trouble -himself no more, his desire having merely been to -figure in the list of members. A man of this sort, -who had taken infinite trouble to secure election to -a certain club, and been successful in his efforts, had -no sooner been notified of his membership than he -calmly remarked: “Ah, well, I don’t suppose I shall -use the place, except to wash my hands on my way -to the Park!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>It is, indeed, men of moderate means rather than -the very rich who use a club most, and who are -therefore its principal support. Millionaires and -financiers seldom spend much in their clubs, for, -possessed of highly trained chefs and luxurious -houses, they have naturally little temptation to -spend their spare time elsewhere. The pleasures -of social intercourse which can be enjoyed at the -club are equally easy to obtain at home.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In old days it was exceedingly difficult for men -engaged in business to obtain admission to a fashionable -West End club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The son of a famous financier was once up for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>election to a fashionable club, and all his friends in -the club attended to support him. In those days -the ballot took place at night, and as eleven o’clock -approached the club became abnormally full; -indeed, members came into the drawing-room, -where the election was held, who had not been -seen in the club for years. It was, however, soon -evident to the proposer and seconder that the -crowd of members present had not come to support -their candidate. Realizing the situation, they took -their stand by the ballot-box, and as each of the -strangers stepped up to record his vote, one said -to the other: “Here comes another assassin.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At White’s, blackballing was carried to such an -extreme about the year 1833 that the rules had to -be altered, and one blackball was no longer allowed -to exclude.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At that time the system of rejection had been -carried to a ludicrous pitch. “We must pill that -man,” a member would say; “it will do him good.” -“We really cannot have that fellow,” said another; -“I saw him wearing a black tie in the evening.” -Sometimes there were personal grudges or family -quarrels which kept out candidates for years.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the early part of the last century, Charles -Greville and Lord George Bentinck had some -difference about a turf transaction. Greville was -anxious for the election of Viscount Brackley, afterwards -Earl of Ellesmere; Lord George was equally -determined that Viscount Brackley, as Greville’s -nominee, should remain outside the club. He -never failed to attend the ballot and drop in his -black ball.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>Lord George was accustomed to take his dinner -very late. He usually dined at the club at eleven -o’clock, at which hour the ballots also took place. -On one occasion, when Lord Brackley was up for -election, Greville was delighted to find, as he -thought, that Lord George was for once absent. -“It’s all right this time,” said he, as the ballot-box -was brought to him; “Bentinck’s downstairs at -dinner, and I shall get Brackley in at last.” “Will -you?” said a voice near him. He had not noticed -Lord George sitting beside him on the sofa.</p> - -<p class='c006'>People who ought to know better sometimes -exhibit the most lax conduct in lending their -aid to the candidature of disagreeable individuals, -whom for some reason or other it may suit them -to please. On one occasion the members of a -certain somewhat exclusive club were much disgusted -at the conduct of a newly-elected member. -It was eventually discovered that the objectionable -individual had been proposed by a prominent -political personage, whose candidate could not very -well have been rejected. The matter created great -irritation, and it was eventually hinted to the -proposer that the new member was anything but -popular.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“He’s a disagreeable man, I know; but then, -you see, it doesn’t matter, for I so seldom use the -club,” was the grossly egotistical reply. No wonder -the political party of which this individual is considered -one of the shining lights has of late years -had a hard struggle to hold its own!</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the most original reasons for putting -down a candidate was that given by a somewhat -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>unpopular member of a certain club. An acquaintance, -looking through the candidates’ book, observed -that a name recently inscribed was that of an -individual whom his proposer had always denounced -as a regular club bore.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Why ever did you put him down?” asked the -astonished member. “I thought you particularly -disliked him.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Certainly I do,” was the reply; “and as, above -all things, I wish to prevent his getting in here, -I thought the best way of insuring his being pilled -would be to propose him myself, being well aware -that anyone whom I may support will have but a -very slight chance of escaping a good many black -balls.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Committee-men are not infrequently placed in -a very uncomfortable position when asked by friends -to give their support to doubtful candidates. A -man of the world, well known for his ingenuity, -used to get out of the difficulty by invariably -replying: “My dear fellow, you may rely on me to -do the proper thing.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>With the vast increase of London clubs, an -altogether different state of affairs has arisen as -regards the numbers of candidates waiting to come -up for election, and which in the majority of -instances is far less difficult than was formerly the -case; few even of the old-established clubs have -been able to maintain their ancient exclusiveness.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Athenæum, Turf, and Travellers’ are still, -however, not at all easy about electing members. -The latter, founded about 1819, in its early days -attracted a good deal of notice from the fact that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>a candidate for admission was required to have been -500 miles distant from London; and a considerable -sensation was once caused by the discovery that -several members, who had originally entered their -names, had not travelled the prescribed distance. -An investigation was made, and the newspapers of -the day published lists of places a visit to which -was a sufficient qualification for membership of the -Travellers’.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In former days, candidates sometimes had to wait -for many years before coming up for election. -Owing, however, to various causes—of which the -chief was, perhaps, the great increase in the number -of West End clubs—this period now rarely exceeds -two, or at most three, years. The Bath Club is, I -believe, an exception, because the facilities for swimming -and other exercises which this institution -affords to its members (drawn from both sexes) -has caused a very large number of names to be -inscribed upon its books. In consequence of this, -a candidate must now expect a delay of several -years before his name comes up for ballot.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At not a few old-established clubs a paucity -of candidates has been produced by past injudicious -and indiscriminating pilling. Men thinking -of joining the club became aware of the fate -which might befall them, and so in time the reputation -of more than one club for extreme exclusiveness -has led from dire necessity to the other extreme of -letting in almost anyone willing to join.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Club committees occasionally contain a member -who has an innate tendency to blackball everybody; -in such cases a “pill” is always found in the box, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>even when the candidate is perfectly eligible. An -individual of this sort was once considerably rebuffed. -During an election it was found that the -minimum quorum of committee-men was not -present, for they were one short. To rectify -matters, a notorious blackballer was hunted up at -his rooms, and told that an election was in progress. -He rushed back to the club, and at once voted, in -most cases putting in a black ball, according to his -wont; but as his was the only adverse vote, the -rules having been observed, all candidates were -elected. At the Athenæum as many as ninety-three -black balls were once allotted to an unpopular -candidate. But the greatest instance -of blackballing probably ever known took place -some years ago at a ladies’ club, where one -candidate received three more black balls than -the number of members present—a case of excessive -zeal indeed!</p> - -<p class='c006'>At one West End club, where the election of -members was conducted in a somewhat peculiar -manner, a curious incident once happened.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Here the election was by the members in general, -and not by a committee, and the ballot was held in -a room on the left of the entrance hall. At one -time it used to be a regular custom for the friends -of a candidate to hang about the door of this room -canvassing in his favour, whilst, if possible, detaining -anyone likely to insert a black ball, by all possible -means. During a certain election, a visitor, coming -to call upon a friend at his club, found himself, on -passing its portals, almost forcibly bustled into this -room, and eventually, thoroughly confused, made -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>to vote for an individual who would otherwise not -have gained admission to the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>While, as a rule, the resignation of a member or -several members on account of their candidates -being rejected, or for some other reason, does not -affect the prosperity of a club, there have been -instances of serious injury being inflicted upon a -club’s prestige by the defection of some very -influential member. Many years ago the prosperity -of White’s was seriously affected by the displeasure -shown by the late King at the continuance of some -old-fashioned and absurd regulations as to smoking; -and Boodle’s, now in such a flourishing condition, -was terribly damaged at one time when the late -Duke of Beaufort withdrew his name. The blackballing -of candidates submitted for election by -prominent members occasionally leads to much -acrimonious comment, and sometimes causes a -number of resignations.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Election or non-election to a club depends in -some cases upon many different causes, and a young -man about whom nothing is known at all often -stands a better chance than a distinguished individual -who during his life has made enemies. Occasionally -rejection is a compliment.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The resignation of members disappointed at the -failure of their candidate is unreasonable, for a club -is in reality a republic, where everyone is equal, and -no one has any right to level a pistol at the heads -of his fellow-members, or of his committee, whilst -saying: “Vote for my candidate, or I will leave the -club.” Such an act is but a revolutionary protest -against the equality of club-life. If an influential -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>or popular member supports some candidate, the -latter has the advantage of the influence of his -support, but there the preference should end. The -question really is not whether a particular candidate -deserves or does not deserve to be admitted, but -whether the club chooses to elect him, and anything -beyond this is a breach of those principles which -conduce to the prosperity of clubland.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The best method of filling up vacancies in the -membership of a club would really be selection -rather than election, and there is no valid reason -why such a method of recruiting the membership -of clubs should not generally prevail. Were such -a reasonable system in vogue, no one would be -submitted to the barbarous mortification of being -rejected. As things are now, anyone who has -obtained a reputation is bound to make enemies, -and the more widely he is known, the more enemies -he is certain to have. Indeed, a prominent individual -has often a very bad chance of being elected under -the system generally observed, an absurdity emphasized -by the fact that the late Mr. Gladstone was -once rejected for the club at Biarritz.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Anyone whose life has been passed amidst publicity -must have offended many. Some hate him -merely because they happen never to have met him, -and others because they have done so. Others hate -him because their friends do, and others, again, -disapprove of him merely on political grounds. It -is, indeed, impossible to enumerate the variety of -motives which cause people to hate each other with -reason, and even without reason. This being so, -one may well doubt the expediency of compelling -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>men to undergo the disgrace of being rejected for -a club, according to the system which at present -prevails. As matters stand now, a candidate’s -rejection implies that he is unfit to be a member; -but in reality, in a large number of cases, it simply -means that he is of sufficient importance to have -attracted the ill-will, envy, or dislike of a number -of people, many of whom know him only by repute.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another desirable reform, though one which is -unlikely ever to be carried out, would consist in -investing committees or members with the power -of ejection as well as election. There would be -little hardship in a rule conferring the right of -exclusion in cases of general unpopularity, and -this probably would seldom have to be exercised, -as the very fact of its existence would act as a -check.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Within recent years a good many club committees -have shown a tendency in the direction of the multiplication -of rules.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The old aristocratic clubs of the past troubled -themselves little with regulations and restrictions. -In fact, they were excessively lenient. With the -gradual incursion of the commercial class into West -End life, however, a very different state of affairs -has been brought about.</p> - -<p class='c006'>All over Europe, and especially in England, the -<i>bourgeoisie</i> adore regulating somebody or something, -and the tendency remains long after members of -this class have entered what are known as fashionable -circles, and managed to obtain a hold upon the -committees of exclusive clubs. In such a position, -not a few of them have added largely to the number -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>of rules, some of which in certain clubs are multiplied -to the point of absolute absurdity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Occasionally edicts of this kind possess a certain -unconscious humour, as is well exemplified in a -by-law, still amongst the rules of a certain club, -which sets forth that “Members smoking pipes may -not sit or stand in the windows.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whether legally such an edict can be enforced -would seem to be very doubtful. It is certainly -within the right of a committee to prohibit pipe-smoking -altogether, and such a regulation prevails -in several clubs; in many more it is an unwritten -law. In rooms, however, in which pipe-smoking is -allowed, it is certainly not within the powers of a -committee to define exactly where members shall -station themselves whilst “blowing their cloud.” -As a matter of fact, committee-men not infrequently -fall into the error of thinking that a club committee -can issue any decrees it likes. Such, however, is -very far from being the case, and the reports of -various lawsuits between individual members and -certain committees will show that in the majority -of instances the latter have not proved victorious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>If, for instance, the subscription of a club be -raised, members who joined before the alteration -cannot be compelled to pay more than their original -subscription. The great increase in club rules and -regulations has sometimes produced confusion as to -what members may or may not do—a state of -affairs which was non-existent when the older West -End clubs were founded.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The nature of the regulations then in vogue may -be realized from an inspection of a number of interesting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>volumes, dating back to 1737, still preserved -at White’s, in which are inscribed the names of -members of the old and new clubs, together with -the few rules in force in the eighteenth century.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The books of rules issued in the middle of the -last century contain very much the same provisions. -The earlier books are entirely in manuscript, some -of them elaborately bound; whilst those issued about -1840, though smaller, are beautifully printed, and -they still retain a certain air of old-world luxury. -The register of members kept by the proprietor of -White’s about seventy years ago much resembles -one of those huge gilt-edged tomes which were in -use for registering various matters connected with -the Court of Versailles before the French Revolution. -The calligraphy in this volume and in some -of the earlier club lists is remarkable for its graceful -and ornate character. Looking at them, one realizes -what an exclusive coterie frequented the old club-house -in the days when the aristocracy of England -ruled supreme.</p> - -<p class='c006'>West End club committees of old days were -extremely conciliatory regarding any minor breach -of club law, in many cases straining a point to overlook -delinquencies which were not directly injurious -to the best interests of the members generally. -Considerable laxity existed as to debts incurred in -a club, coffee-room accounts extending into three -figures being common; some of these were liquidated -only at long intervals. Expelling, or even -threatening to expel, a member was considered a -step of extreme gravity, and one to be avoided by -all possible means.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>During the last twenty-five years, however, club-life, -like everything else, has become “more -strenuous,” and anyone who habitually breaks the -rules is soon made to realize that he must either -alter his ways or go.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Committee-men, it should be added, whether good, -bad, or indifferent, generally have a rather difficult -task, for they are certain to arouse the opposition of -some professional grumbler or other who is ever ready -to blame. As a matter of fact, very often the best-meant -schemes are the most unpopular, and there is -a peculiar type of committee-man who often incurs -the hostility of members on account of his merits. -This is the individual who, possessed of an especial -gift for management, takes the direction of a club -into his own hands, and, becoming practically an -autocrat, resents interference with his policy, which, -it may be added, is not infrequently a sound one, -for this type of man has generally made club management -his hobby. Nevertheless, let him do as -well as possible, sooner or later his rule will become -unpopular, members disliking the idea of a one-man -domination.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It cannot be said that the majority of house -committees are in any way zealous about carrying -out their functions. Where club cooking and its -material are above all criticism, the credit generally -lies with the efficient secretary, who in reality runs -most clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some clubs have numberless sub-committees to -deal with different details of management—wine -committee, cigar committee, and goodness knows -what else. It is, however, doubtful whether the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>united efforts of all the committee-men and sub-committee-men -in the world are as successful as those -of one dominating individual, who knows exactly -what the needs of a club really are, and gets them -satisfied. On the whole, the cooking and food in -West End clubs is very fair, and in many cases, if -some further degree of attention were devoted to -minor details, would be above criticism.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A deplorable tendency, however, is the neglect -of that old-fashioned English cookery which in -perfection is the delight of true gastronomists.</p> - -<p class='c006'>What is wanted in clubs is the very best material -properly served and cooked. Alas! it is to be feared -that, with the exception of a very few clubs, the best -of everything now goes to the palatial restaurants, -who absolutely will not purchase the indifferent -meat, game, and vegetables which are foisted upon -more easy-going customers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The craze for elaborate cooking in clubs would -appear to have been originated by George IV when -Prince Regent. During dinner one evening at -Carlton House, the conversation chancing to turn -upon club dinners, Sir Thomas Stepney described -them as being intensely dull, owing to their eternal -joints, beefsteaks, or boiled fowl with oyster sauce, -followed by an apple tart. Upon this the Prince, -who was much interested, sent for Watier, his own -chef, and invited him then and there to take a -house and organize a dinner club. Accordingly a -club was started at 81 Piccadilly, by Watier; -Madison, the Prince’s page, being manager; and -Labourier, one of the cooks from the royal kitchen, -chef. It was soon joined by the principal dandies, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>including Beau Brummell, and became the scene of -much high play, chiefly at macao.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Brummell one day, when he had lost a large sum, -called to the waiter: “Bring me a flat candlestick -and a pistol”; upon which another member, Mr. -Hythe, reputed as mad as a hatter, produced a -couple of loaded pistols from his pocket, which he -placed on the table, coolly saying: “Mr. Brummell, -if you wish to put an end to your existence, I am -extremely happy to offer you the means without -troubling the waiter.” During another evening’s -play, Raikes began to rally Jack Bouverie, brother -of Lord Heytesbury, on his bad luck, and the latter -took it in such bad part that he threw his play-bowl -full of counters at Raikes’s head. A great row -ensued. Watier’s closed about 1819, many of its -leading members being then utterly ruined. After -this the club-house was run by a set of blacklegs as -a common gaming-house, which eventually was -taken over by Crockford, who, in partnership with -a man named Taylor, set up a very successful -hazard bank.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though Watier’s had but a short existence, it -lasted long enough to give men about town a taste -for elaborate cooking, and no doubt contributed to -send many good old English dishes out of fashion.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Owing to the large staff of servants maintained in -most clubs, life is rendered very easy for the members, -though a certain number are ever complaining -of inattention on the part of the servants. These, -as a matter of fact, are kept more or less in perpetual -motion. On the whole, they are a most civil class -of men, and for this reason thoroughly deserve the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>Christmas subscription which serves as a sort of -gigantic, but quite justifiable, tip. This is a comparatively -new institution. It must be realized -that club servants are not overpaid, and when upon -duty their work is particularly severe. The electric -bells never cease ringing until the club closes; every -member expects his wants to command immediate -attention, and not a few are capricious and exacting. -In some of the big clubs the total of the contributions -is considerable—considerably over £500. This -seems large, but, as there are over 1,000 members -in several clubs, such a sum is only what might be -expected.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Club servants are an especial class apart, and -some waiters change constantly from club to club. -This, of course, is not the case at certain of these -institutions, such as the Junior Carlton, which, -having a servants’ pension fund, attracts the very -best class. In all clubs, however, there are generally -two or three old and popular servants who are -looked upon as regular features of the place.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the past, certain old retainers often became -privileged characters, and presumed upon their -position. A waiter named Samuel Spring, having -on one occasion to write to George IV, when the -latter was Prince of Wales, commenced his letter -as follows: “Sam, the waiter at the Cocoa-tree, -presents his compliments to the Prince of Wales,” -etc. His Royal Highness next day saw Sam, and, -after noticing the receiving of his note and the -freedom of the style, said: “Sam, this may be very -well between you and me, but it will not do with -the Norfolks and Arundels.”</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>The most important servant in a club is, of course, -the hall-porter. To fill this post to perfection, very -exceptional qualities are required.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A hall-porter, in his capacity as a trusted and -confidential club servant, is acquainted with many -delicate matters, and for this reason should be a -man of tact; he must, besides, discriminate between -those visitors a member may wish to see and those -to whom the answer “Out of town” must be given, -in tones which admit of no further inquiry. He -must ever be on guard, carefully scanning every -stranger who passes the club portals, and, like -royalty, should possess an unerring and inexhaustible -memory for faces. He must, of course, know -every member by sight, and never be obliged to -ask his name, even when long absence abroad may -have altered his appearance, and rendered him -almost unrecognizable to acquaintances of other -days. A good hall-porter, in short, should know -everything and everybody.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A Scotch hall-porter—Shand, of the Turf Club—was -a great character in his way. Somewhat -blunt and bluff by nature, he was very outspoken -about anything which did not meet with his approval, -and at times would hazard caustic remarks -as to various phases of the club-life. Shand was -possessed of considerable shrewdness and common-sense, -and it was sometimes said that in certain -matters his advice was better than that of any two -first-class lawyers together. Shand had his likes -and dislikes amongst members. This he made little -attempt to conceal, his manner varying in a marked -degree. He was no respecter of persons, but on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>account of his shrewdness and many sterling qualities -was allowed much latitude.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On one occasion a member, before leaving for the -country, instructed Shand to forward a packet of -photographs when it should arrive. The gentleman -was away two months, but no photographs were -sent to him. On his return to town he went to -the Turf, where, much to his astonishment, he was -handed a proof photograph which had, he found, -arrived six weeks before. Shand was interrogated -as to his reasons for not obeying instructions. “You -said photographs,” replied he. “Seeing there was -only one, and knowing you were away with your -wife, I was not going to be such a fool as to -send it.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many of the old school of club porters rather -despised confirmed bachelors who yielded to the -allurements of matrimony. “No, sir,” said one of -these to an inquirer, “Mr. —— don’t come here now -as he used; since his marriage his habits ain’t reg’lar.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Club porters are very cognizant of the peculiar -ways of members, and quick to notice anything out -of harmony with the general tenor of club-life. -The porter at a club where most of the members -were so old and infirm that quantities of crutches -were left in the hall was genuinely shocked to see -a new member going quickly upstairs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Failure to recognize faces—which, in justice to -club porters it should be said, is in their case comparatively -rare—has on occasion led to serious -consequences.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The hall-porter of a certain great club, quartered -upon another during the autumnal period of renovation, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>was one day asked by a member who strode -hurriedly into the club, “Are there any letters for -Mr. X.?” giving a name in the club list. The -porter looked hard at the gentleman, for he could -not positively convince himself for the moment -that he knew his face as one of the 1,500 members -of the club. His gaze, however, was met unflinchingly, -and the new arrival’s air and appearance -generally giving no cause for suspicion, the porter, -having eventually concluded that this must be a -member who had been out of England for some -time, handed over the letters, with which the gentleman -retired into the inner recesses of the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Half an hour or so later a jeweller arrived and -asked for Mr. X., to whom he handed over a valuable -piece of jewellery worth several hundreds of -pounds, which, he told the hall-porter on leaving, -this gentleman (as to whose social position and -solvency there could be no question) had ordered -two days ago by letter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In due course Mr. X., after giving instructions -that no letters were to be forwarded, departed, taking -the piece of jewellery with him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>What was the hall-porter’s horror the next morning -to find himself confronted by another, and this -time a real, Mr. X., who, on being told the story of -his double, at once dashed off to Scotland Yard. -The first Mr. X., it appeared, was an adroit swindler, -who having by some means discovered that the real -Mr. X., an exceedingly wealthy man, had ordered a -jeweller to meet him at the club with a recent purchase, -sent a telegram from the latter saying that the -setting would not be completed till the next day, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>and had then gone to the club and personated this -member, who he knew only used it upon rare -occasions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another more impudent fraud was the case of a -discharged club waiter, who, disguising himself in a -pair of blue spectacles, actually walked into the club-house -from which he had been dismissed two days -before, and, giving a well-known member’s name, -cashed a cheque. He victimized two other clubs in -the same manner, and was eventually detected at a -fourth.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the smaller West End clubs was formerly -renowned for its mechanical hall-porter, an individual -who had but an arm and a leg, and moved, -it was said, entirely by machinery, the creaking of -which, people declared, could be heard when he -handed out letters.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A word here as to the porters’ boxes which now -exist in every club. In former days very few, if any, -of these institutions contained such a convenience. -The porter used to sit in a chair in the hall, with a -rack containing the members’ letters behind him. -He played much the same part as the head-footman -who opens the door at a private house. As -late as the eighties of the last century there was no -porter’s box at White’s, and the same state of affairs -prevailed at Boodle’s up to quite recent years. In -former days, when life was more simple, there was -little necessity for the complicated arrangements of -bells, telephones, and speaking-tubes, which are -essential to the life of a modern club. Members -then did not dash in and out, and clubland was -distinguished by its air of grave solemnity and calm.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VII<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>LATE SITTINGS—FINES—CARDS—CHARACTERS—SUPPER CLUBS</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>Amongst the changes in club-life in London, perhaps -the most striking is the almost total cessation of the -late sittings in which members formerly indulged. -Various causes have contributed to make people in -the West End of London keep earlier hours, of -which the most notable is that the number of unoccupied -men, who once formed a large proportion -of those living in what is called the fashionable part -of the town, has shrunk to a very small number, if -it has not altogether ceased to exist. In other days -there were plenty of young bachelors with something -under a thousand a year who spent their life -in complete idleness. A club was the pivot of their -existence, and here they would often sit till the -small-hours of the morning.</p> -<p class='c006'>Another cause of early hours is the great popularity -of motoring and golf, the widespread indulgence -in which does anything but promote a -love of sitting up late.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the time when a great number of people had -nothing to do all day, not a few regarded the night -as being the most amusing part of their existence, -when they could forgather with choice spirits and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>sit talking one against the other, as the old phrase -had it, “till all was blue.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>As illustrating the lateness of the hours formerly -kept by members of some West End clubs, a story -used to be told about a staid country member who, -arriving at one of these institutions, having travelled -by a night train, went up to the coffee-room and -began to order breakfast, upon which he was told, -by a sleepy waiter, that no suppers were served -after 6 a.m.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the latest sitters was Theodore Hook, -so renowned for spontaneous wit. He was very -proud of a peculiar receipt of his own for the -prevention of exposure to the evil effects of night -air. “I was once very ill,” said he, “and my -doctor gave me particular orders not to expose -myself to it; so I come up (from Fulham) every -day to Crockford’s, or some other place, to dinner, -ever since which I have made it a rule on no -account to go home again till about four or five -o’clock in the morning.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Those were the days when the closing hours of -a number of West End clubs were much later than -is at present the case. Now there are seldom -many members to be found in a club-house after -one, and fines have become rare. Up to about -fifteen or twenty years ago, considerable laxity -prevailed as to enforcing these penalties which are -exacted for sitting up after a certain hour, but the -introduction of more business-like habits into -West End life has put an end to such a state of -affairs. Late sittings at clubs were, of course, in -the vast majority of instances, connected with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>card-playing; and when this pastime was more -prevalent than is now the case, some confirmed -lovers of whist, and later of bridge, occasionally sat -very late indeed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whist is now practically an obsolete game, and it -is curious to recall that the introduction of short -whist was once considered a great innovation. -“Major A.,” the author of “Short Whist,” a book -which was famous in the middle of the last century, -gives the following account of its origin: “This -revolution was occasioned by a worthy Welsh -Baronet preferring his lobster for supper hot. Four -first-rate whist-players—consequently four great -men—adjourned from the House of Commons to -Brooks’s, and proposed a rubber while the cook was -busy. ‘The lobster must be hot,’ said the Baronet. -‘A rubber may last an hour,’ said another, ‘and -the lobster may be cold again or spoiled before we -finish.’ ‘It is too long,’ said a third. ‘Let us cut -it shorter,’ said the fourth. Carried <i>nem. con.</i> -Down they sat, and found it very lively to win or -lose so much quicker. Besides furnishing conversation -for supper, the thing was new—they were -legislators, and had a fine opportunity to exercise -their calling.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another version was supplied by James Clay, -who was one of the principal authorities on whist -in his day. His account is as follows:</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Some eighty years back, Lord Peterborough -having one night lost a large sum of money, the -friends with whom he was playing proposed to -make the game five points instead of ten, in order -to give the loser a chance, at a quicker game, of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>recovering his loss. The late Mr. Hoare of Bath, -a very good whist-player, and without a superior at -piquet, was one of this party, and used frequently -to tell this story.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whatever the origin of short whist may have -been, the controversy between the advocates of -long whist and those who supported the new game -was a bitter struggle. Innovators are always -hated, and have their characters blackened by those -who have grown too old to care for the new, or -those who are too unintelligent to do so. The -clergy to a man were for long whist.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The laws of whist were first codified in England -at the instance of Mr. Baldwin. The Turf Club -in 1863 was called the Arlington. The matter -was suggested to the committee of the Arlington, -and a number of members were appointed to investigate -matters and compile a code. These were: -George Bentinck, M.P. for West Norfolk; John -Bushe, son of the Chief Justice of “Patronage” -fame; J. Clay, M.P., chairman; Charles C. -Grenville; Sir Rainald Knightley, M.P.; H. B. -Mayne, G. Payne, and Colonel Ripon. When -completed, the code was submitted to the Portland -Club, and a committee of this the chief whist club -of the country considered its contents. This committee -consisted of H. D. Jones, chairman, the -father of the late “Cavendish,” who died in 1899; -Charles Adams, W. F. Baring, H. Fitzroy, -Samuel Petrie, H. M. Riddell, and R. Wheble. -It was on April 30, 1864, that the code was officially -sanctioned—a red-letter day in the annals of whist.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The triumph of bridge over whist is a matter -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>of recent social history which will be dealt with -later on.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The greatest breach of regulations ever committed -was probably that which occurred in a well-known -West End club some thirteen or fourteen years ago, -when two members sat through the whole night at -cards, and became so absorbed in their game that -they were still sitting there at the re-opening at -nine the next morning. Notwithstanding the -arrival of a number of outraged members, they -continued playing till one, when, having reluctantly -risen from the card-table, they walked out into -the sunlight, handing in their resignations as they -left. As a matter of fact, the stakes played for -were comparatively moderate, and the differences -at the close of the séance were consequently small. -Both men, it should be added, were confirmed -sitters-up, and the abnormal hours kept by them -on several previous occasions had called forth remonstrances -from the committee. At the majority -of London clubs, fines are inflicted on those sitting -up after the hours of one-thirty or two, though -in some cases they begin earlier or later. In such -club-houses as are not definitely closed at two-thirty -or three, the fines gradually rise till the hour of -five or six o’clock is reached, when any further -sojourn in the club-house is punished by expulsion.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The amount to be paid for remaining in certain -clubs till the actual time of closing is considerable; -nevertheless there have been instances of members -remaining to the very last minute who were not -card-players, and merely sat up through indifference -or thoughtlessness.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>The present writer remembers one member who -actually had to pay a fine of £17 for sitting all -alone in a club till the doors were closed. This -gentleman had a perfect mania for not going to -bed, and his habit of keeping the whole club-house -going, long after the other members were in bed, -eventually caused a complete readjustment of the -scale of fines and the adoption of an earlier hour -for closing. As a matter of fact, though he paid -the heavy fines with perfect complacency, the -sums received were not sufficient to cover the -expenses of lighting, servants, and the like, for the -whole establishment, of course, had to be kept going -till it was his pleasure to depart.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In old days, quite a number of club-men would -habitually turn night into day; but this is no longer -the case, and the few members who still adhere -to the habits of another age are generally regarded -with little favour by committees. Several clubs, -as a matter of fact, have altered their hours entirely -to prevent the club-house from being kept open -solely for the benefit of one or two members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another complaint against late sitters is that the -club servants, in consequence of being obliged to -keep later hours, are unfitted for their work; but -there is really no particular reason why this should -be the case, as a different staff comes on duty -towards the evening, the members of which, at -several clubs, are allotted a certain proportion of -any fines.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The latest club of all used formerly to be the -Garrick, where, in the days when the late Sir Henry -Irving, Mr. Toole, and others, came to supper in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>the small dining-room, very late or rather very early -hours indeed were kept. Within the last few years, -late sittings have ceased to be the order of the day -except on certain occasions, and new rules have -been made, the general tendency of which is to -encourage a comparatively early retirement to -bed. An exception, however, is made in favour of -Saturday night, the traditional evening for suppers -at the Garrick.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the latest clubs in London used to be the -St. James’, founded more than forty years ago by -the late Marquis d’Azeglio and others. One of the -objects for which this club was formed was to -provide a meeting-place for secretaries and attachés -after balls and parties, and for this reason no fine at -all was inflicted before 4 p.m. It may also be added -that in former years such fines as did exist were not -very rigorously enforced. Quite a different state of -affairs, however, now prevails, the whole scale of -fines having been readjusted some years ago, owing -to which—and other causes—late sittings are now -things of the past.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Beefsteak Club, like the Garrick, once contained -quite a number of members who had a great -disinclination to go to bed, and who lingered late -over the pleasant talk of the supper-table. Here -also the spirit of the age has effected a change, for -practically all the old school of Beefsteakers, of -which that most delightful of men, the late Joseph -Knight, was such a brilliant example, are gone, and -the hours kept are now very reasonable.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Turf Club, which used formerly to be full -of people after the theatres were closed, is now -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>somewhat deserted at night, and the same state -of affairs prevails at practically all the West End -clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The late hours once kept by many club-men -were in a great measure the cause of the dislike -with which a number of old-fashioned, strait-laced -people used to regard London clubs, which, as has -already been said, were denounced as pernicious -resorts where drinking and gaming were by no -means unknown. To-day such accusations can no -longer with any justice be sustained.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In France, however, the state of affairs as regards -gaming, at least, is very different, for, owing to the -heavy tax levied by Government upon club funds, -no institution of the nature of a club can be prosperously -conducted without some amount of gambling. -Indeed, most French clubs of any social -standing derive a considerable portion of their -income from card-money, and not a few permit -baccarat, the profits of which, drawn from the -Cagnotte, bring in a large sum of money to the -club funds. In England, however, except in a few -exceptional cases—Crockford’s, for instance—no -club has ever existed for the avowed purpose of -play. To begin with, public opinion has always -viewed this pastime (which so often degenerates -into a vice) with extremely unfavourable eyes, and -no one of any position has cared to be seen openly -risking large sums of money upon the turn of a -card. In addition to this, any protracted continuance -of high play in a club has always been reprobated -by a large majority of members as being -likely to produce a scandal—and, as a matter of fact, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>a scandal has almost invariably followed in the wake -of high play.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The French, many of whom set aside a certain -amount of money to be used for play—a <i>bourse du -jeu</i>, as it is called—are well aware of the danger of -losing their heads at cards; but the vast majority of -Englishmen are soon made nervous and excited -when once they have been caught by the fascination -of play. For this reason—or some other—a -high game never goes on very long without the -occurrence of a catastrophe, for sooner or later someone -will lose a far larger sum of money than he can -either afford or pay. The generality of club members -limit their gambling to a mild game of bridge, -and there is very little play at anything else now. -Some twenty years ago, however, there was a slight -epidemic of the gaming fever in the West End of -London, and quite a number of so-called “clubs,” -the only object of which was high play, were started, -mostly by shrewd veterans of the sporting world, -some of whom remembered the days when hazard -had extracted such vast sums from the pockets of -careless Corinthians, and when wily Crockford conducted -his great Temple of Chance in St. James’s -Street. Such clubs were, of course, furnished with -a committee and an elaborate set of rules, the most -respected of which were those relating to the fines. -These, after a certain hour, brought much grist to -the proprietors’ mills. Such clubs were in reality -little but miniature casinos, and the main, if not the -sole, qualification for membership lay in being -possessed of ample funds and a tendency to part -with them easily. The chief of these institutions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>were situated off Piccadilly and St. James’s Street, -about which the spirit of that reckless speculation -which raged in this neighbourhood so fiercely in -the eighteenth century has always had a tendency -to linger.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Baccarat was the game played at these haunts, -and, though everything was quite fairly conducted, -the loss of large sums by well-known young men -about town eventually attracted considerable comment, -and before very long the Park Club was -raided by the police, upon which occasion a high -legal luminary, it is said, was with the greatest -difficulty smuggled out of the place. A celebrated -trial, at the end of which baccarat was finally ruled -to be an illegal game, resulted in the closing of this -club. A somewhat similar institution, the Field -Club, rose on its ashes, but this also was eventually -raided and put an end to. Since that time one or -two small clubs have been formed by a certain -number of people desirous of playing bridge or -poker for high stakes, but all of them have had a -brief existence. The clubs just mentioned, it should -be added, were quite different from the gaming -clubs of the past, the members being rich men well -able to take care of themselves, and the only reason -for their cessation was that, as the membership was -in every case very limited, they got tired of playing -at the game of dog eat dog.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sixty years ago, and later, there was a good deal -of high play in London clubs. During the action -for libel brought by Lord de Ros, when he had been -accused of cheating at Graham’s, one witness admitted -that in the course of fifteen years he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>won £35,000, chiefly at whist; another said that his -winnings averaged £1,600 a year. He generally -played from three to five hours daily before dinner, -and did not deny often having played all night.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Graham’s, 87 St. James’s Street, was at that -time the headquarters of whist, and here it was said -Lord Henry Bentinck invented the “Blue Peter,” -or call for trumps.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Here Lieutenant-Colonel Aubrey, who declared -that, next to winning, losing was the greatest pleasure -in the world, is supposed once to have lost £35,000.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Bridge is said to have been first played in -London at the Portland in the autumn of 1894, -when it was introduced by Lord Brougham.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was, it is said, playing whist, and, as he dealt -the last card, neglected to turn it face upwards. -By way of apology he then said: “I’m sorry, but -I thought I was playing bridge;” and by way of -explanation he gave a brief description of the new -game, which so attracted his fellow-members that -it soon took the place of whist.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Bridge, however, had been played long before -this in Eastern Europe, and even in Persia, where -the present writer perfectly remembers it as a -popular game as far back as 1888.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The members of a colony of Greeks, indeed, -are said to have played a sort of bridge in Manchester -eighteen years before this, though the value -of no trumps and of four aces was rather less than -is now the case.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The headquarters of bridge is the Portland Club, -now located at the corner of St. James’s Square. -It moved here from Stratford Place, its old original -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>home having been in Bloomsbury Square. For -everything connected with bridge, as it was -formerly for whist, the Portland is the acknowledged -authority as the arbiter of disputes and for -the promulgation of rules. There are about three -hundred members of this club, which admits guests -to dine, after which they may play in a small card-room -specially reserved for their use.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another card-playing club, which, however, -admits no strangers, is the Baldwin, in Pall Mall -East, which opens at two o’clock in the afternoon. -The stakes here are very small.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Besides these admirably-conducted institutions, -as Theodore Hook wrote, there are several</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Clubs for men upon the turf (I wonder they aren’t under it);</div> - <div class='line in1'>Clubs where the winning ways of sharper folks pervert the use of clubs,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Where <i>knaves</i> will make subscribers cry,</div> - <div class='line in2'>‘Egad! this is the <i>deuce</i> of clubs.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The latter term certainly applied to Crockford’s, -which was flourishing when the lines in question -were written. Here the wily proprietor neglected -nothing to attract men of fashion of that day, most -of whose money eventually drifted into his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Well knowing the value of a first-class cuisine, -he provided every sort of culinary luxury, and took -care that the suppers should be so excellent as to -make his club the resort of all sorts of men about -town, who flocked in about midnight from White’s, -Brooks’s, and the Opera, to titillate their palates -and try their luck at the hazard-table afterwards. -Many who began cautiously, and risked but little, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>by degrees acquired a taste for the excitement of -play, and ended by staking large sums, which they -generally lost. Some few only were lucky; a certain -young blood, for instance, who one night won the -price of his “troop” in the Life Guards, purchased -it, and never touched a dice-box again.</p> - -<p class='c006'>If, however, people were more or less sure to -lose their money at Crockford’s, they were equally -certain of getting admirable food at a quite nominal -price, and for this reason many men of small means -had little reason to complain of the great gambling -institution in St. James’s Street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As was once wittily said, a certain text of -Scripture exactly applied to the proprietor. This -was: “He hath filled the hungry with good things, -and the rich he hath sent empty away.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Benjamin Crockford had begun life as a fishmonger -near Temple Bar, but, being of a sporting -character, was accustomed to stake a few shillings -nightly at a low gaming-house kept by George -Smith in King’s Place; later, he was lucky in a -turf transaction. His first venture as a gaming-house -proprietor was the purchase, for £100, -of a fourth share in a hell at No. 5, King -Street. His partners here were men named Abbott, -Austin, and Holdsworth, and their operations were -not above suspicion. Afterwards Crockford, in -partnership with two others, opened a French -hazard bank at 81 Piccadilly, and here again there -was foul-play. The bank cleared £200,000 in a -very short time; false dice were found on the -premises and exhibited in a shop window in Bond -Street for some days, and Crockford was sued by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>numbers of his victims, but took care to compromise -every action before it had entered upon such an -acute stage as to entail publicity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Crockford’s patrons were all men of rank and -breeding, the utmost decorum was observed, and -society at the club was of the most pleasant and -fashionable character. There was no smoking-room, -and in the summer evenings the habitués -of Crockford’s used to stand outside in the porch, -with their cigars, drinking champagne and seltzer, -and looking at the people going home from parties -or the Opera. White’s, except in the afternoons, -was deserted, members naturally going across the -way, where there was a first-rate supper with wine -of unexceptionable quality provided free of cost.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Crockford was well repaid for his liberality in -these matters. By the profits of the hazard-table he -realized in the course of a few years the enormous -sum of £1,200,000.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though the days when a certain number of -London clubs were merely gaming-houses in disguise -have long gone, there still exist club-men -whose principal interest is the turf, and these not -infrequently are much interested in the tape, around -which they congregate when any important race is -being run, the while mysterious murmurings and -vague vaticinations prevail. Such members are -generally young; with the increase of years they -become, for the most part, profoundly indifferent -to the expensive question of first, second, or third. -A few ardent enthusiasts, however, retain their taste -for this form of speculation, in spite of the long and -inevitable series of disappointments which are the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>lot of the vast majority of starting-price backers. -Rushing wildly into the club, they fly at once to -the tape, generally dashing off to the telephone to -put more money into some bookmaker’s pocket.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The cricket enthusiast is another great patron of -the tape, by which he is either thoroughly depressed -or rendered radiant, according to the comparative -failure or success of his favourite county. He is -generally a very kindly man, of innocent tastes and -habits, which speaks well for the humanizing influence -of Lord’s and the Oval.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two clubs which are much frequented by the -best class of sporting men are the comparatively -old-established Raleigh (founded in 1858), in Regent -Street, and the newer Badminton (founded in -1876), in Piccadilly, both of them well-managed -institutions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Raleigh, which has always enjoyed a reputation -for its cooking, in its earlier days was the scene -of many an amusing prank played by younger -members. All this, however, has long been a thing -of the past.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A striking change in club-life is the vastly decreased -consumption of alcohol. In former days, -quite a number of members used every day to -imbibe a considerable quantity of pernicious brandy -and soda, the excess of which, without doubt, sent -so many of the last generation to a premature grave. -I do not by any means wish to imply that such men -became intoxicated. Thirty or forty years ago, the -drinking habits, so prevalent at the beginning of the -last century, had already fallen into great disrepute, -but brandy and soda was, for some unknown reason, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>considered a fairly harmless drink, and many club-men -imbibed small quantities of it all the day -through without in any way showing the slightest -effect. Nevertheless, the continuous stream of -alcohol insidiously ruined many a fine constitution. -Sensible men of the present age study their health -far more carefully, and the amount of what are -known as “drinks” served daily in the best West -End clubs is now very small indeed. On the other -hand, “teas,” which forty years ago were little indulged -in, are taken by almost everyone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As late as the early seventies of the past century -most clubs contained a few members of decidedly -bibulous habits. These were often by courtesy -known as the “Captain” or “Major,” military titles -for which a short term of service in the auxiliary -forces had scarcely qualified them. They were, -however, often original characters, whose occasional -eccentricities deserved the good-humoured toleration -with which they were viewed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>To-day, however, a very different state of affairs -prevails, and even the slightest tendency to habitual -excess is seriously resented; a decided stigma, -indeed, attaches to anyone even suspected of intemperance, -whilst any open demonstration of -inebriety would certainly call forth demands for -drastic measures being applied to the member indulging -in such a breach of unwritten club law.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The great diminution of drinking amongst the -more prosperous classes is nowhere more strikingly -shown than by the great decrease of club -receipts derived from the sale of wine and spirits. -On the other hand, the consumption of mineral -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>waters and other non-alcoholic beverages has largely -increased.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Within the last two decades there has been a -marked tendency in West End clubland to relax -the somewhat harsh restrictions formerly in force -on Sunday, which in England is so often a day of -dulness and gloom, causing one to wonder how -Longfellow could ever have described it as “the -golden clasp which binds together the volume of -the week.” At some clubs it is still a very quiet -day, no billiards or cards being played by members; -but in others “Sabbatarian strictness” has been relaxed. -In one or two clubs a sort of compromise -exists, and members are permitted to play billiards -without the services of a marker.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Club customs have, on the whole, changed but -little. Curiously enough, in spite of the increase of -democratic ways in most West End clubs, the -custom of sitting down to dinner in evening dress -has tended to increase rather than to diminish. At -the same time it must be acknowledged that the -greatest freedom is permitted in matters of costume, -whilst the smart frock-coat, once so conspicuous -in clubland, has practically disappeared. Straw -hats and deerstalkers abound on club hat-pegs, and -lounge suits are worn throughout the day till dinner; -top-hats and black coats have decreased in number.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Almost unlimited freedom now prevails as to -choice of dress, and sometimes, perhaps, this licence -is carried too far.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the autumn most members of London clubs -become wanderers, their houses being given over to -painters and decorators, whilst they receive the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>hospitality of other clubs. A few, amongst which -are the National Liberal and the Garrick, never -close; and, indeed, the membership of the former -is too large for this club to be received by any other. -The painting and decorating in clubs which never -leave their habitations is done by easy stages, one or -two rooms at a time being given over to the workmen -engaged upon the renovating process which -London smoke renders so necessary.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whilst club-life, on the whole, has become less -formal and ceremonious, a certain number of old-established -clubs still maintain a grave solemnity -of tone, and such institutions generally contain a -considerable number of “permanent officials”—the -class which, whatever party may nominally be in -control, really runs the country.</p> - -<p class='c006'>These men, whose lives are passed at various -Government Offices, in course of time acquire a -peculiar look and manner, so entirely different from -that of ordinary humanity that the careful observer -and student of the “permanent official” is irresistibly -prompted to inquire whether he can ever have -been young? The cut of his clothes, his walk, his -mannerisms, and the stately slowness of his movements, -all betoken a life passed amidst Government -forms, schedules, and official papers. Everything -he does is prompted by routine, even to the -ordering of a generally well-chosen and moderate -dinner.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As he is perfectly aware of the fact that he -belongs to the real ruling caste of the land, the -permanent official not unnaturally exudes the -dignity which he feels is necessary to his high position. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>One pictures him in a tornado or an earthquake -still speaking in the same measured tones, -and briefly asking (for he is generally a man of few -words) who is responsible?</p> - -<p class='c006'>The permanent official, when married, generally -has a very presentable wife, chosen no doubt, like -his dinner, with a view to not upsetting the even -tenor of his daily round. It is, however, almost -impossible to believe that he has ever been in love. -If he has, any amorous communications penned by -him must, one is sure, have been carefully copied -and docketed for future reference.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Many permanent officials—but not those of the -Foreign Office, who are generally agreeable men of -the world—develop into mere automata, radiating a -sort of orderly gloom.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The majority live to a good age, in latter years -evolving into an even less vivacious type—the -“retired permanent official”—very solemn and -silent, not infrequently pompous, speaking scarcely -at all.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A foreigner of distinction, owing to his official -position, had been made an honorary member of a -well-known London club. The number of permanent -officials included in its membership was -such that the club was a veritable Palace of Silence, -and the foreigner, becoming depressed by the pervading -atmosphere of gloom, one day ventured to -remark to an acquaintance, a retired official of -high rank: “You seem to have little conversation -here.” “Meet me to-morrow afternoon at three -o’clock in the smoking-room, and we will have a -talk,” was the solemn reply. On the morrow the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>foreigner duly repaired to the appointed place and -met his friend, who, settling himself upon a comfortable -sofa, took out his watch, looked at it, and -said: “I am sorry I can only give you twenty-five -minutes.” For this space of time they talked, or -rather the foreigner did, for the other uttered little -but an occasional word. Precisely as the clock -marked the appointed hour the latter rose, and, -somewhat wearily saying good-bye, walked out of -the building. Judge of the foreigner’s horror the -next morning when, on opening his paper, he read -that Sir —— ——, his friend of the day before, had -fallen down dead in Pall Mall, stricken by cerebral -collapse! The unwonted effort of the previous -day’s conversation had been too much for the poor -man. For years past he had been used to the -almost unbroken silence of the club, which with -undeviating regularity he was wont to frequent. -The foreigner, who felt that he was practically -guilty of homicide, declared he would speak no -more in English clubs, and would take good care -to warn his foreign friends against any similar -murderous tactics should they come to England.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In many clubs there is a mysterious member or -two, about whom nothing seems to be known. No -one can say who he is, what locality gave him birth, -or what his available means of subsistence may be. -He is the child of mystery, nor does he ever attempt -to raise the veil, except when he vaguely alludes to -“his people in the North”; but whether he means -the North of England or the North of London no -one whom he honours with his acquaintance is ever -able to discover. Everything about such a man is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>a mystery, including the circumstances which led to -his election.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whilst eccentricity, for the most part, takes the -innocuous form of avoidance of society, there have -been people who have suffered from a disquieting -love of sociability. Such a one used to make a -practice of speaking to all his fellow-members, -whether he knew them or not. One day, however, -finding himself seated opposite an old gentleman -who was reading a newspaper, this individual -entirely failed to obtain any answer at all to an -incessant flow of talk, so, becoming angry, he at -last kicked up his foot and sent the paper flying -into its astonished reader’s face, the result being -that the aggressor very shortly afterwards retired -from the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It is said that a little leaven leaveneth the whole -lump, and it is surprising how disagreeable one -cantankerous man who uses his club can make it to -those around him. He is always coming upon the -scene when not wanted. If you go up to the -library, you find him snoring on the sofa, with the -very book you have come in search of in his useless -grasp. If you dine accidentally at the club, your -table is sure to be placed next to his. Are you -having a quiet chat with a friend, most assuredly -will this wretched being drop in and spoil the conversation. -He is always quarrelling with people, -and asking you to support his complaints. Such -a man has no friends, and the list of his acquaintances -is limited.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In past days old members were sometimes very -severe in their comments upon newly-elected young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>men of whose ways they did not approve. One of -the latter, just elected to a club, having somehow -incurred the wrath of a certain irascible character, -to his amazement heard him saying: “What an -insupportable cub that fellow is! What on earth -were the committee doing to elect him! Why, I’d -give him a pony not to belong now.” This perturbed -the new member, who left the club-house -thinking what course he ought to take, and, as -luck would have it, met on the staircase a member -who bore the well-deserved reputation of being a -thorough man of the world. Stopping the latter, -he told him of the insulting remark, and inquired -what he ought to do. “Do?” was the reply; -“why, nothing at present. After you’ve used the -club for another month, you’ll probably be offered -a hundred!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In more or less every club there are one or two -solemn-looking members, who are seldom known to -speak to anyone, but spend their time in what is, -or looks like, deep study. Votaries of almost perpetual -silence, they are easily made to frown at the -sound of conversation. The favourite haunt of such -as these is generally the library, which they regard -as their own domain, and where on no account must -they be disturbed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of this class, who in the more expansive -days of his youth, twenty years before, had had a -great friend who, after leaving the University, went -out to live in the East, was one day, according to his -usual wont, reading in the library of his club, when, -to his horror, he heard the door briskly open. A -robust figure, whose countenance seemed not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>entirely unfamiliar, strode up to him, and, seizing -his hand heartily, shook it. “Well, old fellow,” -said the intruder, “it’s many a long day since we -met. Now let’s hear what you have been doing -all these years.” Without saying a word, the -ruffled student raised a warning finger, and pointed -at the placard of “Silence” on the mantelpiece.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“I was glad to see the man again,” said he -afterwards; “but he had no business to break -one of our rules.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another kind of club-man is the irascible pedant, -whose idiosyncrasies make conversation almost impossible. -He will address you; he will lecture; he -will instruct you; but he will not chat with you—conversation -with him is a monologue. He is to -preach, you are to listen. If you interrupt him, he -will look at you as if sincerely pained by your -audacity; if you advance an opinion, he will -promptly contradict it; and even if you ask him -a question upon a subject of which he knows -nothing, he will reply at enormous length.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was a man of this kind who once described -Niagara as a horrid place where you couldn’t hear -the sound of your own voice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In former days many clubs included amongst -their members a privileged joker or two, to whom -very great tolerance was extended. This type of -individual used to be particularly fond of exercising -his propensities at the expense of the most solemn -and pompous of his fellow-members, on whom he -would play all sorts of childish tricks.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On one occasion, for instance, having got possession -of an old gentleman’s spectacles, a joker of this -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>kind took out the glasses. When the old man -found them again, he was much concerned at not -being able to see, and exclaimed: “Why, I’ve lost -my sight!” Thinking, however, that the impediment -to vision might be caused by the dirtiness of -the glasses, he then took them off to wipe them, but, -not feeling anything, became still more frightened, -and cried out: “Why, what’s happened now? I’ve -lost my feeling, too!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some irrepressible jokers have paid for their love -of fun by having to resign their membership. One -of them, whose escapades were notorious in London -twenty years ago, sitting half asleep in a certain -Bohemian club, became very much annoyed at a -very red-headed waiter who kept buzzing about his -chair. The sight of the fiery locks was eventually -too much for this wild spirit, and, darting up and -seizing the man, he emptied an inkstand over his -head before he could escape.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The result, of course, was expulsion from the -club, besides which very substantial compensation -was rightly paid to the poor waiter, who complained -that he could not go about his work in a parti-coloured -condition, and it would take some time -before the effects of the ink disappeared.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Members who have developed undue eccentricity -occasionally cause uneasiness to their fellow-clubmen, -for it is sometimes difficult exactly to define -the point where personal idiosyncrasies become -disquieting to others.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One individual, whom the writer recollects, used -to enter a certain club and call for all the back -numbers which could be obtained of some weekly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>paper, and then sit solemnly writing at a table -surrounded by pile upon pile of the periodical in -question. After about an hour of this, he would -gather his papers together, and, striding up to the -porter’s box, would say: “Please inform the Prime -Minister that, after due consideration, I have -decided that the Cabinet must resign. I will call -next Monday and leave word as to the composition -of the new one.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A very eccentric member of one club had a disquieting -craze which caused him to walk perpetually -up and down stairs. The moment he came in of a -morning he started for the top floor, going upstairs -with a preoccupied air, as though he had serious -business on hand. Arrived at the topmost landing, -he would strike his forehead with the absent-minded -despair of a short memory, then turn on his heel -and run down again. This operation he would -repeat many times a day. The installation of a -lift was said to have been a sad blow to him; at -first he regarded it with profound distrust, until, -with increasing years, he discovered its value, when -he became very objectionable to his fellow-members -by his excessive use of it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another original character who belonged to a -well-known club used to spend a considerable time -every day contemplating himself in a huge mirror, -and bursting into explosive fits of laughter. During -the whole of this man’s membership he was supposed -only to have once spoken to a fellow-member, -who, it should be added, was also rather -eccentric.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A less misanthropic though highly unconventional -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>club-man used to remain in bed all day, -getting up only about seven, when he would go to -his club to have dinner, which was really a breakfast. -This habit, it was said, had been considerably -strengthened by reason of the fact that, having once -broken through it, and got up early in order to -witness some sporting event, he had on his return -found himself minus his watch—a loss which more -than ever convinced him of the dangers of early -rising.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Eccentric behaviour in a club once led to an -amusing election incident.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A well-known character, who had sat for a certain -borough for years, got into considerable trouble at -his club—a very exclusive one—owing to having -one wet day taken off his boots in the smoking-room, -and sat warming his stockinged feet before -the fire. Complaints were made to the committee, -the members of which, highly indignant, at first -proposed to turn the offender out. Eventually he -escaped that extreme indignity, though he was -severely reprimanded.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Shortly after this the culprit, owing to a General -Election, found himself obliged to defend his seat -against an exceedingly active Radical opponent -possessed of much caustic wit.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At this time hustings still existed, and candidates -exchanged raillery, amounting occasionally -to abuse.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Both candidates happened to have foreign names, -and both entreated the electors to give their votes -only to a true-born Englishman.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The sitting member was especially bitter, and indulged -<span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>in uncompromising abuse of his opponent—an -alien against whose exotic ways he cautioned the -electors.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Alien indeed!” retorted the other. “Anyhow, -I have never been nearly turned out of a club for -indecent exposure, like my traducer!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Only my boots!” roared out his opponent.</p> - -<p class='c006'>But all was in vain, and the electors, fully convinced -that their old member had appeared naked -in his club, declined to re-elect him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>About two years ago West End clubs were, it is -said, at their worst as regards membership; but since -then the tide seems to have turned, and a few then -in a parlous state have once more found the path -of prosperity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As a matter of fact, the competition of restaurants -has improved the cooking in clubs, and many committees -have sensibly come to recognize that an -attitude of indifference to modern improvements -and the changed needs of members does not conduce -to the well-being of the institutions over which -they preside.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Then, too, a number of clubs which had been -tottering for years have disappeared, with the result -that a number of others have gained members. Of -late years also, the craze for founding new clubs -seems rather to have died away, whilst the fashionable -“restaurant clubs,” which for a short time -seemed likely to become popular features of West -End life, have entirely ceased to exist.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The chief of these was the Amphitryon, established -some twenty years ago at 41 Albemarle -Street, Piccadilly, and presided over by M. Émile -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>Aoust, once maître d’hôtel at Bignon’s in Paris. -The object of the club was to provide the attractions -of a first-rate French restaurant, which at the -same time should be absolutely exclusive. The -subscription was three guineas, and no entrance fee -was paid by the first 200 members who joined the -club, amongst whom were the then Prince of Wales -and the Duke of Connaught.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The small club-house was comfortable enough, -and the cuisine left little to grumble at. About -700 members were enrolled, and candidates kept -flocking in. Members were only allowed to introduce -three guests at a time, for the accommodation -in the dining-room was very limited.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An inaugural dinner was given to the Prince of -Wales, and a highly successful evening was enjoyed -by fourteen selected guests at the cost of £120. -“Kirsch glacé,” one of the <i>plats</i> which figured in -the menu, is said to have caused some amusement, -the <i>k</i> being called a misprint for <i>h</i>, the first letter -of the name of a prominent foreign financier then -in great favour with smart society.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The chief faults of this club were its expense and -its limited accommodation. A first-class dinner was -absurdly expensive, costing close upon £10 a head. -In addition to this, the little tables were, on account -of the smallness of the premises, so closely packed -that intimate conversation was next to impossible. -It must be observed, however, that there were -private rooms upstairs which could be reserved for -dinner-parties, and many were given.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After a short time the Amphitryon closed its -doors, and left behind it nothing but the memory -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>of some excellent dinners and a certain number of -heavy unpaid bills.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A somewhat similar institution was the Maison -Dorée Club, at No. 38 Dover Street. The committee -was an influential one, numbering amongst -its members the Dukes of St. Albans and Wellington, -Lord Breadalbane, Lord Dungarvan, Lord -Castletown, Lord Camoys, Lord Lurgan, Prince -Henry of Pless, and Lord Suffield. The entrance -fee was two guineas, and the annual subscription -the same sum. The cuisine was under the management -of the Maison Dorée, which was then in the -last days of its existence in Paris.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house was almost too elaborately -decorated. Gold, indeed, had spread even to the -area railings, and the lock of the area door itself -was adorned with heavy dull gold! The pantry-maid, -it was said, had a solid gold key to open and -shut the latter for the convenience of any favoured -policeman! On the whole, the building presented -a most imposing, if rather gaudy, appearance. The -decorations of the dining-room consisted principally -of pastoral scenes painted on tapestry panels in the -French style, whilst a large glass tea-house overhung -the garden, and was supposed to form a highly -attractive feature.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club, however, met with the same fate as the -Amphitryon; indeed, it fared a great deal worse, -the latter for a time, at least, having been a success, -which the Maison Dorée never was. Lingering on -in a moribund state, it soon flickered out, its disappearance -being followed some time later by that -of the parent restaurant in Paris, which, owing to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>lack of support, ended its career, to the regret of all -lovers of high-class gastronomy.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Later on, one or two other restaurants made -an attempt to introduce “supper clubs,” where -members might remain after 12.30, the closing -hour which a ridiculous Act of Parliament fixes for -all licensed premises. None of these supper clubs, -however, proved successful. Quite naturally, people -soon became tired of seeing the same faces; besides, -there is nothing that amuses ladies so much as -scanning and criticizing the heterogeneous crowds -which nightly flock to restaurants after the theatre. -Willis’s—for a time much frequented by the smart -world—was remodelled and spoilt in order to make -room for a club of this sort, with the result that an -excellent restaurant lost its popularity, and finally -disappeared altogether.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Not very many years ago, before the registration -of clubs was made compulsory by law, there were -many so-called “clubs” in London which were little -but revivals of the old night-houses and gaming-hells, -though the latter were always subject to -occasional raids. Whether the suppression of -markedly Bohemian clubs generally was an entirely -wise measure seems somewhat doubtful; the mere -hounding of dissipation from one haunt to another -effects no good, and in all probability the best plan -would have been to tolerate a certain number of -such resorts, provided they were orderly and did -not constitute a nuisance to the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The gambling clubs, often run by very shady -characters, undoubtedly did considerable harm to -numbers of pigeons, who, however, would in most -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>instances have lost their money even had such -resorts not existed. The best known of these so-called -“clubs,” however, were started solely to pillage -some rich young dupes who formed the support -of such places and their crowd of most dubious -members. Clubs of this kind often provided a -very luxurious supper free, it being well worth the -while of the proprietor to attract anyone likely to -keep the place going. As a rule, the individual in -question also laid the odds during the afternoon, -and some colossal pieces of roguery were not infrequently -perpetrated in connection with turf -speculation. As late as the early eighties of the -last century, young men about town were exposed -to every kind of insidious robbery. The more -blatant forms of West End brigandage seem now -to have abated; but human nature does not change, -and very likely they have merely altered in form.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER VIII<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>THE TRAVELLERS’—ORIENTAL—ST. JAMES’—TURF—MARLBOROUGH —ISTHMIAN—WINDHAM—BACHELORS’—UNION—CARLTON—JUNIOR CARLTON—CONSERVATIVE—DEVONSHIRE—REFORM</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>Though, as has before been said, the majority of -West End clubs have been obliged by force of -circumstances to relax the exclusiveness which was -formerly one of their most salient features, a few -still manage to retain that social prestige which was -the pride of quite a number in the past.</p> -<p class='c006'>A conspicuous instance is the Travellers’, a club -which from the days of its foundation has always -been somewhat capricious in electing members. -The list of public men who have been blackballed -here is considerable. The late Mr. Cecil Rhodes -was rejected in 1895, and at different times the -late Lord Sherbrooke, the late Lord Lytton, Lord -Randolph Churchill, and other public men have -met with the same ill fate.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Travellers’ Club was founded in the second -decade of the nineteenth century by Lord Castlereagh, -the present club-house being built by Barry -in 1832. Considerable amusement was aroused by -the qualification for membership (which still exists). -This laid down that candidates must have travelled -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>out of the British Isles to a distance of at least 500 -miles from London in a straight line.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The supposed partiality of members for exploration -was amusingly set forth by Theodore Hook in -the following lines:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The travellers are in Pall Mall, and smoke cigars so cosily,</div> - <div class='line in1'>And dream they climb the highest Alps, or rove the plains of Moselai.</div> - <div class='line in1'>The world for them has nothing new, they have explored all parts of it;</div> - <div class='line in1'>And now they are club-footed! and they sit and look at charts of it.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The club-house would appear to have been little -altered since its erection, with the exception that a -recess for smokers has been contrived in the entrance -hall. The building, it should be added, narrowly -escaped destruction on October 24, 1850, when a -fire did great damage to the billiard-rooms. These -were, by the way, an afterthought, and an addition -to the original building; but they were by no -means an improvement upon the first design, for -they greatly impaired the beauty of the garden front.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The library at the Travellers’ is a delightful room, -most admirably designed, with a fine classical frieze. -A relic preserved here is Thackeray’s chair; but as -the only connection of the great novelist with this -club appears to have been a blackballing, the -presence of such a memento seems rather strange.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Except the dining-room and the library, the -interior of the Travellers’ Club is somewhat cold -and bare. No pictures decorate its walls, and the -general appearance of the place, whilst highly -decorous, is hardly calculated to delight the eye.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Travellers’ still clings to certain rules framed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>in a more formal age, and smoking is prohibited -except in certain rooms. It is rather curious -that, in days when ladies tolerate cigarettes in their -very boudoirs, not a few clubs should still treat -smokers in the same way as prevailed in the days -when tobacco was only tolerated in one or two -uncomfortable apartments.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several distinguished men have belonged to this -club, the membership of which includes many high -Government officials—heads of Departments, Ambassadors, -and Chargés d’Affaires. The general -tone here is one of solemn tranquillity; and though -in former days there was a regular muster of whist-players, -which included Talleyrand, no game of -cards seems now to be played.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During the season of autumnal renovation the -Travellers’ extends its hospitality to one or two -other clubs. A dashing young soldier, becoming -in this way a visitor, and being desirous of playing -bridge, called for a couple of packs of cards and a -well-known racing paper. To his intense disgust -the astounded waiter who took the order, after -making inquiry, reported that the cards would have -to be obtained from outside, and the Travellers’ did -not take in the paper asked for.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though in a certain way a sociable club—for a -large proportion of the members are acquainted -with one another—the Travellers’ is principally -given up to reading, dozing, and meditation. Of -conversation there is but little.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another club which was founded during the -same epoch as the Travellers’ was the Oriental.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A hundred years ago there were several institutions -<span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>connected with the East in the West End. -Such were the Calcutta Club, the Madras Club, the -Bombay Club, and the China Club, frequented -chiefly by merchants and bankers. These, however, -were in reality associations rather than clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Bombay Club was located at 13 Albemarle -Street, and consisted of one large news-room and -an anteroom. It opened at ten in the morning -and closed at midnight, light refreshments being -obtainable of the porter, whilst smoking was strictly -prohibited.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The need for a regular club-house where Anglo-Indians -and others might meet in comfort gradually -came to be felt, and in July 1824 the Oriental -Club was started at 16 Lower Grosvenor Street. -The original club-house, it may be added, has now -become business premises, being occupied by Messrs. -Collard and Collard. It is said that when the -owner of this house gave it up to the club he sold -some of its furniture and effects to a certain -Mr. Joseph Sedley, afterwards immortalized by -Thackeray as the pseudo-collector of Boggley -Wallah.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The first steward of the Oriental was a Mr. -Pottanco, who had long been employed by Sir -John Malcolm, probably in the East. Members -presented books and pictures, and one, Sir Charles -Forbes, cheered the hearts of the Anglo-Indians -by sometimes sending a fine turtle to be converted -into soup.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The first chairman of the Oriental Club was Sir -John Malcolm, a very popular figure in society. -Sir John was a great talker, on account of which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>he had been nicknamed “Bahawder Jaw,” it was -said, by Canning. There were ten Malcolm brothers, -two of them Admirals. All ten seem to have possessed -the same characteristic, for when Lord -Wellesley was assured by Sir John that he and -three brothers had once met together in India, the -Governor-General declared it to be “impossible—quite -impossible!” Malcolm reiterated his statement. -“I repeat it is impossible; if four Malcolms -had come together, we should have heard the noise -all over India.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some of the members of the Oriental Club in -old days, no doubt owing to having resided for prolonged -periods in the East, had eccentric ways. -One member was dissatisfied with the Gruyère -cheese, calling it French, not Swiss, and insisted -that the waiter who brought it to him should -taste it. The waiter demurred, upon which the -member complained of his misconduct to the committee. -The latter, however, took the waiter’s part, -rightly conceiving that it was no part of the waiter’s -duty to act as cheese-taster. In another case, a -member removed his boots before the library fire, -and presently walked off in his stockinged feet into -another room. The library waiter, finding the -ownerless boots, took them away, and the member -on his return was so greatly annoyed that he stormed -at the waiter, speaking to him, according to the -waiter’s evidence, “very strong.” Here again the -committee, to whom it was referred, sided with the -waiter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There was no provision for smoking in the original -club-house of the Oriental, and permission to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>smoke within the walls was not accorded for some -forty years, although it was a constant source of -dispute between opposing factions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There are about thirty portraits in the Oriental -Club; several of them of a high class have been -copied for public buildings and institutions in India, -where the individuals portrayed passed most of -their careers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Iron Duke, Lords Clive, Cornwallis, Wellesley, -Lake, Hastings, Gough, Warren Hastings, -Major-General Stringer Lawrence, Sir John -Malcolm, Sir Henry Pottinger, Sir David Ochterlony, -and Sir James Outram are amongst the distinguished -men whose portraits adorn this club, -which also possesses a painting of considerable -historical interest, representing the surrender to -Marquis Cornwallis of the sons of Tippoo as -hostages for the fulfilment of the treaty of 1792. -This was painted by Walter Brown in 1793, and -presented to the club in 1883 by O. C. V. Aldis, Esq.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Besides paintings and busts which have been -presented, there is here a silver snuff-box, the gift -of a member, and a handsome silver candelabrum -presented to the club by Mr. John Rutherford on the -completion of fifty years of membership in 1880.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the Strangers’ Dining-Room hangs a stag-hunt -by Snyders, the figures by Rubens. The busts in -this club include Sir Henry Taylor, by D. Brucciani; -and Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, by Baron Marochetti; -whilst a curious coloured print after P. Carpenter -shows the ground of the Calcutta Cricket Club on -January 15, 1861. A number of fine heads and sporting -trophies presented by members decorate the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>interior of the house. It should be added that the -library at the Oriental, though not a large one, is of -considerable interest, as many of its books have been -written and presented by members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though the St. James’ Club, at 106 Piccadilly, -was not, like the Travellers’ and the Oriental, founded -for those who wander far afield, its membership, -owing to the club’s connection with diplomacy, -generally embraces many with an intimate knowledge -of foreign countries, and even the Far East.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house of the St. James’ was formerly -the abode of the Coventry Club, a somewhat -Bohemian institution, where there was a good deal -of gambling and a free supper. It seems to have -been an amusing place, to which many diplomatists -belonged. This club was established at 106 Piccadilly—formerly -Coventry House—in the early fifties -of the last century, and lasted a very short time, -being closed in March 1854. In 1860 the house -became the residence of Count Flahaut, the French -Ambassador, who added the eagles now to be seen -amidst the decorations of the dining-room ceiling -of the present St. James’ Club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The fine mansion was originally built for Sir Hugh -Hunlock by the architect Kent, on the site of the -old Greyhound Inn, and was bought by the Earl of -Coventry, in 1764, for £10,000, subject to the -ground-rent of £75 per annum. Sir Hugh must -have found the expenses of completing the house -too much for him, for he does not seem ever to have -lived there, and, according to tradition, Lord -Coventry bought the building before the roof -was on.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>Nevertheless a relic of Sir Hugh still remains in -the area, and may be seen from Piccadilly; this is -a very fine leaden eighteenth-century cistern, which -is embellished with some moulding of good design -and the letters “H. H., 1761.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>It is said that when the house was built it was the -only mansion standing west of Devonshire House.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Up to 1889 there were no pictures or engravings -in the St. James’ Club, but in that year, when considerable -additions were made at the back of the -building, a number of prints were presented by -the various embassies and legations. The most -valuable gift received was a water-colour drawing -by Turner of the village of Clunie, near Lausanne, -given by the late Sir Julian Goldsmid. Some -fine heads, a picture by Herbert Schmaltz, and -more prints were presented by other members. -A certain number of bedrooms exist for the use of -the members, and from the point of view of -comfort the club leaves very little to be desired.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The principal artistic feature of interest in -the house is the magnificent ceiling in the large -dining-room, which is enriched with a number of -small paintings by Angelica Kauffmann. The centre -painting is surrounded by a number of cartouches set -amidst a decorative design of considerable artistic -merit, probably the work of the brothers Adam.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Here and in the adjoining smaller dining-room -(where, most sensibly, smoking is allowed after lunch -and dinner) hang modern chandeliers of admirable -design. Both rooms were judiciously restored -twelve years ago, at which time some fine mahogany -doors were rescued from the rubbish heap.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>Special features of Coventry House in old days -were two octagon rooms, both of which had -fine marble mantelpieces (now covered up) immediately -beneath windows. The octagon room on the -first-floor—a boudoir—was, as its remains still show, -a triumph of eighteenth-century ornamentation. -Indeed, the exquisite taste exhibited on the walls, -over-door, and ceiling, give great cause for regret that -such a perfect example of English art should have -been defaced in order to form the serving-room -which it now is. The carpet had been worked by -Barbara, Countess of Coventry, wife of the original -owner of the mansion; and when the house ceased -to belong to the Coventry family, they took with -them this carpet, which in course of time was -divided into two, the separate portions going to -different branches. The portion belonging to the -present Earl was some years ago once more completed -by the addition of a new half worked at the -School of Art Needlework, and now forms the -centre of the drawing-room carpet at Croome.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Worked in cross-stitch, it is of many colours on a -neutral-tinted ground; garlands and wreaths tied -up with ribbons form part of the design of this -curious heirloom, which has been comparatively -uninjured by time.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In connection with the St. James’ Club, it should -be added that, according to tradition, an underground -passage once ran beneath Piccadilly into the -Park opposite, where the Lady Coventry who has -just been mentioned is supposed to have had a -garden. This story was probably suggested by the -fact that the Ranger’s Lodge was nearly opposite, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>and it is possible that there was some communication -between that structure and Coventry House.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The St. James’ is one of the most agreeable and -sociable clubs in London, and still maintains much -of that spirit of vitality which seems within the -last two decades to have deserted so many London -clubs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the early days of the St. James’ it was located -in Bennett Street, St. James’, and was later moved -to No. 4 Grafton Street, now the abode of the -New Club. This is a fine old house, which still -retains some of the features it possessed when it -was the residence of Lord Brougham.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the same house in Bennett Street first originated -the Turf Club, which was evolved from the -Arlington.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Of the Turf, which is probably the most exclusive -club in London, there is little to be said; for it is of -quite modern foundation, and the club-house, though -comfortable in the extreme, has no particular interest -from an artistic point of view. Like the -Athenæum, the Turf employs a design taken from -an antique gem on its notepaper, a centaur having -very appropriately been chosen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The lighting of the Turf was formerly by candles -set in the chandeliers. The latter still remain, but, -now that electric light is used, the candles are no -longer lighted.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another fashionable club is the Marlborough, -opposite Marlborough House in Pall Mall. This -was originally founded as a club where members -should not be restricted in their indulgence in -tobacco at a time when a number of regulations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>as to this habit existed in other clubs. King -Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, interested -himself in the foundation of the Marlborough Club, -having sympathized, it was understood, with the -attempt made in 1866 to modify a rule at White’s -which forbade smoking in the drawing-room. The -motion was defeated by a majority of twenty-three -votes, for the old school were bitterly opposed to -such an innovation. In consequence, the Prince, -though remaining an honorary member, ceased to -use the club, the newly-founded Marlborough -proving more congenial to his tastes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At the present day the Marlborough is used -chiefly as a lunching club. At night, like many -other clubs, it is now generally more or less empty.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house, being quite modern, contains -little to call for mention. In a former club, however, -which stood on the same site, there was in -the days of high play a special room downstairs -where money-lenders used to interview such -members as necessity had made their clients. The -room in question was known as the “Jerusalem -Chamber.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house of the Isthmian, at No. 105 -Piccadilly, has known many vicissitudes. At one -time it was the Pulteney Hotel, and afterwards it -became the abode of Lord Hertford. Subsequently -the house passed into the hands of the late Sir Julian -Goldsmid, who possessed an example of the work of -every living Royal Academician, as well as masterpieces -by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Romney. His -collection of works of art was very fine.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In its early days, when the club-house was in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span>Grafton Street, the Isthmian was nicknamed the -“Crèche.” It was originally founded as a club for -public-school men, and some of its members were -very young—a fact which gave rise to the humorous -appellation in question. From Grafton Street this -club migrated to Walsingham House, where it -remained until that short-lived building was pulled -down to make way for the palatial Ritz Hotel.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Isthmian, it should be added, following the -example of two or three other modern clubs, reserves -a portion of its club-house for the entertainment -of ladies, who are allotted a special entrance -of their own in Brick Street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The nickname of the “Crèche” applied to the -Isthmian in its early days was rather exceptional in -its wit, for most of the attempts at humorous club -names have missed their mark. Another amusing -instance, however, was a suggested title for the -now long-defunct Lotus, an institution which was -founded for the lighter forms of social intercourse -between ladies of the then flourishing burlesque -stage and men about town. This was the “Frou-Frou”—a -delicate allusion alike to the principal -founder, Mr. Russell, and the fairer portion of the -membership.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i220a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>OLD MANSIONS IN PICCADILLY, NOW CLUBS.<br />From a drawing of 1807.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>A pleasant social club which has recently been -structurally improved, bedrooms having been added, -is the Windham, No. 11 St. James’s Square. This -club owes its name to the fact that the mansion -was once the residence of William Windham, who -was considered a model of the true English gentleman -of his day. Though William Windham was -a great supporter of old English sports, including -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>bull-baiting (which he defended with such success -in the House of Commons that only after his death -could a Bill against it be passed), he was at the same -time an accomplished scholar and mathematician. -Dr. Johnson, writing of a visit which Windham -paid him, said: “Such conversation I shall not have -again till I come back to the regions of literature, -and there Windham is ‘inter stellas luna minores.’”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In this house also lived the accomplished John, -Duke of Roxburghe; and here the Roxburghe -Library was sold in 1812. Lord Chief Justice -Ellenborough lived in the mansion in 1814, and -subsequently it was occupied by the Earl of -Blessington, who possessed a fine collection of -pictures. The Windham, it should be added, was -founded by Lord Nugent for those connected with -each other by a common bond of literary or personal -acquaintance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house, which is very comfortable, contains -a number of prints, but, as the vast majority -of these are modern, they scarcely call for mention.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Bachelors’, at the corner of Piccadilly and -Park Lane, is essentially a young man’s club. Only -bachelors can be elected, and any member who -becomes a Benedict must submit himself to the -ballot in order to be permitted to remain a member, -being also obliged to pay a fine of £25. Ladies -may be introduced as visitors, but, it is almost -needless to add, their introducer is responsible for -his guests being of a standing eligible for presentation -at Court.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The same hospitable usage prevails at the Orleans -in King Street, a pleasant little club decorated with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>sporting engravings, which has always prided itself -upon the excellence of its cuisine.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Wellington, like the Bachelors’ and Orleans, -is another sociable club which offers its members -the privilege of entertaining ladies in a portion of -the building specially set aside for their use. In -the club-house is a collection of fine heads, trophies -of the successful big-game shooting expeditions of -sporting members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A long-established non-political club, essentially -English in tone, is the Union, at the south-west -angle of Trafalgar Square. The original home of -this club was Cumberland House, where it was -first started in 1805, the chairman then being the -Marquis of Headfort. George Raggett, well known -as the manager of White’s, became club-master in -1807, and at that time the membership was not to -be less than 250. The Dukes of Sussex and York, -together with Byron and a number of other well-known -men, joined the club in 1812. Nine years -later it was decided to reconstitute the club and to -build a new club-house, and Sir Robert Peel and four -other members of the committee selected the present -site. By that time the membership had increased -to 800, and it was the first members’ club in London. -The fine club-house in Trafalgar Square, built by -Sir Robert Smirke, R.A., was opened in 1824. A -most comfortable club, the Union well maintains -its long-established reputation for good English fare -and carefully selected wines. In old days its haunch -of mutton and apple tart were widely celebrated, and -many gourmets belonged to it. Amongst these was -Sir James Aylott, a two-bottle man, who was one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>day shocked to observe James Smith (part author of -“The Rejected Addresses”) with half a pint of sherry -before him. After eyeing the modest bottle with -contempt, Aylott at last burst out with: “So I see -you have taken to those d——d life-preservers!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Most of the furniture at the Union is that supplied -by Dowbiggin, the celebrated upholsterer, -seventy or eighty years ago, and there are some -good clocks by the royal clockmaker, Vulliamy. -A good deal of the club plate is silver bearing the -date 1822, and there is a good library. No pictures -hang on the walls. The Union has been, ever -since its institution, an abode of solid comfort, and -it prides itself upon keeping up the old traditions -of a London club-house as these were understood -a century ago.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Amongst London’s political clubs, the Carlton -unquestionably takes the first place. Originally -founded by the great Duke of Wellington and a -few of his most intimate political friends, it was -first established in Charles Street, St. James’s, in -the year 1831. In the following year it removed -to larger premises, Lord Kensington’s, in Carlton -Gardens. In 1836 an entirely new club-house was -built in Pall Mall by Sir Robert Smirke, R.A.; -this was small, and soon became inadequate to its -wants, though a very large addition was made to -it in 1846 by Mr. Sydney Smirke, who in 1854 -rebuilt the whole house, copying Sansovino’s Library -of St. Mark at Venice.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This club contains members of every kind of -Conservatism, many of them men of high position -in fortune and politics.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>The Carlton has been the scene of many important -political consultations and combinations.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was in the hall here that Lord Randolph -Churchill learnt of the appointment of Mr. Goschen -to the Chancellorship of the Exchequer, which, -it is said, he had just resigned under the impression -that, being the only possible man for the -position, he would be begged to reconsider his -decision.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was in the hall with a friend, when a boy came -through to put up a slip of telegraphic news. Lord -Randolph stopped him and read the telegram, after -which he said: “All great men make mistakes! -Napoleon forgot Blücher—I forgot Goschen.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A well-known figure at the Carlton some years -ago was Mr. Andrew Montagu, known to his -intimate friends as “the Little Squire,” whose -death created a considerable sensation; for, as was -well known, he had rendered great financial assistance -to his party. He had, indeed, played a more -important part in the secret history of his own times -than was realized by the outside world. It has -been asserted that about two millions of his money -was out on mortgage—partly advanced to important -politicians, and partly distributed amongst institutions -connected with Tory organizations. Mr. -Montagu was a most generous and open-handed -man, and would always use his interest to assist -young aspirants to place and position, though he -himself cared nothing for these. He was, it is said, -frequently offered a peerage; but as the particular -title which he desired was claimed by someone else, -to whom it was eventually given, he died plain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>Mr. Montagu, which he had been perfectly content -to remain.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The library upstairs contains a large number of -volumes, and a most complete collection of books -necessary to the politician. Smoking is allowed -in the larger room, but not in the small library -adjoining.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A number of oil-paintings representing celebrated -Conservative statesmen decorate the walls of the -Carlton. In the large entrance hall are portraits of -Lord North, Lord Chatham, Lord Castlereagh, and -the great Sir Robert Peel; on the staircase a -portrait of the first Lord Cranbrook; whilst the -first-floor is adorned by fine full-length pictures -of the late Lord Salisbury by Sir Hubert Herkomer, -and of Lord Abergavenny by Mr. Mark Milbanke. -The dining-room at the Carlton also contains -several portraits, amongst them Lord Beaconsfield,<a id='r6' /><a href='#f6' class='c013'><sup>[6]</sup></a> -after Millais. Mr. Balfour, by Sargent, subscribed -for by members, has been added within recent years. -Owing to an entirely new scheme of colour decoration, -the interior of this club-house is now very -much improved. The conversion of the great central -hall into a comfortable carpeted lounge with chairs -is also an innovation of a most convenient kind.</p> - -<div class='footnote c018' id='f6'> -<p class='c015'><span class='label'><a href='#r6'>6</a>. </span>One of the dining-room chairs bears the inscription: -“Lord Beaconsfield’s chair.”</p> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Carlton possesses a quantity of good silver, -and in the way of comfort stands in front of almost -all clubs in the world. Nowhere, perhaps, are the -minor details of everyday life so well looked after; -every kind of notepaper is at the command of -members, whilst the facilities for reference are unequalled. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>This club has a fine library, which is -presided over by a librarian.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Perhaps the most prosperous club in London is -the Junior Carlton, which owns its own freehold. -The property is said to be worth over £200,000. -This palatial club-house is modern in style, but in -a small room off the hall is a fine old mantelpiece, -which was originally in one of the houses pulled -down to make way for the new building.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Statues of Lord Beaconsfield and the fourteenth -Earl of Derby decorate the hall, whilst the pictures -in the club-house include full-length portraits of -the late Queen Victoria by Sir Hubert Herkomer, -and of the late King Edward by the Hon. A. -Stuart-Wortley. This was painted when the King -was Prince of Wales. In the smoking-room hang -portraits of Lord Beaconsfield, Lord Derby, Lord -Abergavenny, the Iron Duke, and other statesmen. -A few pictures also hang on the staircase -and elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The picture of the Duke of Wellington originally -represented him standing in the House of Lords, -but for some reason or other the background of -benches was painted out by the artist. Within -recent years, however, the Upper Chamber has -once more asserted itself by bursting through the -coat of paint.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The library at the Junior Carlton Club is one of -the most delightful rooms in London—an abode of -restful peace which was highly appreciated by the -late Lord Salisbury, who was often to be observed -here reading. It was said that he frequented this -room because he was sure of finding undisturbed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>quiet. Huge placards, on which are printed the -word “<span class='sc'>Silence</span>,” are on each of the mantelpieces, -and the reposeful atmosphere of the place is seldom -troubled by any sound louder than footfalls on the -soft carpet or the turning over of book-leaves.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A round table in this club, used for private -dinner-parties, is said to be the biggest in London; -twenty-five people can sit at it.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Conservative Club, which occupies a portion -of the site of the old Thatched House Tavern -(pulled down in 1843), 74 St. James’s Street, was -designed by Sydney Smirke and George Basevi, -1845. The upper portion is Corinthian, with -columns and pilasters, and a frieze sculptured with -the imperial crown and oak wreaths; the lower -order is Roman-Doric, and the wings are slightly -advanced, with an enriched entrance porch north -and a bay-window south. The interior was -painted in colour by Mr. Sang, by whom, -after long years, it has since been redecorated. -This happened a few years ago, when, after considerable -discussion, it was decided to restore the -original scheme of decoration which some little -time before had been discarded in favour of plain -white marble.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A bust of the late Queen Victoria is on the -landing of the very handsome staircase of the Conservative -Club, and on the first-floor are other -busts, together with a full-length statue of Lord -Beaconsfield. A picture of the Piazza San Marco -at Venice, by Canaletto, hangs in the large smoking-room -upstairs.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A feature of this club is the excellent library, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>which is especially rich in county histories. It is -a quiet, restful room, and has everything necessary -to render it an ideal resort for lovers of books.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The dining-tables in the Conservative Club date -from its foundation, and are of mahogany. The -pleasing old custom of removing the tablecloth -after dinner still prevails. Unfortunately, about -eleven years ago the great majority of these little -tables were sent to have their surfaces planed down! -The committee of that day (who must have been -totally devoid of any vestige of taste) were of -opinion that the surface was becoming too “old-looking.” -The result is, that it will require a great -number of years before these tables regain the -beautiful <i>patine</i> which still distinguishes those—about -eight in number—which happily escaped -renovation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Devonshire Club, in St. James’s Street, -though originally a Liberal or rather a Whig Club, -now includes many shades of opinion, Liberal -Unionists being plentiful. There is a good library -here. The club-house, it is interesting to remember, -was once a magnificent Temple of Chance, over -which presided the celebrated Crockford.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i228a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>CROCKFORD’S IN 1828.<br />From a drawing by T. H. Shepherd.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The present building is, with some alterations, -the same as the one constructed in 1827—on the -site of three houses then demolished—for the -famous ex-fishmonger by the brothers Wyatt. -The decorations alone, it is said, cost £94,000, and -consist of two wings and a centre, with four -Corinthian pilasters and entablature, and a -balustrade throughout; the ground-floor has -Venetian windows, and the upper story large -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>French windows. The entrance hall has a screen -of Roman-Ionic scagliola columns with gilt capitals, -and a cupola of gilding and stained glass. The -staircase was panelled with scagliola, and enriched -with Corinthian columns. The grand drawing-room -was in the style of Louis Quatorze, as it was -understood at that day; its ceiling had enrichments -of bronze-gilt, with door paintings à la -Watteau. Upon the opening of the club-house, it -was described as “the New Pandemonium.” The -gambling-room (now the dining-room of the -Devonshire Club) consisted of four chambers: the -first an anteroom, opening to a saloon embellished -to a high degree; out of it a small curiously-formed -cabinet or boudoir, opening to the supper-room. -All these rooms were panelled in the most gorgeous -manner, spaces being adorned with mirrors, silk or -gold enrichments, and the ceilings as gorgeous as -the walls. A billiard-room on the upper floor -completed the number of apartments professedly -dedicated to the use of the members. Whenever -any secret manœuvre was to be carried on, there -were smaller and more retired places, whose walls -might be relied upon to tell no tales.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Crockford, next to the late M. Blanc, of Monte -Carlo fame, was probably the most efficient -manager of a gambling establishment who ever -existed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>He possessed great tact, and thoroughly understood -how to humour his clients, most of whose -money eventually drifted into his pockets.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A newly-elected member one night, during a lull -in play, jokingly said to Crockford: “I will bet a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>sovereign against the choice of your pictures, of -which there are many hanging round the walls, -that I throw in six mains.” To this he consented. -The member took the box, and threw in seven -times successively, and then walked round the -room to make his selection. There was a St. -Cecilia, by Westall, which he had before admired, -and that he chose, which of course provoked a good -deal of laughter. Other members then followed -his example; the result being that they won -several of the oil-paintings, which they bore -triumphantly away.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The cook, Louis Eustache Ude, was celebrated -throughout Europe, as was his successor Francatelli. -Crockford’s policy was to run his establishment on -the most luxurious lines, making no profit except -on the gambling; and therefore the dinners, -though perfect, were very reasonable in price. -In addition, all the dainties of the season, fish, -flesh, and fowl, were cooked after the most approved -Parisian models, and were tortured into shapes -that defied recognition. One of the favourite -dishes was Boudin de cerises à la Bentinck—cherry -pudding without the stones—which was named -after Lord George, a frequent visitor to the club. -No one was charged for ale or porter, until one -day a hungry member dined off the joint and drank -three pints of bottled ale, after which Crockford -made a change in the charges, with the remark -that “a glass or two was all very well, but three -pints were too much of a good thing.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>On one occasion, in the list of game on August 10, -appeared some grouse. The Marquis of Queensberry, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>a great sportsman, summoned Ude to Bow -Street, and had him fined for infringing the Game -Laws. The following day Lord Queensberry -looked at the bill of fare, and no grouse appeared -in it. He was about to sit down to dinner, when -a friend came in, who proposed joining him. Each -selected his own dishes. When they were served, -there was a slight hesitation in Ude’s manner, but -they attributed it to the fine he had recently paid. -An entrée followed some excellent soup and fish, -Ude saying, “This is my lord’s,” uncovering a -dish containing a mutton cutlet à la soubise, “and -this Sir John’s,” placing the latter as far from the -noble Marquis as possible. “Have a cutlet,” said -Lord Queensberry. The Baronet assented. “And -you in return can have some of my entrée.” At -last it came to the moment when Sir John’s dish -was to be uncovered. “What on earth is this?” -asked Ude’s prosecutor, as he took up a leg of the -salmis; “it cannot be partridge or pheasant; bring -the bill of fare.” The waiter obeyed. “Why, -what does this mean? ‘Salmis de fruit défendu!’—grouse, -I verily believe.” Ude apologized, -declaring that the grouse had been in the house -before he was summoned. The Marquis chose to -believe his statement, and allowed the matter to -drop.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some members were very particular and trying -to the patience of the world-famed French cook. -At one period of his presidency, the ground of -a complaint formally addressed to the committee -was that there was an admixture of onion in the -soubise. This chef was sensitive as to complaints. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>Colonel Darner, happening to enter Crockford’s -one evening to dine early, found Ude walking up -and down in a towering passion, and naturally -inquired what was the matter. “No matter, -Monsieur le Colonel! Did you see that gentleman -who has just gone out? Well, he ordered a red -mullet for his dinner. I made him a delicious -little sauce with my own hands. The price of the -mullet was marked as two shillings, and I asked sixpence -for the sauce; this he refuses to pay. The -imbecile must think that the red mullets come out -of the sea with my sauce in their pockets.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Devonshire Club possesses some relics of -Crockford’s in the shape of an etching by R. Seymour, -which hangs in the corridor smoking-room, where -are also six of the original chairs used in the -old gaming-room. The etching of Crockford was -presented by Captain Shean; the chairs, in 1902, -by another member—Mr. T. J. Barratt.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i232a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>INTERIOR OF THE REFORM CLUB.<br />From a drawing of 1841.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Reform Club, in Pall Mall, took its name -from the great Reform movement, which it was -founded to promote, in opposition to the Carlton. -Its virtual founder and first chairman was Edward -Ellice, who drew his wealth from the Hudson Bay -Company, and his political influence from his long -representation of Coventry and from his energy in -supporting Reform. It was said that he had more -to do with the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832 -than any other man. The club was established in -1836, to be a nursery of the great political idea -which that Bill represented. For a few years it -was domiciled in Gwydyr House, Whitehall. At -the house in Pall Mall, some years previously, the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>temporary National Gallery had remained in the -house of Mr. Angerstein, whose pictures were the -nucleus of the national collection. While, therefore, -the Reform Club was rising to accommodate -its members, the National Gallery was being built -in Trafalgar Square to receive the pictures.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The architect of the new building was instructed -to do his best to produce a club-house finer than -any yet built. The Reform is mostly Italian in -style, copied by Barry in some respects from the -Farnese Palace at Rome, designed by Michael -Angelo. The chief feature of the interior is a hall -running up to the top of the building, an Italian -cortile surrounded by a colonnade, half Ionic and -half Corinthian. The Reform is about the only -one of the older clubs which provides bedrooms for -its members—a convenience much appreciated by -members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Let into the walls of this hall are a number of -portraits of Liberal politicians of the past. Amongst -them are Bright and Palmerston. There are also -some busts of former great lights of the party, such -as Mr. Gladstone. A graceful statue of Elektra -is another conspicuous ornament of this well-proportioned -hall.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Like the Carlton, the Reform Club possesses -a quantity of silver plate, dating from the time of -its foundation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The kitchen of the Reform was long presided -over by Alexis Soyer, one of the great cooks of -history. He came to England on a visit to his -brother, who was chef to the old Duke of Cambridge, -son of George III, and afterwards was cook to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>several noblemen, till eventually appointed chef of -the club. Soyer created a great sensation in -culinary circles by introducing steam and gas. He -cooked some famous political banquets for the club, -among them a dinner to O’Connell, another to -Ibrahim Pasha, and a third to Lord Palmerston. -Soyer, indeed, became quite a public character, -being sent to Ireland during the great famine, to -teach the starving people how to dine on little or -nothing; and at the worst period of the Crimean -winter it was hoped he might make amends for a -defective commissariat.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Madame Soyer was as clever as her husband in -another line: a woman of considerable artistic -attainments, she painted quite prettily in water-colours.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Both she and the great chef sleep their last sleep -in Kensal Green Cemetery, where a sort of mausoleum -bears the appropriate inscription: “Soyer -tranquil.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the Reform Club’s triumphs was the -breakfast given there on the occasion of the -Queen’s Coronation, which won high commendation. -The excellent cooking imparted celebrity to -the great political banquets given at the Reform.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Soyer was a man of discrimination, taste, and -genius. He was led to conceive the idea of his -great book on cookery—“Gastronomic Regeneration”—he -declared, by observing in the elegant -library of an accomplished nobleman the works of -Shakespeare, Milton, and Johnson, in gorgeous -bindings, but wholly dust-clad and overlooked, -while a book on cookery bore every indication of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>being daily consulted and revered. “This is fame,” -exclaimed Soyer, seizing the happy inference, and -forthwith seized his pen.</p> - -<p class='c006'>John Bright was often at the Reform, where it -was said he passed his time indulging in billiards -and abstaining from wine. Other well-known men -who were members were Douglas Jerrold, Sala, -William Black, James Payn, and Thackeray, who -became a member in 1840. He used to stand in -the smoking-room, his back to the fire, his legs -rather wide apart, his hands thrust into his trousers -pockets, and his head stiffly thrown backward, while -he joined in the talk of the men occupying the -semicircle of chairs in front of him. It is said that -on one occasion, observing beans and bacon on the -evening dinner list, he cancelled without hesitation -a dinner engagement elsewhere, on the ground that -“he had met an old friend he had not seen for -many a long day.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At one time a small group of men, which Bernal -Osborne nicknamed “the press gang,” met daily -for lunch at a table in one of the windows looking -out upon the gardens in front of Carlton Terrace. -This group was originally composed of James Payn -and William Black, J. R. Robinson of the <i>Daily -News</i>, J. C. Parkinson, and Sir T. Wemyss Reid, -but as time went on others joined. At these -luncheons there was always a great deal of pleasant -and harmless chaff, with some more serious talk, -although by mutual agreement politics were generally -tabooed. James Payn was the life and soul -of the party, and dedicated one of the best of his -novels—“By Proxy”—to the group which he had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>so often enlivened. Another lively spirit here was -William Black, who, though not as brilliant a talker -as Payn, could cap his jests with an epigram or -quaint joke of much flavour.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Bernal Osborne occasionally attended these -lunches, where, however, he curbed that mordant -wit which was known to all and feared by most. -At the Reform lunches he was always harmless, -though unable to resist referring to Black’s habit -of drinking a pint of champagne at luncheon. He -would point to the bottle, and say: “Young man, -in ten years’ time you will not be doing that.” -Ten years later, however, Black recalled Bernal -Osborne’s warnings, and dwelt with pride upon the -fact that he had survived his censor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The very large political clubs, such as the -Constitutional, the Junior Constitutional, and the -National Liberal, hardly come within the scope -of this book. It may, however, be mentioned that, -whilst the National Liberal has an ingeniously contrived -system (the idea of which was originally -conceived by Mr. Arthur Williams, sometime -M.P. for Glamorgan) whereby very young men -are attracted to join the club, nothing of the sort -seems to have been attempted by any similar -institution purporting to further the spread of -Conservative principles.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER IX<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>THE NATIONAL—OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE—UNITED UNIVERSITY—NEW UNIVERSITY—NEW OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE—UNITED SERVICE—ARMY AND NAVY—NAVAL AND MILITARY—GUARDS—ROYAL NAVAL CLUB—CALEDONIAN—JUNIOR ATHENÆUM</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>About the most valuable artistic possession owned -by any London club is the fine set of Flemish -tapestries in the drawing-room of the National Club, -1 Whitehall Gardens. These were acquired with the -club-house in 1845 from Lord Ailsa, who had bought -them in Belgium shortly after Waterloo. The -price paid was very moderate—£200—and at the -present time the tapestries in question are in all -probability worth over ten times as much.</p> -<p class='c006'>A curious and interesting feature at the National -is the building which now serves as a billiard-room; -careful inspection reveals that in the days before -the construction of the Thames Embankment this -was a boat-house, up to which water flowed. An -old member of the club perfectly remembers barges -coming up the river and unloading the bricks with -which an additional story was built.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The National Club was originally founded for -those holding strongly Evangelical views; the late -<span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>Lord Shaftesbury, of philanthropic fame, was a -member, and to it some staunch pillars of Protestantism -still belong. Of recent years a number -of Government officials and literary men have -somewhat relieved the austerity of tone which -formerly prevailed, but the National yet adheres -to most of the practices instituted at its foundation, -and remains the only club where morning and -evening prayers are regularly read.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The tone of the National is rather more intellectual -than that of the majority of West End -clubs. It somewhat resembles that of the grave -institutions frequented by Deans and Bishops, -where the membership is limited to those who -have been at one of the great Universities.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Of such clubs, the best known is the Oxford and -Cambridge, which was originally started, in 1830, -at a meeting presided over by Lord Palmerston -at the British Coffee-house, in Cockspur Street. -The club’s first home was a house in St. James’s -Square, where it remained till suitable premises -were built, in 1836–37, on the Crown property in -Pall Mall. These premises it still occupies. The -architects were Sir Robert Smirke and his brother -Sydney, who produced an imposing façade on Pall -Mall, with very rich ornamental details. In panels -over the upper windows, seven in number, are -arranged several bas-reliefs, executed by Mr. Nicholl, -who was also employed on those of the Fitzwilliam -Museum at Cambridge. The subject of that at -the east end of the building is Homer; then follow -Bacon and Shakespeare. The centre panel contains -a group of Apollo and the Muses, with Minerva on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>his right hand, and a female, personifying the fountain -Hippocrene, on his left. The three remaining -panels represent Milton, Newton, and Virgil.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In addition to many ordinary amenities of club-life, -two chief attractions here are the fine library -and the excellent cellar, which enjoys a well-deserved -reputation for fine claret.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The United University Club, the entrance of -which is in Suffolk Street, Pall Mall, was originally -housed in a building constructed by W. Wilkins, -R.A., and J. P. Gandy, in 1826. An upper floor, -with a smoking-room, was added in 1852. A few -years ago, however, the club-house was entirely -rebuilt from designs by Blomfield, the new club-house -being a sort of compromise between the -Adam and Louis Seize styles. A feature of this -club is the very interesting collection of Oxford -University Calendars, with ornately engraved views -and scenes, many of them highly picturesque and -quaint. The smoking-room also contains a number -of views of colleges, whilst in the dining-room hang -portraits in oil of the first Duke of Wellington, Lord -Melbourne, and Mr. Gladstone. Membership of this -club is limited to 1,000—500 of the University of -Oxford, and 500 of the University of Cambridge.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This was Mr. Gladstone’s favourite club, where -he might sometimes have been seen partaking of a -simple dinner, his attention divided between a chop -and some learned work.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Members of this club must have taken a degree -at one of the two great Universities, and many distinguished -men have belonged to it—the Church -and the Bar being generally well represented.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>The New University Club, in St. James’s Street, -built by Alfred Waterhouse, R.A., in 1868, and -the New Oxford and Cambridge, in Pall Mall, are -also flourishing institutions, which, however, do not -appear to contain any pictures or <i>objets d’art</i> of -conspicuous interest.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Amongst the most important clubs of London -are those used by the military. In old days most -officers spent a good deal of time in London, many -leading a life of luxurious ease. A curious incident -illustrating this occurred in 1858.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In that year, on the occasion of one of the regiments -of the Life Guards being ordered to take -part in a course of instruction at Aldershot, a -wealthy Captain tendered his resignation. The -Commander-in-Chief, however, declined to accept -it, and eventually the gallant Captain was persuaded -by his Colonel to remain in the regiment, and -undergo for a short period the vicissitudes of camp -life. At that time it was with some difficulty that -officers could be obtained for the Household Cavalry, -for to be a military man was often much the same -thing as being a man of pleasure. Clubs were -thronged with officers at certain times of the year. -Though this state of affairs has passed away, the -service clubs still retain their popularity. Excellent -management distinguishes these institutions, -of which the first to be established was the United -Service. This was founded in May 1831, as the -General Military Club for naval and military officers, -by Sir Thomas Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch), -Lord Hill, and some other officers. Naval -men, however, were admitted in the following year, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>when the name was changed. At first it was only -open to officers of field rank, beginning with a -Major in the army, and the corresponding rank of -Commander in the navy. The club’s original abode -was in Charles Street, St. James’s; the site of the -present premises in Pall Mall was obtained ten -years later on a ninety years’ lease from the Crown. -The old club-house was then sold to the new Junior -United Service Club for £17,442, which considerable -sum went to defray the cost of the new building -in Pall Mall. This, with furniture, amounted -to £49,743. Nash was the architect, and it was -finished in November 1828. An addition was made -about 1858 by the acquisition of the lease of the -adjoining site, the sum of £34,000 being spent in -connecting it with the older house and adapting it -for the purposes of a club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house is a fine building with a classical -portico in the front facing Pall Mall. The interior -is well planned, and is a good specimen of the -style popular in Nash’s day. The Senior and -Junior United Service, with the Army and Navy, -or “Rag,” once received the three nicknames -of “Cripplegate,” “Billingsgate,” and “Hellgate”—the -first from the prevailing advanced -years and infirmity of its members; the second on -account of the supposed tendencies of certain officers -who followed the traditions of the army which -“swore in Flanders”; and the last from its love of -high play.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The United Service contains many interesting -pictures and some statuary, the most striking -example of which, in the entrance hall, is a colossal -<span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span>bust of the Duke of Wellington, by Pistrucci. Six -other busts represent Lord Seaton, by G. G. Adam; -King William IV, by Joseph; Nelson, by Flaxman; -Sir Henry Keppel, by H.S.H. Prince Victor -of Hohenlohe-Langenburg; and Lieutenant-General -Lord Cardigan, by Marochetti (the gift of -his widow). The sculptor of the sixth bust, representing -Admiral Sir Thomas M. Hardy, Bart., is -unknown.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The pictures in the morning-, coffee-, and -smoking-rooms include the following portraits: -Admiral Viscount Exmouth (a copy by S. Lane, -after Lawrence); General Sir John Moore (a copy -by W. Robinson, after Lawrence); Major-General -Charles G. Gordon, by Dickinson, from a photograph; -Field-Marshal Lord Raglan, by F. Grant; -Field-Marshal Lord Clyde (a copy by Graves, -after F. Grant); Admiral Lord Rodney (a copy by -Bullock, after Reynolds); Field-Marshal H.R.H. -the Duke of Cambridge, by A. S. Cope, A.R.A.; -Field-Marshal Sir John F. Burgoyne, by Graves, -from a photograph; Field-Marshal Viscount Combermere, -by W. Ross; Charles, fifth Duke of Richmond, -K.G., by A. Baccani; John, first Duke of -Marlborough, by Sir G. Kneller; Field-Marshal -the Marquis of Anglesey (a copy by W. Ross, after -Lawrence); General Lord Lynedoch, by Sir T. -Lawrence; Admiral Lord de Saumarez, by S. Lane; -General Sir James Macdonell (a copy by Say); -Admiral Earl St. Vincent, by Sir W. Beechey; -Admiral Sir Thomas Troubridge, Bart., by S. -Drummond; Earl de Grey, by H. W. Pickersgill; -Field-Marshal Viscount Gough, by Sir F. Grant, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>R.A.; Lieutenant-General Lord Saltoun, by Sir -T. Lawrence; Vice-Admiral Sir Francis Drake (a -copy by Lane from an original in the possession -of the donor, Sir T. T. Drake); General Sir Ralph -Abercrombie, by Colvin Smith; Admiral of the -Fleet Sir George Cockburn, by T. Mackay; Field-Marshal -Sir Edward Blakeney, by Catterson Smith, -R.H.A.; General Viscount Beresford, by Reuben -Sayers; Field-Marshal Lord Seaton, by W. Fisher; -General Hon. Sir G. Lowry Cole (a copy by -Harrison after Lawrence); Admiral Sir Pulteney -Malcolm (a copy by Dickinson, after Lane); -General Sir J. Frederick Love, by A. Baccani; -Field-Marshal Lord Strathnairn, by Bassano, from -a photograph; Admiral Viscount Keith (a copy -by Hayes, after Saunders); Admiral Sir Charles -Napier, by J. M. Joy; General George Augustus -Elliott, Lord Heathfield (a copy by S. Lane, after -Sir T. Reynolds); Admiral Earl Howe (a copy by -J. Harrison); the Emperor Napoleon I, by an -unknown artist (the gift of Colonel Bivar); Allied -Generals before Sevastopol; Major-General Sir R. -Dick, by W. Salter; General Sir George Brown, -by Werner; Field-Marshal Lord Napier of Magdala -(a replica by S. Dickenson); Admiral of the -Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin, by T. Mackay.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The grand staircase is embellished by a statue -of H.R.H. the Duke of York, by T. Campbell, and -the following pictures: The Battle of Trafalgar, by -C. Stanfield; Admiral Lord Nelson, the head by -Jackson, finished by W. Robinson; Field-Marshal -the Duke of Wellington, by W. Robinson; General -Lord Hill, a replica by H. W. Pickersgill; and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>Admiral Lord Collingwood, a copy by Colvin -Smith, after Owen. There is also a picture of The -Battle of Waterloo, by G. Jones.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the upper billiard-room is a picture of the -Battle of Trafalgar, the frame of which is wood -from the timbers of the <i>Victory</i>.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Junior United Service Club, amongst other -valuable pictures, possesses two from the brush of -Sir Thomas Lawrence. Here are also a number of -military relics, including the sword which Lord Hill -carried at Waterloo. A more grim souvenir is some -locks of hair from the heads of women and children -massacred during the Indian Mutiny at Cawnpore.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Kitchener and Sir John French are old -members of this club.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i244a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>THE ARMY AND NAVY CLUB.<br />From an early drawing.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The Army and Navy Club, in Pall Mall, known as -the “Rag,” possesses one of the finest club-houses -in the world. It was originally established as the -Army Club, but owing to a desire expressed by the -Iron Duke, naval officers were admitted, and the -name altered in consequence. The club-house in Pall -Mall was only opened some ten years later, having -been built as a copy of the Palazzo Rezzonico at -Venice. The original model for the building is -still in the club. Captain William Duff, of the -23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers, first invented the -nickname of the “Rag.” He was a celebrated man -about town at a time when knocker-wrenching and -other similar pranks were in favour; Billy Duff’s -exploits in such a line were notorious. Coming in -to supper late one night, the refreshment obtainable -appeared so meagre that he nicknamed the club -the “Rag and Famish.” This tickled the fancy of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>the members, and a club button, bearing the nickname -and a starving man gnawing a bone, was -designed, and for a time worn by many members -in evening dress. Such buttons are still made.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The original premises occupied by the Army and -Navy Club, when it was opened in 1838, were at -the corner of King Street and St. James’s Square, -in a house, then numbered 16, which in 1814 had -been Lord Castlereagh’s. Two doors down was -the house occupied by Mrs. Boehm in 1815. This -lady, who “gave fashionable balls and masquerades,” -was entertaining the Prince Regent at dinner when -the news of the victory of Waterloo arrived. The -post-chaise, containing Major Henry Percy, with -the despatches, stopped first at Lord Castlereagh’s, -and then went on to Mrs. Boehm’s. The carriage, -out of the windows of which three French eagles -projected, was followed by a great crowd. The -site of Mrs. Boehm’s house now forms part of the -East India United Service Club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Before the Army and Navy Club, another club, -the Oxford and Cambridge New University, occupied -No. 16. The Army and Navy remained here -until the purchase of its present freehold site; but -while the new house was being built it moved into -No. 13, then known as Lichfield House, and the -next but one to the north-west corner of the square. -It was so called after the Earl of Lichfield, who was -Postmaster-General in Lord Melbourne’s Administration, -and it was the home of the club until -February 25, 1851.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The new club-house has a frontage of 80 feet in -Pall Mall and 100 feet in St. James’s Square. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span>price of the site, together with the excavations, -concreting, and so forth, amounted to £52,000; -the building cost £54,000, and furnishing £10,000 -more; so that the total outlay on the club-house -was £116,000. The architects were Messrs. Parnell -and Smith, who adopted as their model the well-known -Palazzo Rezzonico, which occupies a prominent -position on the Grand Canal in Venice. -Representations of this palace hang in various -rooms of the club. The builders of the house were -Messrs. Trego, Smith, and Appleford, and the first -stone of the new building was laid on May 13, 1848, -by Colonel Daniell, of the Coldstream Guards.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The freeholds purchased by the club included a -house owned by the trustees of the Baroness de -Mauley, which had formerly been in the possession -of Spencer, Earl of Wilmington, and afterwards of -John, Earl of Buckinghamshire. This was No. 20, -St. James’s Square, which had at more recent dates -been occupied by the Hon. W. Ponsonby and by -the Parthenon and Colonial Clubs. Other properties -purchased were the freehold of Mr. Martineau, -No. 3 George Street; Nos. 36 and 37, the freehold -of Mr. Malton; Mrs. Justice’s freehold, -No. 38 Pall Mall; and that of Mr. Tegart, No. 39 -Pall Mall.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This club contains some interesting relics; -amongst them, in the smoking-room, is a mantelpiece -from the Malmaison, carved by Canova. One -of the figures supporting this, however, is modern, -and the difference from the other carved by the -great sculptor can be clearly discerned.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another treasured possession of the Army and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>Navy Club is the Nell Gwynn mirror, which is -over the fireplace in the members’ smoking-room. -This was in Lord de Mauley’s house, and -is probably a genuine relic. A silver fruit-knife -which is said to have belonged to the celebrated -beauty, bearing the date 1680, has its place in the -smoking-room, just below the mirror. The portrait -of her by Sir Peter Lely which hangs in the -same room was presented by a member, and took -the place of another for years said to be Louise de -Querouaille. In reality, this represents Mary of -Modena.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As late as the eighteenth century the back room -on the ground-floor of the old house on this site -was covered with looking-glass, as was said to have -been the ceiling also. Over the chimney-piece was -a picture of Nell Gwynn, whilst a portrait of her -sister hung in another room. The house then -belonged to Thomas Brand, Esq., of the Hoo, in -Hertfordshire.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The tradition that Nell Gwynn lived in the -house standing on the ground now occupied by -the Army and Navy Club, whilst now generally -accepted, has been questioned by some. According -to another tradition it was the house opposite—up -to recent years used as part of the War Office—which -really belonged to the Merry Monarch’s -favourite. This, it is said, communicated by an -underground passage with the house pulled down -when the present club was built. The passage was -stopped up within the last fifty years.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whether or not Nell Gwynn resided in a house -on the site of which the Army and Navy Club now -<span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>stands, it is at any rate certain that part of it was -connected with the grant made by Charles II -to her; for among the title-deeds of the club -property is a deed, dated 1725, which recites that -King Charles II, by letters patent dated April 1 in -the seventeenth year of his reign, gave and granted -unto certain persons several pieces or parcels of -ground which formed part of a field or close called -Pell Mell Field, otherwise St. James’s Field. This -grant was made on the nomination of Henry -Jermyn, Earl of St. Albans, to Baptist May and -Abraham Cowley, in trust for the second Earl of -St. Albans, his heirs and assigns, for ever. Evelyn -records in his Diary that he saw and heard the -King (Charles II) in familiar discourse with “an -impudent comedian, Mrs. Nellie, as they called -her,” who was looking over the garden wall of -a house standing on the north side of Pall Mall. -The “Mall” was not then the same as the present -street, but an avenue shaded by trees lying north -of it, and following the line of the present south -side of St. James’s Square, so that a house on the -north side of Pall Mall might very well occupy the -position of the corner house incorporated with the -club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A constant frequenter of the Army and Navy -Club in old days was Prince Louis Napoleon, afterwards -the Emperor Napoleon III, who always -took great interest in everything connected with -it. He had known it as a young man when—an -obscure and impoverished exile—he lived in -a modest lodging in King Street, St. James’s, in -the immediate neighbourhood of the club, which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>he practically made his home. Soon after his -accession to power in France, he presented the -club with the fine piece of tapestry which hangs -on the grand staircase. This is dated 1849, the -year after he became Prince President of the -French Republic. It represents “The Worship of -Pales,” and is of Gobelins manufacture in 1784.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Emperor ever cherished a kindly feeling for -the club. When he returned to England after his -downfall, he gladly resumed his honorary membership, -and on his visits to town from Chislehurst he -was frequently seen in the club, lunching constantly -in the coffee-room, with his equerry seated opposite -to him. He never failed to express a great liking -for the club, because, as he said, he was always -treated in it as a private person, and, except when -he wished it, no particular notice was taken of him. -It may be added that quite a number of interesting -works of art relating to the Bonapartes are possessed -by the club, and are kept in the visitors’ drawing-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Army and Navy Club contains what amounts -to quite a collection of pictures, statuary, and works -of art, some acquired by purchase, others gifts of -various members of the club. In the first category -is a colossal bust of Queen Victoria, by Alfred -Gilbert, R.A., which is a replica of that exhibited -in the Royal Academy in 1887—the Jubilee year. -Another bust executed for the club, to replace one -of plaster which had been broken, is that of Field-Marshal -H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, the -President of the club. This bust was executed -by Admiral H.S.H. Prince Victor of Hohenlohe -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>(Count Gleichen), R.N., who was for many years, -and until within a short time of his death, a -member of the club. Two portraits in the inner -hall—one of Queen Victoria, the other of the Duke -of Wellington—were purchased by subscription.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two interesting marble busts of T.R.H. the -Prince and Princess of Wales were presented by -Admiral Sir Arthur Cumming, K.C.B. The late -Captain J. S. Manning, 1st Dragoon Guards, made -some liberal gifts to the club, including the clock -and marble case on the centre chimney-piece in the -coffee-room. This member also gave several portraits, -including one of the first President of the -club, H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, and of Lord -Nelson. Two silver snuff-boxes and a picture of -the Battle of Camperdown were likewise presented -by him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the coffee-room, panelled with portraits of -distinguished officers, are two fine busts of -Wellington and Nelson, both presented by members. -A particularly interesting relic in the possession -of the club is a miniature portrait of Lady -Hamilton, which was found in Lord Nelson’s -cabin after his death at Trafalgar, and which was -presented to the club by J. Penry Williams, Esq., -late 1st Royals. The club also possesses autograph -letters of Lord Nelson and of the first Duke of -Wellington.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Army and Navy started with a smoking-room -at the very top of the house, but in course of time -gave up first one and then a second strangers’ coffee-room -to lovers of tobacco. A lift has now been constructed -to convey visitors to the original smoking-room -<span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>upstairs. A determined effort was made a -few years back to allow smoking in the beautiful -morning-room facing Pall Mall, but this was defeated -by a small section of the older but fast-diminishing -set opposed to smoking.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A curious feature of the Army and Navy Club -is the position of a fireplace in the entrance hall, -where it is under a short flight of stairs leading to -the main staircase. At first sight one is puzzled to -imagine where the outlet for the smoke can be. In -the same club-house is another fireplace situated -directly beneath a window—a most unusual but -agreeable position.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1862 the only service clubs existing in London -were the United Service, Junior United Service, -and Army and Navy, which were all full. To meet -the want of another, a service club—the Naval and -Military—was founded in March of that year by a -party of officers chiefly belonging to The Buffs, then -quartered at the Tower of London. These officers -were: Major W. H. Cairnes, The Buffs; Captain -W. Stewart, The Buffs; Lieutenant F. T. Jones, -The Buffs; Captain L. C. Barber, R.E.; and -H. H. Barber, Esq., late 17th Lancers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club commenced with 150 members, at an -entrance fee of £15 15<i>s.</i>, a home subscription of -£5 5<i>s.</i>, and a supernumerary subscription of 10<i>s.</i></p> - -<p class='c006'>The first club-house was at No. 18 Clifford -Street. Soon, however, it was found too small, and -at the end of 1863 a move was made to more commodious -premises at No. 22 Hanover Square, where -the club remained until the end of 1865. Cambridge -House, full of Palmerstonian associations, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>was taken in 1865, and opened in April of the next -year.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the renewal of the lease in 1876, it was -determined to make the house as perfect as possible. -Alterations were carried on from December of that -year till April 1878, during which time the original -house was entirely renovated. The structure was -also enlarged, a new dining-room, billiard-rooms, -offices, and cellars being added on the site of the -stables and other offices.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The upper smoking-room, in which hangs a -portrait of General Sir W. Nott, G.C.B., and some -engravings after Hogarth, was once Lord Palmerston’s -bedroom, from which formerly a small semi-secret -staircase led to Whitehorse Street, by which it -is said foreign spies and other desirable or undesirable -persons were admitted. The present card-room -was Lady Palmerston’s bedroom, opening into her -boudoir—the octagon room, which retains a -beautiful ceiling.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mr. Gladstone used to say that Lord and Lady -Palmerston once formed a Ministry in this octagon -room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The present library was the ball-room, and the -State apartments were <i>en suite</i>.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Duke of Cambridge—tenth child of -George III—lived at Cambridge House till his -death in 1850, the year in which Queen Victoria, -who had gone to inquire after his health, was -struck with a cane by Robert Pate, a retired -officer, just as the royal carriage was driving out of -the gate. Her bonnet was crushed over her forehead, -and her cheek hurt.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>Pate was transported for seven years.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A number of portraits and busts are in the -Naval and Military—the Duke of Wellington; -Napoleon; Nelson, after Hoppner; Queen Victoria, -by Winterhalter; and George III, by Beechey. -Some fine heads presented by members also -decorate this club, which is one of the most -comfortable and best managed in London.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An interesting feature is the roll of honour in the -corridor. This bears the names of members who -have lost their lives in the service of their country -since the foundation of the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Junior Naval and Military club, almost next -door to the Naval and Military, was founded about -ten years ago, and has a large membership, mostly -drawn from officers of junior rank. The club-house -is one of the few modern buildings in London which -have a façade of excellent though restrained design. -The exterior of this club affords an agreeable -contrast to most buildings of recent years, being -quite free from the superabundance of decoration -which now disfigures so many West End thoroughfares.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Guards’ Club was established in 1813 at a -house in St. James’s Street, next Crockford’s. The -present club-house, however, was erected only as -far back as 1848; it was built from the designs of -Mr. Henry Harrison. Established for the three -regiments of Foot Guards, it seems originally to -have been conducted on a military system. Billiards -and low whist were the only games indulged in. -The dinner was, perhaps, better than at most clubs, -and considerably cheaper.</p> - -<p class='c006'><span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>The Guards’ club-house in St. James’s Street fell -down on November 9, 1827, in consequence, it was -said, of the walls being undermined in the preparation -for building a foundation to the new subscription -house about to be erected next door by Mr. -Crockford. The following epigrammatic verses were -written on this occasion:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“‘Mala vicini pecoris contagia lædunt.’</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in1'>What can these workmen be about?</div> - <div class='line in1'>Do, Crockford, let the secret out,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Why thus your houses fall.</div> - <div class='line in1'>Quoth he: ‘Since folks are not in town,</div> - <div class='line in1'>I find it better to pull down,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Than have no pull at all.’</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“See, passenger, at Crockford’s high behest,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Red-coats by black-legs ousted from their nest;</div> - <div class='line in1'>The arts of peace o’ermatching reckless war,</div> - <div class='line in1'>And gallant Rouge undone by wily Noir!</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in10'>“‘Impar congressus’ …</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in1'>Fate gave the word—the king of dice and cards</div> - <div class='line in1'>In an unguarded moment took the Guards;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Contriv’d his neighbours in a trice to drub,</div> - <div class='line in1'>And did the trick by—turning up a club.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in10'>“‘Nullum simile est idem.’</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line in1'>’Tis strange how some will differ—some advance</div> - <div class='line in1'>That the Guards’ club-house was pulled down by chance;</div> - <div class='line in1'>While some, with juster notions in their mazard,</div> - <div class='line in1'>Stoutly maintain the deed was done by hazard.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The Guards’ Club, it should be added, is considered -as a guard-house, and can be used by officers -on duty.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In St. James’s Square is the East India United -Service Club, which was founded in 1849. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>present club-house really consists of two mansions—Nos. -14 and 15—which were formed into one -commodious and handsome building by the skill of -the architect—Mr. Adam Lee. The East India -United is of course an essentially Anglo-Indian -club, and many distinguished officials—civil as -well as military—have been members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A number of pictures and prints are in this club-house, -most of the portraits of famous Anglo-Indians -being copies of originals in the India -Office, National Portrait Gallery, and elsewhere.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An interesting piece of plate here is a silver vase -presented by the Patriotic Fund at Lloyd’s to -Commodore Sir Nathaniel Dance, H.E.I.C., upon -the occasion of his defeating a French squadron on -February 15, 1804. This was lent to the club in -October 1895, by the great-nephew of the Commodore, -G. W. Dance, Esq., B.C.S.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A quite modern military club, which has -prospered exceedingly, is the Cavalry, which was -started in 1895 for officers who had served in the -various mounted arms, English and Indian cavalry, -Royal Horse Artillery, and Imperial Yeomanry. -Unlike several other clubs started about the same -time, it flourished, and has a membership of 1,300. -Here there is a dining-room to which ladies are -admitted as guests, which has no doubt contributed -to the success of the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During the last year the comfortable club-house -in Piccadilly was enlarged, and it is now capable of -accommodating a larger number of members than -before.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Little is ever heard of the Royal Naval Club—one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>of the oldest in the world, for it originated about -1674. Many great Admirals have belonged to this -convivial dining club, including Nelson, who is -generally supposed to have belonged to no club. -At one time these dinners were held in the large -dining-room at the Thatched House, in St. James’s -Street, on the walls of which hung the portraits of -the Dilettanti Society, illuminated by wax candles -in fine old glass chandeliers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During the present year yet another military -club—the Junior Army and Navy—has opened its -doors at the Clock House, Whitehall, which was -originally built for Lord Carrington.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Caledonian, in Charles Street, St. James’s, -also occupies a mansion which was once in private -hands. The largest house in the street, it was -erected in 1819 for Pascoe Grenfell, and subsequently -became the property of the Beresford -family, from whom it was acquired by the Caledonian -Club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Junior Athenæum, at the corner of Dover -Street, Piccadilly, like the Caledonian, was not -intended for a club, having been built some sixty -years ago, at a cost of £30,000, for Mr. Henry -Thomas Hope, whose initial still remains upon the -elaborate cast-iron railings of French design.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER X<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>THE DILETTANTI—THE CLUB—COSMOPOLITAN —KIT-KAT—ROYAL SOCIETIES’—BURLINGTON FINE ARTS—ATHENÆUM—ALFRED</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>Of the many convivial dining clubs which once -abounded in London few now survive, though the -famous and venerable Dilettanti Society happily -still flourishes. Its dinners are held at the Grafton -Galleries, and certain quaint old usages are still -maintained. A member who speaks of the Society -as “the club” has to pay some petty fine, whilst -the secretary when reading the minutes puts on -bands. The presence of these somewhat ecclesiastical -additions to costume in one of the beautiful -portraits belonging to this club once caused the -late Mr. Gladstone to take the picture for that of -a Bishop—which aroused some merriment.</p> -<p class='c006'>The Society was founded about 1734 by a number -of gentlemen who had travelled much in Italy, and -were desirous of encouraging at home a taste for -those objects which had contributed so much to -their intellectual gratification abroad. Accordingly -they formed themselves into a Society, under the -name of Dilettanti (literally, lovers of the fine -arts), and agreed upon certain regulations to keep -up the spirit of their scheme, which combined -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>friendly and social intercourse with a serious and -ardent desire to promote the arts. In 1751 Mr. -James Stuart (“Athenian Stuart,” as he was called) -and Mr. Nicholas Revett were elected members. -The Society liberally assisted them in their excellent -work, “The Antiquities of Athens.” In fact, it was -in great measure owing to the Dilettanti that, after -the death of the above two eminent architects, the -work was not entirely relinquished, and a large -number of the plates were engraved from drawings -in possession of the Society. It was mainly through -the influence and patronage of the Dilettanti Society -that the Royal Academy obtained its charter. In -1774 the interest of £4,000 three per cents. was -appropriated by the former for the purpose of -sending two students, recommended by the Royal -Academy, to study in Italy or Greece for three years.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In old days the funds of the Society were greatly -increased by the fines. Those paid “on increase of -income, by inheritance, legacy, marriage, or preferment,” -were very odd—for instance, 5 guineas by -Lord Grosvenor, on his marriage with Miss Leveson -Gower; 11 guineas by the Duke of Bedford, on -being appointed First Lord of the Admiralty; -10 guineas compounded for by Bubb Dodington, -as Treasurer of the Navy; 2 guineas by the Duke -of Kingston, for a colonelcy of Horse (then valued -at £400 per annum); £21 by Lord Sandwich, on -going out as Ambassador to the Congress at Aix-la-Chapelle, -and 2¾<i>d.</i> by the same nobleman, on -becoming Recorder of Huntingdon; 13<i>s.</i> 4<i>d.</i> by -the Duke of Bedford, on getting the Garter, and -16<i>s.</i> 8<i>d.</i> (Scotch) by the Duke of Buccleuch, on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>getting the Thistle; £21 by the Earl of Holderness, -as Secretary of State; and £9 19<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> by Charles -James Fox, as a Lord of the Admiralty.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The general toasts originally proposed and adopted -by the Society were “<i>Viva la Virtù</i>” “Grecian -Taste and Roman Spirit,” and “Absent Members.” -To these was added, by a minute of March 7, 1741/2, -“<i>Esto præclara, esto perpetua</i>.” On March 29, -1789, it was resolved to add the toast of “The -King,” which was to precede all others. This -addition was no doubt due to the outburst of -loyalty which took place when the King resumed -his authority, after his recovery from his first attack -of insanity, on March 10 of the same year.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Walpole was very severe upon the Dilettanti. -“The nominal qualification for membership,” said -he, “is having been in Italy, and the real one, being -drunk; the two chiefs are Lord Middlesex and Sir -Francis Dashwood, who were seldom sober the -whole time they were in Italy.” Were the owner -of Strawberry Hill to attend a meeting of the -Society at the present time, he would be surprised -to observe the sobriety which now prevails.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the distant past, some of the more juvenile -members occasionally did behave in a riotous -manner. On January 30, 1734, for instance, a party -of young men, seven of whom (Harcourt, Middlesex, -Boyne, Shirley, Strode, Denny, and Sir James -Gray) were members of the Dilettanti, met to celebrate -the birthday of one of the company present, -by a dinner at the White Eagle Tavern in Suffolk -Street. The disorder caused by their drunken revels -attracted a crowd of people, who were led to believe -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>that the dinner was held to commemorate the execution -of Charles I. on that day, and that a calf’s head -had been served at table by way of ridicule. A -bonfire was lit, and on the diners appearing at the -windows they were stoned by the mob, in spite of -their protestations of fidelity to the Government -and the King. It ended in a riot, stirred up by a -Catholic priest, which the newspapers converted -into an event of historical importance.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Dilettanti Society has never lost sight of the -main objects for which it was founded, and in 1855 -a project was started for reproducing by some process -of engraving the whole of the Society’s collection of -portraits. Sir Richard Westmacott, R.A., communicated -with Mr. George Scharf, jun. (afterwards -Director of the National Portrait Gallery), -and received from him an estimate of the cost of -engraving on wood the thirty-one portraits in -question. The cost, however, was probably the -reason which deterred the Society from proceeding -in the matter.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Society once met at the Star and Garter -Tavern in Pall Mall, but in 1800 transferred its -meetings to a great room in the Thatched House -Tavern in St. James’s Street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The ceiling here was painted to represent the -sky, and was crossed by gold cords interlacing one -another, from the knots of which hung three large -glass chandeliers.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The room formed an admirable setting for the -Society’s pictures, the most remarkable of which are, -of course, the three painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/i260a.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic002'> -<p><span class='small'>A DINNER OF THE DILETTANTI SOCIETY AT THE THATCHED HOUSE.<br />From a drawing by T. H. Shepherd.</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p class='c006'>The first of these is a group in the manner of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>Paul Veronese, containing the portraits of the Duke -of Leeds, Lord Dundas, Constantine Lord Mulgrave, -Lord Seaforth, the Hon. Charles Greville, -Charles Crowle, Esq., and Sir Joseph Banks. -Another group in the same style contains portraits -of Sir William Hamilton, Sir Watkin W. Wynne, -Richard Thomson, Esq., Sir John Taylor, Payne -Gallwey, Esq., John Smythe, Esq., and Spencer S. -Stanhope, Esq. The portrait of Sir Joshua shows -him in a loose robe, wearing his own hair.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It should be added that earlier portraits in the -possession of the Society are by Hudson, Reynolds’s -master.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Some are in eighteenth-century costume, others -in Turkish or Roman dress. There is a convivial -spirit in these pictures. Lord Sandwich, for instance, -in a Turkish costume, is shown casting an affectionate -glance upon a brimming goblet in his left hand, -while his right holds a flask of great capacity. Sir -Bourchier Wrey is seated in the cabin of a ship mixing -punch and eagerly embracing the bowl, of which -a lurch of the sea would seem about to deprive him; -the inscription is, <i>Dulce est desipere in loco</i>. The -Dilettanti possess a curious old portrait of the Earl -of Holderness in a red cap, as a gondolier, with the -Rialto and Venice in the background; there is -Charles Sackville, Duke of Dorset, as a Roman -senator, dated 1738; Lord Galloway in the dress -of a Cardinal. A curious likeness of one of the -earliest of the Dilettanti—Lord le Despencer—portrays -him as a monk at his devotions, clasping -a brimming goblet for his rosary, and with eyes not -very piously fixed on a statue of the Venus de’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>Medici. Some of these pictures, indeed, recall the -Medmenham orgies, with which some of the Dilettanti -were not unfamiliar.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1884 the two groups by Sir Joshua Reynolds -and the portrait of himself were lent by the Society -to the Grosvenor Gallery for an exhibition of the -collected works of the great master. In March, -1890, on the Society’s removing from Willis’s Rooms, -the two fine groups by Sir Joshua were once -more deposited on loan with the Trustees of the -National Gallery, until the whole collection of -pictures was removed and rehung in the Society’s -new room in the Grafton Gallery.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During recent years the Society has from time to -time added to its pictures.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In January 1894, a portrait of Mr. William -Watkiss Lloyd, painted by Miss Bush, was received -by the Society from his daughter, Miss Ellen Watkiss -Lloyd, having been bequeathed to the Society -by her late father, who had for many years been -one of its most active and respected members. -After the death of Lord Leighton, President of the -Royal Academy, in January 1896, the Dilettanti, -being anxious to obtain a portrait of one of the -most illustrious of their body, decided to have a -copy made of the portrait painted by Lord Leighton -of himself for the Uffizi Gallery at Florence. The -work was entrusted to Mr. Charles Holroyd (now -Keeper of the National Gallery of British Art), and -completed before the close of the same year. In -February 1896, on the resignation by Mr. (now Sir) -Sidney Colvin of his post as secretary and treasurer of -the Society, the Society ordered that a portrait of that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>gentleman should be added to their collection. Sir -Edward Poynter undertook to paint the portrait of -Mr. Colvin, which was, by permission of the Society, -sent to the Royal Academy Exhibition of 1897. -Another modern portrait of interest is Sir Edward -Ryan, by Lord Leighton.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Dilettanti, the membership of which at the -present day is largely composed of high legal and -Government officials, generally have six dinners -a year, and sometimes more, at the Grafton -Galleries. The ancient ceremonies, including the -appointment of a functionary known as the Imp, -are retained. The father of the club at the present -day is Mr. W. C. Cartwright, who was originally -introduced by the late Lord Houghton.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Thatched House Tavern, in the large room -of which the members of the Dilettanti Society -were once wont to assemble, was for a time also -the meeting-place of another somewhat similar -society, the Literary Club. This is now represented -by The Club, which is perhaps the most -exclusive institution in Europe. So little known -is the existence of this society that at the foundation -of the Turf Club it was at first proposed to call -it The Club; and, indeed, it was some time before -the discovery that the name had been long before -appropriated placed the adoption of such an appellation -out of the question. The membership of -The Club is limited in the extreme, which may -be realized when it is stated that since its foundation, -in 1764, not 300 members have secured -election. Forty, according to the regulations, -is the extreme limit of membership. Amongst -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>distinguished men who have been members appear -the names of Dr. Johnson, Boswell, Garrick, Sir -Joshua Reynolds, Oliver Goldsmith, Burke, Fox, -and Gibbon. In more modern times many -prominent personalities have been members—amongst -them Mr. Gladstone, Lord Leighton, -Professor Huxley, Lord Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, -Lord Goschen, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Herschell, -Lord Dufferin, Lord Wolseley, Sir Mountstuart -Grant Duff, Mr. Arthur Balfour, Lord Peel, -Mr. Asquith, Sir Edward Poynter, and many -others whose names are well known in legal, -political, artistic, and literary circles.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club was founded in 1764 by Sir Joshua -Reynolds and Dr. Samuel Johnson, and for some -years met on Monday evenings at seven. In 1772 -the day of meeting was changed to Friday, and -about that time, instead of supping, they agreed to -dine together once in every fortnight during the -sitting of Parliament. In 1773 The Club, which -soon after its foundation consisted of twelve -members, was enlarged to twenty; March 11, 1777, -to twenty-six; November 27, 1778, to thirty; -May 9, 1780, to thirty-five; and it was then -resolved that it should never exceed forty. It met -originally at the Turk’s Head, in Gerrard Street, -and continued to meet there till 1783, when their -landlord died, and the house was soon afterwards -shut up. They then removed to Prince’s, in -Saville Street; and on his house being, soon afterwards, -shut up, they removed to Baxter’s, which -afterwards became Thomas’s, in Dover Street. In -January 1792, they removed to Parsloe’s, in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>St. James’s Street; and on February 26, 1799, to -the Thatched House, in the same street.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club received the name of Literary Club at -Garrick’s funeral.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the early days of The Club, Dr. Johnson was -exceedingly particular as to the admission of -candidates, and would not hear of any increase -in the number of members. Not long after its -institution, Sir Joshua Reynolds was speaking of -the club to Garrick. “I like it much,” said the -great actor briskly; “I think I shall be of you.” -When Sir Joshua mentioned this to Dr. Johnson, -the latter, according to Boswell, was much displeased -with the actor’s conceit. “He’ll be of us!” -growled he; “how does he know we will permit -him?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sir John Hawkins tried to soften Johnson, and -spoke to him of Garrick in a very eulogistic way. -“Sir,” replied Johnson, “he will disturb us by his -buffoonery.” In the same spirit he declared to -Mr. Thrale that, if Garrick should apply for -admission, he would blackball him. “Who, sir?” -exclaimed Thrale, with surprise: “Mr. Garrick—your -friend, your companion—blackball him?” -“Why, sir,” replied Johnson, “I love my little -David dearly—better than all or any of his -flatterers do; but surely one ought to sit, in a -society like ours,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>‘Unelbowed by a gamester, pimp, or player.’”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>By degrees the rigour of the club relaxed; some -of the members grew negligent. Beauclerk lost -his right of membership by neglecting to attend. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>Nevertheless, on his marriage (with Lady Diana -Spencer, daughter of the Duke of Marlborough, -and recently divorced from Viscount Bolingbroke), -he claimed and regained his seat in the club. -The number of the members was likewise augmented. -The proposition to increase it originated -with Goldsmith. “It would give,” he thought, -“an agreeable variety to their meetings; for there -can be nothing new amongst us,” said he: “we -have travelled over each other’s minds.” Johnson -was piqued at the suggestion. “Sir,” said he, -“you have not travelled over my mind, I promise -you.” Sir Joshua, less confident in the exhaustless -fecundity of his mind, felt and acknowledged the -force of Goldsmith’s suggestion. Several new -members therefore were elected; the first, to his -great joy, was David Garrick. Goldsmith, who -was now on cordial terms with the great actor, -zealously promoted his election, and Johnson gave -it his warm approbation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The meetings of the Literary Club were often -the occasion of much discussion between Edmund -Burke and Johnson. One evening the former -observed that a hogshead of claret, which had been -sent as a present to the club, was almost out, and -proposed that Johnson should write for another in -such ambiguity of expression as might have a chance -of procuring it also as a gift. One of the company -said: “Dr. Johnson shall be our dictator.” “Were -I,” said Johnson, “your dictator, you should have -no wine; it would be my business ‘cavere ne quid -detrimenti respublica caperet.’ Wine is dangerous; -Rome was ruined by luxury.” Burke replied: “If -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>you allow no wine as dictator, you shall not have -me for master of the horse.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Dr. Johnson for a time completely dominated the -club, and once, in his usual grandiloquent manner, -said to Boswell: “Sir, you got into the club by -doing what a man can do. Several of the members -wished to keep you out; Burke told me he doubted -if you were fit for it. Now you are in, none of -them are sorry.” <i>Boswell</i>: “They were afraid of -you, sir, as it was you proposed me.” <i>Johnson</i>: -“Sir, they knew that if they refused you they would -probably have never got into another club—I would -have kept them all out.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At last, owing to his ill-temper and rudeness, the -great lexicographer’s influence in the club sensibly -decreased.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club possesses a very valuable collection of -autographs of former distinguished members, and -amongst its memorials is a portrait of Sir Joshua -Reynolds, with spectacles on, similar to the picture in -the Royal Collection; this portrait was painted and -presented by Sir Joshua, as the founder of the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another club which was once the resort of many -clever and distinguished men was the Cosmopolitan, -in Charles Street, Berkeley Square. This ceased -to exist not very many years ago. The house in -which it held its meetings had been pulled down, -and though the Cosmopolitan migrated to the -Alpine Club, it did not long survive the change. -Its meetings were held twice a week, in the evening, -no meals whatever being served, though light -refreshments were supplied. The house in Charles -Street had previously contained the studio of Watts -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>the painter, and a great feature of the club-room -was a very large picture representing a scene from -the “Decameron,” which had been painted by that -artist. This is now in the Tate Gallery. When -the Cosmopolitan was dissolved, a certain sum of -money remained, and this, on the suggestion of -a former leading member, is gradually being -spent in dinners at which former members from -time to time foregather.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A dining club which for a time attracted considerable -attention was the Roxburghe, which originated -under the following circumstances: The Duke -of Roxburghe was a noted bibliophile; the sale of -his library, which excited great interest in 1812, -lasted for forty-two days, and on the evening when -the sale had been concluded the club was formed -by about sixteen bibliomaniacs, after a dinner at the -St. Albans Tavern, Lord Spencer being in the chair. -The Roxburghe consisted mostly of men devoted to -rare books. Tomes containing alterations in the title-page, -or in a leaf, or in any trivial circumstance, -were bought by these collectors at £100, £200, or -£300, though the copies were often of small intrinsic -worth. Specimens of first editions of all authors, -and editions by the early printers, were never sold -for less than £50, £100, or £200. So great became -this mania that, in order to gratify the members of -the club, facsimile copies of clumsy editions of -trumpery books were reprinted. In some cases, -indeed, it became worth the while of unscrupulous -people to palm off forgeries upon the more credulous -of these collectors.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club issued various publications, but its -<span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>costly dinners attracted more attention than anything -else. On one occasion the bill was above -£5 10<i>s.</i> per head, and the list of toasts included the -“immortal memory” not only of John, Duke of -Roxburghe, but of William Caxton, Dame Juliana -Berners, Wynkyn de Worde, Richard Pynson, the -Aldine family, and “The Cause of Bibliomania all -over the World.” In one year, when Lord Spencer -presided over the club feast, the “Roxburghe Revels” -thus recorded the fact: “Twenty-one members met -joyfully, dined comfortably, challenged eagerly, -tippled prettily, divided regretfully, and paid the -bill most cheerfully.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The bill of one of the dinners of the Roxburghe -Club held at Grillion’s Hotel has been preserved. -Its curious phraseology is due to the French waiter -who made it out:</p> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='sc'>Dinner</span> (<i>sic</i>) <span class='sc'>du 17 Juin, 1815</span>.</div> - </div> -</div> - -<table class='table3' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='80%' /> -<col width='6%' /> -<col width='6%' /> -<col width='6%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c020'> </td> - <td class='c021'>£</td> - <td class='c021'><i>s.</i></td> - <td class='c011'><i>d.</i></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>20</td> - <td class='c021'>20</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Desser</td> - <td class='c021'>2</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Deu sorte de Glasse</td> - <td class='c021'>1</td> - <td class='c021'>4</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Glasse pour 6</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>4</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>5 Boutelle de Champagne</td> - <td class='c021'>4</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>7 Boutelle de harmetage</td> - <td class='c021'>5</td> - <td class='c021'>5</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>1 Boutelle de Hok</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>15</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>4 Boutelle de Port</td> - <td class='c021'>1</td> - <td class='c021'>6</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>4 Boutelle de Maderre</td> - <td class='c021'>2</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>22 Boutelle de Bordeaux</td> - <td class='c021'>15</td> - <td class='c021'>8</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>2 Boutelle de Bourgogne</td> - <td class='c021'>1</td> - <td class='c021'>12</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>[Not legible]</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>14</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Soder</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>2</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Biere e Ail</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>6</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>For la Lettre</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>2</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Pour faire une prune</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>6</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'>Pour un fiacre</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c021'>2</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'> </td> - <td class='c021'>—</td> - <td class='c021'>—</td> - <td class='c011'>—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'> </td> - <td class='c021'>55</td> - <td class='c021'>6</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c022'>Waiters</td> - <td class='c021'>1</td> - <td class='c021'>14</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'> </td> - <td class='c021'>—</td> - <td class='c021'>—</td> - <td class='c011'>—</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c020'> </td> - <td class='c021'>£57</td> - <td class='c021'>0</td> - <td class='c011'>0</td> - </tr> -</table> -<p class='c004'><span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>Amongst the curious old clubs of the eighteenth -century, the Kit-Kat, founded about 1700, deserves -attention. This was composed of thirty-nine noblemen -and gentlemen zealously attached to the House -of Hanover, among them six Dukes and many other -peers. The club met at a small house in Shire -Lane, by Temple Bar, where a famous mutton-pie -man, by name Christopher Katt, supplied his pies -to the club suppers and gave his name to the club, -although it has been stated that the pie itself was -called “kit-kat.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The extraordinary title of the club is explained -in the following lines:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Whence deathless Kit-Kat took its name,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Few critics can unriddle;</div> - <div class='line in1'>Some say from pastrycook it came.</div> - <div class='line in2'>And some from Cat and Fiddle.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“From no trim beaux its name it boasts,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Grey statesmen or green wits.</div> - <div class='line in1'>But from the pell-mell peck of toasts</div> - <div class='line in2'>Of old cats and young kits.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>A feature of the club was its toasts. Every -member was compelled to name a beauty, whose -claims to the honour were then discussed; and if -her name was approved, a special tumbler was consecrated -to her, and verses to her honour engraved -on it. Such of these tumblers as still survive must -be very rare. When only eight years old, Lady -Mary Wortley Montagu enjoyed the honour of -having her charms commemorated on one of these -“toasting tumblers.” Her father, afterwards Duke -of Kingston, in a fit of caprice proposed “The -Pretty Little Child” as his toast. The other members, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>who had never seen her, objected, but, the child -having been sent for, found her charming, and -yielded. The forward little girl was handed from -knee to knee, petted and caressed by the assembled -wits. Another celebrated toast of the Kit-Kat, -mentioned by Walpole, was Lady Molyneux, who, -he says, died smoking a pipe.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Several of the more celebrated of these “toasts” -had their portraits hung in the club-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The character of the club was political as well as -literary, but its chief aim was the promotion of -culture and wit. The members subscribed the -sum of 400 guineas to offer as prizes for the best -comedies written.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This club at one period of its existence had a -room built for the members at Barn Elms (now -the highly prosperous Ranelagh Club). This was -hung with portraits painted by Kneller, which, -being all of one size, originated the name “Kit-Kat,” -which is still in use.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A prominent member of the Kit-Kat Club was -the famous Court physician, Dr. Samuel Garth, -who, while dining one evening, protested that he -must leave early, as he had many patients to visit. -Nevertheless he lingered on hour after hour. Sir -Richard Steele, who was present, reminded him -of his professional duties, when Garth produced a -list of fifteen patients. “It matters little,” he cried, -“whether I see them or not to-night. Nine or ten -are so bad that all the doctors in the world could -not save them, and the remainder have such tough -constitutions that they want no doctors.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A celebrated early eighteenth-century literary -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>club was the Royal Society, instituted by a number -of literary men who met in Dean’s Court, there -to dine on fish and drink porter. One of these -gatherings expanded into the Club of Royal Philosophers, -or, as it came to be called, the Royal -Society Club. They dined together on Thursdays, -usually to the number of six, but sometimes more. -A favourite dining-place was Pontack’s, the celebrated -French eating-house in Abchurch Lane, -City; and they also dined at the Devil Tavern, -near Temple Bar, and at the Mitre Tavern, in Fleet -Street. In 1780 the club, as it had become, went -to the Crown and Anchor Tavern, in the Strand; -and here they remained for sixty-eight years, only removing -to the Freemasons’ Tavern, in Fleet Street, -in 1848. Finally, when the Royal Society was installed -at Burlington House in 1857, the club held -its meetings at the Thatched House, in St. James’s -Street, which they frequented until that tavern -was demolished.</p> - -<p class='c006'>As time went on, the cost of the club dinner -gradually rose. It began at 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> per head, then -went to 4<i>s.</i>, including wine and 2<i>d.</i> to the waiter, -and was afterwards increased to 10<i>s.</i> The wine -was laid in at £45 the pipe, or 1<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> per bottle, -and charged by the landlord at 2<i>s.</i> 6<i>d.</i> This club -was sometimes known as Dr. Halley’s, for Halley -was said to have been its founder.</p> - -<p class='c006'>An eccentric member was the Hon. Henry -Cavendish, commonly called the “Club Crœsus.” -Though wealthy, he seldom had enough money in -his pockets to pay for his dinner, and his manners -were extraordinary. He picked his teeth with a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>fork, carried his cane stuck in his right boot, and -was very angry when anyone else hung his hat -on the peg he preferred in the hall. Yet he was -not unsociable; he is said to have left a large legacy -to a fellow-member—Lord Bessborough—in -gratitude for his pleasant conversation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Cavendish was rather a misogynist. One evening -a pretty girl chanced to be at an upper window on -the opposite side of the street, watching the philosophers -at dinner. She attracted notice, and one -by one they got up and mustered round the window -to admire the fair one. Cavendish, who thought -they were looking at the moon, bustled up to them -in his odd way, and, when he saw the real object of -their study, turned away with intense disgust, and -grunted out “Pshaw!”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The President of the Royal Society was always -elected president of the club. Princes, Ministers, -men of high rank, and Ambassadors were entertained -together with men of science, great ecclesiastics, -and distinguished soldiers and sailors; Franklin, -Jenner, John Hunter, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sir -Thomas Lawrence, Gibbon, Wedgwood, Turner, -De la Beche, and Brunel were amongst these.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The modern Royal Societies Club, in St. James’s -Street, has no connection with the ancient institution -just mentioned. It was founded in 1894, and -its members either belong to learned societies, -Universities, and institutions of the United Kingdom, -or are well known in the spheres of Literature, -Science, and Art. The committee possesses the -right of granting the use of certain rooms in the -club-house for lectures or for meetings of any of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>the societies or institutions recognized by the constitution -of the club. This club has a somewhat -peculiar subscription, town members—that is, those -residing within a radius of twenty miles—paying -eight guineas, country members six, and colonial -and foreign members two.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A club which has done much to promote a -knowledge and appreciation of art in London is -the Burlington Fine Arts, now at 17 Savile Row. -This was founded in 1866, when the Marquis -d’Azeglio, then Sardinian Minister in London, and -a well known connoisseur, was chairman. In the -early days there were 250 members, and the club -premises were at No. 177 Piccadilly. At that -time the Fine Arts Club was still in existence, and -most of its members joined what was called the -Burlington Fine Arts Club, on account of its -premises being opposite Burlington House, into -which the Royal Academy had just moved. -Exhibitions of considerable importance were held -in the rooms in Piccadilly, the first chiefly of -French etchings, and the last (in 1870) of original -drawings by Raphael and Michael Angelo. In -that year the club moved to Savile Row, where -was built the present gallery, which has been the -scene of a series of annual exhibitions.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The membership of this flourishing association of -art-lovers is now 500, and since the foundation -of the club its annual exhibitions have gathered -together many priceless works of art in the club-house. -This, however, contains no furniture or -<i>objets d’art</i> calling for mention, with the exception -of an Italian sixteenth-century mirror boldly carved -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>out of walnut wood in the style of Michael Angelo. -The present chairman is Lord Brownlow, whilst -the secretarial duties are most ably performed by -Mr. Beavan.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The foremost modern literary club in England is -of course the Athenæum, which was first established -in 1824, under the name of The Society. The latter -appellation was, however, changed to the Athenæum -at an inaugural dinner given at No. 12 Waterloo -Place.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Three years later the committee, having obtained -possession of a more convenient site, part of which -had been occupied by the recently demolished -Carlton House, entrusted Decimus Burton with -the task of building a suitable club-house. In the -course of its construction Croker insisted that the -Scotch sculptor, John Heming, should contribute -a frieze designed as a reproduction of that of the -Parthenon—an ornamentation at the time characterized -as an extravagant novelty. In spite of a -good deal of opposition, Croker carried the day, -and the construction of an ice-house, which had -been advocated by several members, was abandoned -in order to afford funds for the classical decoration.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In connection with this was written the epigram:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“I’m John Wilson Croker,</div> - <div class='line in2'>I do as I please:</div> - <div class='line in1'>They ask for an Ice-house,</div> - <div class='line in2'>I’ll give ’em—a Frieze.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>The new Athenæum club-house was formally -opened in February 1830, some soirées being given, -to which ladies were admitted, though not without -protest. The building, which is of some architectural -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>interest, was erected on the west end of -the courtyard of old Carlton House, the smoking-room -being exactly under what was the Prince -Regent’s dining-room.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the finely-proportioned hall eight pale primrose -pillars on broad bronzed bases, copied from the -Temple of the Winds at Athens, support the -panelled waggon roof, the Pompeian ornamentation -being of an original design. The two statues -in niches, “Venus Victrix” and “Diana Robing,” -were chosen by Sir Thomas Lawrence, who also -designed the club seal.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the right of the hall is the morning-room, -redecorated in 1892, when the ceiling was elaborately -painted by Sir Edward Poynter. The bust of -Milton in this room was bequeathed by Anthony -Trollope; in the adjoining writing-room hangs a -portrait of Dr. Johnson by Opie, the gift of -Mr. Humphry Ward. The drawing-room upstairs, -one of the finest rooms in London, has no -fewer than eleven windows. But the chief glory of -the Athenæum is its library, the view from which -embraces the pretty garden, where a rookery once -existed. The annual expenditure on books since 1848 -has averaged about £450. The Athenæum library -is by far the finest and most important club library -in the world, all departments of foreign as well as -English books being represented by rare and -complete examples. Moreover, there is on its -shelves one of the best collections of reference -books in England, and the bookcases are stored -with valuable volumes—rare tomes dealing with -history, topography, and archæology, as well as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>sumptuously-bound books on art. Of these a -number were obtained under a legacy of the -Rev. Charles Turner, and others were left by the -late Mr. Felix Slade. The collection of English -pamphlets is also singularly complete, and includes -21 volumes collected together by Sir James Mackintosh, -43 by Dr. Nasmith the antiquary, 139 -volumes by Morton Pitt, 23 volumes by Gibbon -on historical and financial subjects, 23 volumes -devoted to foreign and colonial affairs, and 52 -volumes of smaller publications relating to America. -Amongst literary matter of a lighter description -preserved in this library are 26 portfolios containing -newspapers and caricatures collected during the -siege of Paris and the Commune. In a case is -preserved a large number of proof engravings, most -of them after portraits of members. These were -executed by George Richmond, R.A., who presented -the collection. An interesting relic of -Thackeray is the original manuscript of “The -Orphan of Pimlico,” in the great novelist’s beautiful -handwriting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A portrait of George IV was formerly over the -fireplace. Sir Thomas Lawrence, its painter, was -engaged in finishing the sword-knot and orders -only a few hours before his death. He intended -to present it to the club, but, as his executors -declined to part with it, the painting was eventually -purchased for £128 10<i>s.</i> This portrait is now in -the museum of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, -having been handed over to the Corporation of that -town in 1858. Busts of Dr. Johnson (presented by -Mr. Percy Fitzgerald) and of Pope (a bequest) are -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>here, together with the carved armchair used by -Dickens at Gad’s Hill, in which, on the day of his -death, the great novelist had been sitting at work -on “Edwin Drood.” Many will remember “The -Empty Chair” which appeared in the then newly-founded -<i>Graphic</i> in June 1870. Macaulay’s corner, -near the books on English history, is a well-known -feature of this library, which the late Mark -Pattison said he thought the most delightful place -in the world, especially on a Sunday morning. At -the table in the south-west corner Thackeray used -constantly to work. A great habitué of the library -in the early days of the club was Isaac Disraeli, -who, as befitted the author of the “Curiosities of -Literature,” was one of the earliest members—indeed, -one of the founders of the club. His -invariable costume consisted of a blue coat with -brass buttons, a yellow waistcoat, and knee-breeches. -A similar fashion was followed by another member—Dr. -Booth—as late as 1863.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One evening, in or about the year 1830, a non-member, -young Benjamin Disraeli, in defiance of -the club rules, coolly walked upstairs to the library, -and there proceeded to confer with his father. He -was duly requested to withdraw, and it is perhaps -not extraordinary that the future Prime Minister -should have been blackballed in 1832. The reason -given at the time for this rejection was that his -proposer or seconder had rendered himself particularly -unpopular.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was not until thirty-four years later that the -great statesman became a member of the Athenæum, -to which he was admitted under the rule -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>allowing the committee to elect annually a limited -number of persons “who have attained to distinguished -eminence.” As Lord Beaconsfield he -seems to have used the club but little, although, -according to tradition, he abstracted from the -library his own “Revolutionary Epick,” written -in 1834.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In a corner of the Athenæum library the late -Cardinal Manning, who had been elected at a time -when he was attending the Vatican Council, used -to sit quietly reading. At one time he used the -club a good deal, as did another venerable ecclesiastic, -Dr. Tatham, noted for eccentricity and long -sermons. Yet another divine well known at the -Athenæum was the nonagenarian Bishop Durnford, -of Chichester. Bishops have always been -more or less abundant at this club, for which -reason, when an unusually large number were collected -together for Convocation, Abraham Hayward -is said to have grumbled out: “I see the -Bishops are beginning to swarm: the atmosphere is -alive with them; every moment I expect to find -one dropping into my soup.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>There was a great storm amongst the Bishops -when Bishop Colenso visited England, and, as can -be imagined, his admission to the Athenæum as an -honorary member was violently opposed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Samuel Wilberforce, Lord Lytton the novelist, -Abraham Hayward (the Vernon Tuft of Samuel -Warren’s “Ten Thousand a Year,” still remembered -by some), and many other celebrated characters, -were frequenters of this peaceful room. Here, -too, Theodore Hook dashed off much brilliant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>work. This spontaneous and volatile wit at one -time used the club a great deal. He it was who -wrote the lines:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c012'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“There’s first the Athenæum Club, so wise, there’s not a man of it</div> - <div class='line in1'>That has not sense enough for six (in fact, that is the plan of it);</div> - <div class='line in1'>The very waiters answer you with eloquence Socratical,</div> - <div class='line in1'>And always place the knives and forks in order mathematical.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c004'>Hook dined much at the Athenæum—often, it -was said, “not wisely, but too well.” The name -of his favourite spot in the dining-room—“Temperance -Corner”—is still preserved. Here he used -to call for toast-and-water and lemonade, which the -waiters quite understood was his humorous way of -indicating the various alcoholic beverages of which -he was so fond. Hook loved to sit long over his -meals, in which respect it is interesting to remember -he was quite unlike Dickens, who often lunched -standing, off sandwiches.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was at the foot of the Athenæum staircase -that the author of “Pickwick” ended his unfortunate -estrangement from Thackeray, being intercepted -by the latter and forced to shake hands.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Intellect rather than love of comfort formerly -distinguished most members of the club, and for -this reason, perhaps, the Athenæum has never been -noted for its cooking. “Asiatic Sundays” was the -name given to the Sabbaths, on which curry and -rice always appeared on the bill of fare. Another -Athenæum dinner was known for its marrow-bones -and jam roly-poly puddings. Sir Edwin Landseer -<span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>once denounced an Athenæum beefsteak in a terse -manner: “They say there’s nothing like leather; -this beefsteak is.” A boar’s head on the sideboard -was described by a witty member as the head of -a certain member who had at last met with the -thoroughly deserved fate of decapitation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Kinglake, the historian, lived almost entirely at -the Athenæum, even when aged, infirm, and terribly -deaf. People used to say that, when they talked to -him, everybody in the room heard except Kinglake. -Like many deaf men, he was given to shouting in -people’s ears, and on one occasion was heard screaming -to Thackeray at the top of his voice: “Come -and sit down; I have something very private to -tell you: no one must hear it but you.” Another -distinguished soldier, equally deaf, used to select -the smoking-room of his club for confidential conversations -with members of his staff, putting -momentous questions and receiving answers which -were given in such a loud tone that everyone heard -his official secrets.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Athenæum has never been very favourable -to the stage. Some of the great actors of the past, -however, belonged to it, notably Sir Henry Irving, -who was a most popular member.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Other actor members were Charles Mathews the -elder, Macready, Charles Mayne Young, Charles -Kemble, Charles Kean, and Daniel Terry.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Considering the partiality of literary men for -tobacco, it seems curious that the only smoking-room -in this club used to be in the basement. To -supply a pressing need, an upper floor was a short -time ago constructed at the top of the building; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>and smokers can now be conveyed by a lift, put in -at the time of the alterations in 1900.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Membership of the Athenæum would seem to -favour a man’s chances of living to a green old age, -and certain members have belonged to the club for -an extraordinary number of years. Mr. Lettsom -Elliot, for instance, who died in 1898, had been -a member since 1824, when he was elected at the -first committee meeting of the club. Mr. Elliot -had kept a copy of the first list of members, and in -1882 he had a reprint of this produced, which -forms a record of considerable interest. On this -committee were Chantrey, the sculptor; John -Wilson Croker; Sir Humphry Davy; Sir Thomas -Lawrence; Sir James Mackintosh; Tom Moore, -the poet; Sir Walter Scott; together with some -others. Amongst distinguished ordinary members -have been Benjamin Brodie; Mark Isambard -Brunel, the engineer; Dibdin; Isaac Disraeli; -Lord Ellenborough; Michael Faraday; John -Franklin; Henry Hallam; James Morier, the -diplomatist, and author of “Haji Baba”; Samuel -Rogers; Sir John Soane, who bequeathed to the -nation the Soane Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields; -Joseph Turner; Charles Kemble; Charles Mathews -the elder; Westall, the artist; David Wilkie; -Henry Holland; Blanco White, a friend of Coleridge’s; -Whately; Newman; Jekyll, the wit; John -Stuart Mill; and Herbert Spencer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The last-named was fond of playing billiards in -the club, where he is said to have made the famous -remark to a very skilful antagonist: “Though a -certain proficiency at this game is to be desired, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>the skill you have shown seems to argue a misspent -youth.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>A club which somewhat resembled the present -Athenæum in character was the Alfred, founded in -1808 for men of letters, travellers, and the like. It -was first started at a house in Albemarle Street, -when it appears to have been a very solemn institution. -A member, indeed, not in sympathy with its -tone, called it the “dullest place in the world, -where bores prevailed to the exclusion of every -other interest, and one heard nothing but idle -reports and twaddling opinions. It is,” said he, -“the asylum of doting Tories and drivelling -quidnuncs.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Byron, however, called it “a pleasant -club—a little too sober and literary, perhaps, but, -on the whole, a decent resource on a rainy day.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1811, three years after its foundation, there -were no fewer than 354 candidates for six vacancies, -but this happy state of affairs did not last.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sir William Fraser described the Alfred as -having been “a sort of minor Athenæum,” which -perhaps caused a wag to say the title should be -changed from Alfred to “Halfread.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Alvanley, who was a member, once said at -White’s: “I stood the Alfred as long as I could, -but when the seventeenth Bishop was proposed I -gave in; I really could not enter the place without -being put in mind of my Catechism.” The Bishops, -it is said, resigned the club when a billiard-table -was introduced. In the course of time the Alfred -languished, and was finally dissolved in 1855.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Hatred of tobacco, it is said, caused the end -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>of the Alfred. A certain influential section of -members persistently opposing any improvement -in the smoking-room, which was at the top of the -house and stigmatized as an “infamous hole,” the -committee would make no concession, and so the -club was eventually closed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>When it was evident that the Alfred could not -maintain an independent existence (though perfectly -solvent), a sort of coalition was formed with the -Oriental. A large number of members were -admitted to the latter without entrance fee, but -most of the Alfred members joined other clubs, -especially the Athenæum.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A flourishing little literary club of modern origin -is the Savile, in Piccadilly. This possesses a very -curious table, which was purchased some years ago. -It would appear to have been made during the -mid-Victorian period, and is embellished with a -number of curious designs in various woods—masterpieces -of the inlayer’s art. Amongst these is -a portrait of the late Queen Victoria.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span> - <h2 class='c009'>CHAPTER XI<br /> <br /> <span class='small'>THE GARRICK—JOCKEY CLUB AT NEWMARKET—ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON AT COWES—CONCLUSION</span></h2> -</div> -<p class='c008'>Though various London clubs possess a certain -number of pictures and <i>objets d’art</i>, the Garrick -stands alone in the ownership of a unique collection. -This, however, has been described so frequently -that any detailed treatment would be superfluous.</p> -<p class='c006'>The Garrick was originally started at 35 King -Street, Covent Garden, in 1831, “for the purpose -of bringing together the ‘patrons’ of the drama and -its professors, and also for offering literary men a -rendezvous.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The club-house had been a family hotel. It was -comfortable enough when it was first transformed -into the home of the Garrick Club, but in course -of time the building was found insufficient for the -increased number of members, and in 1864 the -club removed to a new house built for them a little -farther west than the old one, in the then newly-made -Garrick Street—a classic region associated -with the old club-house.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The new Garrick was built by Mr. Marrable, who -cleverly surmounted certain difficulties connected -with the back of the building.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The bulk of the Garrick Club collection consists -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>of the gallery formed by the elder Mathews, who -had a passion for collecting theatrical portraits, and -who purchased most of the pictures owned by -Mr. Harris, the old lessee of Covent Garden.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Mrs. Mathews, the actor’s wife and biographer, -describes how the pictures were saved from the -swindling tenant who robbed them of their rent -in the King’s Road cottage. Mathews’s “giant -hobby,” as she calls it, was then (1814) in its -infancy; but the Mr. Tonson who succeeded them -in the cottage begged to be allowed to retain the -pictures, which were at that time hanging in one -small room. Mathews, who would as soon have -left behind him an eye or a limb as these his -treasures, managed to retain them. Later on he -built at his house at Hampstead a special gallery for -his pictures, which had then considerably increased -in number. Many writers came there to see them, -all of whom were not equally appreciative. When, -however, Mathews found a real judge of art, he -called it “receiving a dividend,” and would launch -out into all sorts of disquisitions as to his treasures, -enlivened by anecdotes and imitations of the persons -portrayed. Inquisitive people, who came to see -the actor as a celebrity rather than to inspect his -pictures, irritated and exasperated him by their -behaviour and their mistakes, which were often -absurd. Harlowe’s fine picture of Mrs. Siddons -as Lady Macbeth was taken for a portrait of -Mrs. Mathews; Dewilde’s exquisite portrait of -Miss De Camp—Mrs. Charles Kemble—in male -attire, in “The Gentle Shepherd,” was praised as -being Master Betty. One individual, who had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>evidently never entered a London theatre, asked -why there was no portrait of Milton. Eventually -all the pictures were exhibited in Oxford Street, -and there still exists a catalogue of this exhibition, -to which a characteristic article of Charles Lamb’s, -which appeared in the <i>London Magazine</i>, is prefixed.</p> - -<p class='c006'>During Mathews’s lifetime the collection was -removed to the Garrick Club. It then practically -passed into the possession of a member, Mr. John -Durrant, who eventually gave the pictures to the club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There are many good portraits of Mathews at -the Garrick, of which the most remarkable is, -perhaps, the one by Harlowe, who depicted him -in four perfectly different and distinct characters—a -tribute to the actor’s versatility. The four -characters are those of Fond Barneyl, the idiot -newsvendor of York; another weak-minded simpleton -catching a fly; Mr. Wiggins, an extraordinarily -stout man, in a farce called “Mrs. Wiggins”; and -Mathews himself in ordinary day dress. Another -good portrait, by Clint, A.R.A., shows Liston and -Mathews in “The Village Lawyer,” the former as -Sheepface, the latter as Scout. Liston impressed -people on casual acquaintance with an idea of -inveterate gravity; as Sheepface he fairly amazed -Mathews, and in this part made him laugh so much -that he was hardly able to go on.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Two of the finest pictures in the Garrick are -those representing Garrick and Mrs. Pritchard in -“Macbeth,” and Garrick and Mrs. Cibber in -“Venice Preserved.” Zoffany, who excelled in -theatrical portraiture, painted both of these. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>Another portrait by him shows the great actor as -Lord Chalkstone.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The fine picture of Macbeth is highly interesting -on account of Garrick’s costume. Though a stage -reformer, he did not dare to discard old traditions -of dress, and played the Highland thane in a long-skirted -blue coat with crimson cuffs, and a full-bottomed -wig of the Georgian period. Occasionally -he acted Macbeth in the costume of a fashionable -gentleman of the day—a suit of black silk, with -silk stockings, and shoes, buckles at the knees and -feet, a full-bottomed wig, and sword.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Benjamin West once asked Garrick why he -adhered to this ridiculous usage, to which he -replied that he was afraid of his audience, who -would have thrown bottles at him if he had dared -to change. John Philip Kemble, when stage-manager -at Drury Lane, finally corrected the -absurdities of stage costume, although Henderson -appears to have preceded him in this respect. In -Romney’s picture of Henderson as Macbeth, which -is in the club, the chieftain appears as a medieval -warrior wearing body armour, with arms and legs -bare. In 1772 Macklin played Macbeth at Covent -Garden in the dress of a Highlander, but, being -a clumsy old man, he is said to have looked more -like a Scotch piper than a warrior. Kemble, oddly -enough, first played Othello in the full uniform of a -British General—as Macbeth he wore a hearse-like -plume in his bonnet; whilst Mrs. Crough, the -singer, who played the First Witch, wore powdered -hair and the fashionable costume of her day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Garrick excelled in the art of facial expression. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>When he sat to Gainsborough, he paid, it is said, -no fewer than sixteen visits to his studio, and on -each occasion wrought a change in his features. At -length the painter, declaring he could not paint -a man with such a “Protean phiz,” threw down -his brush in despair. Garrick sat to Hogarth as -Fielding, after the novelist’s death, when the painter -wished to paint a posthumous likeness of the great -writer. Dressed in a suit of Fielding’s clothes, -the actor cleverly assumed his features, look, and -attitude. Small wonder that Johnson, when he -heard that Garrick’s face was growing wrinkled, -exclaimed: “And so it ought, for whose face has -experienced so much wear and tear as his?”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At times this great actor would indulge in very -unconventional behaviour. Acting in a tragedy -in which a Mr. Thomas Hurst—who was a brandy-merchant—took -a part, Garrick, conceiving Hurst -too tame to support him, reproved him publicly on -the stage. “Mr. Hurst,” said he, “if you will put -<span class='fss'>MORE</span> <i>British spirit</i> into your <i>acting</i>, and <span class='fss'>LESS</span> in -your <i>brandy</i>, you may send me <i>two gallons</i> to-morrow -morning.” Whether the brandy-merchant -was offended or not, history does not relate; but -he took care to remember the order, which he -sent the following day, writing at the bottom of -the bill of parcels: “As per your order last night, -on the stage of Drury Lane Theatre.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Garrick once set up a man in a snuff-shop, -and actually recommended his snuff, known as -“No. 37,” from the stage, as a result of which the -snuff-merchant realized an ample fortune.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Garrick, as is well known, was not devoid of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>vanity, and was at times fond of praising himself. -During one evening at the Sublime Society, he -remarked that so many manuscript plays were sent -him to read, that in order to avoid losing them and -hurting the feelings of the poor devils the authors, -he made a point of ticketing and labelling the play -that was to be returned, that it might be forthcoming -at a moment’s notice. “A fig for your -hypocrisy!” exclaimed Murphy across the table. -“You know, Davy, you mislaid my tragedy two -months ago, and I make no doubt you have lost -it.” “Yes,” replied Garrick; “but you forget, you -ungrateful dog, that I offered you more than its -value, for you might have had two manuscript -farces in its stead.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Amongst the many fascinating actresses of other -days who smile from the Garrick walls, some -mention must be made of Mrs. Oldfield—Pope’s -Narcissa. Mrs. Oldfield was supposed to be the -daughter of a Captain Oldfield. Her early years -were passed with an aunt, who kept the Mitre -Tavern in St. James’s Market. At this resort she -attracted attention for her recitation of one of -Beaumont and Fletcher’s comedies, and Rich, the -celebrated manager, gave her an engagement at -Drury Lane. Starting at a small salary, she quickly -rose to speaking parts, and soon became the leading -lady on the stage of that day. She went to the -theatre in a chair escorted by two footmen, and, -seldom mixing with her fellow-actors, enjoyed a -unique position in spite of a by no means severe -morality. She had one son by Arthur Maynwaring, -and afterwards lived under the protection -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>of General Churchill, a brother of the great Duke -of Marlborough. It is said that Queen Caroline -remarked to her one day: “I hear that you and -the General are married.” “Madam,” replied the -actress discreetly, “the General keeps his own -secrets.” Mrs. Oldfield’s children married well; -her granddaughter became the wife of Lord -Walpole of Wolterton, and was the direct ancestress -of the present writer. The American novelist -Mr. Winston Churchill is, I believe, a descendant -of the sprightly actress.</p> - -<p class='c006'>From time to time the original collection at the -Garrick Club has been largely increased, and some -of the additions are notable. One of the most -admirable modern portraits in the club now hangs -over the morning-room mantelpiece. It represents -the late Sir Henry Irving in morning dress, and -was painted and presented by Sir John Millais. -Another good portrait of the veteran Phelps as -Cardinal Wolsey, in scarlet robes, is the work of -that talented artist and actor—Mr. Forbes-Robertson. -Mr. Henry Neville, who died but recently, -was painted as Count Almaviva, by Mr. W. John -Walton; and Sir Squire and Lady Bancroft are -represented in marble statuettes, done by the late -Prince Victor of Hohenlohe. A picture of Sir -John Hare in one of his most successful creations—Benjamin -Goldfinch in “A Pair of Spectacles”—has -recently been added.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the Garrick are preserved some small silver -candlesticks, formed of little figures representing -harlequins and the like. These were presented by -the writer’s great-uncle, Edward Walpole, known -<span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>as Adonis Walpole on account of his good looks. -The rest of the set is in the possession of Lady -Dorothy Nevill.</p> - -<p class='c006'>There have been many “characters” amongst -Garrick members in former days, of whom, perhaps, -the most original was Tom Hill, who was an -authority upon most things—grave or gay.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Born in 1760 at Queenhithe, he became a dry-salter, -but, having sustained financial losses in 1810, -retired about that year to rooms in the Adelphi, -where he lived comfortably enough. A great -collector of books, chiefly old poetry, and theatrical -relics, he was very well known in literary and stage -circles.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Hill is said to have been the original of Paul -Pry, but this is doubtful. The great joke in -connection with him was his age. James Smith -once said that it was impossible to discover his age, -for the parish register had been burnt in the Fire -of London; but Hook capped this: “Pooh, pooh!”—Tom’s -habitual exclamation—“he’s one of the -Little Hills that are spoken of as skipping in the -Psalms.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Till within three months of his death, Hill -usually rose at five, took a walk to Billingsgate, and -brought the materials for his breakfast home with -him to the Adelphi. At dinner he would eat and -drink like a subaltern of five-and-twenty, and one -secret of his continued vitality was that a day of -abstinence and repose uniformly followed a festivity. -He then nursed himself most carefully on tea and -dry toast, tasted neither meat nor wine, and went -to bed by eight o’clock. But perhaps the grand -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>secret was the easy, imperturbable serenity of his -temper, which, when he died in 1841 at the age of -eighty-one, enabled him to look twenty years -younger. It was probably due to this fact, also, -that his cheerfulness remained unimpaired, in spite -of the comparative poverty of his later years.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Hill’s collection of old English poetry was dispersed -in 1810, whilst other rarities and memorials -which he had got together took Evans, of Pall -Mall, a week to sell by auction. These included -some very interesting autograph letters, and among -the memorials were Garrick’s Shakespeare cup, -a vase carved from the Bard’s mulberry-tree, -and a block of wood from Pope’s willow at -Twickenham.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The late sittings for which the Garrick was -formerly renowned seem to have become more -or less things of the past.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Supper at the Garrick some twenty-five years -ago was, especially on certain nights, a regular -institution. The late Sir Henry Irving and Mr. -Toole were regular attendants, often sitting very -late at the long table in the smaller dining-room, -where the supper-table was regularly laid. Many -of those who assembled round the festive board -have now, like the before-mentioned theatrical -stars, joined the great majority.</p> - -<p class='c006'>At that time, except for lunch, the Garrick Club -was not, during the day, used by so many members -as at present, nor was the club-house so comfortable -or the pictures and relics displayed to such -advantage. Those desirous of smoking were also -hampered by restrictions, which have since been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>removed. As a result of the enlightened policy -pursued in recent years, this club is now one of the -most sociable and agreeable in London, whilst its -membership is still largely composed of men well -known in the literary and theatrical worlds.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Arts Club, now in Dover Street, was -formerly located at 17 Hanover Square. “Sweet -Seventeen,” as it came to be called, was a fine old -Georgian house, with marble mantelpieces and -ceilings painted by Angelica Kauffmann. Some -of the rooms were originally panelled, and the -staircases were of old oak; but all these fine things -are now dispersed, and the house has been pulled -down. At the time when it was occupied by the -Arts Club the walls were further adorned by -pictures which were lent for exhibition, and which -completed a <i>tout ensemble</i> of singular charm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another club of which much has been written -is the Savage, started in 1855. This Bohemian -institution has always had a number of celebrities -on its list. In its early days the membership -included George Cruikshank, J. L. Toole, Paul -Bedford, Shirley Brooks, Dion Boucicault, and -George Augustus Sala. Sala’s name appears in -the first list, and he served on the first committee, -but although he twice joined the club he was not -a “Savage” when he died. Other notable members -of those days were “Mike” Halliday, Arthur -Sketchley, Sir Squire Bancroft, Sothern, Henry -S. Leigh, “Tom” Robertson, Lord Dunraven -(then Lord Adair), Joseph Hatton, Kendal, George -Henty the war-correspondent (who won great -fame as a writer of boys’ books), W. S. (now -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>Sir William) Gilbert, and Arthur Sullivan the -composer.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In connection with Bohemian clubs, some -mention of the Players’ Club, at 16 Granmercy -Park, New York, may not be out of place. The -club in question was opened on the last night of -1888 by the late Mr. Edwin Booth, who, having -purchased the building, remodelled and furnished -it as a club-house, and presented the title-deed to -the members as a free gift.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Membership of the Players’, like that of the -Garrick, is not confined to actors alone. It also -resembles the latter club in that it contains many -prints and mementoes of great theatrical stars who -have passed away, including a priceless collection -of costumes and properties. The memory of -Edwin Booth is commemorated firstly by the conservation, -in an untouched condition, of the bedroom -in which the last years of his life were passed; -and secondly by the Booth library, containing a -fine collection of volumes bequeathed to the club -by the great actor.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The contents of Edwin Booth’s bedroom are -kept exactly as in his lifetime, even to the last book -he read, with a mark on the last page the great -actor turned. A chair and skull used by him in -“Hamlet” are also here.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On the last night of the old year, club custom at -the Players’ ordains that about midnight a loving-cup -should be passed round amongst members, in -order that they may drink to the memory of the -founder.</p> - -<p class='c006'>“Ladies’ day” is an annual festival of this club, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>held on Shakespeare’s birthday—April 23rd—on -which date a number of ladies, either connected -with or interested in the stage, are entertained.</p> - -<p class='c006'>This and “founders’ night” are the only two functions -held, and consequently invitations are very -highly prized. Each member is allowed but two -cards of admission.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another Bohemian New York club is the -Lambs. The funds to pay off a mortgage of -36,000 dollars on the club-house in West Thirty-sixth -Street were raised in a highly characteristic -manner. For the space of one week a company -consisting entirely of stars—actors, musicians, and -authors—formed themselves into a minstrel troupe -and toured through eight cities, with the result that -they made 67,000 dollars. Each member of this -troupe on its dispersal received one dollar as a -souvenir of his services.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The present club-house of the Lambs, at West -Forty-fourth Street, cost no less than 300,000 -dollars. It is a most luxurious building furnished -with every modern convenience, and contains a -theatre where the Lambs hold their famous Gambols, -and where plays never performed elsewhere -are played. Besides their private Gambols, the -Lambs give an annual public Gambol at a New -York Theatre, to see which the public can obtain -tickets through members.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Lambs are exceedingly charitable to any of -their number who may be overwhelmed by misfortune -or sickness, and, indeed, membership of the -club has been said to constitute an insurance against -adversity. Many a stricken actor has had reason to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>bless the club, which on one occasion, through a -benefit performance organized in conjunction with -the players, obtained a comfortable annuity for an -actor who had been seized by an incurable malady.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whilst hardly a club in the sense now usually -understood, the Jockey Club possesses rooms at -Newmarket, and a number of sporting prints are to -be seen here. The most interesting relic in the -possession of the club, however, is a hoof of Eclipse, -formed into an inkstand. On the front are the royal -arms in gold in high relief, and on the pedestal is -the following inscription: “This piece of plate, -with the hoof of Eclipse, was presented by His -Most Gracious Majesty William the Fourth to the -Jockey Club, May 1832.” This hoof was originally -given as a prize in a Challenge race (rather like -“The Whip”) run on Ascot Thursday. The King -gave an additional £200, and there was a £100 -sweepstake between members of the Jockey Club. -It was run for soon after it was presented, in the -year of the great Reform Bill, on the same afternoon -that Camarine and Rowton ran a dead-heat -for the Gold Cup, and over the same course. One -subscriber scratched, and, of the other two, Lord -Chesterfield, with the famous Priam (Conolly up), -beat General Grosvenor and Sarpedon, ridden by -John Day. In 1834 Lord Chesterfield won again -with Glaucus (Bill Scott up), beating Gallopade, -who had won for Mr. Cosby the year before. -Twelve months later the hoof was challenged for by -Mr. Batson, but there was no reply. It is much to -be regretted that no sporting event is now connected -with this historic hoof. Considering how -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>small an interest the contests for the Whip have -excited of late years, there is little likelihood -of this relic being again run for on Newmarket -Heath.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Eclipse is closely connected with the history -of the Jockey Club. This race-horse of historic -memory lived for twenty-five years, and the years in -question just coincided with the period during -which the Jockey Club grew into a powerful body. -It was also the time of the foundation of the Derby, -the Oaks, and the St. Leger. Then it was that the -Jockey Club first began to be quoted as a real and -powerful authority, and when its rulings were first -accepted by racing men. The sentence of “warning -off,” originally established by precedent, was -legally recognized in 1827, when, in the case of the -Duke of Portland <i>v.</i> Hawkins, a man to whom the -Jockey Club objected was successfully proceeded -against for trespass on the freehold property of the -club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Although the memory of Eclipse is intimately -connected with the history of the Jockey Club, it is -a rather remarkable thing that his owner never -succeeded in obtaining admittance to that exclusive -circle. Colonel O’Kelly’s one great grievance, -which led him persistently to denounce the Jockey -Club, was the stubborn refusal of the members to -elect him.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On one occasion, when Colonel O’Kelly was -making a contract with a jockey, he stipulated as a -special condition that he should never ride for any -of the <i>black-legged</i> fraternity. The consenting -jockey saying “he was at a loss to know who the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>Captain meant by the black-legged fraternity,” he -instantly replied, with his usual energy: “Oh, ——, -my dear, and I’ll soon make you understand who I -mean by the black-legged fraternity! There’s the -Duke of Grafton, the Duke of Dorset,” etc., naming -the principal members of the Jockey Club, “and all -the set of <i>thaves</i> that belong to the humbug societies -and <i>bugaboo</i> clubs, where they can meet and rob -one another without fear of detection.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Though old O’Kelly was never admitted, his -nephew Andrew became a member soon after his -uncle’s death.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Jockey Club appears to have been founded -about 1752. The first public mention of the new -association—which is to be found in Mr. John -Pond’s “Sporting Kalendar”—evidently assumes -the familiarity of his readers with the club; for it -makes the simple announcement for 1752 of “a -contribution free plate by horses the property of -noblemen and gentlemen belonging to the Jockey -Club,” and by the May meeting of 1753 two “Jockey -Club Plates” were being regularly run for. The -list of members as shown by these and similar races -run for between this year and 1773, and the date -when the “Racing Calendar” was first produced by -James Weatherby, “Keeper of the Matchbook,” -indicate very clearly what were the objects of a -club the origin and early history of which are -wrapped in considerable obscurity.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another very exclusive institution is the Royal -Yacht Squadron at Cowes, which was originally -founded by a number of noblemen and gentlemen -(as the old-world phrasing ran) desirous to promote -<span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span>the science of marine architecture and the naval -power of the kingdom. Prize cups were frequently -given to be sailed for, not only by their own vessels, -but by those of other clubs; the pilot and fishing -vessels of the Island were not forgotten; and liberality -and national utility were the main objects of -the club. The result of all this was that great -improvement in the construction of ships was -absolutely forced upon the Government of that -day.</p> - -<p class='c006'>On June 1, 1815, a body of gentlemen met at -the Thatched House Tavern in St. James’s Street, -under the presidency of Lord Grantham, and -decided to form a club which should consist only -of men who were interested in the sailing of yachts -in salt water. These gentlemen nominated themselves -with others to the number of forty-two to -form a list which should constitute the original -members of the club, decided upon a small subscription, -and drew up a few simple rules to govern -their newly-formed yacht club.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The original idea of the club would seem to have -been merely an association of those yacht-owners -who frequented Cowes during the summer, and it -was to be maintained by a couple of annual meetings—one -in the spring at the Thatched House, -the other at a dinner at the hotel at East Cowes. -There was at first no club-house, and the subscription -was only two guineas. The qualification for -any future candidate was the possession of a yacht -of a certain tonnage, the payment of an entrance -fee of three guineas, and the occupation of such -a social position as should commend him to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>members of the club, who would consider the matter -at a general meeting.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The original title was the Yacht Club, and the -rules relating to yachting were few and simple. -Every member, upon payment of his three guineas -to the secretary and treasurer, was entitled to two -copies of the signal-book, “and will be expected to -provide himself with a set of flags according to the -regulations contained therein.” That same signal-book -was the subject of a great deal of anxious -consideration during the next few years. The club -paid Mr. Finlaison £45 for printing the first copies, -which they soon found to be based upon a wrong -system, and appointed a committee to consider the -matter, who called in “the well-known skill and -experience of Sir Home Popham, K.C.B.,” to assist -them in devising a new set. A few years later -these also were found wanting “as clumsy and -inconvenient,” by reason of the number of flags -employed, when the Yacht Club adopted the code -“composed by Mr. Brownrigg, midshipman of -H.M.S. <i>Glasgow</i>, it being thought that two flags, -two pennants, and an ensign are all that can be -required.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Members were requested to register the name, -rig, tonnage, and port of registry, of their vessels -with the secretary, and the club adopted as a distinguishing -ensign “a white flag with the Union in -the corner, with a plain white burgee at the masthead.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Uxbridge, afterwards the first Marquis of -Anglesey, of Waterloo fame, was one of the original -founders of the club. He was very proud of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>whiteness of the decks of his famous cutter, the -<i>Pearl</i>, and when he gave a passage to Lord Adolphus -FitzClarence, who wore carefully varnished -boots which left marks on the deck after a shower, -he told off one of his hands to follow the offender -with a swab and remove the mark of each footstep.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The first Commodore of the club was the Hon. -Charles Pelham, so popular in later years as Lord -Yarborough, and as the owner of the two famous -yachts called the <i>Falcon</i>. Lord Yarborough’s -memory was so revered among his club-mates that -when his son came up for election, nearly half a -century later, all the formalities of the ballot were -dispensed with, and he was elected with acclamation.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another original member was Lord FitzHarris, -and his official yacht, the <i>Medina</i>, of eighty tons, -was always to be seen at the earlier functions of -the club. “She was the connecting link,” wrote -his son, “between the ships painted by Van de -Velde and those which preceded ironclads. She -was built in William the Third’s reign, and her -sides were elaborately gilded. She was highest by -the stern, with such a deep waist forward as to -endanger her going down head foremost if she -shipped a heavy sea. She had very little beam, -and her complement consisted of Captain Love, -R.N., the master, and twelve men.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>Sir William Curtis, the founder of the present -banking house of Robarts, Lubbock and Co., was -another member. The Prince Regent often stayed -with him upon his luxurious yacht, the <i>Emma -Maria</i>. Sir William was an amiable and charitable -man, of whom many amusing stories were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>told. He went with George IV to Scotland in -1822, and appeared in complete Highland costume -at Holyrood, even down to the knife stuck in his -stocking. The King himself appeared in a kilt, -and, it was said, was much chagrined to find Curtis -the only man in the room similarly clad. The -Baronet, on the other hand, was flattered to think -that he alone shared the Highland costume with -His Majesty, and asked King George if he did -not think him well dressed. “Yes,” replied that -monarch, “only you have no spoon in your hose.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1821 the Yacht Club, for some obscure reason, -changed the original white ensign and jack with a -white burgee to a red ensign and burgee. In 1824 -they added the letters R.Y.C. and a crown and foul -anchor to the burgee; in 1826 they changed the -ensign to a jack with a white border, without any -explanation being recorded in the minutes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1824 the club began to feel the want of a -meeting-place at Cowes, and a year later the -Gloucester Hotel became its first habitation. To -meet the increased expenses resulting from the -change, we may note that the annual subscription -was raised in the year of removal successively to -£5 and to £8, the entrance fee to £10, and the -tonnage qualification for the boats of new members -was raised from 20 to 30 tons.</p> - -<p class='c006'>After the vacation of Cowes Castle by Lord -Anglesey, the Governor, the Squadron acquired -the old building, and, after a good deal of money -had been expended in alterations, the club took up -its abode there in 1858. Then began a new era in -its history, and, owing to the interest taken by the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>then Prince of Wales, its importance as an exclusive -social institution greatly increased.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of the most pleasant rooms in the present -well-appointed club-house is the library, over which -the late Mr. Montagu Guest used to preside. The -collection of books here dates from 1835, when -members were first invited to increase the number -of volumes owned by the club either by donations -of money or gifts of books.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the castle hang a number of pictures connected -with the history of the club. These include portraits -of Lord Yarborough, the Earl of Wilton, and other -notabilities connected with the past history of the -Squadron. As a club-house, the old castle is one of -the pleasantest in the world. It is an ideal retreat -for members tired of town, for whose use a number -of excellent bedrooms are provided. The Royal -Yacht Squadron is singularly fortunate in its -secretary, a retired naval officer of much urbanity -and tactful charm.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Royal Yacht Club, as it was called in the -early days of its existence, did much to improve -naval architecture, and was without doubt of considerable -national utility.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Yarborough’s <i>Falcon</i> was a very fine vessel, -as was the Duke of Norfolk’s 210-ton cutter <i>Arundel</i>, -which was said to be one of the finest and fastest of -its kind in the world. Lord Belfast quite put the -naval authorities to shame with his brig, the <i>Water -Witch</i>. Taking the given length of the worst and -most despised class of vessels in King William IV’s -navy—that called the “ten-gun brig”—he declared -that he would construct a brig that should not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>only be superior for the purposes of war, but -should actually be made to outsail any vessel in -the royal navy—rather a bold declaration this, it -must be acknowledged, more particularly as two -vessels built upon an improved and scientific plan -were to be opposed to him. To work, however, -his lordship went, and the product of his labours -was the celebrated <i>Water Witch</i>, built for him by -Mr. Joseph White, of East Cowes, on the model -of his former yachts, the <i>Harriet</i>, <i>Thérèse</i>, and -<i>Louisa</i>, and precisely the length of the ten-gun -brig, which, though incapable of either fighting or -running, was, unfortunately, quite capable of going -to the bottom.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Lord Yarborough enforced naval discipline on -board the <i>Falcon</i>, the crew of which were paid -extra wages on condition that they submitted to -the usual rules in force on British vessels of war. -These included flogging under certain circumstances, -and it is said that, in consideration of the additional -sum paid by Lord Yarborough, some of the crew -cheerfully submitted to the occasional application -of the cat-o’-nine-tails.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Indeed, before the <i>Falcon</i> left Plymouth Sound -for a cruise, all hands cordially signed a paper -setting forth the usefulness of a sound flogging -in cases of extremity, and their perfect willingness -to undergo the experiment whenever it was deemed -necessary for the preservation of good order.</p> - -<p class='c006'>In the early days of the club only two instances -of blackballing seem to have occurred. One was -in the person of a noble Duke who had been -scratched off the list on account of not paying his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>annual subscription, who, when he sought re-election, -was excluded as a matter of course. The -other individual was the owner of a yacht like a -river barge, with a flat bottom, and he was rejected -more in joke than otherwise, it being reported -that his yacht was two months on her voyage from -the Thames to Cowes, and that, moreover, the bulkhead -and chimney in the cabin were of <i>brick</i>!</p> - -<p class='c006'>The candidates of that day, as may be judged -from their almost invariable success in the ballot, -were generally of a highly acceptable description. -The same, perhaps, can hardly be said of some in -recent years, when, in accordance with the spirit of -the age, certain individuals, whose only claim to -social consideration lay in their wealth, have made -attempts to force the Squadron portals.</p> - -<p class='c006'>One of these received what was perhaps the most -severe rebuff ever sustained by a candidate, in the -shape of no fewer than seventy-eight black balls, -which figure, it was said, would have been increased -to eighty had his proposer and seconder attended -the election. It should be added that the name of -the candidate in question had been submitted for -election at the instigation of a highly important -personage whose suggestions it was impossible to -ignore.</p> - -<p class='c006'>A prominent figure at the Squadron from about -1834 to 1882 was the late Mr. George Bentinck, -well known as Big Ben. Mr. Bentinck was very -bluff and outspoken, and when in Parliament he -once administered a violent lecture to both front -benches, shaking his finger at the distinguished -offenders who sat on both, and saying: “You know -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>you have all ratted; the only difference between -you is that some of you have ratted twice.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>He was no fair-weather yachtsman, and had the -greatest contempt for people who did not live on -board their vessels, who employed captains or -sailing-masters, and who confined their yachting -to the safe waters of the Solent. He had no -notion, as he said, of a Cowes captain who always -wanted to be ashore with his wife, so he commanded -his own ships with the strictest discipline, -and with the thorough respect of his crew. When -in harbour, his first officer always knocked at his -cabin door and reported eight bells. “Are the -boats up?” was Mr. Bentinck’s inquiry. “Yes, -sir.” “Very well, make it so;” and after that -hour there was no going ashore for anybody. He -was always delighted to take friends on a sea-voyage, -but could never be induced to give any -particulars as to where bound or the probable -length of the cruise, and very much resented an -inquiry on either point. People, accordingly, who -accompanied him always settled their affairs for -a reasonable period, not knowing when they would -return. One of Mr. Bentinck’s trips from Cowes -to Gibraltar took forty-two days owing to bad -weather, and on another voyage he declared that -his yacht, the <i>Dream</i>, once shipped twenty tons of -water in the Baltic. A somewhat unflattering -caricature of Mr. Bentinck is preserved in the -club-house at Cowes.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Another well-known member of the Squadron -was Lord Cardigan, of Balaclava fame, who -exhibited considerable eccentricity as a yachtsman. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>Whilst out sailing one day, his skipper said: “Will -you take the helm, my lord?” “No, thank you,” -was the reply; “I never take anything between -meals.” Lord Cardigan was certainly not much of -a sailor, and, according to tradition, was accustomed -to appear in a costume which included military -spurs. He was also, according to all accounts, a -man of somewhat unconciliatory temper, thoroughly -imbued with a high sense of the importance of his -great social position. He was born in the closing -years of the eighteenth century, and was at strife -with most of his acquaintance throughout his -career of seventy-one years. He was very late in -choosing the army as a profession, as he entered -the service in 1824, at the age of twenty-seven, and -by 1830 was a Lieutenant-Colonel, promotion being -easy for a rich nobleman in the days of purchase.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Whilst the Royal Yacht Squadron at Cowes -occupies a unique position as the chief yachting -club and authority in the United Kingdom, it -cannot boast a history dating back as far as an -Irish yacht club—the “Royal Cork”—which traces -its origin from a very ancient yachting club existing -at Cork as far back as 1720. This would seem -to have been a highly convivial institution, for one -of the rules ran: “Resolved that no admiral do -bring more than two dozen of wine to his treat, for -it has always been deemed a breach of the ancient -rules and constitution of the club, except when my -lords the judges are invited.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>At that date the rules and constitutions were -described as being ancient, and some of the -customs connected with the club (curious records -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>of which are in the possession of the Royal Cork -Yacht Club) were picturesque and curious.</p> - -<p class='c006'>Once a year the “Water Club” took part in a ceremony, -something like that performed by the Doge -of Venice, when he was wedded to the Adriatic. -A contemporary writer thus describes this function: -“A set of worthy gentlemen, who have -formed themselves into a body which they call the -‘Water Club,’ proceed a few leagues out to sea -once a year in a number of small vessels, which for -painting and gilding exceed the King’s yacht at -Greenwich and Deptford. Their admiral, who is -elected annually, and hoists his flag on board his -little vessel, leads the van and receives the honours -of the flag. The rest of the fleet fall in their -proper stations, and keep their line in the same -manner as the King’s ships. This fleet is attended -with a prodigious number of boats with their -colours flying, drums beating, and trumpets sounding, -which forms one of the most agreeable and -splendid sights your lordship can conceive.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The rules of this club dealt largely with conviviality. -Rule XIV, for instance, laid down “that -such members of the club as talk of sailing after -dinner be fined a bumper.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>In 1737 it was ordered “that for the future, unless -the company exceed the number of fifteen, no -man be allowed more than one bottle to his share -and a peremptory.”</p> - -<p class='c006'>The Royal Thames Yacht Club springs from the -Cumberland Society which was formed of members -who had sailed for the Duke of Cumberland’s Cup. -His Grace himself was wont to present this cup to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>the winner at a function of considerable solemnity. -The boats of the society were all anchored in -line, flying the white flag with the St. George’s -cross. The captains waited in skiffs, and only -boarded their boats when the Duke appeared in his -gilded barge and proceeded to the boat of the -Commodore of the fleet. The victorious captain -was then summoned to that vessel and introduced -to the Duke, who filled the cup with claret and -drank the health of the winner, to whom he thereupon -presented the cup. The winner then pledged -the health of His Royal Highness and his Duchess, -and the whole squadron sailed to Mr. Smith’s tea-gardens -at the Surrey end of Vauxhall Bridge, -then a pleasant rural spot.</p> - -<p class='c006'>The owner of the gardens in question, Mr. Smith, -seems to have held the post of Commodore in the -society during the first five years of its incorporation, -and a year or two later his establishment took -the name of the society’s patron, and was thenceforward -known as Cumberland Gardens.</p> - -<p class='c006'>It was the rule, after the annual dinner, for -members to adjourn to Vauxhall, close by, where -they finished a jovial evening.</p> - -<hr class='c023' /> - -<p class='c006'>At the present day there exist a multitude of -other clubs, but scarcely any of them come within -the scope of this volume—which the writer hopes -may prove not unwelcome both as a record of -interesting club possessions and as a modest contribution -to the history of English social life.</p> -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span> - <h2 class='c009'>INDEX</h2> -</div> -<ul class='index c003'> - <li class='c024'>Addison, Joseph, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Ad Libitum Club, the, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Albion Hotel, the, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Alfred Club, the, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Allen, Lord, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Almack, William, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Almack’s, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Alpine Club, the, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Alvanley, Lord, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a>–<a href='#Page_82'>82</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li> - <li class='c024'>American clubs, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Amphitryon Club, the, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>–<a href='#Page_206'>206</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Apollo Club, the, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Arbuthnot, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Archer, Thomas, Lord, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Arlington Club, the (now the Turf Club), <a href='#Page_181'>181</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Armstrong, Colonel, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Army and Navy Club, the, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>–<a href='#Page_251'>251</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>; - <ul> - <li>Junior, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c024'>Arnold, Samuel James, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>–<a href='#Page_43'>43</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Arthur, John, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Arthur, Robert, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Arthur’s, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>–<a href='#Page_71'>71</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Arts Club, the, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Ashburton, Dunning, Lord, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Asiatic Sundays” at the Athenæum, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Athenæum Club, the, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a>–<a href='#Page_283'>283</a>; - <ul> - <li>Junior, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c024'>Aubrey, Lieutenant-Colonel, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Aylott, Sir James, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a>–<a href='#Page_223'>223</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Bachelors’ Club, the, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Badminton Club, the, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Baker, Mr., Master of Lloyd’s, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Baldwin Club, the, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Banderet, Henry, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bath Club, the, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bathurst, Benjamin, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Batson’s, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Beaconsfield, the Earl of, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>–<a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Beauclerc, Topham, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Beaufort, Henry, Duke of, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>, <a href='#Page_67'>67</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bedford Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bedford, Francis, Duke of, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Beefsteak Club, the first, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>; - <ul> - <li>the present, <a href='#Page_52'>52</a>, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c024'>Beefsteaks, the Sublime Society of, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>–<a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a>, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Belfast, Lord, <a href='#Page_304'>304</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bentinck, George (“Big Ben”), <a href='#Page_306'>306</a>–<a href='#Page_307'>307</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bentinck, Lord George, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>–<a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bentinck, Lord Henry, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bessborough, the Earl of, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Black, William, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Blackballing, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>, <a href='#Page_164'>164</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Bloods,” <a href='#Page_13'>13</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bold Bucks, the, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bolingbroke, Viscount, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Boodle’s (formerly the Savoir Vivre), <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>–<a href='#Page_69'>69</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Booth, Edwin, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Boswell, James, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bourke, the Hon. Algernon, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_85'>85</a>, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bowes, the late Mr., <a href='#Page_56'>56</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Brackley, Lord, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>–<a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bridge, introduction of, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bright, John, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li> - <li class='c024'>British Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Broadhurst, Mr., <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Brook Club, the (New York), <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Brooks’s, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>–<a href='#Page_122'>122</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Brooks, the proprietor of the club-house, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a>, <a href='#Page_101'>101</a>, <a href='#Page_103'>103</a>, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Brothers’ Club, the, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Brougham, Lord, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>–<a href='#Page_121'>121</a>, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span>Brummell, Beau, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>–<a href='#Page_80'>80</a>, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a>–<a href='#Page_110'>110</a>, <a href='#Page_172'>172</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Bucks, the Society of, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Burke, Edmund, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Burlington Fine Arts Club, the, <a href='#Page_274'>274</a>–<a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Button’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Byerley, Thomas, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Byng, the Hon. Frederick, <a href='#Page_121'>121</a>–<a href='#Page_122'>122</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Byron, Lord, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Caledonian, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cambridge Beefsteak Club, the, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Camelford, Lord, and the “blood,” <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>–<a href='#Page_14'>14</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Candidates for election, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cardigan, Lord, <a href='#Page_307'>307</a>–<a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Carlton Club, the, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>–<a href='#Page_225'>225</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Castle Tavern, the, kept by Belcher and Spring, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cavalry Club, the, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cavendish, the Hon. Henry, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a>–<a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Chapter Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Chatterton, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Chelmsford Beefsteak Club, the, <a href='#Page_54'>54</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cheshire Cheese, the, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>–<a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Child’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Churchill, Lord Randolph, <a href='#Page_224'>224</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cibber, Colley, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cider Cellar, the, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>City Pickwick Club, the, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Clarke, Chamberlain, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Clarke, Sir Edward, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Club, the first, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>; - <ul> - <li>evolution of the, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>;</li> - <li>increase in the number of clubs, <a href='#Page_135'>135</a>;</li> - <li>change in club-life, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>;</li> - <li>opposition to improvements, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>;</li> - <li>washed silver in change, and other customs, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>;</li> - <li>smoking in clubs, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>;</li> - <li>strangers visiting clubs, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>;</li> - <li>bedrooms for members, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>;</li> - <li>increased comfort, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>–<a href='#Page_152'>152</a>;</li> - <li>clubs of to-day and their members, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>;</li> - <li>elections and committees, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a>;</li> - <li>hall-porters, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>;</li> - <li>porters’ boxes, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a>;</li> - <li>late sittings, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a>;</li> - <li>the Garrick the “latest” club, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a>;</li> - <li>foreign clubs taxed, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>;</li> - <li>sporting-club-men, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>;</li> - <li>decrease in drinking, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a>;</li> - <li>club-men and their foibles, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>–<a href='#Page_203'>203</a>;</li> - <li>restaurant clubs, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>;</li> - <li>registration of clubs, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c024'>Club-man, the modern, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cocoa-tree, the, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a>, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a>–<a href='#Page_132'>132</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Coffee-houses, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Colenso, Bishop, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Committee, the club, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Conservative Club, the, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>–<a href='#Page_228'>228</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Constitutional Club, the, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cooking, club, <a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cosmopolitan Club, the, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>–<a href='#Page_268'>268</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Coventry, Lord, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Coventry House, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Crockford, Benjamin, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>–<a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Crockford’s, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a>, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>–<a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_229'>229</a>–<a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Croker, John Wilson, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Crown and Anchor Tavern, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Cunningham, Colonel, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Curtis, Sir William, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a>–<a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Daffy Club, the, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Damer, Colonel, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Daniel’s, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Davies’s “Life of Garrick” <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Defoe, Daniel, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Devonshire Club, the, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a>–<a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Devil Tavern, the, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Dickens and the George and Vulture, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>; - <ul> - <li>his chair, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>;</li> - <li>reconciliation with Thackeray, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c024'>Dickens Club, the, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Digby, Sir Kenelm, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Dilettanti Society, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a>–<a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Disraeli, Isaac, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Dryden, John, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Dudley, Lord, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Duff, Captain William, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Durnford, Bishop, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - <li class='c003'>East India United Service Club, the, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a>–<a href='#Page_255'>255</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Eccentric members, <a href='#Page_198'>198</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Eclipse, the race-horse, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>–<a href='#Page_298'>298</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Edinburgh Club, the, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Edward VII, King, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Edwards, Mr., and the introduction of coffee-houses, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Elections, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a></li> - <li class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>Ellice, Edward, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Elliot, Lettsom, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Essex Head, the, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Estcourt, Richard, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Etiquette at coffee-houses, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>–<a href='#Page_18'>18</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Evans’s, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>–<a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Everlasting,” the, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Fines, <a href='#Page_182'>182</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Fitzgerald, George Robert, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>–<a href='#Page_118'>118</a></li> - <li class='c024'>FitzHarris, Lord, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Foote, Samuel, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>–<a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Forrest’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Fox, Charles James, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>–<a href='#Page_127'>127</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Fox Club, the, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a>–<a href='#Page_127'>127</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Francis, Sir Philip, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>–<a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Fraser, Sir William, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Gambling, French and English, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>–<a href='#Page_187'>187</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gambling clubs, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a>–<a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gardner, Mr. John, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Garraway’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a>, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>–<a href='#Page_23'>23</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Garrick, David, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>–<a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>–<a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Garrick Club, the, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a>–<a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Garth, Dr. Samuel, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Garway, Thomas, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gay, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gayner, the late Mr., <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>–<a href='#Page_68'>68</a></li> - <li class='c024'>George III, King, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>George IV, King, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a>–<a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a>, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a>, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a>–<a href='#Page_303'>303</a></li> - <li class='c024'>George and Vulture, the first coffee-house, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a>, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li> - <li class='c024'>George’s, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Giles’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gladstone, W. E., <a href='#Page_107'>107</a>, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a>, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Golden Fleece Club, the, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Goldsmid, Sir Julian, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Goldsmith, Oliver, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_266'>266</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Goosetree’s, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Graham’s Club, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Granville, Lord, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Great Bottle Club, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Greaves, Samuel, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Grecian, the, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Green, John, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a>–<a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Greville, Charles, <a href='#Page_160'>160</a>–<a href='#Page_161'>161</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gronow’s “Reminiscences” <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Groom’s, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Guards’ Club, the, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a>–<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Guests, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gurney, Hudson, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Gwynn, Nell, <a href='#Page_247'>247</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Haggis Club, the, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Haines, Thomas, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>–<a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hall-porter, the, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hamlin’s, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hammond, Mr., <a href='#Page_11'>11</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hawkins, Sir John, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hayward, Abraham, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Heidegger, John James, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>–<a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hell-Fires, the, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hill, Thomas, <a href='#Page_292'>292</a>–<a href='#Page_293'>293</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hogarth, William, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a>, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hole-in-the-Wall Club, the, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hood, Tom, <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hook, Theodore, <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a>, <a href='#Page_179'>179</a>, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a>, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a>–<a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li> - <li class='c024'>House-dinners, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Humbugs, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hunlock, Sir Hugh, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Hurst, Thomas, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Irving, Sir Henry, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Isthmian Club, the, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a>–<a href='#Page_220'>220</a></li> - <li class='c003'>“Je ne sçai quoi” Club, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Jerdan, William, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Jockey Club, the, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a>–<a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Johnson, Dr., <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a>–<a href='#Page_8'>8</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a>, <a href='#Page_289'>289</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Johnson Club, the, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>–<a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Jonathan’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Jones, Inigo, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Jonson, Ben, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Junior Athenæum Club, the, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Junior Carlton Club, the, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>–<a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Junior Constitutional Club, the, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Junior Naval and Military Club, the, <a href='#Page_253'>253</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Junior United Service Club, the, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Kemble, John, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a>, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Kemble, John Philip, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - <li class='c024'>King of Clubs, the, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c024'><span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>Kinglake, Alexander, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c024'>King’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li> - <li class='c024'>King’s Head, the, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Kit-Kat Club, the, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Kneller, Sir Godfrey, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>–<a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Lade, Sir John, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lambs’ Club, the (New York), <a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Landseer, Sir Edwin, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Late sittings, <a href='#Page_178'>178</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lawn-market Club, the, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Leech, John, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Leinster, the Duke of, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lely, Sir Peter, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lewis, T., <a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lindley, Ozias, <a href='#Page_57'>57</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Literary Club, the, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>–<a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Little-man’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lloyd’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Locker, Frederick, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a></li> - <li class='c024'>London Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lotus Club, the, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Low, David, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lowther, Sir James, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Lying Club, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Macaulay, Lord, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a></li> - <li class='c024'>M’Clean, the highwayman, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Macklin, Charles, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Mackreth, Sir Robert, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Maison Dorée Club, the, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Malcolm, Sir John, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>–<a href='#Page_213'>213</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Manning, Cardinal, <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Marlborough Club, the, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>–<a href='#Page_219'>219</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Martindale, John, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Mathews, Charles, <a href='#Page_286'>286</a>–<a href='#Page_287'>287</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Mermaid Tavern, the, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Miles and Evans’s, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Military clubs, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Mills, Pemberton, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Mitre Tavern, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Montagu, the Duke of, <a href='#Page_72'>72</a>–<a href='#Page_74'>74</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley, <a href='#Page_270'>270</a>–<a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Montfort, Lord, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>–<a href='#Page_91'>91</a>, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Morris, Charles, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a>–<a href='#Page_50'>50</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Mug-house clubs,” <a href='#Page_24'>24</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Murphy, Arthur, <a href='#Page_290'>290</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Nando’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Napoleon III, the Emperor, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a>, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a>–<a href='#Page_249'>249</a></li> - <li class='c024'>National Club, the, <a href='#Page_237'>237</a>–<a href='#Page_238'>238</a></li> - <li class='c024'>National Liberal Club, the, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>National Sporting Club, the, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Naval and Military Club, the, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a>–<a href='#Page_253'>253</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Norfolk, Charles, eleventh Duke of, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a>–<a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>–<a href='#Page_132'>132</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Northumberland, the Countess of, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a></li> - <li class='c024'>North’s, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Octagon rooms at St. James’s Club, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a>; - <ul> - <li>at Naval and Military, <a href='#Page_252'>252</a></li> - </ul> - </li> - <li class='c024'>October Club, the, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Odd Fellows’ Club, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>O’Kelly, Colonel, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a>–<a href='#Page_299'>299</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Oldfield, Mrs., <a href='#Page_290'>290</a>–<a href='#Page_291'>291</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Old Man’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Old Slaughter’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Orford, the Earl of (Admiral Russell), <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Oriental Club, the, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a>–<a href='#Page_215'>215</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Orleans Club, the, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Orsay, Count d’, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a>, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Osborne, Bernal, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Ourselves,” <a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Oxford, Robert Harley, Earl of, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Oxford and Cambridge Club, the, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a>–<a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Oxford and Cambridge New University Club, the, <a href='#Page_245'>245</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Ozinda’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Past Overseers’ Society, the, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>–<a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pattison, Mark, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Payn, James, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Peele’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pelham, Henry, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Percival, the late Mr., <a href='#Page_83'>83</a>, <a href='#Page_84'>84</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Percy Anecdotes,” the, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Percy Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Permanent official, the, <a href='#Page_195'>195</a>–<a href='#Page_197'>197</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Piazza Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pilgrims, the Society of, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pinche’s School, Dr., <a href='#Page_20'>20</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pitt, William, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Players’ Club, the (New York), <a href='#Page_295'>295</a>–<a href='#Page_296'>296</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pon’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pope, Alexander, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Porters’ boxes, <a href='#Page_177'>177</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Portland Club, the, <a href='#Page_188'>188</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pratt’s, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a></li> - <li class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>Prince of Wales Coffee-house, the, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Pulteney, William (afterwards Earl of Bath), <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>–<a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Purl Drinkers, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Queen’s Arms, the, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Queensberry, the Marquis of, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>–<a href='#Page_231'>231</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Radcliffe, Dr., <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>–<a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Raggett, father and son, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Raikes, Dandy, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rainbow, the (now Groom’s), <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Raleigh Club, the, <a href='#Page_192'>192</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Reform Club, the, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>–<a href='#Page_236'>236</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Restaurant clubs, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Revett, Nicholas, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Reynolds, Sir Joshua, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rich, Henry, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rivers, Lord, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Robertson, Joseph, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Robin’s, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rogers, Samuel, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rosee, Pasqua, <a href='#Page_18'>18</a>, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Roxburghe Club, the, <a href='#Page_268'>268</a>–<a href='#Page_269'>269</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Cork Yacht Club, the, <a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Exchange, the, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Naval Club, <a href='#Page_255'>255</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Societies’ Club, the, <a href='#Page_273'>273</a>–<a href='#Page_274'>274</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Society Club, the, <a href='#Page_272'>272</a>–<a href='#Page_273'>273</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Thames Yacht Club, the, <a href='#Page_310'>310</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Royal Yacht Squadron, <a href='#Page_299'>299</a>–<a href='#Page_308'>308</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rules and regulations, <a href='#Page_167'>167</a>–<a href='#Page_170'>170</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Rump Steak Club, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c003'>St. Dunstan’s, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>St. James’ Club, the, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>, <a href='#Page_215'>215</a>–<a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>St. James’ Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>St. Leger, Colonel, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>–<a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sala, George Augustus, his definition of “club,” <a href='#Page_135'>135</a>, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Salisbury, Lord, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Salting, George, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Samsonic Society, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Savage Club, the, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Savile Club, the, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Savoir Vivre, the (now Boodle’s), <a href='#Page_65'>65</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sawdust Club, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Scott, General, <a href='#Page_94'>94</a>–<a href='#Page_95'>95</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Scriblerus Club, the, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Selwyn, George, <a href='#Page_95'>95</a>–<a href='#Page_97'>97</a>, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>–<a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_130'>130</a>–<a href='#Page_131'>131</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Shakespeare, <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Shand, the hall-porter at the Turf Club, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Shenstone, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sheridan, R. B., <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a>–<a href='#Page_115'>115</a>, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Silver, change given in washed, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Simpson, William, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Smith, Bobus, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>–<a href='#Page_35'>35</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Smith, Major-General (“Hyder Ali”), <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Smith, Tippoo, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Smoking in taverns and clubs, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>–<a href='#Page_284'>284</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Smyrna, the, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Snuff-boxes formerly in clubs, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Soaping Club, the Edinburgh, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Social Villagers,” the, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Soyer, Alexis, <a href='#Page_233'>233</a>–<a href='#Page_235'>235</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Spencer, Herbert, <a href='#Page_282'>282</a>–<a href='#Page_283'>283</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Spenser, Edmund, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Spring, Samuel, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Steele, Sir Richard, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a>, <a href='#Page_271'>271</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Stepney, Sir Thomas, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>–<a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Stewart, Admiral Keith, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a>–<a href='#Page_117'>117</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Strangers in clubs, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Stuart, James, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sunday at clubs, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Supper clubs, <a href='#Page_207'>207</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sussex, the Duke of, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a>–<a href='#Page_41'>41</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Swift, Jonathan, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a>, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sydney, Viscount, <a href='#Page_100'>100</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Sylvester, Joshua, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Tatham, Dr., <a href='#Page_279'>279</a></li> - <li class='c024'><i>Tatler</i>, the, <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_23'>23</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Taylor, William, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Taxes on club funds in France and Germany, <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Temperance, growth of, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>–<a href='#Page_194'>194</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Thackeray <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_150'>150</a>, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a>, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>, <a href='#Page_278'>278</a>, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Thatched House Club, the, <a href='#Page_131'>131</a>–<a href='#Page_134'>134</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Thatched House Tavern, the, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_260'>260</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>, <a href='#Page_300'>300</a></li> - <li class='c024'>The Club, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a>–<a href='#Page_267'>267</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Thespian Club, the, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Thornhill, Sir James, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Thrale, Henry, <a href='#Page_8'>8</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Tobacco-box belonging to Past Overseers of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>–<a href='#Page_62'>62</a></li> - <li class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>Todd, Harry, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Tom’s, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a>, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Tourville, Admiral de, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Travellers’ Club, the, <a href='#Page_148'>148</a>, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a>–<a href='#Page_211'>211</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Truby’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a></li> - <li class='c024'>True Blue Club, the, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Turf Club, the, <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a>, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a>, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a>, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Tyrawley, Lord, and the Frenchmen, <a href='#Page_14'>14</a>–<a href='#Page_17'>17</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Ude, Louis Eustache, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a>, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Union Club, the, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li> - <li class='c024'>United Service Club, the (at first the General Military Club), <a href='#Page_240'>240</a>–<a href='#Page_244'>244</a>, <a href='#Page_251'>251</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>United University Club, the, <a href='#Page_239'>239</a>, <a href='#Page_240'>240</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Uxbridge, Lord, <a href='#Page_301'>301</a>–<a href='#Page_302'>302</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Vernon, Admiral, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Visitors in clubs, <a href='#Page_147'>147</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Walpole, Horace, <i>quoted</i>, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a>, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Walpole, Sir Robert, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a>–<a href='#Page_90'>90</a></li> - <li class='c024'>“Water Club,” the, <a href='#Page_309'>309</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Watier’s Club, <a href='#Page_171'>171</a>–<a href='#Page_172'>172</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Webster, Sir Whistler, <a href='#Page_77'>77</a>, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Wellington, the Duke of, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Wellington Club, the, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a></li> - <li class='c024'>West, Benjamin, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a></li> - <li class='c024'>West, James, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a></li> - <li class='c024'>West, Thomas (proprietor of Tom’s), <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>–<a href='#Page_25'>25</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Wet Paper Club, the, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Whistler, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a></li> - <li class='c024'>White, Francis, <a href='#Page_71'>71</a></li> - <li class='c024'>White, Mrs., <a href='#Page_71'>71</a>, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a></li> - <li class='c024'>White’s, <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_69'>69</a>–<a href='#Page_71'>71</a>, <a href='#Page_74'>74</a>–<a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a>, <a href='#Page_144'>144</a>, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a>, <a href='#Page_146'>146</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_169'>169</a>, <a href='#Page_189'>189</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_256'>256</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Wilberforce, Samuel, <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Wilbraham, Roger, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a>–<a href='#Page_111'>111</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Wilkes, John, <a href='#Page_19'>19</a>, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Will’s, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a>, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Windham, William, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a>–<a href='#Page_221'>221</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Windham Club, the, <a href='#Page_220'>220</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Yarborough, Lord, <a href='#Page_302'>302</a>, <a href='#Page_305'>305</a></li> - <li class='c024'>York, Frederick, Duke of, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a>, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a>–<a href='#Page_120'>120</a></li> - <li class='c024'>Young Man’s Coffee-house, <a href='#Page_3'>3</a>, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a></li> - <li class='c003'>Zoffany, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a></li> -</ul> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>THE END</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c002'> - <div><span class='small'>BILLING AND SONS, LTD., PRINTERS, GUILDFORD</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c003' /> -</div> -<p class='c006'> </p> -<div class='tnbox'> - - <ul class='ul_1 c003'> - <li>Transcriber’s Notes: - <ul class='ul_2'> - <li>Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Typographical errors were silently corrected. - </li> - <li>Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a predominant - form was found in this book. - </li> - </ul> - </li> - </ul> - -</div> -<p class='c006'> </p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of London Clubs, by Ralph Nevill - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LONDON CLUBS *** - -***** This file should be named 60472-h.htm or 60472-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/4/7/60472/ - 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