24 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
“Miscellanies in Prose and Verse,” a collection of light fughive pieces, partly
of his own composition, and partly of others, the boon-companions of his youth.
The best of these, however, are attributed to Lord Gardenstone himself.
Among the eccentricities of Lord Gardenstone waa an attachment to the
generation of pigs. He had reared one of these animals with so much affectionate
care, that it followed him wherever he went like a dog. While it was
little, he allowed it even to share his bed during the night. As it grew up,
however, which no doubt it would do rapidly under such patronage, this was
found inconvenient ; and it was discarded from the bed, but permitted still to
sleep in the apartment, where his lordship accommodated it with a couch composed
of his own clothes, which he said kept it in a state of comfortable warmt,h.’
His lordship consumed immense quantities of snuff; requiring such a copious
supply that he carried it in a leathern waistcoat pocket made for the purpose,
and used to say that if he had a dozen noses he would give them all snuff.
His use of this article was so liberal, that every fold in his waistcoat was filled
with it ; and it is said that from these repositories the villagers, when conversing
with him, frequently helped themselves, without his knowledge, to a pinch.
In his dress his lordship was exceedingly plain, a circumstance which gave
rise to an incident highly characteristic of him, which occurred at one time when
he was returning from London.
Observing some young bucks taking inside tickets for the coach in which he
was about to travel, he took his for the outside. On arriving at the end of the
stage, where the passengers were to breakfast, his lordship, who had been shown
into an inferior room, while his better-dressed fellow-travellers were conducted
to the best, called the waiter, and desired him to carry his compliments to the
young gentlemen, on whose philanthropy it was his object to make an experiment,
and to request that they would permit him to have the honour of breakfasting
with them. To this message precisely such an answer was returned as
his lordship expected. It was that the gentlemen above stairs kept no company
with outside passengers. Lord Gardenstone made no reply, but desired the
waiter to bring him a magnum bonum of claret, and to send the landlord to
share it with him, concluding with an order to get a post-chaise and four ready
for him immediately. They commands, which very much amazed both mine
host and his man, having been in due time complied with, his lordship paid his
bill and departed, giving orders previously to his coachman so to manage as to
arrive. at the stage where his former fellow-travellers would dine, precisely at the
same time with them, that they might witness the respect which should be paid
tb him by the landlord, to whom he was known. All this the young bucks
accordingly saw, and having set on foot some inquiries on the subject, they soon
discovered their mistake. With the view of atoning for their incivility, they
now sent a polite card to Lord Gardenstone, begging his pardon for what had
My father called on his lordship
He was shown into his bedroom, and in the dark, he
Upon which Lord Gardenstone mid, “It is
1 I remember 8 ludicrous enough anecdote of Lord Gardenstone.
one morning, but he waa not yet out of bed.
stumbled over something which gave a terrible grunt.
just a bit SOW, poor beast, and I laid my breeched on it to keep it warm all qight.”-(A. 9.)
