Full text of "The Spanish journal of Elizabeth, lady Holland"
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Full text of "The Spanish journal of Elizabeth, lady Holland"\k University of Massachusetts Amherst I B R A R Y inc $& ' THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF ELIZABETH LADY HOLLAND THE JOURNAL OF ELIZABETH LADY HOLLAND (1791-1811). Edited by the EARL OF ILCHESTER. With 6 Portraits. 2 vols. 8vo. 21s. net. LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., 39 Paternoster Row, London, New York, Bombay, and Calcutta. ( u I / k li'l h , _/ ml ii t h ' i ■> / ' I ' 1 1 1 7 ( I ■ i . ,i c ( i a/ i ii I'l'l Ii. ( hill THE SPANISH JOURNAL OF ELIZABETH LADY HOLLAND EDITED BY THE EARL OF ILCHESTER WITH PORTRAIT AND MAP LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA 1910 All rights reserved PREFACE The present volume of Lady Holland's journal deals with the accounts of two journeys in Spain, the first in 1802-05, the second in 1808-09. These were omitted when the two former volumes were published. The first part tells the story of the travels of the Hollands and their party at some length, and gives descriptions of many of the objects of interest which they visited. I have omitted or shortened the less important details as much as possible, and have endeavoured to confine the narrative to those incidents which seem of special interest or which bear on the character and customs of the Spaniards. Any mention also of institutions or buildings which suffered in the wars or have disappeared since that time, has been retained. The anecdotes and gossip of the Court may be of interest to the descen- dants of those concerned, and I have attempted very shortly to identify the various members of the families to whom reference is made. The second portion of the Journal deals almost exclusively with the incidents of the early part of the Peninsular War. Lord Holland's name was well known in Spain, and his sympathy with the cause was apparent to many outside his own circle of friends. Thus he was in a position to obtain much information which would not have been vouchsafed to the ordinary traveller. It VI PREFACE was Lady Holland's daily habit to jot down the reports which were received from the front and the information which she collected from Spanish sources. Her narrative is, therefore, often disjointed, and I have endeavoured, by means of brief notes, to compare her version with the various histories of the war now at our disposal. Especially to Mr. Oman's invaluable work am I indebted for much of the information which has enabled me to link together the incidents which she records. During the stay of the Hollands in Seville they were in close communication with many members of the Central Junta. Naturally, their views on the situation carried much weight, and Lady Holland's remarks are frequently tinged with a thoroughly Spanish flavour. This is especially noticeable in her comments on Moore and his campaign. Frere was at her elbow, despatches were continually arriving from La Romana — the two men who had considered themselves slighted by the British general ; and it was as yet too early for the inhabitants of the South to realise the debt of gratitude which in reality they owed to Moore for his strategic retreat. It is curious to note in contemporary records of the war the complete spirit of self-satisfaction in which the Spanish leaders were accustomed to pencil their despatches, whatever was the nature of their contents. Defeat was often described on paper as victory, and the truth of a report was sometimes only to be judged in the light of subsequent events. It can be no matter of surprise that on the spot it was difficult to differentiate between fact and fancy. Even in dealing with letters from British commanders a remarkable divergence of opinion is manifest. This is well illustrated by those from Lord Paget and Sir Robert Wilson, which are included in the Appendix. PREFACE vn Though operating only a few hundred miles apart, their ideas of the Spanish character and disposition will be found to be entirely different. The one mistrusted every action, report, or emissary of the Spaniards ; the other praised their perseverance and their ardour in the cause of liberty. The Journal is thus valuable as a sidelight upon the history of the war, and as evidence of the contradictory rumours and petty jealousies which were so common at the time. I have taken the opportunity of inserting a number of unpublished letters in the Appendix, which may be of some interest to students of these early campaigns. It should be clearly stated that Lord Holland was travelling entirely for his own pleasure. He had no official position of any kind in 1808-09, though it appears from the Buckingham Memoirs that some hope of the offer of an Ambassadorship to Spain was held out to him in 1811, as a bait to gain his support for the Government. Indeed, in a letter enclosing passports, dated October 1808 {Holland House MSS.), Canning definitely requested him to be careful to make it clear to the Spaniards that his communications with them were in no way authorised by the British Government. He even warned him that he held himself at liberty, if necessary, to take steps to prevent such misappre- hensions. Lord Holland was not at one with his party on the subject of Spain. He was throughout an ardent supporter of the war and was always convinced that, with outside assistance, the patriotic spirit of the Spaniards would in time prevail against their oppressors. Some reference was made in the Introduction to the previous volumes to an episode in Lady Holland's early life, relating to the concealment of her Webster daughter in Italy. Anxious to retain the care of the viii PREFACE child, she sent a false report to Sir Godfrey Webster of its death ; and to prevent suspicion, she even arranged a sham funeral. I have been recently fortunate enough to find a paper in Lady Holland's own handwriting relating the whole circumstances. The details differ somewhat from the previously recognised version of the story, and I therefore take this opportunity of printing the paper as it stands : — ' I left Florence on the nth of April with my three children, accompanied by Marie Madelaine Bonfigli, her daughter — a child of four years old — Sally Brown nursery maid, Jacques Arnoud cook, Andre Genovale valet-de- chambre, Giovachino Mardei footman. Having in view the concealment of my daughter Harriet, I had sent the remainder of my servants by the shortest road from Florence to Padua, at which place I intended joining them by the route of Modena and Bologna. Those servants were Morrity a nurse, Ann Williams my under-maid, and Leopold Marconi, confectioner. On ye of April, I pretended that Harriet appeared unwell and expressed my apprehensions that she was sickening with the measles ; on which pretext I took her from her brothers into my own carriage for the remainder of the journey. On the I arrived in the evening at Paullo. Paullo is a solitary post house, about 3 or 4 posts from Modena. I there called Sally Brown to show her some red spots upon the child's arms, &c, having previously made the spots with water colours myself. I easily convinced her that there was danger from infection, and detained the child in my own room all night. In the morning I pretended the symp- toms had increased, and that it would be safer to remove my boys. I therefore sent them attended by Sally Brown and Jacques Arnoud to Modena, there to wait further directions from me. In the course of the day PREFACE ix I gave out that the child grew worse, and sent Giovachino to Florence to fetch Dr. Targioni, the physician who usually attended me, with directions that he should meet me at Bologna, as I intended going thither if the child mended, as the accommodations were better than at Paullo : but my real reason was that Targiori might not detect the fraud by seeing the child, who was in perfect health. I was thus left only with Marie Bonfigli, her child, Andre, and Harriet. To avoid suspicion from the innkeepers I allowed them to think the child was better, as I apprehended the fear of her death might draw more observation. I had brought a guitar in a case from Florence ; the case was of an oblong form, and might pass for a rude cofhn. In it I placed some stones for weight and dressed a pillow with cloathes and a wax mask. I did the latter, as it was probable the box might be opened at the difft. custom houses. I then desired Andre to convey the box to Leghorn, and receive the Consul's orders for the proper mode of having it interred, and I conclude that the coffin was conveyed and buried without inspection. * I dressed Harriet in boy's clothes, and to avoid being noticed by the people of the inn, I set off at night. I arrived at a small post house 2 posts distant from Modena, and there left Harriet, Marie Bonfigli, and Octavia. I went on to Modena, where my arriving alone and apparently dejected confirmed all the alarming apprehensions Sally had entertained about Harriet's illness. I immediately set off from Modena on the 17th of April, and found Dr. Targioni at Bologna. I detained him with me for a few days, and took him with me to Padua. I had procured from Mr. Wyndham a blank passport, pretending it was for a person coming to me out of Switzerland, whose name I had forgotten. The blank I filled in with the name of Saludini and two x PREFACE children, under which name Marie Bonfigli, who had never lost sight of Harriet since her separation from her brothers at Paullo, travelled as an officer's wife to Verona, Munich, Ratisbon, through the lower part of Germany, until they arrived at Hamburg, where I saw the child on the 2nd of June, 1796. As my child was reported to have suffered by the measles, it afforded strong reasons and satisfactorily accounted for Marie Bonfigli's staying behind to attend her own child, who had caught them. I had furnished Marie Bonfigli with money, and through Mr. Bruni (the banker) had procured for Madame Saludini letters-of-credit upon several bankers on the road.' From another recently discovered paper I am also now able to give further and more correct details of the early pedigree of the Vassall family. It appears from the account I have before me, entitled ' 1588 to 1831 ' that one Samuel Vassall died, leaving a son, John, who married Anna Lewis. Four sons were born of this marriage, John, William, Henry, Leonard. William, the second son, married Miss Mills, and left Bathsheba (who died unmarried) and Florentius, Lady Holland's grand- father. My best thanks are due to Lord Iveagh for his kindness in allowing me to reproduce, as the frontispiece to this volume, his full-length portrait, by Romney, of Lady Holland, in the early days of her married life with Sir Godfrey Webster. She here appears in fancy dress as a ' Virgin of the Sun.' As in the previous volumes, the original spelling and punctuation of the Journal has not been retained. In the case of proper names especially, where confusion might easily arise, alteration has been made, and the more usually recognised Spanish version, taken from PREFACE XI Arteche and Toreno, &c, has been substituted. A map of Spain and Portugal has been added, showing the principal places mentioned in the text, and pointing out the approximate routes taken by the Hollands by coloured lines. ILCHESTER. August 1910. PHOTOGRAVURE PLATE Elizabeth, Lady Holland, as a Virgin of the Sun Frontispiece From the picture by George Romney in possession of L ord Iveagh. Map of Spain and Portugal, Illustrating Lady Holland's Journeys in 1802-5 and 1808-9 at end LADY HOLLANDS SPANISH JOURNAL l802 - 1805 It was during the early months of 1802 that the Hollands decided upon a prolonged trip abroad. The continual illnesses of their eldest boy Charles had become a serious cause of alarm, and the doctors advised a winter in a foreign climate (vol. ii. 149). Leaving England in July they went first to Paris. The party, besides themselves, consisted of their two boys ; Frederick Howard, Lord Carlisle's sixteen- year-old son ; his tutor and an intimate friend of the Hollands, the Rev. Matthew Marsh ; and Mr. Allen, a doctor recom- mended to them by Lord Lauderdale, afterwards librarian and a permanent resident at Holland House. Charles James Fox and his wife were also in the French capital at this time, accompanied by his secretary Trotter, General Fitzpatrick, Lord Robert Spencer, and others. Both parties were much feted during their stay, and it was not until September 20 that the Hollands and their retinue left Paris en route for Spain. After a short tour among the castles on the Loire they travelled south to Bordeaux. From thence they took the road to Toulouse, and onward by Narbonne and Perpignan to cross the north-eastern frontier of Spain on the high road to Barcelona. They entered Spain on November 7, 1802. The destinies of that country were at this time again in the hands of Manuel Godoy, Duke of Alcudia, the favourite of Maria Luisa and her brainless husband Charles IV. The 2 LADY HOLLAND'S JOURNAL [N ov. Prince of the Peace, for by that name Godoy was best known, had become chief minister of the state in 1792. In com- pliance with the wishes of the King, war was declared against France at the time of his cousin Louis XVFs death. The neighbouring provinces of Rousillon and Catalonia were the chief sufferers in a struggle which resulted in disaster to the Spaniards. Peace was signed in July 1795, and a month later Spain found herself in alliance with the regicide government of France and at war with England. The British fleets were too strong for the Spaniards, while times without number the latter found their various interests sacrificed to those of their more northern ally. The indigna- tion of the nation against the responsible minister at last boiled over, and his fall came about in March 1798, although he appears never to have ^st the confidence of the King. Saavedra and Urquijo successively took up the burden of office, only passively to submit to further indignities at the hands of France, and to deliver themselves securely fettered into the power of the First Consul. It is unnecessary here to trace the rise of Napoleon in a few short years to the supreme power in France. His hatred of England led him to pursue a policy intended to alienate that country from the other powers of Europe. By February 1801 his plan was completely successful, for Portugal alone remained in alliance with Great Britain. To punish that recalcitrant nation the welfare, of Spain was again disregarded ; but at last the eyes of her ministers were opened, and they saw the gulf into which they had fallen. Urquijo received speedy chastisement for his disobedience to Napoleon, and was dismissed from office a few weeks after the arrival of Lucien Bonaparte in Madrid as special envoy. Godoy, whose actions Napoleon thought he could mould as he wished, was restored to power, and consented to undertake a joint invasion of Portugal. Even to Godoy, who assumed the command of the Spanish troops, the campaign was child's play, for the Portuguese army was practically non-existent. But for once the self-satisfied spirit of the favourite stood his country in good stead. He began to look on himself as a heaven- sent genius in the field as well as in the council chamber, and, tired of the exactions of the French, he was less inclined to obey their ceaseless demands. Napoleon was amazed at l80 2] DUGOMMIER'S DEATH 3 this new show of independence, and did not forget it when the interests of Spain were at stake during the Congress of Amiens. The northern confederation against England had been broken up by the death of the Czar Paul, and such was the exhaustion of the Continent from continual war that even France was willing to conclude a peace. This was secured by the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, which gave a short interval of respite before the struggle which was soon to commence again with renewed vigour. Leaving France on November 7, 1803, they crossed the boundaries of Spain near the village of Perthus. Fine pillars supporting the arms of Spain mark the entrance into Spain ; since the war they have not been elevated but remain overthrown, a pretty just emblem of the kingdom they represent. Dined at Junqueras. Saw the ground where Dugom- mier, 1 the French general, was killed. Also where the Spanish Commander-in-chief, the Count de la Union, 2 was shot ; the piety of his countrymen has raised a white marble cross to his memory. The philosophy of the French has induced them to convey the bodies of their two generals killed in the Spanish war, Dugommier and [Dagobert], to the public place at Perpignan, where dead dogs, cats, and all the filth of the streets is the only decoration on their sods. Just above Figueras is the fort esteemed a chef d'eeuvre in modern fortification ; the French got it at the beginning of the campaign by the foulest treachery. 3 The governor who surrendered ran away, and is now 1 Jacques Coquille Dugommier (1738-1794), who was in command of the French troops before Toulon when the city finally fell into their hands. He commanded the army at the battle of Sierra Negra, where he was killed. 2 Don Luis Carvajal y Vargas, Conde de la Union (1752-1794), killed at the same battle as Dugommier. 3 The Castillo de San Fernando. A court-martial which was appointed to inquire into the circumstances of this surrender named four persons as guilty of the vilest cowardice and treachery, and con- Directory: textos diversos textos diversos -> Ignacio Darnaude Rojas-Marcos ufólogos, contactados y espiritualistas Download 4.2 Mb. Share with your friends:
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