The Public has given so kindly a reception to The Varnished Pomps ofYesterday (a reception which took its author wholly by surprise), thatI have extracted some further reminiscences from the lumber-room ofrecollections. Those who expect startling revelations, or stale whiffsof forgotten scandals in these pages, will, I fear, be disappointed,for the book contains neither. It is merely a record of everydayevents, covering different ground to those recounted in the formerbook, which may, or may not, prove of interest. I must tender myapologies for the insistent recurrence of the first person singular; ina book of this description this is difficult to avoid.
Early days—The passage of many terrors—Crocodiles, grizzlies andhunchbacks—An adventurous journey and its reward—The famous spring inSouth Audley Street—Climbing chimney-sweeps—The story of Mrs.Montagu's son—The sweeps' carnival—Disraeli—Lord John Russell—Achild's ideas about the Whigs—The Earl of Aberdeen—"Old BrownBread"—Sir Edwin Landseer, a great family friend—A live lion at atea-party—Landseer as an artist—Some of his vagaries—His frescoes atArdverikie—His latter days—A devoted friend—His last Academy picture
The "swells" of the "sixties"—Old Lord Claud Hamilton—My firstpresentation to Queen Victoria—Scandalous behaviour of abrother—Queen Victoria's letters—Her character and strong commonsense—My mother's recollections of George III. and George IV.—CarltonHouse, and the Brighton Pavilion—Queen Alexandra—The FairchildFamily—Dr. Cumming and his church—A clerical Jazz—First visit toParis—General de Flahault's account of Napoleon's campaign of1812—Another curious link with the past—"SomethingFrench"—Attraction of Paris—Cinderella's glass slipper—A glimpse ofNapoleon III.—The Rue de Rivoli—The Riviera in 1865—A novelTricolour flag—Jenny Lind—The championship of the Mediterranean—Myfather's boat and crew—The race—The Abercorn wins the championship
A new departure—A Dublin hotel in the "sixties"—The Irish mailservice—The wonderful old paddle mail-boats—The convivial waiters ofthe Munster—The Viceregal Lodge—Indians and pirates—The imaginationof youth—A modest personal ambition—Death-warrants; imaginary andreal—The Fenian outbreak of 1866-7—The Abergele railway accident—ADublin Drawing-Room—Strictly private ceremonials—Some of theamenities of the Chapel Royal—An unbidden spectator of the Statedinners—Irish wit—Judge Keogh—Father Healy—Happy Dublin knack ofnomenclature—An unexpected honour and its cause—Incidents of theFenian rising—Dr. Hatchell—A novel prescription—Visit of KingEdward—Gorgeous ceremonial, but a chilly drive—An anecdote of QueenAlexandra
Chittenden's—A wonderful teacher—My personal experiences as aschoolmast