The “Pope” of Holland House
John Whishaw to Thomas Smith, 29 December 1815
Dec. 29, 1815.
I wish I was at liberty to send you a copy of an admirable letter
written by Lord Holland to Lord Kinnaird, at Paris, relative to Ney’s case, and the Duke of Wellington’s construction of the 12th Article of the
capitulation of Paris. It is excellent both in argument and style, and very strong
against Wellington, to whom it was shown, and who returned it
without any observation. Though too late to save Ney, the
letter, I trust, was not without its use, for Wellington is
said to be again fluctuating towards the milder system, and the escape of Lavalette, which
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seems clearly to have been permitted,
may be considered as a proof that the ruling party in the present
Government are apprehensive of pushing matters to extremes. Lord King, whom I am just going to visit, writes to
give me notice “that he almost regrets Napoleon, for that, with all his bad qualities and rage for
conquest (which includes almost every other fault), he was an Usurper, and as such obliged to be tolerant, and the natural enemy of
many abuses much cherished by the Kings of the Earth, upon whom he was, in many
respects, a powerful and effectual check.”
These opinions, however, are confined within a narrow circle.
They are entirely unknown to the world at large.
You will be surprised to hear that Lord
Castlereagh has a plan for doing something for the Catholics, and is
in actual communication with the Pope relative to
that subject. I believe this to be true, and shall rejoice in anything that is
done, regretting only that it was not done long since, and by those who would have
carried it with full effect.
Among the authors of the articles in the Edinburgh Review I may mention
that of Lingard’s Anglo-Saxon History is written by
Allen of Holland House, and Dr. Holland’s travels by
Playfair.
John Allen (1771-1843)
Scottish physician and intimate of Lord Holland; he contributed to the
Edinburgh Review and
Encyclopedia Britannica and published
Inquiry into the Rise and Growth of the Royal Prerogative in
England (1830). He was the avowed atheist of the Holland House set.
Henry Richard Fox, third baron Holland (1773-1840)
Whig politician and literary patron; Holland House was for many years the meeting place
for reform-minded politicians and writers. He also published translations from the Spanish
and Italian;
Memoirs of the Whig Party was published in 1852.
Horace (65 BC-8 BC)
Roman lyric poet; author of
Odes,
Epistles, Satires, and the
Ars Poetica.
Edward Charles Howard (1774-1816)
English chemist; educated at Douai, he was the younger brother of the twelfth duke of
Norfolk. He was elected fellow of the Royal Society in 1799.
Peter King, seventh baron King (1775-1833)
Whig politician, son of the sixth baron; he was educated at Harrow and Trinity College,
Cambridge before succeeding to the title in 1793. His son William married Ada Byron.
Charles Kinnaird, eighth baron Kinnaird (1780-1826)
The son of George Kinnaird, seventh baron Kinnaird; he was Whig MP for Leominster
(1802-05) before he succeeded to the title. He was the elder brother of Byron's friend,
Douglas Kinnaird.
John Lingard (1771-1851)
Roman Catholic historian, educated at Duoai; he published
History of
England (1819-30).
Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821)
Military leader, First Consul (1799), and Emperor of the French (1804), after his
abdication he was exiled to Elba (1814); after his defeat at Waterloo he was exiled to St.
Helena (1815).
Michel Ney, first Duc d'Elchingen (1769-1815)
Marshall of France who covered Napoleon's retreat from Moscow and led the Old Guard at
the battle of Waterloo, for which he was tried and executed by firing squad.
Pope Pius VII. (1740-1823)
The Pope during the Napoleonic era, 1800-1823.
John Playfair (1748-1819)
Professor of Mathematics at Edinburgh University and Whig man of letters who contributed
to the
Edinburgh Review.
