The Creevey Papers
Maria Copley to Thomas Creevey, 6 March 1823
“Sprotbrough, March 6th, 1823.
“Our friend the
Beau‡ does not think Ferdinand’s life worth a long purchase after the French
army enter Spain. He says that they—the French—will meet with no
more resistance in marching to Madrid than he does in going to the Ordnance
Office. Two inches of cold steel will do his business very shortly. . . .
Lord Francis Leveson (at Madrid) is of
the same
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| 1823-24.] | A YOUNG LADY’S LETTERS. | 65 |
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opinion as to
Ferdinand’s prospect of a long reign. . . . I
hope we shall not interfere, as it must increase both
our debt and our difficulties. . . . Pray what do they think at Michael’s* of O’Meara? I was malicious enough to talk
of nothing but the Quarterly Review last time that I saw Mrs. Taylor, notwithstanding that she
pertinaciously asserted that she had not read a line of it.† She made a determination
not to believe one word of it till she saw those notes at Murray’s, with a sight of which I
assured her she might be gratified immediately. . . . I am curious to see
O’Meara’s defence. How he is to exculpate
himself from the many charges of double dealing baffles
my poor imagination. He must be a sad, shuffling, dirty wretch.
“A still more difficult riddle for me to solve is
your friend Mr. Brougham. Why does he make
such love to Canning?—Why is he in
none of your divisions?—Why is he in astonishment at the small demand of
Ministers?—Is it catalepsy? All your good humour and civility make the
debates very flat . . . . Allow me to set you right upon a point which nearly
concerns the honour of my family. Heaven forbid that Miss Lemon should have a daughter. Her
sister married a Sir Something Davy.‡ Another time be
more cautious of taking away the credit of an unfortunate damsel by a stroke of
your pen—particularly in a letter to her cousin!”
Henry Peter Brougham, first baron Brougham and Vaux (1778-1868)
Educated at Edinburgh University, he was a founder of the
Edinburgh
Review in which he chastised Byron's
Hours of Idleness; he
defended Queen Caroline in her trial for adultery (1820), established the London University
(1828), and was appointed lord chancellor (1830).
George Canning (1770-1827)
Tory statesman; he was foreign minister (1807-1809) and prime minister (1827); a
supporter of Greek independence and Catholic emancipation.
Lady Anne Davie [née Lemon] (1773 c.-1812)
The daughter of Sir William Lemon, first baronet; in 1796 she married Sir John Davie,
eighth baronet.
Sir John Davie, eighth baronet (1772-1803)
The son of the seventh baronet (d. 1792); educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, he was
High Sheriff of Devon in 1802.
Francis Egerton, first earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857)
Poet, statesman, and Tory MP; a younger son the second marquess of Stafford, he was
educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, was chief secretary for Ireland (1828-30), and
translated Goethe and Schiller and contributed articles to the
Quarterly
Review.
King Ferdinand VII of Spain (1784-1833)
The son of Charles IV, king of Spain; after his father's abdication and the defeat of the
French in the Peninsular War he ruled Spain from 1813 to 1833.
Sir John Johnson, second baronet (1742-1830)
The son of Sir William Johnson; he was Superintendent-General and Inspector-General of
Indian affairs in British North America.
John Murray II (1778-1843)
The second John Murray began the
Quarterly Review in 1809 and
published works by Scott, Byron, Austen, Crabbe, and other literary notables.
Barry Edward O'Meara (1770 c.-1836)
Naval surgeon who attended Napoleon on St. Helena; after his dismissal he published works
critical of the government, including
Napoleon in Exile: a Voice from St
Helena, 2 vols (1822).
Edward Adolphus Seymour, eleventh duke of Somerset (1775-1855)
The son of the tenth duke (d. 1793), educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford he was an
accomplished scholar elected to the Royal Society in 1797, the Society of Antiquaries in
1816, and the Linnean Society in 1820. From 1801 to 1838 was president of the Royal
Literary Fund.
Frances Ann Taylor [née Vane] (d. 1835)
Whig hostess, the daughter of Sir Henry Vane, first baronet (1729–1794); in 1789 she
married the politician Michael Angelo Taylor.
Michael Angelo Taylor (1757 c.-1834)
Educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, he was MP (1784-34) for a variety of
constituencies; originally a Tory he gravitated to the Whigs over the course of his long
career.
The Quarterly Review. (1809-1967). Published by John Murray, the
Quarterly was instigated by Walter
Scott as a Tory rival to the
Edinburgh Review. It was edited by
William Gifford to 1824, and by John Gibson Lockhart from 1826 to 1853.
