The Creevey Papers
Thomas Creevey to Elizabeth Ord, 27 February 1831
“27th.
“. . . As I was the first who arrived in Arlington
Street yesterday to dinner, Sefton took me
out into the corner room and told me of a scene between him and Brougham. . . . The Arch-fiend asked him if he
had seen the Times that morning.—‘No,’ said
Sefton, ‘not to-day, but I have read it with
great uneasiness the three or four preceding days, and I want of all things
to talk to you about it.’—He then opened his case, stated
the deliberate attack making upon Grey by
that paper, coupled with its constant panegyrick
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upon Brougham, made it necessary for
Brougham to summon the editor, and to insist upon these attacks upon
Grey being discontinued. That otherwise, as
Brougham’s influence over that paper was
notorious to all, and as his brother William was known to write for it, it could not fail to beget
suspicion that he—Brougham—had no objection to
these attacks, and that Ld. Grey felt them most sensibly.
That if he—Brougham—thought he would make a
better Prime Minister than Grey, and was preparing the way
for that event, that was matter for his own consideration; but if he really
means the Government to go on as at present formed, Sefton
conjured him to lose no time in imposing his most positive injunction on the
Times newspaper to alter
its course.
“Sefton says
nothing could equal the artificial rage into which Vaux flung himself. He swore like a trooper that he had no
influence over the Times—that he had never once seen Barnes the editor since he had been in office,
and that William had never written a line
for it. He then fell upon Lambton—said all this came from him—that he had behaved
in the most impertinent manner to both his brothers upon this
subject—that if he went on as he did he must break up the Government, and
that he, for one, would never submit to his influence. This storm being over,
Sefton collected from him distinctly that he had seen
Barnes perhaps once or twice, and that brother
William might perhaps—tho’ quite unknown
to him—have written an article or two in this paper. In short, as our
Earl observed, never culprit was more clearly proved guilty than he was out of
his own mouth, and it ended by his affecting to doubt which would be the best
channel for getting at Barnes—brother
William or Vizard—but at all events he pledged himself to
Sefton that it should be done. . . .”
Thomas Barnes [Strada] (1785-1841)
The contemporary of Leigh Hunt at Christ's Hospital; he was editor of
The Times from 1817.
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).
William Brougham, second Baron Brougham and Vaux (1795-1886)
The brother of Henry Brougham; educated at Edinburgh High School and Jesus College,
Cambridge; he was MP for Southwark (1831-35), master in chancery (1835-52), and a
contributor to the
Times.
Charles Grey, second earl Grey (1764-1845)
Whig statesman and lover of the Duchess of Devonshire; the second son of the first earl
(d. 1807), he was prime minister (1831-34).
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.
William Vizard (1774-1859)
English lawyer; a close associate of Henry Brougham, he was solicitor to Queen Caroline
and conducted business for Whig clients.
The Times. (1785-). Founded by John Walter, The Times was edited by Thomas Barnes from 1817 to 1841. In the
romantic era it published much less literary material than its rival dailies, the
Morning Chronicle and the
Morning
Post.
