Lord Lowborough

“ Again the Duke spoke, and again he seemed curiously unlike himself. "Yes," he said quietly, and there was no twinkle in his eye, "your son, Laura, has won the heart of the lady who, in my father's young days, would have been called the reigning beauty of London." ”

“ Sir James discovered the flaw in the Duke of Portland’s title, and made the usual application to the Treasury for leave to prove the defect, on condition of being gratified with what he should recover to the Crown. The application being made some months before, while Charles Townshend was alive and Chancellor of the Exchequer, he, rash and thoughtless as he was, had yet been struck with the inconveniences likely to follow from such indulgence, and had stopped it. Sir James Lowther was not only a man of a hateful character, but lay145 under the unpopularity of being Lord Bute’s son-in-law. ”

“ In 1866, at the Park House, Sandringham, His Majesty played against the Gentlemen of Norfolk for the Sandringham Household. He has frequently visited Lord’s to see the Eton and Harrow matches, and in 1899 he went there with the Duke of Cornwall and York when the M.C.C., of which club His Majesty is patron, played the Australians. He has also seen the Australians play at Sheffield Park. Kennington Oval being on the London estate of the Duchy of Cornwall, the King, when he was Prince of Wales, was ground landlord, and allowed the Surrey Club the use of the ground at a nominal rental. ”

“ He secured the election of William Pitt as member for his borough of Appleby in 1781, and his dispute with the 3rd duke of Portland over the possession of the socage manor of Carlisle and the forest of Inglewood gave rise to lengthy proceedings, both in parliament and in the law courts. In 1784 Lowther was created earl of Lonsdale and in 1797 Viscount Lowther with an extended remainder. The earl’s enormous wealth enabled him to gratify his political ambitions. ”

“ But the wit's testimony to character is never to be taken without reserve. "Why does he come among us," he said of Lord Loughborough. "He is not only dull himself but the cause of dulness in others!" This is certainly not true, for this Scottish lawyer was remarkable in society for his hilarity, critical powers, and his store of epigrams and anecdotes. Lord Loughborough, moreover, merited the respect of Foote, as an old champion of the stage. ”

“ The manners of Lord Loughborough, on the contrary, were conciliating and agreeable, and there was a kindness in his manner of granting a favour, which greatly enhanced its value. He would often say, when he gave away preferment, and more particularly to those whose merit was their only recommendation to him, “Go to my Secretary, and desire him to prepare the presentation for my Fiat immediately; or I shall have some Duke or great man make application, whom I shall not be able to refuse.” ”

“ Sir James Lowther, master of 40,000l. a year, Lord Downe, Sir John Armitage, and others, embarked with the expedition. Lord Granby at the same time came into the service, and was appointed Colonel of the Blues; and George Townshend, now there was no more question of the Duke, returned to the Army, and was restored on the foot of his former rank. The armament sailed on the first of June. Lord Anson, with the larger ships, kept out at sea; Howe led the transports, which for some days were kept back by contrary winds, but anchored on the fifth in Cancalle-bay, near St. Maloes. ”

“ He was able to retain the services of the Duke of Portland as home secretary, of Lord Chatham as president of the council, and of Lord Westmorland as lord privy seal. For the rest, his colleagues were, like himself, new to cabinet rank. Lord Hawkesbury (afterwards the second Earl of Liverpool) became foreign secretary, and Lord Hobart, son of the Earl of Buckinghamshire, secretary for war. Loughborough reaped the due reward of his treachery by being excluded from the ministry altogether ”

“ Numbers of the most influential men, who had previously voted with the Opposition, passed over to the Ministerial benches, including Burke and Wyndham, and the Lords Portland, Spencer, Fitzwilliam, Loughborough, and many other peers and commoners. Lord Loughborough, who had so often run in couples with Thurlow, was now appointed to succeed him on the Woolsack; and Ministers, acquiring augmented strength from all quarters, addressed themselves vigorously to the task of preparation. ”

“ The fierce spirit of Wolfe was in arms on the instant; and his reply, in subjecting him to Lord Ulswater's threat, might at least have prevented his enlightening the public on the morrow, had not his friend, a peaceable, prudent man, seized him by the arm, and whispered, "What are you about? Consider for what you are here: another word may rob the assembly of your presence. A man bent on a public cause must not, on the eve of its trial, enlist in a private quarrel." ”

“ Lord Loughborough was the Judge at the Summer Assizes this year at Bury, and I being on the Grand Jury, he sent a note to inform me that he was alone at his lodgings, and desired me to come and chat with him. This I did, of course, and in our conversation he mentioned that there was an estate of 4,400 acres of land in Yorkshire on the moors, in the vicinity of Paitley 208Bridge, to be sold for 4,000l., that it was chiefly freehold, and enclosed with a ring fence, also that there was a neat shooting-box on it built by the Duke of Devonshire, who hired the grouse. ”

“ It was subsequently arranged between them that the duke's nominees should retain their seats for that parliament, and that in future each party should nominate one member. Lowther was elected for the borough of Cockermouth in March 1769, and at the general election in October 1774 was returned both for Cumberland and Westmoreland. He elected to sit for Cumberland, and continued to represent that county until the dissolution of parliament, March 1784. Throughout the whole of Lord North's administration (1770–82) Lowther acted with the whigs. ”

“ There is still a lingering tradition of the last as a mustering place. In 1618 Mr. C. Lowther was in a special commission with Lord Wharton and Lord William Howard and others for repressing disorders on the Borders. When King James I came into England on his accession to the Crown, in 1603, he attended him with a gallant company from the Borders of Scotland to Newcastle, where the King conferred upon him the order of knighthood, and there is little doubt but that in that gallant company were some of the staunch yeomanry of Maulds Meaburn. ”

“ Of political connections, prejudices, and pursuits, it is not here intended to say any more—to do so, would open far too wide a field; yet one [299] remark ought to be made with respect to this Noble Lord, that he was not the less reluctant to serve a man of learning, from the circumstance of his differing in opinion materially from himself, on certain political questions of great magnitude. For example, nothing is more notorious than the warm, strenuous, and active part which Lord Loughborough took against Mr. ”

“ I don't—I don't—I don't—and I never shall like her, Laura."
"She's infinitely nicer than we had any right to expect."
"I don't know, my dear what you did expect; but I'm quite sure of one thing——" And the Duke looked what he very rarely did look, thoroughly disturbed.
The Duchess gazed at him anxiously. "Of what are you sure?"
"—that the girl doesn't care for Robin as a young woman ought to care for the man she is going to marry. ”

“ On the retirement of Thurlow he was made a commissioner of the great seal on 15 June 1792, and held that office until 28 Jan. 1793, when Lord Loughborough became lord chancellor. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 13 March 1782. ”

“ He was made vice-chamberlain of William III's household and a privy councillor in February 1688–9, and was shortly afterwards named lord-lieutenant for Westmoreland, while his cousin, Sir John of Whitehaven, became one of the commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral (Luttrell, i. 507; Hatton Corresp., Camden Soc., i. 68) . The integrity of the constitution and the established church being assured, Lowther became a mild supporter of the prerogative, gravitated towards the tories, and was regarded with favour by William. ”

“ The Scotland Yard official looked round for instructions from Sir Angus, and the latter imperceptibly nodded.
"All right—we'll wait five minutes. I've brought some tools along."
"Tools?" The porter stared at him.
"Sometimes, you know, we do find it necessary to burst open a door!"
The five minutes—it was barely more—seemed the longest time Katty had ever spent in waiting.
Lord St. Amant took pity on her obvious unease and anxiety. He walked out with her to the street, and they paced quickly up and down in the cold, wintry air.
"Do you think we shall find anything?" she murmured at last. ”

“ Well, lords, we have not got that which we have:
'Tis not enough our foes are this time fled,
Being opposites of such repairing nature.
YORK I know our safety is to follow them;
For, as I hear, the king is fled to London,
To call a present court of parliament.
Let us pursue him ere the writs go forth.
What says Lord Warwick? shall we after them?
WARWICK After them! nay, before them, if we can.
Now, by my faith, lords, 'twas a glorious day:
Saint Alban's battle won by famous York
Shall be eternized in all age to come.
Sound drums and trumpets, and to London all:
And more such days as these to us befall! ”

“ They at once joined in the petition of the Ketchman to the Privy Council, and a suit against Yarmouth was commenced in the Court of the Star chamber. The managers of the p. 79Lowestoft case retained the services of Mr. Counsellor Bacon, then a rising barrister, afterwards the great Lord Bacon. In conjunction with two senior counsel he gave the following very decided opinion in favour of Lowestoft;—
“That by the statutes and charters aforesaid any man may sell or buy herrings in the road called Kirkley Road, without the lawful let or hindrance of the town of Yarmouth ”

“ He was a great refiner of sensual pleasures, had a passion for magnificence and display, and a real genius for court entertainments. He could eat and drink with the gayest courtiers, sing merry songs, and join in the dance. He was blunt and frank in his manners; but these only concealed craft and cunning. "It is art to conceal art," and Wolsey was a master of all the tricks of dissimulation. He rose rapidly after he had once gained the heart of the king. He became successively dean of York, papal legate, cardinal, bishop of Lincoln, archbishop of York, and lord chancellor. ”

“ Mr. Lowes-Parlby smiled in his most charming manner.
"Yes, my lord, I believe the witness refers to the same street you mention, though, if I may be allowed to qualify your lordship's description of the locality, may I suggest that it was a little further east—at the side of the old Globe Theatre, which was adjacent to St. Martin's in the Strand? That is the street you were all arguing about, isn't it, Mrs. Dawes?"
"Well, sir, my aunt who died from eating tinned lobster used to work at a corset-shop. I ought to know." ”

“ According to many of her worldly wise friends, it has.
At last she left the downland behind her, and was speeding along the solitary road edging the paling of Chillingworth Place. And then, when close to the lodge, there came a motor swinging through the open gate, and her heart gave a leap when she saw that it was her son. Lord Ardvilly, driving his sister home.
"Darlings?" she cried. "You've come just in time to give me a lift!"
The motor stopped; Lord Ardvilly jumped out; and the Duchess jumped in.
"Go home by the lower road, Robin. ”

“ The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots, the horsemen mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. ”

“ Irene Shellbridge was wearing a pale-grey woollen frock, and that added to the strangely immaterial look which she presented as she glided towards her hostess. But when the girl reached the circle of light cast by the lamp, the Duchess saw that she was very much made up, her cheeks rouged, her mouth a smudge of scarlet. But—she was beautiful.
Illustration: "'We had! But it didn't matter!'... With a break in his voice he exclaimed, 'Mother, it's all right—and I'm the happiest chap in the world!'"
"I was getting a little anxious about you, Robin. ”

“ On the accession of George I., Walpole became paymaster of the forces, one of the most lucrative offices in the kingdom. Townshend was made secretary of state. The other great official dignitaries were the Lords Cowper, Marlborough, Wharton, Sunderland, Devonshire, Oxford, and Somerset; but Townshend and Walpole were the most influential. They impeached their great political enemies, Ormond and Bolingbroke, the most distinguished leaders of the Tory party. Bolingbroke, in genius and learning, had no equal in parliament, and was a rival of Walpole at Eton. ”

“ The Duchess stayed her steps, and together they looked up at and through the high stone arch. Glancing nervously at her companion, the older woman saw, relieved, that the sight of the arch awoke no memory. Was it conceivable that, by one of those coincidences that occur only in real life, the girl she had seen sobbing in a man's arms on just the other side of this arch was and would ever remain a stranger who, by some odd chance, had possessed the same individual and really peculiar sports-frock as her present companion? ”