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CHAPTER XV.

FAMILY AND SOCIAL LIFE, HOLLAND HOUSE, ETC.

A.D. 1821 TO 1828.

Denman's social position from 1821 to 1828-Residence in Russell Square -His family complete in 1823-Excursion into Scotland with Brougham in 1823-Hospitable reception by the Scotch Liberals-Lord Rosslyn and Duke of Hamilton-The Glasgow Banquet-High spirits of Brougham and Denman-How Brougham made the Scotch posthorses go-Death of Dr. Baillie in 1823-His high character and great professional sagacity-His diagnosis in Horner's case-' -The key and the thong-Promotion to the Bench of Gaselee, 1824-His eccentricities-The Mr. Justice Stareleigh of 'Pickwick '-'Rise up, Sir Stephen'-Circuit entries-Going special to Cambridge-Fall in hunting-Marriage of Denman's eldest daughter to Ichabod Charles Wright, Esq., 1825-Letter from Denman to Mrs. Baillie (September 24, 1825) as to the intended marriage, &c.-Denman's position in London society, Holland House, &c.-Friendship with Sir J. Mackintosh-Note from Mackintosh as to Burke's passage about Hyder Al hanging like a cloud over the Carnatic-From same as to the context of the Greek quotation in Denman's speech for the Queen-From same as to further diminution of capital punishments—' Capital' anecdote from the Old Bailey, 1826-Sydney Smith-Rogers-Moore -Campbell-Moore: 'a headless note '-A 'Reginal dinner'-Why Mr. Errington was not called on Queen's trial to prove King's marriage with Mrs. Fitzherbert-Brougham's correction of Moore's statement— Thomas Campbell-His rhyming invitation to Denman to eat calve's head on January 30, 1829-Denman's rhyming reply-Mrs. Denman makes her son promise to dine with her on next January 30-The humble memorial of 'Henry Brougham, labourer,' to Mrs. DenmanMrs. Denman's reply-Inaugural discourse in 1828 at City of London Literary and Scientific Institution-Extracts from, and remarks on its high character as a composition.

THE last few chapters have been devoted almost exclusively to Denman's public and political career. It may be as well now to refer briefly to his social position, and domestic relations during the period intervening between the death of the Queen and his obtaining the long withheld honour of a silk gown.

His residence ever since his first entrance into Parliament had been, and till his elevation to the peerage continued to be, at No. 50 Russell Square, where the last of his children Caroline Amelia (now the Hon. Mrs. Beresford) was born to him in 1823.

His family now consisted of eleven-five sons and six daughters, and as the three elder boys were sent successively to Eton the expenses of their education must have made a considerable demand on his resources.

In the summer of the year 1823 he joined his intimate friend Henry Brougham, already the foremost political man of his time, in a visit to Scotland, where Brougham and Denman had been invited to a great public dinner at Glasgow. The journey was a very agreeable one. They met at Brougham Hall, and in their progress northward were received with all that cordial hospitality for which the sister country has ever been celebrated.

Among the members of the Scotch aristocracy who welcomed them as guests were Lord Rosslyn, at Dysart, and the Duke of Hamilton, at Hamilton Palace, where Denman was particularly charmed by the singing of the Duchess (a daughter of Beckford of Fonthill) in 'Auld Robin Gray.'

The expedition wound up with the political banquet

at Glasgow, which was a great success. The number of the guests exceeded five hundred, and the after-dinner speaking, as might be expected where Brougham and Denman were among the performers, was of an order of excellence very much above the average.

This was the first and only time that Denman ever crossed the border : he enjoyed himself immensely, and both he and Brougham were in the highest flow of spirits. The present Lord Denman, then a youth of about 18, who accompanied his father, has vividly impressed on his memory the artifice with which Brougham contrived to get a maximum of speed out of the Scottish post-horses. 'Those horses can't go,' he used to cry, as he stepped into the chaise, in his most sarcastic of tones-those tones which none who may have chanced to hear him when he was in his prime can ever forget. This roused the national spirit of the Scotch post-boys, and away they went at a gallop, to show the southron the mistake he had made in 'talking scorn' of their cattle.

It was soon after his return from this Scotch tour that Denman lost his distinguished brother-in-law, Dr. Baillie.

Dr. Baillie died of overwork. For some years, indeed, before his death he had ceased to practise except as a consulting physician; but, even in this capacity, owing to the universality of his reputation, the demands on his time and the wear and tear of his faculties, mental and physical, were excessive and continuous. At last he gave up practice altogether; but it was too late. His constitution was irretrievably

undermined, and only a short interval separated his retirement from his death.

As a physician Dr. Baillie has probably never been surpassed, especially in the almost unerring tact and sagacity with which he was able to divine the true nature of disease from its symptoms. As a man he was simply admirable in all the relations of life. He left a considerable fortune behind him, and twice refused a baronetcy.1 Some time after his death the principal members of the medical profession, honouring themselves in doing honour to his memory, placed his bust in Westminster Abbey, with an inscription which records, in terms of high but not unmerited eulogy, his consummate science, his varied accomplishments, and his many virtues.2

In the summer of 1824, much to Denman's satisfaction, and to some extent, it would seem, in consequence of his exertions, the meritorious legal veteran, Stephen Gaselee, was raised to the Bench.3

1 His son, William Henry Baillie, Esq., of Dunsbourne, near Cirencester, is his present representative.

2 Brougham, in the second volume of his 'Memoirs,' relates a striking instance of Dr. Baillie's skill in diagnosis in the case of Horner, who died at Pisa in 1817. Baillie, when he last saw Horner, pronounced that he was suffering from one or both of two maladies, each so rare that in his whole practice he had scarcely met with a case of either. When the body was opened it was found that both the indicated maladies had conduced to Horner's death. Brougham aptly compares this to the skill of the connoisseur in 'Don Quixote,' who, having pronounced that the wine in a certain cask tasted both of leather and iron, was justified by the discovery at the bottom of the cask of an iron key with a leather thong attached to it.

Sir Stephen Gaselee, born 1762; called to the Bar, 1793; King's Counsel, 1819; Judge of Common Pleas, July 1, 1824; resigned, Hilary Term, 1837; died 1839, æt. 77. If Denman at this time had any influence

This excellent and learned lawyer combined with high character and great professional knowledge a considerable amount of personal eccentricity.

His extremely short stature, and comically pompous manner, were an endless source of amusement to the Bar. Denman, writing to his wife on July 2, 1824, after saying 'my efforts have been crowned with success, and Gaselee is the new judge,' adds, you would have been amused by his swelling pomp when he walked out of court after the announcement: it was like the swelling of a balloon.'

Dickens has immortalised, and scarcely caricatured, some of Mr. Justice Gaselee's oddities of manner on the Bench under the punning sobriquet of Mr. Justice Stareleigh, the presiding judge in the famous cause of Bardell v. Pickwick.

In the Spring Assizes of 1824, Denman went down on a special retainer to Cambridge to defend a fellow of his old college, St. John's, the Rev. Thomas Jephson, from a false but formidable charge of misdemeanour.

The defendant was very properly acquitted, and the

over the Chancellor it could only have been the influence of fear, arising from the Parliamentary attacks of himself and Williams; but Denman was the last man in the world to make use of such an influence as this. The statement in Denman's letter as to his share in Gaselee's appointment cannot be explained by the present writer.

4 So short was he that when knighted by George IV. on his being made a Judge, the King, so runs the story, who had already once in the usual form directed him to rise, thinking he was still on his knees, repeated the injunction, Rise up, Sir Stephen,' an injunction with which poor Sir Stephen, who had already risen to the fulness of his stature, was, of course, unable to comply. There is too much reason to fear that this venerable jest is of far older date than either George IV. or Mr. Justice Gaselee, but if not originally invented for the latter, it was at least currently applied to him.