Memoirs of the Court of George IV | Page 5

him; that he ought to have a divorce. There is a flirtation between
Tierney and the King."[12]
[12] "Wilberforce's Life," by his Sons, vol. v. p. 54.
The Opposition lost no time in endeavouring to take advantage of the
difficulty presented by the apprehended return of the Queen; and the
"flirtation" not proceeding favourably, their hostility became more
earnest. Public opinion, indeed, was showing itself in many curious
ways. "The town here is employed," writes the Lord Chancellor, "in
nothing but speculation whether her Majesty will or will not come.
Great bets are laid about it. Some people have taken fifty guineas,
undertaking in lieu of them to pay a guinea a-day till she comes, so sure
are these that she will come within fifty days; others, again, are taking
less than fifty guineas, undertaking to pay a guinea a-day till she comes,
so sure are they that she will not come; others assert that they know she
will come, and that she will find her way into Westminster Abbey and
Westminster Hall on the Coronation, in spite of all opposition. I retain
my old opinion that she will not come, unless she is insane."[13]
[13] Twiss's "Life of Eldon," vol. ii. p. 5.
A change of Ministry, Lord Dudley[14] assures us, was talked about
more than usual; but, as the Opposition were obliged to confess that
they would find great difficulty in establishing a Government, the
existing Administration held a tolerably secure tenancy.
[14] "Letters," p. 251. Alison states that attempts were made to form a
new Ministry, with Lord Wellesley at the head--"History of Europe,"
vol. ii. p. 457. This, however, as has been shown (ante p. 9), is
incorrect.
An Order in Council was issued for omitting the Queen's name from
the Church Service, and other signs appeared, indicating a desire to
withhold from her her queenly title. This made a temper, never
remarkably tractable, not to be controlled by the dictates of prudence;
the old spirit manifested itself in its most spirited form; and she lost no
time in letting the world know that she was returning to England to

obtain justice for her wrongs. Those who thought they knew her best,
considered that vindictive feelings influenced her resolution, and that,
with a full knowledge of the inflammable state of public opinion in the
British Empire, she had determined on some great work of mischief
against the peace of the kingdom and the security of its ruler.
At this period there were many elements of discord in the social
community that were acting upon a large and dangerous portion of it, to
the prejudice of the Government.[15] Besides the Thistlewood gang,
justice was about to dispose of Mr. Orator Hunt and his myrmidons,
then awaiting their trial. Sir Charles Wolseley, a baronet, and Joseph
Harrison, a preacher, were under prosecution for uttering seditious
speeches.[16] Sir Francis Burdett--a more popular tribune--was also at
variance with the laws for a scandalous attack on Ministers; in short,
every day seemed to bring to light some source of mischief which
could not fail to add to the uneasiness of the responsible servants of the
Crown. A general election stirred up other noxious ingredients, and
during the spring of the year everything seemed to betoken a coming
convulsion. At this time the following communication was written:--
[15] Lord Sidmouth's intelligence led him to expect daily a
revolutionary movement.--"Life," by Dean Pellew, vol. iii. p. 325.
[16] The minister of religion exceeded the democratic baronet in the
violence of his denunciations of the ruling powers, a fair example of
which may be found in the following morceau:--"Kings, princes, dukes,
lords, commons, parliaments, archbishops, bishops, prelates, rectors,
high-constables, constables, sheriffs, deputy-constables and bailiffs, are
all corrupt, and the time is near at hand when they will be upset. The
people should rise en masse to suppress such a tyrannical Government
as the one of this country, and it will not be long, but very soon, that it
shall be overturned, and many a bloody battle may be fought, and many
a one incarcerated in prison, before it shall be accomplished."
LORD GRENVILLE TO THE MARQUIS OF BUCKINGHAM.
March 29, 1820.

Hunt's conviction is beyond my hope, though it would certainly have
been no easy matter for any jury to acquit him, even under the charge
such as it is. His motion for a new trial is, I imagine, nothing more than
the sort of last resource at which defeated men, whether at elections or
trials, always love to catch. It would have been a dreadful thing indeed
if it had been established by the result of that trial that the Manchester
meeting was, under all its circumstances, a legal assembly.
Alarming as might be considered the aspect of domestic affairs, the
Government, so far from