LINKS WITH THE PAST.*

Tins agreeable book is not an autobiography—it is neither subjective nor introspective—but a series of sketches of the remarkable people with whom the author has lived, and of the important events which she has witnessed, or heard described at first hand by the actors in them. She was born in 1821, and at eight years old went with her family to Ireland. The Duke of Northumberland was Lord-Lieutenant, and her father was appointed to command the Royal yacht. They had a stormy voyage across the Channel, and the passengers in their packet begged Captain Percy to induce her Captain to put back to Liverpool The skipper's only reply was to yell out, waving his hat to the forecastle, "Now, my lads, Hell or Kingstown." Little Miss Percy thought him a very fine fellow. The children had a good time in Ireland. They heard O'Connell speak, they themselves heard the Banshee, and listened to stories of ghosts and fairies told them by their Irish nurse, all of which they implicitly believed. The impression seems never to have quite worn off; there are

• Links with the Past. By Mrs. Charles Begot. London : Edward Arnold. [10e. 64.) •

many exciting and unexplained ghostly experiences told with great effect in this volume. She was sorry in 1830 to return to England, which was at that time in a fever about the opening of the railroads. She writes :—

" It seems inconceivable in these days. I saw the first train start from Watford; country gentlemen vowed it was the ruin of the country ; not only would they themselves never travel by railroad, but no parcels or goods should ever come into their houses by it. People met to compare and discuss their sensa- tions after their first journey, and would solemnly ask each other whether their heart and breathing were not affected by the rapid motion. The downfall of the country was predicted. Then came the shock of the Reform Bill. A report spread abroad that Lords Grey and Brougham were to be taken to the Tower. My brother and I walked miles from Scotsbridge* to see them leave Watford, devoutly hoping that when once at the Tower they would be beheaded. People of opposite politics Gould not meet at that time."

Miss Percy was at the Coronation of Queen Victoria, and admired the touching kindness and grace with which the Queen stepped forward to raise the old and infirm Lord Rolle when he fell in the act of doing homage. The Percys had no house in London ; when they were not paying visits to the beautiful places owned by their kinsfolk they lived at

Scotsbridge :—

"In those days there were always eccentric people of strong individualities to be met with in the country. Their angles had not been ground down by going to London and travelling abroad. Some quite well-to-do people of the upper middle, and even of the landed classes, lived and died in their own homes. Their prejudices were unassailable, and they were narrow-minded and insular to a degree. They had a profound contempt for foreigners, especially for the French. They were insufferable bores to live with, but amusing to see and listen to for a short time The poor people were delightful with their entire absence of education, their mother wit, and excellent manners. I wish I had written down the prayers of an old woman who rejoiced in the name of Ptuldifoot. They were not about Clod and religion, but about lambs and green fields. She recited them as an act of worship night and morning. Many of the poor declared that they met the Lord on the Watford Road,—and also the Enemy, and how he had tempted them My first big party was that given by the Duchess of Sutherland on the Queen's wedding-day. I danced with Lord Huntly, who made a point of dancing with every debutante because he had danced with Marie Antoinette."

Mrs. Bagot's father, Admiral Josceline Percy, entered the Navy in 1797, and for the first two years he had a rough time, The Sanspareil 'had several Peers' sons on board, and was nicknamed the House of Lords. The new boys were not allowed inside the midshipmen's berth, and had to snatch their meals as they could :—

" He often wished that he had never gone to sea. Afterwards he declared he would not have exchanged his profession for any in the world. In 1803 he was appointed to the Victory, under Nelson, who gave him despatches to take to the Queen of Naples. On his return Nelson gave him a sword, saying : 'Young man, I envy you. At your age and in these times you ought to have a great future before you.' My father spoke of Lord Nelson as having a singular power of attaching to himself all under his command."

In 1810 Captain Percy commissioned the Hotspur,' which was employed to blockade the ports in the North of France. A smart action took place off Cherbourg. At the onset

the Captain selected two of the youngest boys to be his A.D.C.'s, hoping to protect them. One was shot almost immediately, and the other, Alick Hay, soon after. He was carried downstairs, where a Marine, who was waiting to have his leg amputated, supported him, and gave him every drop of the water he had received for his own use. Young Hay died in the act of joining in the cheers for victory. The bodies of the two lads were laid side by side and covered with the Union Jack. In the morning they were found with their

faces exposed and some old French prisoners to whom the boys had been kind kneeling by their side praying for their souls. "Not all the injury you can do to our country," said one of the Frenchmen, "can compensate for the loss of lads

like these" :— "My father told me that all the honour the Hotspur' received

could not console him for the loss of young Hay As a child I dreaded Saturday night at Portsmouth from the crews of men-of-war fighting in the streets. How orderly now are these streets, thanks to Miss Weston. Of her homes it is impossible to speak too highly; she has indeed been a mother to the Navy."

In 1842 his whole family accompanied Admiral Percy in his flagship, the Winchester,' to take up his command at the

• The place Captain Percy had bought in Essex.

Cape. They stayed some time with the Governor at Rio Janeiro, and enjoyed themselves immensely. They rode all day and danced all night, went to a Black Ball, not very pleasant on a hot evening, and gave a ball on board the Winchester.' Six months after landing at the Cape they went to Mauritius :—

" Balls or dinners were endless," she writes, "but the only interesting visit we paid was to Monsieur Geneve, who was up- wards of ninety. In manners he belongs to the Ancien Regime. His dwelling consisted of a number of wooden pavilions. There was no glass, the windows had only wooden shutters, and in the morning the black population put their heads through them to watch our toilets. They were especially interested in seeing us brush our teeth, as they only used sugar cane to clean theirs. M. Geneve was much beloved by his slaves. After the emancipa- tion they would not leave him, but lived in a wooden village round his pavilions. They seemed like children, always grinning and chattering."

On one of her cruises the 'Winchester' fell in with a slaver :—

" The officer of the watch said to my father, A sail in sight. Sir, with very raking masts, a slaver probably.' 'Make all sail,' said the Admiral, 'and give chase.' The boats were ordered out, aimed. They took her, and next morning the captain was ordered on board the Winchester. He was a very fine young Spaniard, in a beautiful uniform with filigree buttons. He and my father spoke Spanish. He said the captain was not on board, he was only the supercargo; but they always said that. We went on board the slaver. The capta in's cabin was very smart. His guitar with blue ribbons lay on his couch with nice books and every luxury. The slave deck was an awful sight. How human beings could be packed into it was marvellous and horrible. They were doubled up, their knees meeting their chins. Twice a day the poor wretches were ordered up on deck that they might not die, and if they could not walk or stand upright they were flogged until they did. This slaver was condemned. Con- demned slavers were sent to Sierra Leone, St. Helena and the Cape. The slaves were liberated. If apprenticed to Boers they were often more cruelly treated, and regretted the days of slavery and good masters."

From Cape Town Miss Percy and her sister made many excursions. They stayed at the houses of various farmers. The Boers took in travellers, who paid for their accommoda-

tion as if at an inn :—

" On one occasion the farmer, a gigantic individual, came up and said to me 'Get down from your horse.' I told him we were very hungry, and asked when we could have some dinner : he said the hour, and as it was a case of waiting a considerable time I asked if we might have some bread. He replied 'No.' The vrows seemed to drink tea all day long. The old lady asked a great many questions. `How old are you ? Are you married? Why not ? Why are you so thin ? ' &c. The bedrooms were horribly stuffy, with feather mattresses and eider-down quilts.

There was in 1844 a delightful farm and house belong- ing to Laurence Cloete, called Zandoliet. The house was most comfortable, and the family charming. They danced every evening. Before dinner Mr. Cloete used to stand on the door- st• p, put his hands to his mouth and give a tremendous view- halloo in case any traveller had lost his way—true patriarchal hospitality."

When cruising on the West Coast of Africa they landed at Quicombo and walked to a native kraal :— " The women turned out and made a circle round us, putting a mad woman in the centre. A dance began and soon became wild

and furious The women were nearly naked, the men still more so they thought we were spirits. The Doctor advised

me to give the mad woman a present. I could spare nothing except a tour-de-tete, a kind of cap border made of blonde and flowers. Two years afterwards the Doctor returned to Quicombo. He went to the kraal and found my tour-de-tete hung up at the entrance to the Chief's hut, and believed to be great medi- cine,' and worshipped as a fetish."

Miss Percy was married in 1846 to Captain Bagot, of the Grenadier Guards. Her father-in-law, Sir Charles Begot, was a distinguished diplomatist. It was to him that Canning wrote his celebrated despatch :— " In matters of commerce the fault of the Dutch Is giving too little and asking too much ;

With equal advantage the French are content, So we'll clap on Dutch bottoms at twenty per cent. Twenty per cent.

Twenty per cent.

Nous frapperons Falk with twenty per cent."

By her marriage Mrs. Bagot became connected with the Duke of Wellington. She was introduced to him in Lady

Westmorland's box at the opera:—

"He took my hand and kept it throughout the act. My husband said to me afterwards, Why did you not speak to the Duke ?' I had been brought up with such intense admiration for him that I was struck dumb. 1 simply felt that I was sitting hand in hand with the saviour of England and Europe. . • . . . . My husband's grandmother, Lady Mornington, told many interesting anecdotes of the Duke The gloves which he wore at Waterloo are now at Levens,* and lie beside the sword Nelson gave to my father. Lady Mornington took them off the Duke's hands at Brussels after the battle. She also gave my husband the pen with which the Duke and the other signatories signed their names to the Treaty of Capitulation. As a souvenir of his services and of taking home the despatchearom Waterloo.t the Duke gave Henry Percy a gold watch set with diamonds. The Duke said : I have taken a good deal of pains with a great many of my battles, but I never took half the pains I did at Waterloo. By God, there never was in the annals of the world such a battle ! 15,000 men hors de combat. Blucher lost 30—, I can account for 20,000; the French may fairly be reckoned at 100,000:—Arthur Upton asked him : • What would you have done, Sir, if the Prussians had not come up ? ' He replied : Prussians were of the greatest use in the pursuit, but if they had not come up what should we have done ? Why, we should have stood our ground, that's what we should have done. Our army was drawn up into a great many squares ; many of these were diminished to a quarter, and the cavalry riding amongst them. I saw it was necessary to present a length of front to the enemy. I made them fall into line—four deep—and we completely drove them back. That manceuvre won the battle,—it was never tried before.'—' I thought, Sir,' said Henry Percy. 'you were taken when you got amongst the French ? No, I got away through the 95th. I got through the 95th two or three times that day.",

On another occasion, a dinner at Lord Hatherton's, the Duke made the following remarks in answer to Croker's allusion to the criticisms of some French writers, who declared that the Duke had no practicable retreat :—

" They failed to put it to the test. The road to Brussels was every yard of it practicable. Every yard of the plain beyond the forest was open for infantry and cavalry, and even for artillery, and very defensible. Had I retreated, could they have followed me ? The Prussians were on their flank and in their rear. The co-operation of the Prussians was part of my plan, and I was not

deceived.' My father wished that the bees which formed the clasp of Bonaparte's cloak should be left to me. My uncle, Henry Percy, saw the cloak on a mound after Waterloo. It was tco heavy to take, so my uncle cut off the clasps and gave them to my father."

We have been carried away by the interest of the comments on his battles by our great general, and have no space left to do more than glance at the remainder of the book, which contains many good stories and observations on the changes in social manners up to the present time, as well as the interesting journals of Miss Mary Bagot containing an account of Staffordshire a hundred years ago, for which we must refer the reader to this fascinating volume.