LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
A NONAGENARIAN S RETROSPECT.
[TO TES EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:]
SIR,—Few men can tell more than myself of the two first de- cades of the century; those of us especially who were destined for the Army, read of Sir John Moore at Cortmna, of Sir Ralph Abercromby in Egypt, Lord William Bentinck in Sicily, Sir Arthur Wellesley in Spain and Portugal. My own earliest recollections were, of course, my father's house at Kensington, my walks with him through Kensington Gardens, on his way to the Horse Guards ; but I had some earlier re- collections, entertained probably by no one else now living, —my frequent stay at old Lord Harcourt's, at his beautiful villa, St. Leonards, near Windsor; my recollection of the blind old King on the Terrace, a visit which I paid with my brother to Queen Charlotte, and my early military service in the 7th Fusiliers, in Ireland and Scotland. I sometimes hear people speak as if they believed that things were better, . and some classes better off in days gone by than they are now. I have heard such complaints of the present and lauda- tion of "the good old times" expressed by some men, as are not justified, I think, by the condition of many existing de- partments of life in England.
I have tried to look back through my long life, and recollect whether some departments of life are not better in various ways than they were when I was young, and even in middle- age; and I am glad to find so many classes of our countrymen who, I believe, are now in better circumstances than in my younger days, and that it can be truly said that things are better than they were in the "good old days." I will mention some things that occur to my memory.
In my younger days, it was no uncommon thing to hear gentlemen, even those in high position, swear, and use God's name in common conversation. I can even recollect that my father was one of those whose mouth never uttered an oath or blasphemous expression. Some men drank too much. I have even seen in ladies' society some men who did not walk quite steadily owing to drink. I have heard it said of a man: "He is a two-bottle man." I recollect hearing it once said of a man: "He is a three-bottle man." This is hardly credible now.
Are not the clergy of the present day a more earnest class than sixty or seventy years since ? Some are "High," "Broad," or "Low," but there is far more earnestness, and of course more clerical work done. The field of Sir Thomas Mostyn's hounds contained a good many black coats; I should doubt whether there is one a regular foxhunter in that of Lord Chesham's. Sir Thomas Mostyn's huntsman came one day to ask some favour of Mrs. Verney, my predecessor; she listened patiently to the request, and then said:—" Mr. Lloyd, are you Sir Thomas Mostyn's huntsman P" "Yes, Mrs. Verney." 'You take care of the dogs, and are responsible for all the duties of a huntsman ? " "Yes, Mrs. Verney." "And you a clergyman !" She gave him such a scolding, that he never came near her again.
Contrast the nurses of the present day with those of sixty years since. It was then very difficult to find a sober, respectable nurse. Contrast the men who now provide for our locomotion with those of sixty or seventy years, or even with those of half-a-century ago. Many of us will recollect the post-boys, the ostlers, or the hackney-coachmen of those days. Contrast with them the railway-servants at this time. The London and North-Western Company has more than seventy thousand. There are probably three hundred thousand in the whole Kingdom. How trustworthy and careful of passengers and their luggage ! How universally civil and obliging they are!
In almost every county in England, there is some county institution, a museum or library, or some place of county interest altogether free from politics or tarty; anything in- teresting to the county may be brought there and considered. The want of some institution of this kind in my own county was felt by the loss of Roman pottery dug up by navvies making a railway in my neighbourhood. I was attending the House of Commons when I heard of this interesting find. I went to the place as soon as I could, but the navvies who had found the pottery had sold every article.. Had there been a Bucks Museum, the pottery would have been carried there and well paid for.
What a great improvement there is in the existence of village reading-rooms, where the best of the farmers' and labourers' sons may spend their evenings instead of at a public-house. A friend told me that the evening before he had looked into that of a neighbouring village, and found about forty young fellows.
How many good and well-directed societies and institutions there are for the welfare of young men and women ! I do not presume to state more than my own personal belief, when I say that, from all I can hear, the majority of men in London en- gaged in permanent occupation are men who gladly receive the visits of missionary agents ; and from all I hear, I venture to entertain the same opinion of our sailors and soldiers.
The one great drawback to the above favourable state- ment is, in my opinion, the tendency of our rural popu- lation to leave the country and go to large towns for higher wages. The present action of the Government, to- gether with the advance of education, will, I hope and believe, lessen that danger. I have known village labourers who have saved all they could, sold the furniture of their cottages and the produce of their gardens, in order to accept the offer of some agent who enriches himself by inducing the poor peasantry to come for rather higher wages to a town, and who find themselves in some miserable dark court in London or the suburbs. They would fain return, but they have spent all, and they pay for their one room in a narrow court, or dark street, as much or more than they used to pay for a cottage and garden.
An old man upwards of ninety ventures to write his view of the circumstances of different classes of his countrymen, among whom there is, in his opinion, a greatly increased in- telligence in comparison with what he recollects in boyhood and early manhood; and he closes by reminding them of that which affords happiness to himself, that we, in England, live under the sovereignty of the best and most- loved Queen that ever wore our crown. If the observa- tions he offers are true, it is clear that we ought not to view the condition of our country with discontent and despondency, but to thank God who permits improvement in so many de- partments of life, and to exert any power or influence by which we may hope to advance the welfare of our countrymen in every sense, including the highest.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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