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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Eustace Conyers. Eustace Conyers. A Nove...
advantage , and by winning the favour of individuals . "Hehad inspiredpersonal attachments . This is the way to rise in life . To rise by what you do is a Slow process ; to rise by making yourself agreeable ( you must not be too nice how ) to thoes who can be of service to you , is a far . easier and more safer one . Mogglestonleugb ¦ was so facile , pleasant a person , that his very enemies could not hurt him ; he was safe from them , as the pig in rural sports is safe , by having his tail greased . Very early had this character of the captain displayed itself . As a handsome , good-liumoured midshipman , " Moggy" ( as he was shortly called ) had been the pet of his superiors . There was no harm in Moggy ; he offended nobody ' s vanity ; he had the inestimable quality of never being bored . The greatest blockhead in the three kingdoms , whoever he may be , could not have made Moggy yawn . If " Moggy ' s good-nature , somehow , had a tendency to win him the favour of the rich , the
wellconnected , and the powerful—he never , like some foolish fellows , allowed his success to make him negligent of the humble ; he had a smile and a hearty shake of the hands for everybody ; he grinned so pleasantly when you met him , that you fancied he had been thinking of you all the way along . It came naturally with him to make himself agreeable , and to rise in the world , and to be a good man , and a good father , and all the rest of it . Adair of the "Python" ( who was always quoting Eochefoucauld ) shook his head when people praised the captain , and nick-named him . " virtue made easy . " Other fellows circulated the soubriquet ; for no man wins everybody ; and there were some who hinted that the truth about " old Moggy" ( as he grew up bis name was changed to this ) was , that his bonhomie was all his temperament , and his good digestion —that he lived on his fat as the bears do in winter time , and that few men now living had a more sagacious , or more constant eye to the pot !
Mogglestonleugh got his lieutenancy hy winning the love of a young gentleman of rank , in whose watch he was , who asked him down to Cheshire , when the ship was paid olF , where he went out shooting with a Lord of the Admiralty , and bagged his promotion along with several brace of partriges . We have said that he was a handsome youth ; this quality caused him to be selected as lieutenant for all services where an ornamental officer was required . Now-a-days , these are so much more numerous than in the coarser days of poor old Benbow , that the " ornamental" department may be said to be established permanently ; for what with carrying swell passengers , entertaining archduchesses , giving balls , & c , our vessels obviously require functionaries of highly attractive personal appearance . Mogglestonleugh in command of the '' Princess Charlotte ' s" barge , was in his element ; he fitted her up , at bis own expense , in elegant style ; and soon , in fact , became recognised as the distingue lieutenant of the vessel . When the late Admiral Velveteen hoisted his flag on the Mediterranean station , Mogglestonleugh was appointed his flag-lieutenant ; this position introduced him to a rich , beautiful , and childless widow , whose husband , a person of rank and of very
mature years , died at Malta , and left her every sixpence he possessed . When Velveteen ' s Hag was hauled down , Mogglestonleugh was made a commander . Soon after , appeared in all the papers , the marriage of " Captain Mogglestonleugh , R . N ., of Diamond Castle , Devon , to Amelia Wilhelmina , widow of the late Colonel Trevor , of Trevor , formerly of the — Dragoons . " What could be more imposing than such an annomicement ? When you looked into it a little closely , it lost somewhat , however ; " Diamond Castle" was only rented for three months , that he might have the designation when he married ; and Amelia Wilhelmina , though she inherited the dead Colonel ' s money , and had been his wife , was not a young lady originally , of the " Trevor" status , by any means ; but her marriages , and her money , and her new husband ' s popularity were quite sufficient to set up the couple on the substantial footing of local aristocracy . " Dear Captain Mogglestonleugh and his charming wife " were no small persons in their neighbourhood ; they travelled with excellent letters of introduction , for a year or two ; and when they returned , he , in due time , attained his post rank , and the command of the " Thunderbolt . " h the
"Moggy" had now gradually grown up to beyond fifty , and passed throug various stages of a " good young fellow ; " a " useful and agreeable officer ; " ' and " a worthy gentleman" to his present one , of " a highly respected officer , and a model husband and parent . " In this stage he was gazetted to the " Hildebrand . " He had no politics , ( that is to say , he was open to good things from all quarters ) ; there was nobody in particular , " with claims , " just at the time ; and some good old personal friends put their shoulders to the wheel , and obtained for him this fine eightygun ship , the " Hildebrand . " He took up his station during the fitting of the vessel in a very handsome house . The walls were covered with " Men wanted for the ? Hildebrand ! ' " " Old Thunderbolts , ' rally round your old captain ! " These appeals were the first things which our hero , Eustace Conyers , saw when he arrived , very excited and very weary , at Plymouth . " Poynder for the County" seemed dull , in comparison , to Eustace . He was too young , yet , to make a philosophical comparison of these appeals ; otherwise , he might perhaps have reflected , that when a man , in any way , wants to use " the People , " for his own purposes , he generally affects to court them , and pretends that they are , or ought to be " self-governed ; " and that to choose for themselves is the best condition for them !
Captain Montfichet is a contrast , and in the portrait many will recognise a K . N . personage , who beguiles his leisure afloat \> y compilations of the lives of his ancestors , —earls of course : — " Why ho is a member of one of the most ancient und illustrious houses of the nobility of England , " said Lindsay , smacking hit * lips , when he talked of old blood , as men do over old wine . "They have very little money , to bo sure ; but , bless you , they ' re one of the regular families ; might bo Scotch , my boy ! He quarters Plantagenct . No mysterious ancestors crawling out , about Henry the Eighth ' s time , after the Reformation , like toadstools sprouting after a thunder-shower ! If you tell your father , you ' re sailing with Montfichet , he will send you , an extra twenty , " said Lindsay , laughing . " He is Norvxmnus Normamioruni . " 11 Have you ever scon him V" , . " Yes ; he waa on board hero one day . Gave Mogglestonleugh a linger ; ho only givoaPipton himself two ; and Grey , of tho 'Grampus , ' three . I suppose there is nobody in Europe to whom he would give his whole hand—except , perhaps , llcnry the Fifth . "
This is a good description of character , and this sentence is a specimen of tho style of the book : — By nature and constitution , Lindsay waa a healthy and lively man ; and ho rang so ohoorfully ( if a bold metaphor may be pardoned ) just because ho wna oi aouna metal . In this passage , we get most of Mr . Hannay ' s Tory theory : — " I wonder if Montftchet will get another ship ? " suyn Eustace , in tho intervals of * " ut'rbVno means certain , answered Lindsay . ** The fact is , these swells , unless they ftro among the political seta—which nmounta to Buying , unless they are ncu--artflittle bettor off than you and 1 , who are worse off than a rich aauange-maker a « W 5 , if he ( the sausagc-malcer ) dahblca in election * . Wasn't there Lord Clarion , who could not get promoted in our time , though tho C ' u . uro of the haute nobkase T It js Itot '« ri 8 t » cracy -which kecpatho middle classes down ; it ' s plutocracy— money woralup W * Thero is much miaconception abroad in all those matters , " contmucd Lmdaay
refreshing himself- "Ad for birth , first or all , the rttKng poll tfc ^ TamffieFare " noF £ Ke best-descended as a general rule ; but , secondly , it is absurd to say that birth is justly attacked , for it does so happen thatof the leading jpublic men , the ablest are the bestdescended of the batch . Who are the most brilliant men , now , among the nobility ? Lord S ., the G ' s ., P ., and so forth—all of aristocratic descent . Then , of the last two , or three , or four generations , you have Byron , Erskine , Mansfield , Chesterfield , Carteret , Ly ttelton ; of the later peerages , what men will compare with these ? But , as aristocracy is not a matter of title , but of feudal ancestry , we may take in Shelley , Scott , Collingwood , the N " apiers , & c , & C , and claim for old families an honourable degree of excellence . The great scholar , Fynes Clinton , for instance , would come
under this bead . I , for one , didn t grumble at the advancement of Montfichet , or Clarion . I know that some classes will always predominate , and I prefer the predo- ' minance of a historical element—something that appeals to the sentiment of mankind , to its imagination . Everything in the age tends to the predominance of property ; but let us have property plus traditions . What we are coming to is , a government of mere capital—land being viewed as one form of capital—than which , nothing can more effectually separate upper and lower classes . In the decline of nations , mere money swavs everything . Under the Roman Emperors , the old nobles got knocked on the head . Slaves and sons of slaves were the prosperous dogs . Trimalchio was not a noble , " said Lindsay , laughing . '
" There are hideous jobs in our profession , too , Walter , my boy ! " quoth Eustace . " True , oh Conyers ! Didn ' t they pack a court-martial to try Captain Catt , of the ' Flagellant , ' because he was a Whig swell ? Didn ' t somebody get off very cheap , after bringing his ship home without leave , for the . sake of the freight , because he was a swell ? I won ' t wink at a doo of the kind , while I carry the chequy fess , young man . There is a great deal of jobbery in this our age , you see . There's Hoffal , the contractor , who nearly killed me with his dainties when I was in the ' Flamingo '—but Hoffal is not an aristocrat . There ' s all kinds of adulteration in food and drink in London . The fact is , it is not a brilliantly moral period . But don ' t let us make any class pay the piper for other people ' s sins . Old ' Podger , ' of the ' Sprout , ' was dein the Pot
vilish severe about Catt ' s Case ; but , bless you ! Podger's little 'jobs' - borough election were quite as bad ; though I candidly admit" ( Lindsay laughed ) " I never saw a fellow less like an aristocrat in my life than Podger ! No , no . Officering the navy with gentlemen is one of the wisest things that can be done . The seamen like it . The warrant-officers like it . It ' s British liberty with its elections and its spouting which fills the country with corruption . I wonder the men of parts don ' t see that the money-bag worship is fatal to them . Look at those Oxford men we met at Witch-Elms—fellows of high culture and small means—the flower of the professional classes . Young Hoffal buys over them in the army . Hoffal secundtis does ditto in the Church . Hoffal tertivs buys into a borough . Parliament is more shut to them than it was before the Reform Bill . They are driven into
demagogism . Party is here well described ; and we might suggest the application to those young Tories who theorise about Conservative principles and then make the acquaintance of W . B . or Forbes Mackenzie : — Few more ticklish tasks can be imposed on a man than to deal with a party . A party is like a mermaid ; the head and face may enchant and attract you , and yet in a moment , you shall be frightened off by a wag of the cold , scaly , and slimy tail . With this sketch of " Life in the Hildebrand" we conclude—having only to suggest that Studds might not fight the worse for talking epigrams : — Breakfast is on the gun-room table of the " Hildebrand , " and mates , midshipmen , and youngsters are partaking of it . Eustace ' s appetite was tremendous in those days . He was up every morning by daylight , and in the sea air till breakfast-time Think of that in London , and sigh ! " Did the man bring my eggs ? " inquired a Languid voice , addressing one of the mess-servants . " I dreamed that he tumbled down the after-ladder , and broke them , " said the voice .
" Bring my omelette . " Affected ass , " mutters Mr . Corduroy , the second master . ' Any news ? " inquired Mr . Sudder , mate , of the table generally . " Yes , " said the languid voice . " What ? " asked three or four men eagerly . " Bobilini ' s coming over next season . " Mr . Corduroy expressed a wish for Bobilini ' s departure where Orpheus went before 1 C " I mean news about the ship , Studds , " said Sudder , sharply . Pearl Studds , Esq ., shrugged his shoulders . " My dear fellow , you asked the news . I give you my news ; let everybody else give you his . " Intense polish had made Studds so slippery , that you could not lay hold of him anywhere . Ho eluded the grasp of indignant superiors , triumphantly . " Who ' s to have the Channel squadron ?" » Tho Morning Post says Pipton will , " answered a midshipman . " Pooh ! his wife circulated that . She set going a rumour , last year , that he was to
b ^" s o ^^ wa S ^ mlt- ^ o n family , I dare say , " aaid Walter Lindsay . . " They should begin by making him u gentleman , and advance gradually , said Pearl Studds , with hia sweetest voice . " lie stopped your leave when he had the < Orion , ' " growled Mr . Corduroy . » So he did , " said the unabashed Studda . " Ho stopped my leave for o month , because I would not dine with him ; I was indisposed . Yoaro £ ^ JW ^ Corduroy . Few men have such tenacious memories as you , or such a courtly way ot US " &? C p ^ on won't have it . What do you say to K « de Boreyass , K . B . V" asked a """ The age of Benbow ia past , " aaid Mr . Studds , making his favourite obeervation . ( „
'Ti ^ rr , ' ,:: ^^ ^^^^ " Whv V vounKster ! Because it has done its work , and ii ^ iJH ^ trn ^ s ^ UC tO "V ^ Trl ; " .. id I . M . ay , wh . I- ™ - ! U > draw M , Slu . KU out ; " . H . Ui . ly 1 .. « ur ""^ ST ? J $ Fu ^ t <* - !¦* ' »»>/ " ; " t " " "' "' ' " "" ' W l , y should ¦»« imi . a . o th « ..., Trh . live in ^ d > loront »«»< ^^ , „ „„;„
3 Sv M ^,L855.-I Tm^ Frbajyyty,, 6q&
3 sv ^ , l 855 .-i TM ^ frBAjyyty ,, 6 Q &
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 23, 1855, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_23061855/page/17/
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