Memoirs of the Life and Correspondence of Henry Reeve, C.B., D.C.L. Part 21

On August 24th, Reeve with his wife started for Scotland; but the grouse had been nearly exterminated by the disease, the shooting was everywhere very indifferent, and a month was pa.s.sed in a number of friendly visits, of which little trace is left beyond the bare names. On September 21st they returned to London, where, in preparing for a contemplated journey to Portugal, he had to arrange for the sittings of the Judicial Committee immediately after his return. The following shows the kind of difficulty he had to contend with:--

_From Lord Cairns_

_September 27th_--I am very sorry that I shall be unable to take part in your sittings after Michaelmas Term. I have arranged to give up November to that dreadful arbitration of the London, Chatham, and Dover, which, in a weak moment, Salisbury and I undertook; and, after that, I go to Mentone, where I have taken a house for the winter.... I should regret very much to dissever myself from the sittings of the Judicial Committee, which I have always found agreeable, both from the interesting character of the business, and from the pleasant composition of the tribunal; and I hope in next year to be able to afford more service than I have in this; but for the next sitting I must not be reckoned on. I hope you will enjoy your run to Portugal.

This contemplated tour was, no doubt, mainly for the pleasure and interest of visiting a country still unknown to him, but with a slight pretext of business, as chairman of the Lusitanian Mining Company. A few days before his departure he received the following from Lord Clarendon:--

_The Grove, October 3rd_--You will not find Murray at Lisbon, as he is on leave; but a letter shall be written, and to Doria, the _charge d'affaires_, to render you any service in his power. Do you want one to the consul at Oporto?

I am glad you approved what I said at Watford. I never dreamt of the speech making a sensation, but it has; and as there was nothing remarkable in it, it is a proof that people were looking for an a.s.surance from somebody that a policy of spoliation was not meditated.

I can't say I got much good from Wiesbaden, where mental torpor, and not a dozen red boxes per day, is required.

And so, accompanied by his wife and daughter, and armed with these letters of introduction and 'a Foreign Office bag, more,' wrote Mrs. Reeve, 'to give us importance, I suspect, than to convey despatches,' Reeve started as soon as his work was cleared off and the October number of the 'Review' was fairly out of his hands.

CHAPTER XVII

THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

For some reason best known to himself, Portugal is not a favourite hunting-ground of the tourist; and the country--though almost at our door, though bound to us by alliance in war and friends.h.i.+p in peace for more than two hundred years, though possessing beautiful scenery and the grandest of historical a.s.sociations--remains comparatively unknown. So far as he was concerned, Reeve had long wished to dispel this darkness, and the fact of his being Chairman of the Lusitanian Mining Company gave him the desired opportunity. His Journal of the tour is here, as on former occasions, elaborated by extracts (in square brackets) from Mrs. Reeve's.

_October 9th_--Started for Portugal on board the 'Douro' from Southampton.

Fine pa.s.sage. Landed at Lisbon on October 13th. Hotel Braganca. Kindly received by Pinto Basto. Excursion to Cintra on the 14th.

_15th_.--Dined with Pinto Basto and met Fonseca. 16th, to Caldas. 17th, to Alcobaca; then drove on to Batalha, and slept at Leiria. These great monasteries, now deserted, with their architecture and their tombs, are of the highest interest.

_18th_.--From Leiria to Pombal, and thence by rail to Coimbra [armed with letters of introduction from Count Lavradio, including one to the 'Rector Magnificus,' described as 'homme aimable et fort instruit, surtout dans les sciences physiques.']

[The buildings of the University are not remarkable either way. The Rector received us very courteously; showed us himself the splendid view from the tower, the Salle where degrees are conferred, and allowed us to peep into a gallery and through a window to see the lecture-rooms; then, making his bow, sent us with an attendant to the chapel, where we were joined by the Professor of German, Herr Durzen, clad in the ample cape or cloak and with the black jelly-bag cap which is the academic costume. He took us to the library, a large and striking saloon with carved and gilt pilasters and galleries.... There are about 900 students, of whom a large proportion comes from the Brazils. They look very picturesque in their floating drapery and hanging headgear; but the cape must be always impeding the free use of arms and legs, and the cap--now that its original use as a begging purse has ceased--might well be exchanged for a 'sombrero.' Herr Durzen accompanied us to the Botanic Gardens, where his friend and countryman, Gotze, showed us a splendid magnolia, Australian pines, and a great variety of eucalypti.... We then drove to the entrance of the footway leading to the Penedo da Saudade, a walk much affected by the Coimbrese. Then to the Quinta da Santa Cruz, the summer residence of the monks. Truly they had made them lordly pleasure-grounds, orange groves, hedges like tall walls of arbor-vitae, terraces leading to fountains and cascades, azulejo-lined benches surrounding marble floors, shaded by grand old laurels.... The Quinta now belongs to a rich b.u.t.ter factor, who lets everything ornamental go to wreck and ruin, or just clears it off for farm purposes.... The b.u.t.ter factor's dogs came out barking and biting as we left the garden.

Henry made a timely retreat; the professor showed fight, and came off second best, with his mantle torn. Then to the Church of Santa Cruz and to the monastic buildings attached....]

_20th_.--Coimbra to Mealhada, then to Luso, and walked to Busaco. Convent of Busaco. Scene of battle. Rail to Estarreja [which we reached at 6 P.M.

A splendid full moon lighted our drive to Palhal. Mr. Cruikshank met us at the station, and drove Henry in his dog-cart; Hopie and I, with our bags, went in the _char-a-banc_ which had been procured from Aveiro. The distance is about eight miles, seven of which are a gentle ascent, and then a steep pitch down of one mile. Flags were flying in honour of the arrival of the chairman of the 'Lusitanian Company,' and after dinner a display of fireworks. Mr. and Mrs. Cruikshank are a pleasing and intelligent young Scotch couple. Three of their children are at Granja, a little bathing village two or three stations further, and Mrs. Cruikshank and her eldest little girl came back to receive us.]

_21st_.--[The mine at Palhal yields copper ore; that of Carvalhal lead ore.

The Pinto Basto family have the concession of the mines, and own much of the surface. From five to eight hundred persons are employed--all Portuguese, except the three mining captains, the dresser of the ores, a carpenter, and a blacksmith. The English colony consists of about thirty souls; there is a school for the children, and on Sundays they meet for Divine wors.h.i.+p after the manner of Wesleyans. The wages of these Cornishmen are eight, ten, twelve pounds a month, and there are very tidy houses on the property, with a large cottage, or house, for the agent--Mr.

Cruikshank. The works are in the ravine below the house, and the Caima furnishes ample water power.... Many women and girls are employed preparing the ores, some of them remarkably good-looking.... Their wages are from two to three s.h.i.+llings a week. The scenery--pine-clad hills, streams on the hill-side, ravines, and burns--reminded one of Scotland; but oranges and camellias in the gardens, arbutus, myrtle, laurustinus, cistus, all wild, tell of a different climate.... We explored Palhal on Thursday, and Carvalhal on Friday; Henry and Mr. Cruikshank going into details at the works, whilst we went, with Mrs. Cruikshank, to call on the wives, visit the school, &c.... On Friday evening we took the train at Estarreja, and so to Oporto.]

_25th_.--Adolph Pinto Basto [a nephew of our Lisbon friends] gave us an entertainment in a boat on the Douro, and a collation at Avintes. Dinner at the Crystal Palace, Oporto.

_26th_.--Drove to Carvalho with Elles.

_27th_.--Drove to Leca do Balio with Oswald Crawford, the consul.

Interesting Templars' church.

_28th-30th_.--By rail from Oporto to Madrid, thirty-six hours by Badajos, Merida, Alcazar.

_31st_.--Madrid. Gallery. Bull-fight for the benefit of 'El Tato.' [We had seen him at Valencia, nine years ago, in the pride and bloom of his career--a career cut short not so much by the fury of the bull as by the ignorance of the surgeon. Presently the chief door of the arena was unbarred, and an open carriage, with three men in the dress of matadors and 'El Tato' in the 'plain clothes' of a peasant drove round. Great was the sensation. The men shouted, the women wept, the old lady at my elbow shed floods of tears; cigars and hats were flung to him; he bowed, kissed his hand, wiped his eyes. Then the regular work of the day commenced.] Very cold.

_November 2nd_.--Left Madrid for Avila, pa.s.sing the Escorial.

_3rd_.--Avila and then on to Burgos.

_4th_.--Burgos. Cathedral. Monuments.

_5th_.--Reached Biarritz at 10 P.M., and so to Paris.

_8th_.--Paris. Saw Descles in 'Frou-frou.' Great actress.

Home on the 9th. A well-spent month.

_From the Comte de Paris_

York House, le 11 novembre.

Mon cher Monsieur Reeve,--Mon oncle Aumale et moi nous vous remercions des paquets que vous nous avez envoyes ce matin; mon oncle me charge de vous dire qu'il n'a pu vous ecrire aujourd'hui, etant fort occupe des soins a donner a la d.u.c.h.esse d'Aumale, qui est toujours dans un etat a.s.sez grave, mais que vous lui ferez grand plaisir si vous voulez venir pa.s.ser au Woodnorton la semaine du 22 au 29 novembre; il y aura quelques cha.s.ses a tir.

Je viens de mon cote vous demander de nous faire le plaisir de venir, avec Madame et Mademoiselle Reeve, dejeuner ici dimanche prochain a midi et demie; c'est le seul jour ou je puisse vous voir, car je pars lundi matin pour le Worcesters.h.i.+re.

Veuillez me croire votre bien affectionne,

LOUIS-PHILIPPE D'ORLeANS.

As to which the Journal has:--

_November 14th_.--Breakfasted at York House. The Duc d'Aumale came, but the d.u.c.h.esse was ill, and on December 6th she died.

The Comte de Paris telegraphed the news to Reeve the same evening, and wrote the next day asking him to charge himself with sending a little notice of it to the princ.i.p.al newspapers--a thing Reeve readily undertook to do. Before receiving the request, he had already written expressing his wish to attend the funeral, and the Comte de Paris acknowledged both letters at the same time.

_From the Comte de Paris_

York House, le 7 decembre.

Mon cher Monsieur Reeve,--Je m'empresse de vous remercier de vos deux lettres et de la maniere dont vous avez repondu a ma demande.

Mon oncle Aumale est bien touche de l'intention que vous exprimez de venir vous a.s.socier a sa douleur le jour des funerailles de ma tante. Elles son fixees a vendredi prochain. La premiere ceremonie aura lieu a Orleans House a 9-1/2h du matin, apres quoi nous conduirons le corps a Weybridge, pour le deposer dans le caveau de famille. Nous y serons vers midi, ou peut-etre un peu plus tard, car il est difficile de calculer tres exactement l'arrivee de ce triste convoi. Ce ne sera en tous cas pas avant midi.

Je termine en vous priant de me croire

Votre bien affectionne,

LOUIS-PHILIPPE D'ORLeANS