35 
sionally resided in the mansion, which 
was erected from a design of Inigo Jones, 
and improved, or rather altered, by the 
Italian gusto of the earl of Burlington, it 
would have proved classical ground to a 
nobleman possessing either taste or lite- 
rature. But it was in this instance fated 
to appertain to a mere man of the worid, 
who, like the fine lady mentioned by the 
bard-of Twickenham, was ever ready to 
exclaim ; 
A -  O odious! odious trees !” 
Indeed, his Grace seems to have been 
precisely the hero designated in the city- 
loving lyrics of Captain Morris, the bur- 
then of whose song is: 
© Of all groves—-a grove of chimnies for me!” 
Heaccordingly betook himself,at length, 
partly to London, and partly to one of 
those small, trim, modern establishments 
called vilias, where the clapper of St. 
Paul’s may be distinctly heard repeating 
the hour, annexed to which is-half an 
acre of herbage, generally dignified with 
‘the name of a paddock. There, within 
# quarter of a mile of Richmond, he re- 
sided during the fine weather, until in 
consequence, first of a dispute relative 
to a young lady, which became public, * 
and then a lawe-suit for part of his lawn, 
which was claimed first by, and finally 
adjudicated to, the parish, his Grace at 
length withdrew wholly to Piccadilly, 
unless, during his turn for waiting on 
the king, while his majesty resided at 
Windsor. But this also was precluded, 
an consequence of an event which will 
be mentioned hereafter, when the duke 
was entered on the list of the red-letiered 
martyrology of Carleton-house, and ex- 
cluded from all official communication 
with St. James’s. Indeed, it was full 
time for his Grace to have retired 
voluntarily, as the writer of this has 
been pained at seeing him in the suite 
of royalty at, Windsor, tottering along 
the terrace with his hat off, and exposing 
his denuded temples and his cheeks, 
which seemed to flush with colour rather 
than with health, to the keen searchings 
of an easterly wind, towards the latter 
“end of August !—and all this for a thou- 
sand a-year, and the honour of being a 
‘ord of the bed-chamber—on the part 
do, and in the person of a Scotch duke, 
2arquis, earl, viscount; of an English 
aron; a knight of the thistle; and the 
tthest subject in Europe, in the coim- 
apdious article of ready money ! 
win consequence of his former obse- 
_ WOusness, he’ was honoured with the 
ico riband; we also find him, as is 
» Memoirs of the late Duke of Queensberry. 
[Feb. 1, 
to be hoped for better reasons, uniformly 
chosen during six subsequent parliaments, 
as a representative peer of Scotland. 
To prevent the trouble however of future 
solicitation, in 1786 he obtained a patent 
as an English peer, by the style and 
dignity of Baron Douglas of Amesbury, 
in the county of Wilts. Through the 
whole of this long political career, we 
do not recollect the duke’s name to have 
been once called in question during the 
contests of rival parties, unless at a pe- 
riod when his Grace and the late earl of 
Sandwich openly declared themselves 
hostile to the ungodly and irreligious 
conduct of their former friend, the late 
John Wilkes, who happened to be en- 
gaged at that time in a violent opposition 
to the crown, or rather to the ministers 
of the executive power, On ‘his oc- 
casion, the latter of these noblemen, to 
the great edification of the bench of 
bishops, denounced “ the Essay on Wo- 
man” in the house of peers; while the 
former, with no less zeal, but as he then 
thought with more discretion, started a 
dependant of his own, the Rev. Mr. K, 
whose name has been since enshrined in 
the poetry of the celebrated Charles 
Churchill, against the profane member 
for Middlesex. ‘ On this occasion,” 
says a late writer, “ his Grace’s chaplain, 
burning with all the fervour of holy zeal, 
imprudently entered the lists with the 
author of the North Briton, when some 
of the many darts shot at the black gown 
of this officious priest, glanced against 
the ermined robes of his noble patron.” ~ 
It has already been hinted, that in 
1788-9, the subject of this memoir took 
part with the prince, and regularly voted, 
during the regency discussion, against 
Mr. Pitt, the great and all-powerful 
minister of that day. The king’s sud- 
den recovery, reduced such of the cour- 
tiers as had taken part with his Royal 
Highness, toa most disagreeable dilemna; 
for the statesman just alluded to, in- 
stead of a generous forbearance, seemed 
to consider the exercise of their ac- 
knowledyed rights, as something only 
a little short of treason, being deemed 
worthy Of incurring forfeiture of oflice 
at least. - Accordingly, the marquis of 
Lothian was deprived of his regiment, 
and the duke of Queensberry of his post 
as lord of the bed-chamber. 
From that time to his death, the duke 
lived in great retirement, and for the 
most part occupied his house in Picca- 
dilly alone. He had long hefore left 
the turf, and disposed of his house at 
_ Newmarket; 
