CHRONICLE, 



471 



ford to produce a reconciliation, but 

 they were rejectal -with some obdu- 

 racy. The fat'X %var-, his lord- 

 ship had an idea that his antagonist 

 (capt. Best) was the best shot in 

 England, and he was therefore ex- 

 tremely fearful lest his reputation 

 should suffer, if he made any con- 

 cession, however slight, to such a 

 person. This Avas the probable 

 cause of the violent language which 

 he is reported to have used, and the 

 principal cause of the lamented 



meeting. 



After he fell, he is said 



to have expressed on the spot, what 

 he afterwards strongly expressed to 

 me, that he forgave his antagonist; 

 and to the man who was called by 

 his second to his support, he repeat- 

 ed several times that he was himself 

 the sole aggressor. A messenger 

 came to me about 8 o'clock in the 

 morning of the 7th, to inform me of 

 the sad issue of the contest, and of 

 the spot where his lordship was left- 

 After sending a short-account to the 

 marquis of Buckingham, and an ex- 

 press to lord GrenvIIle, I hastened 

 towards the place, and found his 

 lordship already carried into Little 

 Holland-house by the generous man 

 who owns it.* Mr. Knight the sur- 

 geon, and captain Barry, his lord- 

 ship's most intimate friend, were by 

 , his lordship's bed-side, and Mr. 

 Home arriving in a few minutes, we 

 cut oft" his cloaths ; the wound was 

 examined by the surgeons, ami im- 

 mediately pronounced to be juortal. 

 His lordship continued in agonies of 

 pain during the first day ; towards 

 the evening it pleased God to mode- 

 rate his torture ; by the It ip of lau- 

 danum he got some sleep during the 

 night, and awoke in the morning 

 much relieved. His hopes revived 

 considerably during the second day, 

 and he conversed with some cheer- 



< Mr. 



fulness. The surgeons, however, 

 who were unremitting in their atten- 

 tions, would never give his friends 

 the slightest hopes. He lingered, 

 free from acute pain, till the evenin* 

 of Saturday the 10th, when, about 

 half past eight, he expired without a 

 pang. Thus died Thomas lord Ca- 

 mcHbrd, in the prime and full vigour 

 of life. He was a man whose real 

 character was to the world but little 

 known ; his imperfections and his fol- 

 lies were often brought before the 

 public ; but the counterbalancing vir- 

 tues were bat seldom heard of. 

 Though too violent to those whom 

 he imagined to have wronged him, 

 yet, to his acquaintance, he was 

 mild, affable, and courteous; a stern 

 adversary, but the kindest and most 

 generous of friends. Slow and cau- 

 tious in determining upon any im- 

 portant step, and, while deliberat- 

 ing, most attentive to the advice ot 

 others, arid easily brought over to 

 their opinion : when, however, his 

 resolutions were once taken, it was 

 almost impossible to turn him from 

 his purpose. That warmth of dis- 

 position which prompted him, so 

 unhappily, to great improprieties, 

 prompted him also to the most lively 

 efforts of aftive benevolence. From 

 the many prisons in this metropolis, 

 from the various receptacles of hu- 

 man misery, he received unnum- 

 bered petitions; and no petition 

 ever came in vain. He was often 

 the dupe of the designing and crafty- 

 suppliant; but he was more often 

 the reliever of real sorrow, and the 

 soother of unmerited woe. Con- 

 stantly would he make use of that 

 intluence which rank and fortune 

 gave him with the government, to 

 interfere in behalf of those malefac- 

 tors whose crimes had subjcfted 

 them to punishment, but in whose 

 H h 4 cases 



Ottie. 



