THE HISTORY OF THE BELVOIR HUNT 



himself, a paladin of bravery and dash, the army adored him ; 

 and even in those days, when no war correspondents followed 

 the army to the field, his fame reached England and his 

 popularity became unbounded. 



Sir William Draper, in writing to Junius, says of him : — 

 " My Lord Granby's generosity, sir, knows no bounds, but 

 it is directed to much nobler objects than you would endeavour 

 to insinuate. Often have I seen his generous hand stretched 

 out to supply the wants of a needy soldier, nor did the 

 meanest follower of the camp go hungry from his door. His 

 house was open equally to British and foreigners : his table 

 was hospitality itself, and his generous, open countenance 

 gave a hearty welcome to all his guests. Hence harmony 

 reigned through the whole army, disputes had no existence, 

 and officers of different nations emulated the social virtues of 

 a British chief By such means he gained the hearts of all 

 the army ; they followed him with confidence, and fought 

 under him from attachment." ^ 



His very vices were not unattractive, and if sometimes 

 sounds of wild revelry came from the tents of the English 

 headquarters, the rough troopers of the day felt that their 

 commander's weaknesses (though they were far from con- 

 sidering them as such) made him more their comrade and not 

 a whit less their chief Those were still the days when to be 

 able to carry your wine like a gentleman was no discredit. 

 Moreover, Lord Granby well merited the epithet of generous, 

 as all who have read the account of Lord George Sack- 

 ville's trial will agree. Lord George was a man of cold and 

 distant manners, was personally unpopular, and as a leader 

 had proved himself less capable than Granby. With such 

 different tempers and continually opposing views, the rela- 

 tions of Lord George and his second in command were not 

 cordial, yet in the trial Lord Granby gave his evidence in a 

 way calculated most carefully to shield his superior, stating 

 facts only and refusing to draw inferences. Compare his 

 evidence with that of Colonel Sloper of Bland's Dragoons, 

 or indeed with any of the other officers, and it is easy to see 

 ' Letters of Junius, p. 141, note. 

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