Farington's Diary

Joseph Farington, R. A., was an artist of the 18th Century. Being a prominent member of the Royal Academy, though an indifferent painter, he came in touch with nearly all of the elite of his time, in France as well as in England. From July 13, 1793, to Dec. 30, 1821, he kept a diary* in which he recorded a wealth of information about his period and the people in it. The Diary was found in 1921 by a firm of auctioneers in London and was later bought by the Morning Post for 110 guineas (about $500). Throughout the year of 1922 the Diary appeared in the Post in serial form. Now it is published in book form.* For the personal side of history, Farington's diary is undoubtedly the most absorbing work that has appeared on the latter Georgian period in generations. No one who is interested in art, artists, politicians, politics, kings, queens, lords and commons, Englishmen and Frenchmen, history and literature, soldiers and sailors, will be able to read through these two large books wirthout asking for more. As a chronicler, Farington has been compared to the great Samuel Pepys. The comparison favors Farington if viewed from an informative standpoint; but as literature, using the word with meticulous precision, the Diary falls far below the immortal works of Pepys.

George III.--"He [King George]--asked West [President of the Royal Academy] what would Washington do were America to be declared independent. West said He** believed He would retire to a private situation. The King said if He did He would be the greatest man in the world. He asked West how he thought the Americans would act towards this country if they became independant. West said the war had made much ill blood but that. Washington, Lawrence, Adams, Franklin, Jay were favorable to this country which would soon have a preference to any other European Nation. During this conversation the Queen was much affected, & shed tears."

Admiral Nelson--He wrote to Lady Nelson that he shd. allow her -L-1800 a year, but did not wish to see her again.--They are now quite separated in consequence of his attachment to Lady Hamilton. . . . Masquerier shewed me 4 pictures. . . . One of Lady Hamilton which he understands is to be sent to Lord Nelson. He thinks Lady Hamilton is abt. 40 years of age, & very fat."

Napoleon. "Mr. Udy [a British Consul at Leghorn] knows Buonoparte personally. . . . He is a man of great talents, indefatigable in pursuing his plans, thoughtful, and deliberative, but having once resolved Lightening is not quicker than He is in execution and humanity never stands in his way. . . . When thoughtful, Buonoparte has a habit of squeezing his cheek with his right hand or pulling his mouth, while forming his resolutions. . . . G. Smith has been in Paris 7 months, and is returned extremely disgusted with the state of Society--No morals.--no integrity. Characters of the lowest kind abounding in wealth which they expend in a licentious way. . . . Buonoparte is very unpopular, and not respected, and his abilities not rated high. ... I [Farington] thought his general appearance better than I expected. . . . He has an intent and searching look, but his expression is confident. His complexion is not as I have heard it described waxy. . . . His person is slim, & I should judge him to be abt. 5 feet 6 Inches high. He was dressed in Blue, much more plain than His officers, which gave him additional consequence. . . . The ease with which people of all sorts approached him sufficiently shew'd that He had no personal apprehension, but I have much stronger proofs that He does not live in a state of fear of assassination. ... I should . . . say that his manner expressed indifference, and His actions corresponded with it. He did not in the least seem to study state and effect. ... I notice he picked his nose very much,--sometimes took Snuff, and would take off his hat and wipe his forehead in a careless manner . . . passed me so close I could have touched him . . . which gave me an opportunity to observe the colour of his eyes which are . . . more of a blue grey. ... I thought there was something rather feverish than piercing in the expression . . . but his general aspect was milder than I had before thought it. . . . He had no eyebrows, or eyelash to give strong expression. . . .

William Pitt. "... Mr. Pitts Hatters Bill was -L-600 (after Pitt's death on January 23, 1806, -L-40,000 was voted to pay his debts). . . . Mr. Pitt breakfast usually at nine oClock that is the breakfast is set at that hour, but that Mr. Pitt is frequently engaged so intently in reading or writing as to entirely neglect it and goes away perhaps at 12 oClock without having eat anything. . . . Lord Mulgrave wrote to Sir George (Beaumont) that He ought to have given anything to have been in Parliament to have heard Pitts speech in defence of his having sent -L-1,200,000 to the Emperor (of Austria) witht. the consent of Parliament,--to have heard him wrote his Lordship 'defend his head with his brains' . . . In debate on Monday night, Mr. Pitt shone with extraordinary lustre. His speech affected the House so much that after He had finished there was a Hear, Hear, 3 times repeated, which had the effect of three cheers."

Warren Hastings. "At Hastings trial with Boswell. Burke was very dull and tedious. . . . Mr. Nichols (M.P.) mentioned that the cause of Burkes implacability to Hastings was, the latter having prevented Will Burke [probably a distant cousin, controversial; very close friend of Burke], in conjunction with the Nabob of Arcot, from oppressing the Rajah of Tanjore, or as Mr. Nichols expressed it, having prevented Will Burke from being in effect Rajah of Tanjore."

Edmund Burke. "... Burke, his Ldship [Lord Inchiquins] said, is insolent, impatient of contradiction,-- will hear no argument,--proud, carried away by passion on every occasion. . . . He is very careless of his papers,-- would drop on the floor a paper though it contained treason as he would do a newspaper cover.--Mrs. Burke attends to everything. . . . My Dear Jane will Burke say, I want such a paper,--it is produced,--as conversation proceeds He calls for others. She produces them,-- He asks sometimes for one which she cannot remember, Yes, Yes, Yes, my dear Jane,--no contradiction, it must be found,--she examines."

Horace Walpole, afterwards Lord Orford. "Today [July 25, 1796] I observed to Lyssons [Samuel Lyssons, an antiquary] that age had not weakened the prejudices of Lord Orford and that his feelings on all occasions seemed to be as quick as they could have been at an early period of his life. . . . His Lordships body was opened, and though he was in his 80th year when he died & had been much afflicted with gout, and in earlier part had been considered as of a consumptive habit,--yet the lungs were perfectly sound,--the Heart & Stomach the same. No adhesions, nor any defects in the vitals.--The abscess in the throat probably caused his death. . . . He died with apparent pain."

Robespierre. "At Lyons they [the French] obliged him [General O'Hara] to remain near a guillotine while abt. 40 persons were executed, most of them woemen; & some girls, not more than 15 years of age. ... It was computed that 500,000 persons had been destroyed in France. . . . Tallien accused Him [Robespierre] of enormous crimes & with a Pistol in His hand, declared that 'if the Assembly did not then impeach Robespierre He wd. put Him to death.' This produced an electric effect. Robespierre was instantly denounced & ordered to prison. On His way he shot himself with a pistol,/= but it was so directed to break His jaw, witht. killing Him, His Jaw was tied up & in that state He was soon after carried to the Guillotine & executed."

Dr. Samuel Johnson. "I went to dinner at Dr. C. Burney's [brother of Fanny Burney] at Greenwich. . . . Mrs. Burney had seen Dr. Johnsone at her Father's, Dr. Rose at Cheswick,--she mentioned his love of tea, and said Her Mother told her that she once made for him Twenty one cups of tea, which He drank. . . ."

*THE FARINGTON DIARY--Joseph Farington, R. A.--Edited by James Greig. Vol. I. July 13, 1793, to Aug. 24, 1802. Vol. II Aug 28 1802, to Sept. 13, 1804. Doran ($7.50 each).

**Joseph Farington's inconsistencies of style and spelling are used throughout the excerpts.

/=Robespierre was shot by a boy named Merda. The evidence supporting this statement is conclusive.