Georgian Books, Journal of my Life during the French Revolution

Preface

1859. The following narrative of the Life of Mrs. Dalrymple Elliott, during some of the most eventful scenes of the great French Revolution, was composed at the express desire of his Majesty King Greorge the Third. Mr. (afterwards Sir David) Dundas, physician to the king, was also Mrs. Ellott's medical attendant; and was in the hahit of relating, during his visits to the Eoyal Family, some of the incidents and anecdotes which that lady had communicated to him at various times, in the course of conversation. The King became so much interested that he desired Mr. Dundas to request Mrs. Elliott to commit to paper the story of her Life in Paris, and to send it to him. "With this intimation she readily complied, and accordingly the narrative was conveyed by Mr. Dundas to Windsor, sheet by sheet as it was written by her during her residence at Twickenham, after her return from France, at the Peace of Amiens, in 1801.

Of her previous history Mrs. Dalrymple Elliott has left no record ; but the Editor has gleaned a few facts relative to her birth and earlier years from those who knew her intimately during her residence in England, at the period when she drew up the following narrative, which may be interesting to the reader. She is represented as a lady eminently gifted by nature with beauty of person, and grace and elegance of manners ; and she was wont to attract the admiration of all who approached her, while she conciliated the regard and affection of those who were more intimately acquainted with her.

Grace Dalrymple (age 17), the youngest of three daughters of Hew Dalrymple, Esq., a branch of, and next in succession to, the noble family of Stair, was born in Scotland, about 1765. Her father, a barrister, established his reputation by gaining for the plaintiff the celebrated Douglas and Hamilton cause, which Horace Walpole notices as one of the most remarkable of that period. He was afterwards appointed Attorney-Greneral to the Grrenadas. He deserted his wife, a woman of remaa-kable beauty, a daughter of an officer in the army, who returned to her father's house, which she never afterwards quitted, and where she gave birth to this her youngest daughter, Grace Dalrymple. This child was afterwards sent for her education to a convent, in France, where she remained for some years, being withdrawn wheii she was about the age of fifteen, and brought to her father's house. At that time it was not the custom, as in these later days, for young persons to mix in evening festivities; but at one of the suppers given at her father's house, Miss Dalrymple was introduced. On this occasion, Sir John Elliott (age 35) was present, a man older than her father; who was so struck with her beauty that he made her an offer of marriage, which was accepted by her with the same inconsiderate haste with which it was proffered. Such an unsuitable and ill-assorted marriage, as might naturally be supposed, was productive of nothing but unhappiness. There was such a total dissimilarity of tastes, as well as of age, that there never existed any affection between them.

Grace Dalrymple (age 21), now Mrs. Elliott, mixed much in general society; and being so exquisitely lovely, very soon found admirers amongst those more suited to her age. In an evil hour for her, she unhappily became entangled in an intrigue; and her husband, after some indecent treatment, resorted to a court of law at once to procure a divorce, and to punish the author of their mutual wrongs. The first object was easily obtained, while the second resulted in a verdict of £12,000 damages. In the mean time her brother removed her to a convent in France, assigning as a reason for the course which had been adopted, that the lady was about to contract an unsuitable marriage.

Here Mrs. Elliott (age 22) remained until she was brought over to England by Lord Cholmondeley (age 26) . She was subsequently introduced to the Prince of Wales (age 13), who had been struck with the exquisite beauty of her portrait, which he had accidentally seen at Houghton. So celebrated was she for her personal charms that there are several portraits of her by eminent painters still in existence, among others, one by Cosway, which embellishes this volume, another, by Gainsborough, at Lord Cholmondeley's.

The young Prince was immediately fascinated with her beauty, and a most intimate connexion succeeded. The result was the birth of a female child, who was christened at Marylebone church, under the names of Greorgiana Augusta Trederica Seymour, — Lord Cholmondeley and one or two other persons only being present. While Mrs. Elliott remained with the Prince, she of course mingled in the brilliant society about him, and among many other persons of distraction became acquainted with the ill-fated Duke of Orleans, afterwards known as Philippe Egalité, so often mentioned in her memoirs. His fondness for England, its people, and its institutions was well known, and at that time he was popular here, especially in sporting society.

We cannot ascertain with certainty when Mrs. Elliott again left England to reside in Paris ; but probably it was about the year 1786. Her little daughter was left in charge of Lord and Lady Cholmondeley, but was occasionally permitted to visit her mother at Paris. On these occasions slie was always accompanied by a nurse and a footman of Lord Cholmondeley's; but she never resided any length of time with her mother. The Prince of Wales, it is said, made Mrs. Ellott a handsome allowance, and she derived £200 a year also from her husband's family. With these few prefatory remarks we now leave her to tell her own interesting story.