CHAPTER X.

The Great Westminster election of 1784--Wilkes’s famous election contest for Middlesex dwarfed by comparison-State of political excitement--Relations of parties in the Commons--Fox’s India Bill--“Carlo Khan”--Downfall of the Coalition Ministry--Pitt made premier by the will of the king--“Back-stair influence,” and Court intrigues--“The royal finger”--Hostility of the East India Company against Fox--An administration called to power with a working minority--Defeated on division--Vote of want of confidence--The House dissolved--The great election campaign--“The storm conjured up”--The popular aversion to the late Coalition Ministers shown at the hustings--“The royal prerogative exerted against the palladium of the people”--Horace Walpole on the situation--The Whig losses all over England--Fox’s contest for Westminster--A forty days’ poll--The metropolis in a state of ebullition--Party cries--The streets a scene of combat--The rival mobs--The Guards--Hood’s sailors; their violent partisanship and reckless attacks--The “honest mob”--Fox’s narrow escape--The Irish chairmen beat the sailor-mob--A series of pitched battles--Partial behaviour of the special constables--Their interference and violence--Flood of ballads and political squibs--Rowlandson’s caricatures on the contest--The odium revived against the late Coalition Ministry; turned to political account by the Court party--“The Coalition Wedding: the Fox and the Badger quarter their Arms”--“Britannia aroused; or, the Coalition Monsters destroyed”--Pitt’s election manœuvres; his bidding for the favour of the citizens--Pitt presented with the freedom of the city--“Master Billy’s Procession to Grocers’ Hall”--The king threatens to retire to Hanover in the event of a defeat--Ministerial wiles--Bids of place and pension--Extensive “ratting”--“The Apostate Jack Robinson, the Political Rat-catcher. N.B. Rats taken alive!”--“The Rival Candidates: Fox, Hood, and Wray”--Rival canvassers--“Honest Sam House, the Patriotic publican”--The hustings, Covent Garden--The “prerogative standard”--“Major Cartwright, the Drum-Major of Sedition”--“The Hanoverian Horse and the British Lion”--“Fox, the Incurable”--Fair canvassers--The ladies of the Whig aristocracy a bevy of beauty; the Duchess of Devonshire, the Countess of Duncannon, the Duchess of Portland, Lady Carlisle, etc.--“The Devonshire, or Most Approved Manner of securing Votes”--“A Kiss for a Vote”--Tory lady canvassers: Lady Salisbury, the Hon. Mrs. Hobart--“Madame Blubber, the Ærostatic Dilly”--Walpole’s account of the canvassing--Fox’s favour with the fair--The Duchess of Devonshire’s exertions on behalf of the Whig chief--Earl Stanhope on “Fox’s Martyrs”--His account of the contested election--Pitt’s letters on the Westminster election, to Wilberforce, and James Grenville--Pitt’s account of the country elections--His anxiety about Westminster--Earl Stanhope’s summary of the Westminster election--Ballads on the contest--“The Duchess Acquitted; or, the True Cause of the Majority on the Westminster Election”--Tory libels on the Duchess of Devonshire--“The Wit’s Last Stake; or, the Cobbling Voters and Abject Canvassers”--“The Poll”--Animadversions against Sir Cecil Wray--“Lords of the Bedchamber”--“The Westminster Watchman”--A flood of _jeux d’esprit_--“On undue influence”--“A concise Description of Covent Garden at the Westminster election”--“Stanzas in Season”--The Prince of Wales a zealous partisan of Fox--“Lady Beauchamp, Lady Carlisle, and Lady Derby at the Hustings”--Poetical tributes--The Duchess of Devonshire saves the Whig cause at Westminster--“On the Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Duncannon canvassing for Fox”--“On a certain Duchess”--Horace Walpole’s nieces, the Ladies Waldegrave, “the three Sister Graces,” canvassing for Fox--“Epigram on the Duchess of Devonshire”--“Impromptu on her Grace of Devon”--“Ode to the Duchess”--“The Paradox of the Times”--A new Song, “Fox and Freedom”--The downfall of Wray--“The Case is Altered”--Bringing in outlying voters--“Procession to the Hustings after a Successful Canvass”--“Every Man has his Hobby-Horse”--Fox carried into the House by the duchess--_Exit_ Sir Cecil Wray!--“For the Benefit of the Champion--a Catch.” “No Renegado!” Wray defeated--“The Westminster Deserter drumm’d out of the Regiment”--Apotheosis of the fair champion--“Liberty and Fame introducing Female Patriotism (the Duchess of Devonshire) to Britannia”--The close of the poll--Wray demands a scrutiny--Partial and illegal conduct of the high bailiff as returning-officer--Fox triumphant--The ovation--The chairing procession--Two days of festivities--The reception at Devonshire House--The Prince of Wales’s rejoicings--The fête at Carlton Palace--Rival interests--Mrs. Crewe’s rout--The tedious and prolonged progress of the scrutiny--Fox for Kirkwall--“The Departure”--Fox recovers damages against the high bailiff for illegality in refusing to make a return--The affair only settled a year later--“Defeat of the High and Mighty Balissimo Corbettino and his Famed Cecilian Forces, on the Plains of St. Martin,” 1785--Corbett ordered by the court to make his return--Cast in damages--Fox’s final majority 257