The Days Before Yesterday   By: Frederick Spencer Hamilton (1856-1928)

by

Lord Frederick Hamilton

FOREWORD

The Public has given so kindly a reception to The Varnished Pomps of Yesterday (a reception which took its author wholly by surprise), that I have extracted some further reminiscences from the lumber room of recollections. Those who expect startling revelations, or stale whiffs of forgotten scandals in these pages, will, I fear, be disappointed, for the book contains neither. It is merely a record of everyday events, covering different ground to those recounted in the former book, which may, or may not, prove of interest. I must tender my apologies for the insistent recurrence of the first person singular; in a book of this description this is difficult to avoid.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

Early days The passage of many terrors Crocodiles, grizzlies and hunchbacks An adventurous journey and its reward The famous spring in South Audley Street Climbing chimney sweeps The story of Mrs. Montagu's son The sweeps' carnival Disraeli Lord John Russell A child's ideas about the Whigs The Earl of Aberdeen "Old Brown Bread" Sir Edwin Landseer, a great family friend A live lion at a tea party Landseer as an artist Some of his vagaries His frescoes at Ardverikie His latter days A devoted friend His last Academy picture

CHAPTER II

The "swells" of the "sixties" Old Lord Claud Hamilton My first presentation to Queen Victoria Scandalous behaviour of a brother Queen Victoria's letters Her character and strong common sense My mother's recollections of George III. and George IV. Carlton House, and the Brighton Pavilion Queen Alexandra The Fairchild Family Dr. Cumming and his church A clerical Jazz First visit to Paris General de Flahault's account of Napoleon's campaign of 1812 Another curious link with the past "Something French" Attraction of Paris Cinderella's glass slipper A glimpse of Napoleon III. The Rue de Rivoli The Riviera in 1865 A novel Tricolour flag Jenny Lind The championship of the Mediterranean My father's boat and crew The race The Abercorn wins the championship

CHAPTER III

A new departure A Dublin hotel in the "sixties" The Irish mail service The wonderful old paddle mail boats The convivial waiters of the Munster The Viceregal Lodge Indians and pirates The imagination of youth A modest personal ambition Death warrants; imaginary and real The Fenian outbreak of 1866 7 The Abergele railway accident A Dublin Drawing Room Strictly private ceremonials Some of the amenities of the Chapel Royal An unbidden spectator of the State dinners Irish wit Judge Keogh Father Healy Happy Dublin knack of nomenclature An unexpected honour and its cause Incidents of the Fenian rising Dr. Hatchell A novel prescription Visit of King Edward Gorgeous ceremonial, but a chilly drive An anecdote of Queen Alexandra

CHAPTER IV

Chittenden's A wonderful teacher My personal experiences as a schoolmaster My "boys in blue" My unfortunate garments A "brave Belge" The model boy, and his name A Spartan regime "The Three Sundays" Novel religious observances Harrow "John Smith of Harrow" "Tommy" Steele "Tosher" An ingenious punishment John Farmer His methods The birth of a famous song Harrow school songs "Ducker" The "Curse of Versatility" Advancing old age The race between three brothers A family failing My father's race at sixty four My own A most acrimonious dispute at Rome Harrow after fifty years

CHAPTER V