om is fourteen and the other twelve or
thirteen years old. The eldest is betrothed to the Count
Altimira, a boy of seventeen years old, son of one of the richest
Spanish grandees. He has L70,000 a year. The Duke of Medina-Coeli
before the French invasion had L215,000 a year.

Lord Holland was talking to Mr. Fox the day after the debate on
the war (after the Peace of Amiens) about public speakers, and
mentioned Sheridan's speech on the Begums. Fox said, 'You may
rest assured that that speech was the finest that ever was made
in Parliament.' Lord Holland said, 'It is very well of you to say
so, but I think your speech last night was a pretty good one.'
Fox said, 'And that was a devilish fine speech too.'

[Page Head: CHARACTER OF MR. LUTTRELL.]

Teddesley, November 30th, 1818 {p.009}

I went to Tixall[11] on Tuesday, the 10th of November. There were
Luttrell, Nugent, Montagu, Granville Somerset (who went away the
next day), and afterwards Granville Vernon, Wilmot, and Mr.
Donald. I never remember so agreeable a party--'le bon gout, les
ris, l'aimable liberte.' Everybody was pleased because each did
what he pleased, and the tone of the society was gay, simple, and
clever.

[11] [Tixall, the seat of Sir Clifford Constable in
Staffordshire, was let at this time to Lord and Lady
Granville.]

It is hardly possible to live with a more agreeable man than
Luttrell. He is difficult to please, but when pleased and in good
spirits, full of vivacity. He has a lively imagination, a great
deal of instruction, and a very retentive memory, a memory
particularly happy for social purposes, for he recollects a
thousand anecdotes, fine allusions, odd expressions, or happy
remarks, applicable to the generality of topics which fall under
discussion. He is extremely sensitive, easily disconcerted, and
resents want of tact in others, because he is so liable to suffer
from any breach of it. A sceptic in religion, and by no means
austere in morals, he views with indulgence all faults except
those which are committed against society, but he looks upon a
bore with unconcealed aversion. He is attached to a few persons
whose talents he respects and whose society he covets, but
towards the world in general he is rather misanthropical, and
prides himself upon being free from the prejudices which he
ridicules and despises more or less in everybody else. Detesting
the importance and the superiority which are assumed by