Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 12.djvu/501

 10 s. xn. NOV. 20, urn] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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stands. It was kept by Weltzie (who had been house-steward to the Prince of Wales), by whose name it was afterwards called." Both the Prince of Wales and the Duke of York were certainly very young at the time, but they were precocious lads, if we are to believe the same authority, who states that they reciprocally obliged one another the Prince taught the Duke to drink, and the Duke taught the Prince to lose his money. With regard to the political principles of the club, James Hare, writing to Lord Carlisle on 29 Dec., 1781, said :

" There are two Clubs lately formed, both consist- ing of young men, and chiefly of different parties in politics. Goortree's [Goostree's] is a small society of young men in Opposition, and they are very nice in their admissions ; as they discourage gaming as much as possible, their club will not do any harm to Brookes's [sic], and probably not subsist a great while ; it seems to be formed on the model of the celebrated Tuesday Night Club. The other is at Welche's [sic] in St. James's Street, consisting of young men who belong to Government," &c.

On 11 Feb., 1782, the same correspondent wrote to Lord Carlisle :

" A young Club at Weltje's begins to alarm us, as they increase in numbers, live well, and are difficult in their choice of members ; it is almost entirely a Ministerial Club, as Brookes's is a Minority." " Carlisle MSS.,' 1897, pp. 555, 575.

At this time the Prince of Wales's associates belonged to the Whig party, which was in Opposition, and it seems probable that, having founded the club in a fit of pique, he resumed in a very short time his position in his favourite Brooks's.

My authority for stating that J. C. Weltje was Clerk of the Kitchen to the Prince of Wales, and Louis Weltje to the Duke of York, was Feret's ' Fulham Old and New,' iii. 18. '-Mr. Feret was a most careful and painstaking writer, as a reference to the back volumes of ' N. & Q.' will conclusively prove, and I thought I was safe in accepting his statement without further verification. In this instance, however, he was undoubtedly in error. Louis was the elder brother, and would be entitled to hold the higher position. In the ' Marriage Registers of St. George's, Hanover Square ' (Harl. Soc.), i. 222, is an entry of the marriage by licence, on 6 July, 1772, of " Leuld Weltje and Amelia Ahrens." If this " Leuld " is identical with Louis Weltje, he must have been in England several years before the club was founded, It is possible that he was in the King's household, and was transferred to that of the Prince of Wales when the latter' s establish- ment was formed. Faulkner, however, in his ' History of Hammersmith,' p. 332, says

that Louis Weltje was the owner of the Pavilion at Brighton, the favourite residence of George IV., who, being pleased with his manners, gave him a situation in his house- hold, in which he rose to be chief cook and purveyor.

In my former reply I should have men- tioned that the Royal Societies Club now stands on the site of Weltje's.

W. F. PRIDEAUX.

Your correspondent H. says : "The magnificent collections of French furniture and Sevres china now in the possession of the Crown are traditionally held to have been bought for George IV. by one of the Weltje brothers" ;

but tradition, so far as I am concerned (and I have delved into the matter somewhat), credits the purchase of a part, at any rate, of the Windsor furniture and china to one Laurens, cook or maitre de bouche to George III. It is pretty certain that Laurens toured the Continent, or at least Holland and France, attending sales, visiting dilapidated country houses, and nosing here and there for china, glass, furniture, and pictures ; and it was commonly understood at Windsor that Laurens was responsible for many of the treasures there gathered. I have no record as to whether he was a good cook, or other- wise. FRANK SCHLOESSER.

REV. MATTHEW FEILDE (10 S. xii. 349). Charles Lamb (' Christ's Hospital Five-and- Thirty Years Ago,' in 'Essays of Elia') and Leigh Hunt (' Autobiography,' chap, iii.) both give an account of the under grammar- master, whose name they write as Field ; both mention his dramatic effort, and both insist on his absolute ineffectiveness as a teacher. " A man of a more handsome incompetence for his situation," says Leigh Hunt, " perhaps did not exist."

EDWARD BENSLY.

SIR JACOB JACOBSEN (10 S. xii. 247). He was a Director of the South Sea Company from 1715 to 1721, being chosen at the triennial elections in February, 1715, and February, 1718. In the matter of the fines inflicted on the Directors he was dealt with very leniently. His estate was valued at 11,4812. 4:8., and in the Grand Committee of the House of Commons it was agreed without a division, on the motion of Mr. John Hungerford, to allow him to retain 11,000^., thus fining him only the odd 48 11. 4s.

Sir John Fellowes (the Sub-Governor) and Sir John Blunt, owners of estates valued at 243,0962. 0*. M. and 183,349*. 10s. 8fd.