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CHAPTER VI.

Mr. E. H. Barker's inquiry into the claim of Charles Lloyd to the Authorship of the Letters of Junius.-Observations on the Publications of Mr. Taylor, Mr. Coventry, Mr. Barker, and others, in support of the claims of particular individuals.— Various accounts of Charles Lloyd.—Mr. Almon's description of his Political Pamphlets.—Mr. R. Fellowes's remarks on Lloyd's claim. The earliest notice of Lloyd's pretensions.— Dr. Parr, the great champion for Lloyd. His letters to Mr. Butler on the subject.—Mr. Butler's opinion of the Doctor's evidence and arguments. Mr. R. Fellowes's remarks on Dr. Parr's hypothesis.-Different accounts of the discoveries at Stowe Observations thereon-Remarks on Mr. Barker's mode of conducting his inquiry, and on his doctrine of the neutralization' of evidence.-Mr. R. Fellowes's final judgment on Lloyd's claim.

MR. CHARLES LLOYD.

To laugh were want of decency or grace,
But to be grave exceeds all power of face.

Pope.

THE claim of Mr. Charles Lloyd has been advocated, and the general question respecting the authorship of the Letters of Junius discussed, with much critical acumen and diligent research, by Mr. E. H. Barker, in his Five Letters on the Author of Junius.

It is, however, to be observed, that this work, as well as the previous publications of Mr. Taylor and Mr. Coventry, have all been written with the express design of advocating the claims of particular individuals, and therefore require to be read with much caution. An able advocate can, with surprising dexterity, make facts and circumstances bend to his own peculiar view of a case. As the mountain would not come to Mahomet, the prophet very condescendingly went to the mountain; so in controversies, if the theory does not square with the facts, the latter must even conform themselves to the theory. With such ample materials as the controversy respecting the author of the Letters of Junius affords, a clever advocate may construct an argument to prove almost anything, and even surpass the legal sage mentioned by the Spectator, who assured Will Honeycomb that a certain lady who had robbed him of his heart by

painting her face white, might be indicted under the black act.

On the other hand, Mr. Butler and Dr. Good may be considered the text writers on the subject, for they not only possessed peculiar advantages by having access to the original Letters of Junius, and other superior sources of information, but what is of more consequence, as regards the correctness and value of their conclusions, they had no preconceived hypothesis to support, and have not committed themselves by declaring in favour of any particular claimant; and therefore, the corollaries drawn by these gentlemen, may safely be used as tests, for trying the pretensions of the numerous claimants for the honours of Junius. The views of Mr. Butler, in particular, on many important points are admitted to be correct by Mr. Barker.

Of Charles Lloyd little appears to be known at the present day. He is said to have been a native of Ireland, and received his education at Westminster School. Mr. Barker having applied for information respecting him to Mr. Moysey, of Hayes in Kent, one of Lloyd's schoolfellows, received from that gentleman a note, dated Nov. 5th, 1827, in the following words:-" Mr. Moysey is very sorry he has it not in his power to satisfy Mr. Barker's inquiries. Mr. Charles Lloyd was his senior [at Westminster School] many years; their acquaintance was not one of intimacy or of long duration. Since 1766, or thereabouts, Mr. M. knows nothing of Mr. Lloyd, either alive or dead. He can only say that his temper was very cheerful, far removed from reserved or morose habits; and as to faculties, he was a man of very lively parts and a great deal of wit. He was called by his

schoolfellows, Dolly Lloyd, for reasons which do not appear. He was younger brother of the Dean of Norwich, an eminent character. But Mr. M. cannot recollect any of his contemporaries now surviving, and grieves he can be of no further use."

The late Mr. Jeremy Bentham was also applied to; but all he could tell of Mr. Lloyd was, that "he remembers Charles Lloyd as a writer of political pamphlets, but can give no opinion on his claims to the authorship of Junius, because he has never turned his attention to the subject."

Another of Mr. Barker's correspondents (the Rev. Thomas Kidd) says, in a letter dated Wymondham, June 29th, 1827:-"You are, I think, right in ascribing the Letters of Junius to Mr. Charles Lloyd, private secretary to Mr. George Grenville, and afterwards in the same capacity to Lord North. I have more than once conversed with a gentleman who was in the same office with Lloyd, and knew him personally and well. He had a great predilection for chemistry, from which science Junius has borrowed expressions which enrich his style. He was a great oddity in his wardrobe; fond of walking in the streets unveiled, and generally with a pen behind his ear; his gait was usually hurried and rapid."

From Almon's "Anecdotes of Eminent Persons," we learn that Charles Lloyd was private secretary to Mr. George Grenville, during the time that gentleman was First Lord of the Treasury, and the author of many political tracts, chiefly written in vindication of that minister's conduct. The principal of which were "The Anatomy of a late Negotiation:" this related to the negotiation which Lord Bute brought on between the

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King and Mr. Pitt, in the autumn of the year 1763. "A Vindication of the Conduct of the Ministry in the Case of Mr. Wilkes." "A Defence of the Majority in the House of Commons, on the Question relating to General Warrants." "An Honest Man's Reasons for declining to take a part in the New Administration," [this was the Admistration of 1765, commonly called the "A Critical Review of Rockingham Administration]. the New Administration." "The Conduct of the late Administration examined, relative to the Repeal of the American Stamp Act." It is said that the greatest part, if not the whole, of this tract was dictated by Mr. Grenville himself. Mr. Burke having written a little tract, called "A Short Account of a late Short Administration," Mr. Lloyd wrote an answer to it, which was called "A True History of a late Short Administration." Mr. Lloyd also wrote "An Examination of the Principles and boasted Disinterestedness of a late Right Honourable Gentleman [Mr. Pitt], in a Letter from an Old Man of Business to a Noble Lord:" this was written on the change of ministry in 1766. His last work, mentioned by Mr. Almon, is "A Word at Parting to His Grace the Duke of Bedford;" which was occasioned by His Grace's friends joining the ministry at the end of the year 1767, and abandoning Mr. Grenville: besides these, he wrote many Essays and Letters in the public papers, on political temporary subjects, which are now lost. According to Mr. Almon's account, he was in an ill state of health during the whole period when the Letters of Junius appeared, and died, after a lingering illness, on the 22d January 1773.

The above appears to be the substance of all that is

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