country with great thankfulness, and soon became so enamoured with his study and his garden, that he hoped to be left in quiet for the remainder of his days.
War was declared by Queen Anne in alliance with the Emperor, the States-General, &c. (and as the successor of King William, of glorious memory), against France and Spain on 4th May 1702. Lord Godolphin (whose son was a son-in-law of Marlborough) was virtually Prime-Minister. Marlborough had charge of the war. “The greatest politician of the age,” Robert, Earl of Sunderland, died on the 28th September. His family name was Spencer, and he was grandson to Rachel de Ruvigny’s brother-in-law, William, second Lord Spencer, the husband of Lady Penelope Wriothesley. He was thus distantly connected with Lady Russell and Lord Galway. He was succeeded by his only surviving son, Charles, third Earl of Sunderland, aged twenty-seven, who was Marlborough’s other son-in-law. Both he and the comparatively aged Godolphin felt great regard and veneration for Lord Galway. In a letter dated from the Camp at Robermont, 16th September 1703, the Duke of Marlborough thanks Lord Galway for his kind feelings towards the family at Althorp.
The political exile, his father’s old friend, the Seigneur de St. Evremond, died in London on the 9th September 1703. The last occupation of Lord Galway’s private life was to act as his executor. Two of the bequests were £50 to refugees of any religion, and £50 to French Protestant Refugees. Another clause was, “I give to my Lord Galway £60 to buy a ring, desiring him to accept thereof, and that I should make him my testamentary executor.” The will was proved by “Henry, Earl of Gallway,” 17th September 1703.
He loved his retirement, and the politics of the Court might have been quite content that he should never leave it; yet, the demand for such services, as few but he could or would render to the Protestant cause, made it almost certain that his country would again employ him. Among the “characters” drawn up about this date for the information of the Electress Sophia, he is characterized thus:— “Lord Gallway, Lieutenant-General. He is the son of Monsieur Rouvigny, &c. He is one of the finest gentlemen in the army, with a head fitted for the cabinet as well as the camp, is very modest, vigilant and sincere, a man of honour and honesty, without pride or affectation, wears his own hair, is plain in his dress and manners.”
Sec. 11. — The Earl of Galway’s Command in Portugal and the Subsequent Advent of the Earl of Peterborough into the Field.
Upon the Duke of Schomberg’s resignation of his command in Portugal, Mr. Methuen (Lord Galway’s former colleague), our Ambassador at Lisbon, was convinced that no mere military officer could be successful in the difficult post. It is supposed that he pressed the ministry to send out Lord Galway. Queen Anne sent for “the wise and valiant Earl” to wait upon her at Windsor, and laid her royal commands upon him to accept the appointment. He requested leave to decline on account of infirm health; but his mental vigour, conciliatory manners and talents for negociation were considered fully to counterbalance that objection. He then objected to supersede Schomberg, his ancient comrade and acquaintance, and (it is said) offered to serve as a Lieutenant-General under him; this was declared to be impossible. “Only the Queen’s positive commands,” said Lord Galway, “could have drawn me from my retirement.” And Burnet says of him, as to the chief command in Portugal, that “he undertook it more in submission to the Queen’s commands than out of any great prospects or hopes of success.”
He was promoted to the rank of General on 25th June 1704. Luttrell says that the Queen gave him £10,000 for his outfit. He also pressed for, and received, a reinforcement of 4000 British troops, the States of Holland contributing a similar addition to the forces. A beautiful portrait [1] of him was published, the printer correctly styling him, “General Commander-in-Chief of all her Majesty’s Forces that are to act in concert with the Portuguese in Span.” He sailed from Spithead on the noon of Saturday, the 23d of July, in H.M.S. Tartar, “with a fresh and fair gale of wind,” and he arrived at Lisbon on the 30th. He there met the Duke of Schomberg, who resigned into his hands the command of the English forces. He lost no time in joining the two kings in the field; but inactivity until the spring of 1705 was the foregone resolution. King Pedro was quite charmed with the appearance and
- ↑ “John Simon [engraver] was born in Normandy, and came over some years before the death of Smith, who disagreeing with Sir Godfrey Kneller, Simon was employed by him to copy his pictures in mezzotinto, which he did, and from other masters, with good success. He was not so free in his manner as Smith, but now and then approached very near to that capital artist, as may be seen in his plate of Henry Ruvigny, Earl of Galway. . . . Simon died about the year 1755." — Walpoles Catalogue of Engravers.
