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Warren Hastings. "At Hastings trial with Boswell. Burke was very dull and tedious. . . . Mr. Nichols (M.P.) mentioned that the cause of Burkes implacability to Hastings was, the latter having prevented Will Burke [probably a distant cousin, controversial; very close friend of Burke], in conjunction with the Nabob of Arcot, from oppressing the Rajah of Tanjore, or as Mr. Nichols expressed it, having prevented Will Burke from being in effect Rajah of Tanjore."
Edmund Burke. "... Burke, his Ldship [Lord Inchiquins] said, is insolent, impatient of contradiction,— will hear no argument,—proud, carried away by passion on every occasion. . . . He is very careless of his papers,— would drop on the floor a paper though it contained treason as he would do a newspaper cover.—Mrs. Burke attends to everything. . . . My Dear Jane will Burke say, I want such a paper,—it is produced,—as conversation proceeds He calls for others. She produces them,— He asks sometimes for one which she cannot remember, Yes, Yes, Yes, my dear Jane,—no contradiction, it must be found,—she examines."
Horace Walpole, afterwards Lord Orford. "Today [July 25, 1796] I observed to Lyssons [Samuel Lyssons, an antiquary] that age had not weakened the prejudices of Lord Orford and that his feelings on all occasions seemed to be as quick as they could have been at an early period of his life. . . . His Lordships body was opened, and though he was in his 80th year when he died & had been much afflicted with gout, and in earlier part had been considered as of a consumptive habit,—yet the lungs were perfectly sound,—the Heart & Stomach the same. No adhesions, nor any defects in the vitals.—The abscess in the throat probably caused his death. . . . He died with apparent pain."
Robespierre. "At Lyons they [the French] obliged him [General O'Hara] to remain near a guillotine while abt. 40 persons were executed, most of them woemen; & some girls, not more than 15 years of age. ... It was computed that 500,000 persons had been destroyed in France. . . . Tallien accused Him [Robespierre] of enormous crimes & with a Pistol in His hand, declared that 'if the Assembly did not then impeach Robespierre He wd. put Him to death.' This produced an electric effect. Robespierre was instantly denounced & ordered to prison. On His way he shot himself with a pistol,‡ but it was so directed to break His jaw, witht. killing Him, His Jaw was tied up & in that state He was soon after carried to the Guillotine & executed."
Dr. Samuel Johnson. "I went to dinner at Dr. C. Burney's [brother of Fanny Burney] at Greenwich. . . . Mrs. Burney had seen Dr. Johnsone at her Father's, Dr. Rose at Cheswick,—she mentioned his love of tea, and said Her Mother told her that she once made for him Twenty one cups of tea, which He drank. . . ."
*THE FARINGTON DIARY—Joseph Farington, R. A.—Edited by James Greig. Vol. I. July 13, 1793, to Aug. 24, 1802. Vol. II Aug 28 1802, to Sept. 13, 1804. Doran ($7.50 each).
**Joseph Farington's inconsistencies of style and spelling are used throughout the excerpts.