A Residence at the Court of London

Century Lives & Letters

by Richard Rush, Philip Ziegler (Introduction)

Richard Rush was appointed as American Minuster in London at the end of 1817.
He was born in Philadelphia in 1780, the son of a fashionable doctor, and had a sparkling political career before travelling to London to take up his appointment at the Court of St James. A passionate anglophile and interested in all manner of international affairs, Rush had never been to England before and was very interested in all aspects of the new world opening out before him.

This is the first one-volume edition of Rush's three volumes of memoirs. It covers the period 1817-1819. Rush stopped keeping his diaries between February 1819-July 1823; his later observations for the period 1823-1825 (when he was recalled) are also included.

Librarian Note - although it is not explicitly stated in the introduction to the book, the memoirs have been abridged for this edition, and some changes made to the original wording.

Genres: Biography

239 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Richard Rush (1780 – 1859) was the 8th United States Attorney General and the 8th United States Secretary of the Treasury. He also served as John Quincy Adams's running mate on the National Republican ticket in 1828.

Reviews

[Rachel Knowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting historical gems included these letters, but overall, rather hard going. There is a lot of political detail mixed in with his observations on English society, and not enough anecdotes to merit a higher rating.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of diplomatic London in the later Regency (1817-1819). Rush is interested in everything he sees and writes intelligently (as well he should!) and in detail about the political events of the day. There's a good sense of the man himself, which helps to enliven some of the more obscure events he describes. He is not above gossip (so-and-so was one of thirty children!) and clearly revels in being invited to grand society events. An excellent read, quite apart from its obvious historical value.

However, anyone interested in the period for research purposes might want to look out the full version of the memoirs (up to January 1819) on Google Books, because—reprehensibly—the editor of this version (Philip Ziegler) does not indicate that it is abridged from Rush's original "Memoranda of a Residence at the Court of London". For example, Rush is fascinated by domestic details, which Ziegler often omits: the layout of the house he has rented, how the servants' quarters were lit, how many bells there were for servants. For me, minutiae like that bring a period and place to life.

Ziegler also alters Rush's wording in places, so anyone planning to quote from this edition might want to check the original text too. E.g. talking of the death of James Lawrence, Rush writes:
"A vessel fitted out by the prompt, affectionate, patriotism of twelve New England sea captains, and by them exclusively manned, bore them [his remains] back to his country — the country he had honoured; the country that loved him. There they repose, under the laurel as the cypress."
Ziegler's version is:
"A vessel, fitted out by American sea-captains, and by these exclusively manned, brought them back to his country. There they rest, under the laurel and cypress."
The changes seem pointless to me.

[Vincent Hernot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine, not uninteresting, heavily dependent on knowledge of what was going on then, some good moments but overall lacking style: the, at time, heavy material gets heavier then...