Rt Hon Sir Robert Adair GCB

  General Notes:

RT. HON. SIR ROBERT ADAIR, G.C.B. Oct. 3.

In Chesterfield Street, Mayfair, after a brief illness, aged 92, the Right Hon. Sir Robert Adair, G.C.B. This veteran and distinguished diplomatist - the last surviving friend, political or private, of Charles James Fox - was the son of Mr. Robert Adair, Sergeant Surgeon to King George III and Lady Caroline Keppel, daughter of William Anne second Earl of Albemarle, K.G., and of Lady Anne Lennox, daughter of Charles first Duke of Richmond. Sir Robert was born on the 24th of May, 1763. He was consequently in his 93rd year, to which great age his sister, Diana, wife of the late Mr. Charles Clavering, also attained, and yet both were the children of a consumptive mother, who died in 1769 from the effects of the unremitting care with which she watched over the last days of her sister, Elizabeth Marchioness of Tavistock. One of Sir Robert's earliest reminiscences was connected with the ''Wilkes and Liberty" riots, when, at the age of six, he signalized his hatred of arbitrary principles by joining the mob and breaking his father's windows. After passing some years at Westminster School, he completed his education at the University of Gottingen. There are few of our readers who do not remember Canning's famous lines on "Sweet Matilda Pottingen" but many are not, perhaps, aware that the lover in the squib was Robert Adair.

On his return to England, in 1780, Adair made the acquaintance of his kinsman Charles James Fox. His first meeting with that statesman was at Euston, whither he had accompanied his uncle, Admiral Keppel, to a battue given by the "Junius" Duke of Grafton. Fox came in late for dinner, and, with his usual kindness to young people, seated himself next to Adair, "Well, young one," said Fox, "what could you find to shoot at at Gottingen?" "Foxes," was the reply. "Hush," said Charles, "our host is an inveterate Nimrod, and if be hears you have been killing any of my namesakes he will swear they belonged to Fakenhamwood."

At the breaking out of the French Revolution Mr. Adair, with a view to his future calling of diplomatist, went abroad to observe the effect which that great event was producing on continental States. After visiting Berlin and Vienna he proceeded to St. Petersburg, where he made a long sojourn. To his friends Adair used to give an interesting account of the proceedings of that profligate and semi-barbarous Court. He used to describe the famous Catharine as being in dress and appearance like a respectable fat housekeeper. As a sample of the state of manners at that period, Adair stated that, walking one day in the gardens at Peterhoff, with the British ambassador, after a dinner given by the great empress, he observed a Russian general send his aide-de-camp for a lady's workbox. The unfortunate fellow happened to bring the wrong one, and, finding his mistake, begged pardon on his knees ; the general was inexorable, and kicked him till he could hardly stand over him.

Mr. Adair was returned to parliament for Appleby at the general election of 1802, and for the borough of Camelford at those of 1806 and 1807.

In Feb. 1806, Mr. Fox, after twenty years' exclusion from power, found himself virtually, though not nominally, at the head of affairs. He appointed Mr. Adair Minister to the Court of Vienna on the 5th April in that year. On the new envoy's asking for his instructions, Fox answered, "I have none to give. Go to Vienna, and send me yours." For the manner in which he justified the flattering confidence reposed in him we need only refer to Sir Robert's own account of his mission to Vienna, which he published in his 82d year.

For several years Canning made Adair the butt of his piercing wit. In the session of 1807 he had ridiculed his appointment to Vienna, but the following year, when he became Foreign Minister himself, he picked out Adair from the ranks of Opposition as the fittest person to unravel the tangled web of our diplomatic relations with the Ottoman Court. Of this mission, and of the negotiations which terminated in the peace of the Dardanelles in 1809, Sir Robert himself has also furnished ns with an account. His companions were Mr. Canning (now Lord Stratford de Redcliffe) and Mr. David Morier. At the termination of this mission he was nominated a Knight of the Bath in 1809: he was at his death the 11 senior knight of that order, and the last survivor of those who were Knights before its enlargement in 1814. In April 1809 he was appointed ambassador at Constantinople, which important post he held till March 1811.

The exclusion of Sir Robert Adair's party from power kept him unemployed during a space of twenty-two years; but in 1831 he was sent by Earl Grey to Belgium on a mission of no ordinary difficulty. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg had been placed on the throne of that newly formed kingdom, and on the arrival of Mr. Adair he lay besieged in the town of Liege by William Prince of Orange. An engagement between the Flemish and Dutch troops, which was hourly expected, would have inevitably involved Europe in a general war. Adair sought out the new King, and, representing to him the critical posture of affairs, urged him to retire. His Majesty replied, "that flight ought not to be the first act of his reign; that he was ready to fight, but would allow him to negotiate." Moments were precious. The ambassador quitted the presence, seized the ramrod of a passing soldier, and tying his pocket-handkerchief to it rode up to the head-quarters of the besieging Prince. After much parley and sundry compliments on the Prince's feats at Waterloo, he induced his Royal Highness to connive at the retirement of his rival, who, with the British ambassador, proceeded to Malines. Sir Robert held this diplomatic appointment until the latter end of 1835.

He was raised to the dignity of a Privy Councillor, and received the highest diplomatic pension. (2000/.)

Besides the two memoirs already mentioned, he was the author of several political pamphlets. His remembrance of times and circumstances gone by was vivid, and he related anecdotes of the past, and discussed points regarding the present, with great energy and clearness. Sir Robert Adair's manners were most polished, kind, and courteous. He was most desirous to impart any and every information upon subjects with which, like that of Russian diplomacy, few diplomatists, if any, were better acquainted; and his views, certainly as far as Russia is concerned, have proved themselves to be remarkably clear and just.

He married, in 1805, Mdlle. Angelique Gabrielle, daughter of the Marquess d'Hazincourt and the Comtesse de Champagne. ⁵⁹

Robert married Angelique Gabrielle Comtesse de Champagne in 1805.⁵⁹