Page, 8
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1959.
BEAUTY OR BRAINS?
The side-show beauty
who
changed
THE first time London society saw Emma Hamilton, she was immersed in a mud bath up to her chin-centre-piece of a quack healer's exhibition.
But at the height of her success, she whispered to a queen and altered the course of hisory. She unleashed the genius of George Romney, one of England's greatest painters. And one of Britain's greatest men spent his last breath speaking her name.
Lady Emma Hamilton, mistress of Lord Nelson, was one of the few women in history whose beauty matched the legend.
And shọ u-ed her almost per- ment with a tradesman at St feet beauty to climb the pre- James", market,
varicus 1er of success, But to Amy Lyon, these posi- acquiring on the way as educators were mere stepping stones. tion, social graves, the friend- Ei one knows exactly how it ship of loyalty, the hearts of six happened-but the first time men--and finally the securn of a London toeitty noticed her, she was lying in a nud-bath in Dr Graham's "Temple of Health" in Pall Mall.
nation.
But when she came to Lan- don at the age of 16, everything! about her was ordinary-except her looks.
Lady Hamilton. born, Amy Lyon at Preston. Lmeashire, i April 1764, Was the daughter of a blacksmith. When her father died, her mother took her :
Hawarden. Flintshire. Hve at
She might have hver m life in obscurly litere bal her knowletige of her 4A beauty. and hay delerminatioa to use it to get in the top.
Then, as now, London was the
where place
fortunes were hunde. Even a servant's job w.s good enough if it got her to the big city. So Amy, an imate country girl, entered the service
of a doctor who lived in Black- friars. Later, she took employ-
JACOBY
on BRIDGE
Grahunt was a quick who claimed he knew the secret of long Wife. Amy, billed as "Vestina, Goddess of Health" was his bure. While she lay the, looking ass alluring as the mis permittel, Graham deliver- rda lecture, in which he claimed That anyone could live to be a Fundred with health, honour and happiness,"
And all he charged for his steret was Bve shillings.
Any was happy. The work was not exĜiaulting, she was being paid more generously than ever before, and she was cer- truly coming into contact with city, even it somewhat un- Conventionally.
But Amy was always looking for ways to b.tter herself Her first big chance came indirectly Dom her own mother. wag about this time that she received a letter from home telling her that her uncle had been seized by naval press-gang, Since she was in London, her mother wrote, could she not go along to the Admiralty and plead for his release.
Amy did and capitalised on the situation like a trie op portals. The man at the Ad- miralty who helped her was Captain, later Admiral, Payne. There was no doubt why Payne used his influence to have Amy's
IN the Jacoby trasaler bid the response of two diamonds to the opening no-trump shows a heart suit and demands that the peter rebil in hearts. The two-heart response shows 4 uncle released For. 11000 spade suit and demands a sale rebid while The Lucerade response is the transfer to clubs and the three-club response the transfer to diamonds.
If responder wants to play the hand in diamond, hearts or spades he can bid three imme- diately in that suit. These last Tesponses are all made
with
WEST
KJ7
Q103
◆ ABS &
4107
NORTH
AJI VK90754 $12 4JB4
EAST
A 10065
£2
◆ QJ 10
AQ532
SOUTH (D)
AAQ04
VAJ
+ K783
KOB
No one vulnerable
South
1 N.T. Pass
West North
+
East Pazs
6
drst man she would have been
content to settle down with was nt heart as cynical as she had been.
At sirst, Greville's Infatuation for her inspired him to lavish on her everything money could buy
ven though it plunged him deeply into debt, Most of the money W36 spent on her education.
It was Greville who introduced her to Romney, the artist who was so captivated by her bestly that he painted her 23 times.
IL was Romney, a sensitive man, of similar background to her own, who loved Amy most of all. But Amy regarded him only ay a friend, and he was much loo shy to confess his love.
BOW
She was to him "physically perfect-almost fabulous."
"I think she is superior to all womankind," he wrote in his diary. He
her as "the incarnation of abstract beauty."
But to Juny, Romney, the most fashionable genius of his day, was like a father-the only man she could go when the prob
me of her tangled love life becane téo much for her,
It was to Romney she con- fessed her tears when .Greville of to Naples, packed her ostensibly to study singing. Her fears were well-founded, for Greville, umble any longer to afford so expensive a mistress, had sold her to his uncle, Sir
Whillan Hamilton, who was British Minister to the Court at Naples.
But. again Ironically, this enflour dismissal resulted In Amy after, Anly became his mistress, alising her ambition of post- Curiously for those excessively tion, security and respectability.
times, elosz-conscious
Payne For the easy-going Sir Willion was really in love with her. But fell so deeply in love with her whether she had any feeling for that he proposed marriage, and hu, we shall never know. She
on September 6, 1791, she be certainly did not demonstrate it.
enme Lady Hamilton,
News of the marriage hit the English social world like an curthquake, The wedding took place in London, but Queen Charlotte refused to receive Amy (now Emmu at court, even though she was to be the wife of one of the king's representa lives abroad.
Payne proudly took her every where.
He even presented her to his upper-class friends. Until one day he introduced her to Sir Harry Featherstonrhaugh, 7'0 Amy, this Was another chaner. True, Payne was an im pressive Agure in his naval funtform, but Sir Harry had a
title and a Sussex estate. Amy ceremony
did not hesitate,
The Sussex baronet suceceded Payne. He taught her riding,
Almost immediately after the Emina went to Cavendish Square studio and sat for him for the last time,
Romney's
and the other social graces which Back in Naples, Lady. Hamil were to prove so valuable to her In later life. But, like Payne, he never won her heart.
The girl who only a few years before had been a maid in a doctor's home now enjoyed the Poss Fass .Pass life of the squire's lady. Opening lend-Anything
the peak of her tun reached access. She had great influence over the Queen of Naples, and used for the benent of her country.
strong hands only and are game-chance to get back to it, and she Nelson, the great naval hero, to forcing bida.
first
Her greatest achievement was when, in June 1798, through her But Amy missed the gay influence
the with
Queen, London of the 18th century. Naples broke a peace treaty She began to look around forn
with France and permitted
grabbed the
opportunity sall his ect Into the Bay of Hon. Charles Naples, Now take a leek at the North that camo-the hand. Your partner opers one Greville, man-about-town, and well connected no-trump and you see that the sufficiently hand will do better in hearts socially to have turned her hend than in no-trump. If you are at their first meeting. So Amy
Britain Wa ploying normal bidding with two coolly deserted her baronet and France. Napokon hearts as
to live in town with East with his army a sign-olf you can bid went
to march two hearts but sometimes your Greville.
through Egypt and India, Had Creville loved her truly, heart of the British partner won't respect your sign-
Empire. off. Playing the transter bid youj Amy's story might have ended Nelson had been chasing the simply bid two diamonds. Your differently, for
Greville could ambitious Napoleon the length partner bids two hearts dutifully provide her with just the sort of the Mediterranean. Now his and is annoyed when you pass or gay, distinguished life she ships needed fresh supplies and but pleased when he sees the sought. But, Ironically, the water. He would have to re-
shamny.
South will make two or maybe even three hearts. West has 10 open something and his lead will
cost him a trick.
declarer Fast
will
If North Is open the
queen of diɛmends and set the hand against any normal method of play,
CHESS
*
War with
had sailed
the
turn to Gibraltar-mless the Neapolitan authorities coull be persuaded to allow the fleet intu their territorial waters.
Sir William had tried and failed. Lody Hamilton then took hand in It, and induced by LEONARD BARDEN the Queen to influence the King to break his country's neutrality. Although the Max Lange Attack may be theoretically As a result, Nelson was ablaj **CARD Suedefensible, in practice Black to catch up with Napoleon in
usually falls into an oFAT-
the Bay of Aboukir and there whelming attack, as in the fight Lie baitle that ended droom of Eastern Bogy), F-14, P-K4; 2 KI- KB3, Kt-483; 3 8-84, K-conquest.
But, that day, the British hero BB4; 0 PKCO, PQ4; 7 won more than a sea
victory. PxKt PxB; BR-K! ch. He won the hourt of Lady. B1: BBKU, PxP; 10 3-R6 Hamilton, the woman who and
Q--The bidding has been:
North East Houthi Wo following game (do Woll v. Napoleon's
1N.T.
Pa
You, South, hold: 42
413 KOSTK5,082 **лa You are playing the Jacoby transfer bid. Whatsdenou do?
AmBid two diamuman Yen aro on your way to a baari zame but want your partner to be declarer no that the land wili,
bin,
TODAY'S QUESTION
You new suit playing that Ja»: coby transfer, bld and again your. partum ban, ő paced one", no-
sup. You holda
What do you do?
| B3; 4 P-QU PXP; 5 0-0,
| th, K-Ki; 11 K-83, B-34: mado it possible. For the first
17 KL-K4 B-KB1; 11 Q-42 time, Emma was truly; selfemaly B--Kts; 14 ByB, KxB: 1Q= in love, She became Nelson's Roch. K-K11: 10 K--R4; || mistrem. BXKG 17 RXD, KI-KA: 18
RXKEL. Buna (10 ... PxB; Their great love made theri 19 KL-3), Q-817:20 Quatá careless of tho strictures' off ch). Ramadhan play polite moolety. - Nelson (was) 1. Solution*No. 55631 IKE_OB? crilicted for parading his (threatwall" RXPLEXORANG Blight amour before the world, Line" Burkina Fey and clever) friends." And Emma was cruel-
echoed pin-INGEGË..
ly attacked by pamphleteers and „certoculata.
history
by
REX LOPEZ
Their conduct became a social scandal. Emma gave birth to Nelson's child, a daughter they called Horatia,
But their happiness was short-lived, Nelson was killed of the Battle of Trafalgar. He fore his death, he had written: "I leave Emma Lady Hamilton a legacy to my king and coun- try."
But neither king nor country accepted the legacy,
Emma's husband, who might have taken her boek, had died before Nelson. She had no ency, no Income, and ne In- dential friends. Gradually, all she had won silpped away from im- her, and in 1813 she was prisoned for debt.
When she was released, she went to live at Calais.
There, on January 15, 1815, she died, friendler, and poverty- stricken.
Nelson won more than a great victory; he won the heart of Emma Hamilton, who made it possible..
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