the Condition of Prisoners of War - Tour in England, Scotland and Ireland-Difficulties con- cerning the Penitentiaries-Howard resigns his Office as Commissioner-Foreign Travel-Letter from Moscow-Howard and the King's Courier- Visit to Ireland-Travels in Spain-The Inquisi- Howard's attention turned towards the Plague-Sets off on a tour to inspect the Lazarettos-Adventures in France-Letters from Italy-Howard at Malta- Voyage to Smyrna - A Sea-fight - Howard in Action-Quarantine at Venice-Bad News from England-Letters Home-Christmas at Vienna- The Emperor The Countess Return to Howard's Dislike to have his Portrait taken-Devices to escape "Snap-shots "Portraits of Howard- Personal Appearance - Mode of Life - Humour -Anecdotes - Love of Children-Relations with ל JOHN HOWARD CHAPTER I EARLY YEARS Howard's Parentage-Date and Place of Birth-School Days Marriage F the childhood and early life of John Howard but few particulars have come down to us. His father was a wealthy upholsterer in the city of London, residing at one time at Enfield, and later on at Clapton; and the fact that he was fined for Sheriff in the year 1742 testifies to his prosperous circumstances. His mother's name is said to have been Cholmley. According to his monument in St. Paul's Cathedral, the inscription for which was written by his kinsman Mr. Whitbread, he was born at Hackney on the 2nd of September 1726, and though the statements as to place and date have both been questioned, yet, if Hackney be understood as including Clapton, it is probable that the inscription is correct. Howard's own authority may be claimed for the statement that he was born at Lower Clapton, "in an ancient house which had been many years in possession of his father and grandfather"; 1 and if he was accurate in informing a friend in November 1787 that he was then sixty-one years of age, the year of his birth must have been 1726.2 1 Dr. Aikin, Howard's personal friend and earliest biographer, "believes" that he was born at Enfield, "about the year 1727 (View of the Character and Public Services of John Howard, p. 9). Enfield is also given as the place of his birth in the Gentleman's Magazine for 1790 (vol. lx. part 1. p. 369) and Field, in The Correspondence of John Howard, says: “I have been favoured with a copy of the family register, part of which is in Howard's own handwriting, and this records that he was born at Enfield," p. 1. In spite of this, however, it is probable that Clapton was really the place. It is given in the notice in the Universal Magazine for 1790 (vol. lxxxvi. p. 170), characterised by Howard's friend, the Rev. S. Palmer, as "much the best" notice of him that had appeared (ib. p. 236); and in this particular matter Palmer himself was able to corroborate the assertion of the biographical notice, by the assurance that he had "more than once heard" Howard himself speak of the house at Clapton as that in which he was born (ib. p. 319). This, taken with the evidence of the monument, seems to be conclusive. 2 See the Gentleman's Magazine (vol. lx. part 1. p. 287). The date 1726 is also confirmed by a paper of directions |