The Grand Tour 1814-1815
During the last grim stages of the Napoleonic struggle, writes Jane Aiken Hodge, a gay young Englishman and his genial employer made an adventurous journey around Europe.
On January 1st, 1814, Matthew Todd opened a leather-bound volume and began to keep a diary in his clear, careful handwriting, illustrating it, from time to time, with his own water-colours. A great change had just taken place in his life.
His master, Captain Barlow, had let his house, Middlethorp Hall in Yorkshire, and set out on his travels, taking Matthew with him as valet, factotum and friend.
It was bitterly cold that winter. Matthew, young enough to be terrified by a poltergeist in their first lodgings, makes no mention of the Allied armies that were crossing Europe as the Emperor Napoleon, beaten at last, retreated on Paris.
Spring came. The Allies were closing in. Matthew and Mr. Barlow set out on March 29th for Newmarket, “to see a famous race to be run between Smolensko and Tiger.” When they got there, they found that the race was not to take place for a fortnight.
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