gratitude than taste, erected the gilded equestrian statue of his patron, which stands in Cavendish-square."

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In the earlier part of the life a review is naturally taken of the contemporaneous history of the navy, and many notices introduced of a number of our most illustrious naval commanders. In alluding to Admiral Geary, who was a sailor of the school of Hawke, some particulars are communicated respecting this latter hero. The mother of Edward Hawke, it would appear, was sister to a Colonel Bladen, who, having one morning sent for his nephew, said, "Ned, would you like to be a sailor?" Yes, sir," was the reply. "Are you willing to go now, or wait till you grow bigger?" was next put. "This instant, sir," was the rejoinder, though the boy was then only twelve years old. His wish was soon afterwards complied with; and on the morning of his departure to go abroad, when his mother said to him, having summoned her utmost fortitude, "Adieu, Ned, I hope shortly to see you a captain," his reply was," A captain, Madam, I trust you will soon see me an admiral!" A letter of this great character, written some months before his death, to Admiral Geary, for whom he seems to have entertained a remarkable esteem, conveys a noble idea of the veteran hero, which one loves to associate with age and valour. It is in these words

"I find, by the papers, that you are getting ready for sea, with all the despatch that is possible, and that you will sail the instant that it is in your power; and, though I could wish this could get to your hands first, yet the times are so very pressing, from many unfortunate events, that I think the sooner you can get to my old station off Brest, the better it will be for my country. When you are there, watch those fellows as a cat watches a mouse; and if once you can have the good fortune to get up to them, make much of them, and don't part with them easily. Forgive my being so free. I love you. We have served long together, and I have your interest and happiness sincerely at heart. My dear friend, may God Almighty bless you! and may that all-powerful hand guide and protect you in the day of battle.'"

In a school where such men as these abounded, Prince William spent a large portion of his earlier age. It was about the year 1781 or 1782, that he became personally acquainted with Nelson, of whose character the royal sailor seems from the first to have formed a just appreciation, and whose enthusiastic heroism awakened in the bosom of the prince something like a kindred spirit. The following is given as the account communicated to Dr. Clarke, now canon of Windsor, by William himself, of the first interview between him and England's greatest naval captain.

"I was then a midshipman on board the Barfleur, lying in the Narrows off Staten Island, and had the watch on deck; when Captain Nelson of the Albemarle came in his barge alongside. He appeared to be the merest boy of a Captain I ever beheld, and his dress was worthy of attention.

He had on a full-laced uniform, his lank unpowdered hair was tied in a stiff Hessian tail of an extraordinary length: the old-fashioned flaps of his waistcoat, added to the general quaintness of his figure, produced an appearance which particularly attracted my notice, for I had never seen any thing like it before, nor could I imagine who he was, nor what he came about. My doubts were, however, removed, when Lord Hood introduced me to him. There was something irresistibly pleasing in his address and conversation; and an enthusiasm, when speaking on professional subjects, that shewed he was no common being. Nelson, after this, went with us to the West Indies, and served under Lord Hood's flag, during his indefatigable cruise off Cape François. Throughout the whole of the American war, the height of Nelson's ambition was to command a line-of-battle ship: as for prize-money, it never entered his thoughts; he had always in view the character of his maternal uncle. I found him warmly attached to my Father, and singularly humane. He had the honour of the King's service, and the independence of the British navy, particularly at heart, and his mind glowed with this idea as much when he was simply Captain of the Albemarle, and had obtained none of the honours of his country, as when he was afterwards decorated with so much well-earned distinction.'

Here is an anecdote connected with the name of Nelson, which we do not remember to have before heard:

"On Nelson's return to Naples, after the victory of the Nile, an Irish mendicant, of the order of St. Francis, presented to him a poem, of no great merit indeed, but remarkable for predicting the taking of Rome by the English admiral's fleet. The prophecy struck Nelson; who smiled, and represented to the author the impossibility of getting ships up the Tiber, to act against Rome. The friar replied, I nevertheless foresee that it will certainly come to pass.' Nelson gave the prophet some dollars, and, for a time, both the mendicant and his prediction were forgotten.

"But if the English ships did not sail up the Tiber, they took possession of Civitia Vecchia, at the mouth of it; and when the French general claimed the Roman territory by right of conquest, the brave Commodore Trowbridge, who commanded that expedition, replied, And its mine by reconquest.' Captain, afterwards Admiral Louis, was the first British seaman that rowed up the Tiber in his barge, hoisted English colours on the Capitol, and governed Rome. The prophetic friar, on the recommendation of Nelson, obtained ecclesiastical preferment at Naples."

It is also reported of the hero of the Nile, that he had talked of paying a visit to the pope, about the time that the latter humbled himself before Bonaparte, by ceding to the French all the ports belonging to the Ecclesiastical States, saying, "I do not think that his holiness will oppose the thunder of the Vatican against my thunder; and, if I succeed, I am determined to row up the Tiber in my barge, and to enter Rome."

To the published Life of Mrs. Jordan, we presume the present author has had recourse for most of the anecdotes concerning her history; some of them will bear reprinting. We quote one, illustrative of her benevolence and quickness. This celebrated actress had taken

shelter from a shower under a porch, when a poor woman, whom she had relieved from the debtors' prison at Chester, approached her to return thanks, exclaiming

"God bless you for ever, madam, you have saved me and my poor babes from ruin!' The children added to the affecting scene, by crying; and Mrs. Jordan, stooping down to kiss them, slipped a pound-note into the mother's hand, saying, There, there, now it's all over; go, my good woman, and God bless you! don't say another word.'

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"It happened that another person had taken shelter under the porch, and witnessed the whole transaction. He now came forward, and, holding out his hand, said, Lady, pardon the freedom of a stranger; but, would to the Lord, the world were all like thee!'

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"The figure of this man bespoke his calling: his countenance was pale; and a suit of sable, rather the worse for wear, covered his tall and spare person. Mrs. Jordan soon developed his character and profession, and replied, No, I won't shake hands with you.'- Why? Because you are a Methodist preacher; and when you know who I am, you will send me to the devil.''The Lord forbid! I am, as you say, a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who tells us to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and relieve the distressed; and do you think I could behold a sister fulfil the commands of my Master without feeling that spiritual attachment, which leads me to break through worldly customs, and to offer you the hand of friendship and brotherly love? Well, well, you are a good old soul, I dare say; but I-I don't like fanatics, and you'll not like me when I tell you who I am.'-'I hope I shall.'—'Well, then, I tell you I am a player.' The preacher sighed. Yes, I am a player, and you must have heard of me. My name is Jordan.' After a short pause, he again extended his hand, with a complaisant countenance, and said, The Lord bless thee, whoever thou art. His goodness is unlimited. He has bestowed on thee a large portion of his spirit; and, as to thy calling, if thy soul upbraid thee not, the Lord forbid that I should.'

"Thus reconciled, and the rain having abated, they left the porch. together; the offer of his arm was accepted; and the votary of Thalia, and the disciple of Wesley, proceeded to the door of Mrs. Jordan's residence. At parting, they shook hands, and the preacher said, 'Fare thee well, sister; I know not what the principles of people of thy calling may be, thou art the first I ever conversed with; but if their benevolent practices equal thine, I hope and trust, at the great day, the Almighty will say to each- Thy sins are forgiven thee.'

The public are apt to regard royalty as a condition which modifies many of the common feelings of humanity, and by generally hearing only of their formalities and pageants, can hardly suppose that the inmates of the palace can be accustomed to the habits of a domestic and family circle. It is well known, however, that George the Third and his Queen, were not merely exemplary parents as respected affection for their offspring, but for assiduity and regularity in rearing them. It is known to all, likewise, that the old king bore an unsurpassed love for a daughter who had long been afflicted,

and that when she, the Princess Amelia died, the external world became a blank to him, the bereavement cleaving his heart, unseating the light of reason, and chasing away every endearing recollection. But we are not to presume that the father was the only disconsolate member of the royal house, and nothing can be in better accordance with all that has ever been known of King William's character than the statement which our author makes, when he says, that at the funeral of Princess Amelia, which took place by torch-light, "his Royal Highness, who supported the Prince of Wales on the left, as the Duke of York did on the right, was observed during the service to weep much.” It is added, "and so, indeed, did all the family that were present." No doubt, the knowledge of the state to which their father had been brought by his last visit to the dying princess, when she placed a ring, composed of her hair upon his finger, and said, "Remember me," must have given indescribable poignancy to the feelings of the sorrowing funeral group. Such scenes, however, are valuable tokens ; nor was the one alluded to the only amiable display which William the Fourth's life affords, as we shall see ere closing the present volumes.

Since the commencement of the present century, the royal family of England has, indeed, been distinguished by the number of those domestic afflictions and trials, which, as being a great portion of that inheritance bequeathed to mankind, are alike showered down upon the prince and the peasant. A family so numerous and widely connected, could not be long exempted in the ordinary course of events from the strokes of death. Every one knows that the month of November, 1817, witnessed the most affecting instance of those vicissitudes to which we particularly refer, that the annals of the nation can point out, when the whole empire and even foreign nations wept over the bier of the Princess Charlotte. We particularly allude to this calamity, however, merely to mark the events of an analogous description in English history which our author has carefully collected, and strikingly pointed out. We have observed in several parts of this work, indeed, similar methods of illustration, which exhibit some of the author's habits of reflection and industry; nor could any other species of diffuseness have contributed more impressive matter to these pages.

"When the melancholy intelligence reached Paris, the public sympathy was strongly excited, and honourably expressed in that capital. The places of amusement were closed; on the exchange, the ordinary course of business was suspended; and the public journals were unanimous in the language of concern for a loss, which, as they observed, would perhaps affect, not the welfare of England alone, but the current of history, and the fate of nations, throughout the European world. The remark was just; and our own chronicles exhibit proofs that great changes have resulted from calamities of this nature.

Thus, to name only a few instances. The death of Arthur, Prince of Wales, occasioned the abolition of the Papal supremacy, and the introduction of the Reformation into these realms :-the death of Edward the Sixth in his minority, though in itself an incalculable loss, ultimately proved beneficial, by giving permanency to the Protestant religion, and liberty to the United Provinces, and other states :-in the succeeding reign, the death of Henry, Prince of Wales, gave the crown to his brother Charles, which prepared the way for two revolutions; one of a sanguinary, and the other of a pacific character. The restoration of the monarchy fixed the constitution; and the abdication of James the Second secured the Protestant religion; but the death of Mary, the consort of William the Third, without issue, produced another change :-the hopes of the people now rested upon the young Duke of Gloucester, the only surviving child of the Princess Anne of Denmark; but here again the national hopes were blasted by the death of the prince at the age of eleven years. With Queen Anne, the line of Stuart terminated; but the mutations of royalty did not end here. The death of Frederick Prince of Wales was followed by the war of seven years, which produced, under his son George the Third, the separation of America from the crown of Britain, and the revolution of France. Lastly, the stroke which, by cutting off from the elder branch of the royal house of Brunswick two generations at once, left the succession in a dislocated state, and the nation with discouraging prospects."

While in the "House of mourning," let us bring to the recollection of many of our readers the account of two affecting passages or scenes in the history of the royal family. The first belongs to that period, when, in consequence of the death of the "Hope of England," and when the nation had in prospect "a broken lineage and a doubtful throne," several of the unmarried members of the house entered into the marriage state. At this period, Queen Charlotte was labouring under heavy bodily affliction.

"These were painful separations to the Royal patient; but the most distressing of all was the parting from the Princess Elizabeth, who had always been the favourite daughter of her Majesty.

This affecting scene took place at Buckingham House on the morning of the third of June, when the Prince of Hesse Homburg and his excellent consort left the metropolis for Brighton; with the express condition, that if the shock, as might be feared, should produce any alarming effects upon the Queen, her Royal Highness was to return immediately. Happily for both parties, the apprehended danger did not occur: the mind of the venerable invalid rose superior, in the hour of trial, to the weakness of nature; and the accounts of her Majesty's health were so far favourable, that at the end of a week, the Prince and Princess left Brighton for Dover, where they embarked, and landed at Calais, from whence they proceeded to Frankfort, by the way of Brussels.

"Such was the dispersed state of the royal family at this time, when the heads of it were brought into the valley of the shadow of death-the one unconscious of what was passing around him, and the other incapable of