enjoying the satisfaction of seeing the dearest object of her earthly regard, and of dying under the same roof where he was secluded. The disorder with which the Queen was afflicted admitted of no hope. The anasarcous appearances, and spasmodic attacks, made it necessary that precautionary measures should be adopted for the care of the King's person, in the event of her Majesty's dissolution. Accordingly, at the close of the session, two amendments in the regency act were passed; one empowering the Queen to add six new members to her council; and the other repealing the clause which required the immediate assembling of a new parliament on the demise of her Majesty. But though it was evident that the anticipated event could not be far distant, the Royal patient herself entertained, to the last, hopes of a recovery. Her thoughts were continually on the wing for Windsor; and to gratify the desire she felt to be where the King was, various expedients were devised, but all without effect."

The second scene to which we above alluded, with sufficient clearness introduces itself.

"The same placidity continued to the last, and providentially she was not only free from pain, but in the entire possession of her mental faculties, when the Prince Regent and the Duke of York, who had been sent for by express, reached Kew on the seventeenth at noon. On their arrival, they went, accompanied by the Princess Augusta and the Duchess of Gloucester, into the dying chamber; where they were instantly recognized by the Queen, who smiled upon them all, and, while holding the hand of the Regent, closed her eyes in

a death-like sleep; A gentle wafting to immortal life.

Thus died this exemplary model of public and private virtue, in the seventyfifth year of her age, and the fifty-eighth of her residence in England.

"On Tuesday, the first of December, the ceremony of lying in state, as it is called, took place, though on a contracted scale; and the next day the royal obsequies were solemnized at Windsor, the Regent attending as chief mourner, supported by the Dukes of York and Sussex. Throughout the awful ceremony, all eyes were fixed upon the Prince, who was evidently absorbed in grief. He was long known to have been the favourite son of his mother; and this was the occasion, when, as might be expected, filial piety would appear in the outward traits of affectionate sorrow. Besides, the paternal concern of the Prince for the loss which he had just sustained, must have been heightened by the remembrance, that in the vault, now disclosed to his view, were deposited the remains of his only child, who, had Providence permitted, would after himself have succeeded to the throne. But amidst the pomp and pageantry of regal grandeur, what was there in the crown worth contemplating with pleasure, by a man far in the decline of life, isolated and childless? The world to the Regent was now become a blank; and the prospect that lay before him, exhibited only shadows of further changes, more likely to depress than to console the mind under its present bereavement."

The malignant reports spread amongst the vulgar and misinformed to the prejudice of this exemplary queen, resembled in

several respects those which have of late years been industriously fabricated concerning Queen Adelaide; and although our author has nothing to relate of the latter which has not previously been publicly made known, we feel it to be a pleasure to give currency and permanency to the account of her virtues, and of the attractive sequestered manner, as well as spot in which she was reared.

"Meiningen, fortunately, by its seclusion and apparent insignificance, but, above all, by the prudent management of the dowager regent, escaped, like an oasis in the arid desert, the visitation of the troublers of the earth. Napoleon, it seems, did not think it worth his while to bestow his attention upon so trivial a spot as Meiningen; and thus the regent duchess was left in undisturbed possession of her authority, and the tranquil enjoyment of domestic comfort; while the larger states became exposed to a train of evils, of which atheism and immorality were not the least. Thus favoured by Providence, the little court of Meiningen was distinguished by its purity of principles, and its two princesses were objects of admiration by their exemplary conduct. Their chief delight was in establishing and superintending schools for the education of the lower classes of the community, and in providing food and raiment for the aged, helpless, and destitute.

"The Princess Adelaide, in particular, was the life of every institution, that had for its object the happiness of her fellow-creatures. It has been said, and evidently on good authority, that the late Queen Charlotte had long kept her eye upon this virtuous family, with a view to the union of the elder princess with one of her Majesty's sons; and that, when the Duke of Cambridge had chosen a partner for himself, she strongly recommended Adelaide of Meiningen to the Duke of Clarence.

"The extent of the territory of Meiningen is about six hundred and eighty square English miles, and the population one hundred and forty thousand; that is, a little larger than the county of Hertford. The people of the entire country are supported by agriculture, a few simple manufac tures, and their mutual trade. Of course there are not, what may be called, many wealthy families, in such a confined district. They are governed according to the constitution of Ernest the Pious, and have an elective house of representatives, the members of which are chosen for six years.

"Meiningen, the capital, contains nearly five thousand inhabitants. It is called proverbially the city of the Harp; from a natural phenomenon in the vicinity. On a mountain ridge is a cavern, from which, when the wind is favourable, issue sounds more beautiful and powerful than those of the ancient æolian harp. The town is handsome, and completely embosomed in green sylvan hills, along the right bank of the river Werra. The suburbs are richly planted, and sprinkled with numerous white summer-houses."

We have the following account of the education and military services of the Duke of Kent.

"He was first educated under Dr. John Fisher, late Bishop of Salisbury, who was afterwards the tutor of the Princess Charlotte; but at the age of

seventeen, his Royal Highness was sent to Hanover, with General Budè, a native of Switzerland, and high in the estimation of George the Third. While in Germany, he was subjected to all the strictness of the Prussian discipline and of its severity, as well as of his own conformity to military rules, he used to relate an anecdote, which we shall give in his own words. 'Being placed as a cadet at Hanover, the regiment on duty was discharged in the usual form; but the general commanding happened to forget to dimiss me, which was always accompanied with a distinct and peculiar ceremony, On this, I continued, in a very uneasy position, and was actualy forgotten for four hours, when at length the commanding officer rode up, and apologized. I should have remained, but for this, at my post, until I had fainted with fatigue.

"This rigid tuition had a bad effect upon the royal Duke, who became, in consequence, so severe a disciplinarian himself, that when he obtained the command over British soldiers, his conduct made him enemies, and produced mutiny oftener than once. From Hanover, Prince Edward was removed to Geneva; and there remained, to complete his education, till the month of January, 1790, when he returned to England without parental permission, and, in consequence, was sent off to Gibraltar. His stay there was short; for in 1791, he was ordered to Canada, from whence, on the breaking out of the war, he proceeded to the West Indies to join Sir Charles Grey, under whom he displayed great gallantry, in the attack on St. Lucie, and also in the capture of Guadaloupe and Martinique. At the close of the campaign in 1794, the Prince returned to British America, and served as a major-general at Halifax till 1798, when, in consequence of a fall from his horse, he left that station for England. In April following, having attained his thirty-second year, he was created Duke of Kent; to support which dignity, the annual allowance of £12,000 was appropriated by parliament. About the same time, he was promoted to the rank of General of the army, and appointed commander-in-chief in North America, to which destination he proceeded in July; but ill health again soon obliged him to return, and he arrived in England in the autumn of 1800. In May, 1802, the Duke went to Gibraltar, as governor of that important fortress; but this proved an untoward event, and, after the lapse of a few months, his Royal Highness was recalled, never more to be re-instated in actual service."

It ought to be remembered, that the father of our present sovereign was not only an ardent scholar in the German school of discipline-affording a striking example of military obedience in his own person-but that he was always abstemious in his habits to an extraordinary degree, and not less remarkably punctual in the discharge of all his duties. Here are some particulars concerning his conduct in private life.

“The Duke, like his father, was an early riser; and, to insure punctuality in this object, he kept a servant, whose business it was, in the winter, to light the fire at a precise hour, for which purpose he was not allowed to go to bed till he had discharged that office. Precisely at six o'clock, a cup of coffee was brought to his Royal Highness by one attendant, and the tray

removed by another. In the course of the morning, all the chief servants made their appearance in turn; and a bill of the expenses of the preceding day was produced by the house-steward, whose statement included the minutest articles, and all of them distinctly classed.

According to the late Mr. George Hardinge, one of the Welsh judges, and a frequent visitor of the Duke, a hair-dresser for all the livery servants constituted one of the efficient characters on the establishment: the result was, that, in this complicated machine of souls and bodies, the genius of attention, of cleanliness, and of smart appearance, was the order of the day. Among other peculiarities, the Duke bad his bells enumerated, to preserve order and regularity of attendance. Five separate pulls were placed in a recess in the parlour next Kensington Gardens, each intended to summon a particular domestic; and the expense of these fittings alone, it is said, cost three hundred pounds. It is a fact worth mentioning, that the late Mr. Canning adopted the Duke's plan in his office at the Treasury, where, however, it was more necessary. The palace at Kensington, in the Duke's time, abounded with musical clocks; two of which chimed every quarter of an hour, and that not very agreeably to those who were engaged in business or conversation. Notwithstanding the narrow circumstances of his Royal Highness, his hand was always open to the relief of the distressed; and on every occasion of public charity, he came forward with alacrity, to aid the cause by his subscription and eloquence."

With respect to regular habits, our late sovereign may be classed with the brother we have just been hearing of. A few notices and anecdotes, illustrative of this fact, as well as of his Majesty's frank and unsophisticated character and manner, during the days of his vigour, shall now be strung together. The following is taken from Dr. Beattie's account, who attended the Duke of Clarence on a visit to the Continent.

"Unless when engaged with important business or company, his Royal Highness observes the same punctuality in his hours of retiring and getting up, that he does in the public and private duties of his station. Eleven o'clock is the hour at which he generally retires. At seven in the morning he is dressed; and, when the weather permits, walks in the avenue or gardens till eight, or later. In this country, breakfast occupies but a few minutes, a dish of coffee and a rusk comprise all that is generally offered. These are served in a small tray or plateau, during or immedi ately after the operation of dressing. At the chateau, however, the English breakfast is still adhered to.

"When the letters are finished, and enclosed to the chargé d'affaires at Frankfort, his Royal Highness walks till dinner-time; then comes in, dresses, and proceeds to the drawing-room. He does every thing by system.

"Air and exercise are those essentials to health and longevity, which his Royal Highness observes with strict and uniform punctuality. His walks, which have occasionally extended to four, are very seldom less than two hours' duration, and generally taken at the hottest period of the day. When prevented by the state of the weather from indulging in out-door

exercise, his Royal Highness uses the large drawing-room as a substitute, with one or more windows thrown open, so as to afford the best means of counteracting the effects of temporary confinement.

"If vigour of constitution is to be acquired or improved by the quantum of exercise thus taken without fatigue, his Royal Highness may anticipate a hale and green old age.

"In travelling, whenever the carriages halt at a fresh relay, it is his custom to alight, and employ the interval, though only five minutes, in exercise. In wet or damp weather, he never ventures abroad, not even in the carriage, without adopting the precaution of wearing galoches.

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"In diet here, as in England, his Royal Highness observes a strict regimen, plain roast or boiled mutton to dinner: such George the Third preferred. Sherry is his favourite, and I may say, only wine. I never saw him taste Port; and seldom French or Rhenish wines. He rarely eats roots or vegetables, not even a potato. The only beverage in which he indulges an innocent freedom, is barley-water flavoured with lemon.'

"On post-days, his Royal Highness generally employs from two to three hours in correspondence. The method of answering all letters by autograph is habitual, and always appears to afford him satisfaction. Upon my making some observation during his late attack, to induce him to limit his application on this head, his Royal Highness replied, 'I admit the propriety of your suggestion, but I must keep up the practice of letter-writing -I have always done so and one day or other, I may have still more occasion for it.'

"In expressing his opinion of men and things, the Duke is always frank and explicit. Whatever be the subject upon which he chooses to communicate his sentiments, they are invariably followed by a statement of the premises from which his conclusions are drawn. For example, This is my opinion; and I'll tell you why:'-or, There I differ from you; and I will give you my reasons.""

The firmness, decision, and promptitude of King William the Fourth may be illustrated by the two following anecdotes. The occasion referred to, is when he suddenly prorogued Parliament, with a view to its immediate dissolution, in 1831, so much against the will and to the dismay of the anti-reformers.

"So suddenly was the King's determination to prorogue parliament in person, taken, that it was found impossible to get the cream-coloured statehorses in readiness; and the black Hanoverian horses were, in consequence, substituted. When he first ordered the horses for three o'clock, he was told that they could not be ready by that time. 'No! then I will go down in a hackney-coach; I shall then, at any rate, be the first sovereign of England who rode in a jarvey to prorogue parliament.'

"When the King was in the act of attiring himself in the robing room, two of the lords in waiting, as usual, offered to assist in placing the crown upon his head; which he declined, saying, 'No, no; on this occasion I will place the crown upon my head, without assistance.'

"When King William IV. went, in person, to dissolve his first parliament, while placing the crown upon his own head, turning to the Lord Chancellor, he said, 'This, my lord, is my coronation day;' and it was

VOL. III. (1837.) NO. 11.

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