AGNES STRICKLAND'S
QUEENS OF ENGLAND
BY ROSALIE KAUFMAN
VOL. III.
FULLY ILLUSTRATED
BOSTON
ESTES & LAURIAT
PUBLISHERS
Stack
ftnnex
Copyright, 1SS2,
BY ESTKS AND LAURIAT.
fflnttrrstto $3rcss:
JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMPRIDGF..
Stack
Annex
NOTE.
IN presenting this last volume of Queens of Eng-
land to our readers, we are glad to say that we have
been permitted to carry the story through the entire
history of that country, from the Conquest to the
present day. We present a more complete, although
less extended account than is given in any volume or
series of volumes now before the public. We feel
sure that the interest has been continued unabated
from the beginning, and that not only pleasure but
real profit will be derived from a careful perusal of
every page of these three volumes. It is true that
some eminent names and- many noteworthy events
have been sacrificed ; but nothing has been omitted
which has been requisite for the comprehension of
events which have depended upon them. Those who
follow carefully the story of these famous characters,
will find suggestions which will prompt them to inde-
pendent inquiry and landmarks which will indicate a
more elaborate and complete course of study.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
SOPHIA DOROTHEA OF ZELL, WIFE OF GEORGE 1 15
CAROLINE WILHELMINA DOROTHEA, WIFE OF GEORGE II. . 60
CHARLOTTE SOPHIA, WIFE OF GEORGE III 136
CAROLINE OF BRUNSWICK, WIFE OF GEORGE IV. . . . 204
ADELAIDE LOUISA, WIFE OF WILLIAM IV 283
QUEEN VICTORIA 31.1
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Sebastopol Frontispiece
India 14
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, 17
Zell ^5
Sophia Dorothea of Zell 33
The Bower 39
I
George I. 53
Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach 61
Lady XValpole's Reception 69
Sir Robert \Yalpole 83
George II. 101
Kensington Palace 115
Landing of George II 121
Stoke Pogis Church 125
The Ivy Tower 127
Charlotte Sophia 137
William Pitt 145
Garrick's Villa 153
George III 157
Cedar from Kew Gardens 163
Carlton House 173
x List of Illustrations.
William Pitt the Younger ; 183
What a Little Place you Occupy 195
Caroline of Brunswick . . . 205
Cowley's House 217
Country-st^t 223
View from Richmond Hill . . 229
Hampton Court 237
George IV 245
The Grotto 251
Warwick Castle 259
Kensington Gardens 269
Caroline Refused Admittance to Westminster Abbey .... 277
Adelaide Louisa 281
O'Connell Haranguing the People 287
Lafayette 303
Queen Victoria 311
Victoria at the age of Eight 318
Marshal Soult 325
The Youthful Queen 328
Street in Coburg 335
Sir Robert Peel 345
Houses of Parliament 357
Beethoven's House at Bonn . . 365
Castle of Coburg . 369
Lord John Russell 373
Orleans House . . * 376
Drawing-room at Balmoral 379
Scene in Ireland 385
Duke of Wellington 395
Lord Aberdeen 405
Custom-House, Dublin 408
List of Illustrations. xi
Charge of the Light Brigade 4*3
Park of St. Cloud .... 419
Capture of the Malakoff . 4 2 3
Calcutta 433
Sans-Souci 44 1
Frankfort-on-the-Ma^ 45 J
Windsor Castle 459
An old Castle on the Thames 4 6 3
The "San Jacinto" stopping the "Trent" 4 6 5
Queen Victoria 473
STORIES OF THE LIVES
OF
THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND.
COMPILED FROM AGNES STRICKLAND, FOR
YOUNG PEOPLE,
BY ROSALIE KAUFMAN.
THE
QUEENS OF ENGLAND.
CHAPTER I.
SOPHIA DOROTHEA OF ZELL, WIFE OF GEORGE I.
(A.D. 1666-1726.)
WHEN the Edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV.,
of which mention has been made in a previous reign, per-
secutions that equalled the never-to-be-forgotten St. Bar-
tholomew, followed, and being spread over a longer period,
affected a larger number of victims. This Edict had per-
mitted to Protestants the free observance of their relig-
ion so long that when it was repealed it was a cruel blow,
though perhaps a triumph to Roman Catholics. Those
faithful adherents to Protestantism who refused to become
converts were executed or imprisoned ; but thousands es-
caped and fled, leaving their property to be confiscated to
the crown, while they sought refuge, strangers in a strange
land, with poverty staring them in the face. Those were
times when horrors unspeakable were of daily occurrence.
Armed bodies of dragoons went from town to town in
France, barbarously butchering the terror-stricken men,
women, and children, who had failed to confess and receive
the sacrament according to the mode prescribed by the
king ; while thousands hastened at the point of the sword
to do so, pretending, in order to escape massacre, that
J5
1 6 The Queens of England.
they had suddenly awakened to the error of their former
ways.
When the report of these conversions if we may so call
the cowardice that compelled myriads to take false oaths
out of sheer desperation was carried to the willingly-
duped King of France, he raised his eyes to Heaven,
amazed at the miracle, which he pronounced, in the pres-
ence of his fawning courtiers, more wonderful than many
of those recounted in Scripture. But he knew as well as
his bishops did, that " a man convinced against his will is
of the same opinion still."
We have said that some of the Protestants escaped their
persecutors ; among the number of these lucky beings was
Alexander D'Esmiers, Marquis D'Olbreuse, a gallant gen-
tleman of Poictiers, who, with his daughter, Eleanora,
sought refuge in Brussels. It was not long before this
beautiful, accomplished French girl was introduced into the
gay society of that gay city, where she was courted and ad-
mired by many of the beaux, and no doubt envied and
criticized by the belles.
[A.D. 1665.] It was at a grand court ball that this
young girl first became acquainted with Duke George Wil-
liam, second son of George, Duke of Brunswick-Lunebourg,
and heir to the dukedom of Zell. The duke fell violently
in love, for the first time in his life, though he had been a
traveller for some years, and was noted for his gallantry
among the ladies with whom he had flirted in various parts
of the world. With the awakening of this sentiment,
George William, who had been rather a taciturn man, be-
came eloquent in his love-pleadings ; he had never cared
to study, but a sudden desire to perfect himself in the
French language took hold of him, and he begged the
beautiful Eleanora to assist him with the intricacies of her
native tongue. She consented, and throughout the bright,
REVOCATION OF THE EDICT OF NANTES.
i666. Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 19
warm summer days, this youthful teacher and pupil were
seen strolling together in the park, or seated, books in
hand, beneath the shade of some wide-spreading tree, in-
dustriously pursuing their studies.
But of all the verbs in the language, the one which most
interested this pair was aimer, " to love," and they learned
to conjugate its various moods and tenses, which led, in
their regular course, at last, to marriage. This took place
in the autumn of 1665. when Eleanora was twenty-six years
of age. Her title then became Lady Von Harburg, from
an estate so called, belonging to the duke.
This union proved a most happy one ; for, with mutual
affection, confidence, and respect, the duke and his wife held
their little court free from the intrigues and anxieties that
ruffled the peace and happiness of most of the more im-
portant ones of their day. The only fault that her sub-
jects ever found with the high-minded, estimable Lady Von
Harburg was, that she surrounded herself with French
attendants ; but it is no wonder she preferred to do so, if
we consider that she was always regarded by the jealous
Germans as an intruder, even though she had united her
interest with theirs by marrying one of their countrymen.
So long as her husband approved of her choice of attend-
ants, Eleanora heeded not the railings of the envious ; but
occupied her mind and time with wholesome, sensible pur-
suits.
[A.D. 1666.] Her first child, the subject of this history,
was born on the fifteenth of September, 1666. She was
named Sophia Dorothea, which means, Wisdom, the gift of
God, and she needed an unusual amount of this endowment,
when she became a woman, to support her under the
miserable trials a cruel husband laid upon her. But we
must not tell about that yet. As a child, Sophia Dorothea
was a source of delight to her fond parents, and filled
2O Ike Queens of England.
their home with sunshine and happiness. Alas ! if they
could have looked into the future, sooner would they have
laid their little darling in the grave than see her live to
drag out a weary existence to its bitter end. Perhaps it is
well that they could not, for they had three other children
that died in infancy ; and consolation for their loss was
always to be found in the possession of their charming,
interesting, constantly improving little Sophia Dorothea.
Under all her trials, the mother proved herself a true
woman, and so increased her husband's respect and esteem
for her that he became anxious to have her title equal to
his own ; for, at the time of their marriage, there had been
some complications that prevented. So he set to work to
accomplish this, and after a vast amount of trouble, peti-
tioning, delay and expense, at last succeeded. Then the
Lady von Harburg became Countess von Wilhelmsburg
and Duchess of Zell. This gratified the duke, though it
did not enhance his wife's happiness, for she had been per-
fectly contented before, and craved no title more lofty
than the one she had.
Nothing ever interfered with the care for her little
daughter, who was tenderly and religiously trained, and
unspoiled by the flattery that would have been showered
upon her, had anybody suspected that she was one day to
become Queen of England. When Sophia Dorothea was
about seven years of age, she had for a playfellow, Philip
von Konigsmark, whose father was a warm personal friend
to the duke. Philip was at Zell, at the time of which we
speak, for purposes of education, and spent most of his
leisure hours with the little girl in the garden of the palace.
These two children became very fond of each other, and
the gossips about the court shook their heads knowingly as
they prophesied a future marriage, in an undertone. But
they were false prophets, for a very different fate awaited
the two guileless, happy children.
1676. Sophia Dorothea of ZelL 21
[A.D. 1673.] Before Sophia Dorothea had reached the
age of ten, Philip was called back to his old home, and for
awhile he passes out of our story, although we shall hear
more of him some years later. The little girl missed him
sadly at first, but other companions were provided for her,
and she soon became reconciled to the absence of Philip.
She continued her studies, and gave early promise of be-
coming a handsome, virtuous, accomplished woman. She
was an heiress too, and that by no means diminished her
attractions. To be sure, her fortune was not large ; but
fifteen thousand pounds was better than nothing, at least
so thought her cousin, Augustus Frederick, Crown-Prince
of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, who sought her hand a few
months after the departure of Philip von Konigsmark.
Sophia Dorothea was fond of this young kinsman after her
child fashion, and so a formal betrothal took place. But
Augustus Frederick was a soldier, and according to his
ideas of chivalry, he could not claim his lady love until he
had distinguished himself on the battle-field ; so, filled with
courage and hope, he bade farewell to the little girl, and
marched to the siege of Philipsburg. He fought valiantly,
and, like a true knight, proved himself worthy of the little
lady of his choice ; but alas ! towards the close of the
battle, a fatal bullet put an end to his existence. Thus
was Sophia Dorothea deprived of a husband whose death
affected her only slightly at the time, but whom she learned
to regret many years later, and no doubt thought with the
poet :
"Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these : ' It might have been.' "
[A.D. 1676.] Now we must leave Sophia Dorothea, and
while she is developing into womanhood, tell about people
who became closely connected with the vicissitudes of her
life after she was deprived of a mother's care.
22 The Queens of England.
[A.D. 1678.] The Duke of Zell had a brother, older
than himself, who was married to Sophia, daughter of
Frederick and Elizabeth, the short-lived King and Queen
of Bohemia. This Sophia is the electress of Hanover,
mentioned in Queen Anne's reign as Protestant heiress to
the throne of England through her descent from James I.
Ernest Augustus, first Duke of Hanover, husband to this
lady, was a pompous, ostentatious man, who took Louis XIV.
for his model in life, but in so doing imitated his vices
rather than his virtues, and became an unfaithful, neglect-
ful husband to a good woman. But Sophia was a person
of rare intellect and common sense, and though not un-
mindful of the duke's neglect, she managed to forget her
wrongs by occupying herself with literary and other
pursuits.
Ernest Augustus was almost as much under the in-
fluence of a woman as we have seen that Queen Anne was
during the early part of her reign ; but this one managed
more adroitly than did the imperious, hot-headed Duchess
of Marlborough, and so retained her position.
[A.D. 1680.] Catherine and Elizabeth von Meissengen
were two bright, lively, ambitious sisters, who made their
appearance at the Court of Hanover, where they excited a
great deal of curiosity and interest. Both were handsome,
and dressed so well that the German ladies accepted their
pretty, tasteful costumes as models for their own, while the
gentlemen flocked to the drawing-room of these sisters, who
gave entertainments so delightful in -their character as to
attract young and old, men and women. Even the mem-
bers of the royal family honored these witty, fascinating
ladies with their visits, and so for a time they became the
lionesses of Hanover.
We have said that the Von Meissengen ladies were am-
bitious, and so they were ; they had come to court to seek
i68i. Sophia Dorothea of Zdl. 23
their fortunes, and aimed so high as the heir to the throne
himself. But that young man, whose name was George
Louis, was not to be won by their wiles, and so in course
of time they began to look lower, and succeeded in cap-
tivating the private tutors of the Hanover princes. Every-
body was astonished when, at the close of a short summer
vacation, Catherine von Meissengen reappeared in society
as Madame Busche, and her sister Elizabeth as Madame
von Platen.
[A.D. 1681.] Having secured these learned men for
husbands was all very well so far as it went, but Elizabeth
immediately began to plan and intrigue until she succeeded
in getting her husband appointed prime minister to Ernest
Augustus. That made her mistress of the situation, for
though Von Platen was not weak-minded, his wife was
strong, and not only ruled him but the sovereign besides.
We have related so much about this woman, an intriguante
of the deepest dye, because it was she who chiefly con-
trolled the destiny of poor Sophia Dorothea.
The routine of the court of Zell continued with little
variation from year to year, the monotony being broken
only now and then by the arrival of some guest. One of
these was Prince Augustus William von Wolfenbuttel,
brother of the soldier who had early courted little Sophia
Dorothea, and who lost his life on the battle-field of
Philipsburg.
This young man was not rich, but he was handsome, and
his position and character were excellent. He owned a
small estate, sufficient to insure the comfort of himself and
wife as soon as he could find one whom he could fancy,
and who would accept him. His choice fell on his cousin,
Sophia Dorothea, and he had an eye, too, to her dower,
which, though not large, would help to maintain his princely
state. So he wooed her, and soon won her heart. But the
24 The Queens of England.
course of true-love did not run smooth, for the Duke of
Zell objected to the match, which of course only served to
increase the passion of the. lovers. To be sure Sophia
Dorothea was a dutiful daughter, and would have yielded
to her father's objections had they been reasonable ; but he
was forced to admit that the lovers were well-suited to
each other, and only opposed their marriage because, like
many Germans of his day, he was absurdly superstitious.
It seemed to him a sacrilege for his daughter to wed the
brother of her dead lover, and he did not see how anything
but bad luck could result from such a step. So the young
girl begged her mother to intercede for her, and the worthy
lady proved such a powerful mediator that her husband's
consent was finally won.
[A.D. 1682.] Even then matters were by no means settled
to the satisfaction of the lovers, for Madame von Platen had
something to say on the subject. Several times had this
female prime minister consulted with Ernest Augustus as
to the most advisable manner of disposing of the hand of
his son, George Louis, in marriage, providing the proper
person could be found. In an evil hour for Sophia
Dorothea, the worthy pair decided that greater importance
would accrue to the electorate of Hanover by the acquisi-
tion of the broad acres of Zell. That was enough ; for with
Madame von Platen to desire was to have, and no obstacle
could stand in the way of anything she had set her heart
on. Sophia Dorothea was engaged certainly, but that made
no difference; everything, hearts, hopes, happiness, must
give way to political ambition. So a regular plot was laid
to destroy the bond that existed between Augustus William
and his lady-love.
Let us take a look at the young man who was to be sub-
stituted for the handsome, noble, brilliant, and fondly loved
Augustus William of Wolfenbuttel. At the time of which
l682 - Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 27
we speak, George Louis was twenty-two years of age,
undersized, coarse-minded, ungentlemanly, and mean-
spirited. He was good-natured, to be sure; and, like all
the princes of the House of Brunswick, he was brave on
the battle-field, but he had no sympathy with suffering and
sorrow, and none of the qualities that are apt to attract a
young girl.
He was in England when the powers at Hanover de-
cided to marry him to poor, innocent little Sophia Dorothea,
and as ignorant of the plot as she was. On his way thither
he had visited William of Orange, to whom he confided
the object of his journey. This was to offer his hand and
heart to Princess Anne, and it is easy to believe what is
generally suspected : that William himself encouraged
Madame Von Platen in the intrigues that recalled George
Louis and brought about the marriage that caused so much
misery. The reason why it is probable that William of
Orange would endeavor to prevent a union between George
Louis and Princess Anne is, that although his wife was
heiress presumptive to the throne, in the event of her
death, which, as we know, occurred before his, he would
not have been permitted to govern alone had the House of
Brunswick been so powerfully represented in England,
and to avoid complications, he preferred to have George
Louis safely married and settled out of the way.
Meanwhile, with the firm conviction that in William of
Orange he had a friend ready to further his cause, George
of Hanover arrived in England, and was received as
befitted his rank by Charles II., and entertained at White-
hall Palace, where apartments had been prepared for him.
Then he was introduced to the Princess Anne ; but it is not
probable that he made a very favorable impression on her,
for she afterwards married Prince George of Denmark,
with whom she lived happily until the day of his death.
28 The Queens of England.
It is certain, however, that George Louis had some
hopes of success with Anne, for when he was suddenly and
most unexpectedly recalled home, he was dreadfully per
plexed. Nevertheless, he obeyed the summons of his
royal father without suspecting the cause of it. He must
have been somewhat astonished when it was announced to
him that he was to transfer his ideas of matrimony from
one object to another.
Having made up his mind that an alliance with the
House of Zell would be advantageous to that of Hanover,
Ernest Augustus found no difficulty in persuading his
brother to postpone the marriage of his daughter, Sophia
Dorothea, with Augustus of Wolfenbuttel on the score of
her youth, as she was only fifteen years of age, he argued,
and too young to become a wife. Anxious as he was to
retain possession of his child for another year, the Duke
of Zell was only too willing to listen to any argument that
would accomplish that object, so he consented to a be-
trothal only, and postponed the marriage for a year. What
reasoning he employed to make the young lovers agree to
this arrangement, is not known ; but Augustus went off
evidently satisfied that the prize he was to get was worth
waiting for, and with no suspicion that treachery would
deprive him of his lady love.
No sooner was he well out of the way, than Ernest
Augustus, Madame Von Platen, and others busied them-
selves in endeavoring to bring their plot to a climax.
Months rolled by, Sophia Dorothea celebrated her six-
teenth birthday ; George Louis visited her from time to
time, but he had made no impression whatever on the
young girl, and the series of intrigues concocted by the
old heads for the ruin of young hearts would have been
utterly worthless had it not been for the active and effi-
cient zeal of one person, who, just when failure seemed
i682. Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 29
imminent, stepped in to prove the worth of her energy and
power. That person was Sophia, mother to George Louis,
a crafty, designing woman, ambitious as any of her family,
who, having seen the advantage to be derived from the
marriage of her son with her niece Sophia Dorothea, was
determined that it should take place.
She had heard rumors of an engagement with Augustus
of Wolfenbuttel ; but that was a matter of small consider-
ation in her eyes, and so long as no marriage had taken
place, it was not too late for her son to supplant the favored
lover. The great, heavy family coach was therefore ordered
to be put in readiness for a journey of about thirty miles,
which an ordinary railway train of to-day would make in
an hour. But two centuries ago travelling was a more se-
rious matter, and it took the duchess all night to reach the
ducal palace of Zell.
The sleepy sentinel was astonished when the lady pushed
past him, and, totally regardless of anything like ceremony,
breathlessly requested the servants she met in the hall to
conduct her at once to the duke. She was told that he
was dressing, but would soon come down stairs to see
her if she would have the goodness to wait in a reception-
room.
But the lady was too impatient to lose a moment, so
mounted the stairs, and bade the groom of the bed-cham-
ber to point out the door of the duke's dressing-room.
Without going through the formality of an announcement,
or making known her presence by a knock, the duchess
unceremoniously pushed open the door, while the scarcely
half-dressed duke gazed at the intruder in amazement.
Without deigning to apologize for her abrupt entrance,
the sister-in-law bounced herself into a chair, and having
remarked that she had come on important business, asked
suddenly : " Where is your wife ? " The Duke of Zell had
30 The Queens of England.
not recovered his composure sufficiently to reply, but
pointed to the adjoining chamber, through the open door
of which a large bed was visible, where, beneath the covers,
Duchess Eleanora lay safely ensconced, wondering what
could have prompted so early a visit. But although she
strained her ears to listen, she was not soon to be grati-
fied; for "Old Sophia," who had begun her interview in
French, at once changed to German, when she remem-
bered how imperfectly the Duchess of Zell understood that
language.
The less she comprehended of the argument that the
wife of Ernest Augustus was so impressively setting forth,
the more did she endeavor to catch a word here and there ;
and when she heard the name of her daughter coupled
with that of George Louis again and again, she began to
understand as well as though the whole case had been put
in her own native tongue.
The Duke of Zell was easily convinced, particularly as
he had never favored his daughter's marriage with the
brother of her dead lover; and the mother of George
Louis eloquently set forth the advantages to be derived
from a union between the heir of Hanover and the heiress
of Zell, adding the possibility of Sophia Dorothea some
day becoming Queen of England. The clever sister-in-law
completely dazzled her listener with all the bright hopes
she held out, and returned to Hanover after having obtained
the Duke of Zell's solemn promise that he would break off
his daughter's match with her lover, and bestow her hand
upon George Louis.
That morning's work rendered three people miserable,
the loving mother, the young girl, and the lover, whose
happiness was sacrificed to increase the territory of one
heartless man and to gratify the ambition of another. The
duke loved his daughter ; but all her prayers, sobs, and en-
(682. Sophia Dorothea of ZclL 31
treaties failed to weigh against his sinful ambition. He
turned a deaf ear to his wife, too, who assured him that
their child detested George Louis, and that he had neither
respect nor affection for her. It was a pitiable case, for
had the people who planned this hateful match set out
with no other motive than the breaking of a young girl's
heart, and the utter destruction of all her bright hopes,
they could not more thoroughly have succeeded.
It would be needless to follow all the arrangements and
make-believe courtship that followed the visit of Duchess
Sophia, and it would be too painful to recount the suffer-
ings of the poor child of sixteen, who, with her heart filled
with the image of the man she had promised to marry, was
forced to give her hand to one of the least attractive crea-
tures she had ever beheld.
Suffice it to say that the marriage between George Louis
of Hanover and Sophia Dorothea of Zell was celebrated
with unusual splendor, on the twenty-first of November;
and the Electress Sophia congratulated herself on the suc-
cess of her undertaking. She had brought about the mar-
riage that was deemed advisable. The bride's toilet was
superb, and every detail of the nuptial festivities was car-
ried out with more than ordinary pains ; what cared she
then, though the tear-stained face of the bride told of her
sufferings? She had achieved a. triumph, and that was
sufficient ; for the Electress Sophia was not honorable
enough to feel that any wrong had been done to the de-
serted lover of her niece, and she was never known to hes-
itate to employ any means, just or otherwise, for the attain-
ment of her ends. Yet she was a woman much admired
in society, witty, brilliant in conversation, and handsome.
Men of ability were pleased to talk with her, and she was
remarkable for her logical style of argument, often coming
off victorious in the war of words. Even Leibnitz, the
32 77/r Queens of England.
great German philosopher, was proud of her friendship,
and often laughingly said of her " that she not only inva-
riably asked why, but the why of whys." He meant that
she would accept no reason that she did not clearly compre-
hend. In this respect she is certainly worthy of imitation.
But to return to the little bride. The parting from her
mother was a sore trial to both, and one from which the
latter never recovered, for she always appeared like a per-
son bowed down beneath the weight of a great sorrow. As
for the daughter, she went to Hanover, where for a time
she was at least less unhappy than at any future period of
her life. Her husband treated her shamefully from the
first, but she did not love him enough to be wounded by his
neglect, and she found solace in the regard shown her by
her father-in-law, Ernest Augustus, who esteemed her very
highly.
[A.D. 1683.] Another comfort that Sophia Dorothea
had in course of time was a little boy, who was born on the
thirtieth of October, 1 683. He was named George Augustus,
and many years later ascended the throne of England as
George II. In 1684 a little daughter was added to the
family. She was named for her mother, and like her
brother ascended a throne, but it was as the wife of a King
of^ Prussia.
[A.D. 1684.] She had contrived to win the good opinion
of Ernest Augustus as well as his wife, both of whom re-
garded her as an ornament to their court. They treated
her with 'a great deal of consideration, and no doubt sym-
pathized with her because of the selfish, brutal behavior of
their son towards her. But Ernest Augustus was so indis-
creet as to praise her on several occasions, and that was
more than Madame von Platen could stand. He even
went so far as to consult her, and such a proceeding filled
the soul of Madame, the prime minister, with hatred.
SOPHIA DOROTHEA.
1684- Sophia Dorothea of Zcll. 35
Not only did she hate Sophia Dorothea, because she was
in favor with Ernest Augustus, but for another and a very
unjust reason, as it was connected with the Duchess of Zell,
and her daughter could not possibly have had any hand in
the affair.
One day Ernest Augustus went to make a call at the
house of Madame von Platen, as he frequently did ; the lady
was not at home, but her pretty, bright, rather forward maid
was, and in the absence of her mistress set herself out to
entertain the old elector. " Use " that was the name of
the girl, and quite an appropriate one had a remarkable
talent for story-telling, and had just completed one of the
most brilliant she knew, for the entertainment of her royal
listener, who was laughing heartily when Madame von
Platen suddenly stood before them. The lady was not more
shocked at the elector's lack of dignity than at the servant's
audacity. The one she dared not attack, the other she
could, and most certainly would, punish forthwith.
However, for the moment she only " looked daggers,"
and the royal visitor soon took his departure. The next day
he went to one of his palaces in the country to spend a few
weeks. What Madame von Platen said to her pert hand-
maid is not recorded ; but so great was her influence in
Hanover, that during the elector's absence, she had the
girl locked up in jail on a charge of scandalous conduct.
Poor Use was treated very unkindly while a captive, and at
last in obedience to her mistress's order, actually drummed
out of the town.
Now one would suppose that the wife of the elector
might have interfered to prevent such harsh treatment ; but
she was too much occupied with her studies to take interest
in such matters, and even if she had, she would have found
how much greater was Madame von Platen's power than
her own.
36 The Queens of England.
So poor Use found herself outside the city walls, penni-
less, disgraced, friendless. She wandered through the
country until, footsore and hungry, she arrived at the palace
of Zell, where, upon being admitted, she frankly related her
troubles to the duchess. That lady's sympathy was at once
aroused, and although she told the giddy girl that she had
done wrong, she could not but own to herself that the pun-
ishment for so slight an offence had been very heavy.
Therefore, after due consideration and a short consultation
with her husband, she gave the girl an asylum and employ-
ment in her household.
This was the head and front of the Duchess of ZelPs
offending, so far as Madame von Platen was concerned,
and this was the insult that she resolved to revenge on the
head of poor Sophia Dorothea.
[A.D. 1686.] George Louis had for a long time been
encouraged in his ill-treatment of his wife, not only by the
vile Madame von Platen, but by her equally vile sister,
Madame von Busche, of whom we have not spoken since
her marriage. Her husband had died meanwhile, and it
was on the occasion of her second marriage with General
Wreyke that the two sisters had arranged to complete the
unhappiness of Sophia Dorothea. Previously they had in-
vited a certain young lady to their fetes, and presented her
to George Louis, with the understanding that she was to
captivate him, and as she had not much wit but a great
deal of shrewdness and some skill as a flatterer, there was
little doubt that she would succeed. This girl was so tall
that she was 'called the " Maypole," and she had a very
long name it was Ermengarda Melusina von Schulem-
berg. She courted and cajoled George Louis until he .really
began to believe that he could not exist without her.
It was a curious state of morals when a prince could
unite himself by what was called a left-hand marriage to
:686. Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 37
two or three women after he had one wife, as if it could
possibly make any actual difference on which hand the
wedding-ring was placed. Yet, so it was with George Louis,
who was just on the eve of contracting a left-hand marriage
with Ermengarda, when Madame von Busche celebrated
her second nuptials. This ceremony took place at the
house of her sister, Madame von Platen ; Sophia Dorothea
was invited, and it was all arranged that as soon as she
entered the drawing-room, George Louis was to open the
ball with Ermengarda, whose intimacy was to be made so
clear to the injured wife that she could not misunder-
stand.
But there were too many in the secret, Sophia Dorothea
got wind of it and remained at home, though she sent her
lady of honor, the Countess von Knesebeck, to make her
apologies on the score of illness. It need scarcely be said
that this lady reported all that happened at the ball, and
that the neglected wife was not less miserable because she
had not been an eye-witness to it.
Before we can teli more about her it is necessary to speak
of others whose lives were connected with hers, and we will
begin with her playmate of early days, Philip von Konigs-
mark. After his departure from Zell he lived with various
members of his family, travelled about with them, and re-
turned at intervals to reside with his mother, who lived to
witness the many misfortunes that overtook her children.
Charles John was Philip's older brother, and often visited
at the Court of England, where his brilliant qualities
rendered him a welcome guest. In course of time Philip
joined him in that country, and was placed at college to
complete his education. Leaving him there, Charles John
visited at the various courts of Europe, where he excited
the admiration of the women and the envy of the men. At
the age of twenty-two he joined an expedition against Tan-
38 The Queens of England.
gier, distinguished himself on the battle-field, and return to
to England a hero.
This young man was, like his brother, a beauty, but he
was also a worthless, wicked scoundrel. He did not excel
Philip in crime, however, for he was one of the greatest
scamps of the seventeenth century, and the two brothers
assassinated Tom Thynne of Longleat, one Sunday evening
when he was riding along in his carriage, though the poor
man had given them no provocation. This was in 1682,
and the dreadful deed created great excitement for a time.
Philip von Konigsmark managed to make his escape, but
the bolder Charles John pleaded his own cause before a
jury and was acquitted, only because he was in favor at
court, while his assistants were executed. He knew that a
stigma rested on his name, but he was too barefaced to
care for that. " Tut," he said, " it will all be wiped out by
some dazzling action in war," and so he went to France
and joined a regiment, and during the next few years he
was frequently heard of on the various battle-fields. The
blot on the name of Konigsmark remained, but Charles
John was sent out of the world by a bullet that put an end
to his existence in 1686 when he was in the service of the
Venetians.
Now let us see what became of Philip. Shortly after the
murder of Thynne he arrived in Hanover, where he was soon
appointed to the post of Colonel of the Guards. He was
considered the handsomest and richest colonel in the army,
and displayed exquisite taste in his dress and his equipages.
With wonderfully fascinating manners, a good education,
ready wit, and considerable experience, he made himself
agreeable to a great variety of people. Among those was
his old friend and playfellow, Sophia Dorothea, and it is
not at all unnatural that she should have been pleased to
see him. But Madame von Platen was in love jvith him,
1690.
Sophia Dorothea of Zell.
39
herself, and jealously watched every interview he had with
the wife of George Louis, with the intention of making
mischief.
THE TOWER.
[A.D. 1690.] One day the princess had been walking in
the garden when she met her little boy, George Augustus,
4O The Queens of England,
and taking him from his attendant, began to mount the
stairs which led to her own apartments, with the child in
her arms. When half-way up she met Philip Konigsmark,
who seeing that the lady's burden was heavier than she
could bear, gallantly took the future King of England from
his mother's arms and bore him to the door of her apart-
ments. After exchanging a few commonplace remarks he
returned the child and departed, but not before Madame
von Platen had seen enough to form a groundwork for
her plot. She ran, without a moment's delay, to Ernest
Augustus, and made out a long story, the result of which
was a scolding for Sophia Dorothea, though she could not
see that it was deserved, for she had done no harm.
At another time Madame von Platen managed to make
George Louis find a glove that had his wife's initials em-
broidered on it, in a bower from which he had seen Philip
hastily take his departure ; but the wicked woman did not
tell him that it was she who had been there with the young
man, or that she had previously procured the glove on
purpose to excite his suspicion against his wife. Every-
thing that Sophia Dorothea did was distorted to such a
degree that little by little the hatred of the once friendly
Ernest Augustus and his wife was aroused against her. No
doubt she often acted imprudently, but certainly her hus-
band was to blame for neglecting her as he did. At last
driven to desperation by the angry glances and unkind
remarks of those who had been friendly, she began secretly
to make plans with Philip von Konigsmark for her escape
to Paris. This led to a correspondence, and Philip, who
was vain as he was bad, boasted among his friends of the
confidence reposed in him by Sophia Dorothea.
[A.D. 1693.] The Duke of Zell had been duly informed
that his daughter was obstinate, disrespectful to the elector,
undutiful as a wife and mother. Inquiry among her ene-
1 694- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 41
mies only served to confirm the report, and, to his eternal
shame be it said, the father turned against his child. Not
so the mother : she knew the disposition of Sophia Dorothea
too well to credit the dreadful charges brought against her,
and longed to take her back home and shield her from all
harm. The young woman was permitted at last to make a
visit to Zell, where she would gladly have remained, but
although George Louis had almost strangled her to death
in a fit of temper, just before she left Hanover, her father
insisted that she should return, and in order to insure
obedience, attacked her in her most tender point. He told
her that unless she went back at once to her husband, she
should be deprived of her children ; then she no longer
asked to remain.
[A.D. 1694.] Philip von Konigsmark had been on a
visit to Dresden, but returned to Hanover shortly after
Sophia Dorothea got back there. He was surprised one
day at receiving a note signed by her, requesting him to
come to her room. He obeyed without suspecting that the
note had been forged by Madame von Platen. The lady-
of-honor admitted him, as much surprised as was her mis-
tress, the visit being made at rather an unseemly hour.
Sophia Dorothea remarked upon it, whereupon Philip pro-
duced the note which the lady at once declared she had
not written. Of course he should immediately have taken
his departure, but Sophia Dorothea began to talk about her
domestic troubles and the unkind treatment to which she
had been subjected even at Zell, whereupon Philip advised
her to run away, and so these two talked on, in the presence
of the lady-of-honor, for a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, Madame von Platen was by no means idle.
She had her own reasons for hating Philip von Konigsmark,
which need not be recounted, but that she really did hate
him intensely, her conduct proves only too clearly. She
42 The Queens of England.
had watched him until she was sure of his whereabouts,
then rushed to the old elector with a tale that she embel-
lished and adorned, until she got permission to have Philip
arrested and locked up. To nothing else would the old
man consent, for he really believed no harm of his daughter-
in-law, but thinking that he would not lose this opportunity
of teaching the young gallant a lesson that he would not
soon forget, he gave Madame von Platen a written warrant
for his arrest, playfully adding as he did so : "I know that
although you seem to be so angry with Konigsmark, he is
too handsome a man to receive ill-treatment at your
hands."
Truly has a well-known English writer said : " Heaven
has no rage like love to hatred turned." Madame von
Platen verified this in the desperate means she employed
to bring down her victim. Armed with the warrant bear-
ing the elector's signature, she proceeded to the soldiers'
quarters and demanded a guard of four or five men to do
something that she would explain to them. She led them
to the Hall of Knights, through which Konigsmark w : as
obliged to pass, when he left the princess's apartment, and
there, after bribing each man with a handful of gold pieces,
gave her instructions.
They were to arrest a criminal whose person was min-
utely described, and he was on no account to be permitted
to escape. If he used violence he was to be slain on the
spot, and the men were not only provided with weapons for
that purpose, but several bottles of wine to enable them to
" screw their courage to the sticking-place." They prom-
ised to obey, and Madame von Platen left them.
In the Hall of Knights was one of those enormous white
porcelain stoves, reaching from the floor to the ceiling, that
every one who has visited Germany must have seen. Behind
this the soldiers ensconced themselves. Just as the tower
1694- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 43
clock struck twelve, Konigsmark approached, unsuspicious
of danger, and had just passed the stove when he was
seized from behind. He drew his sword and tried to de-
fend himself, but what chance had one man against four
well-armed ones ? After a little skirmishing, a powerful
stroke from an old-fashioned battle-axe, in the hands of one
of the guards, felled him to the floor. With his last breath
the wounded man faintly said, " Spare the innocent prin-
cess," and expired.
The matter was hushed up, and no one, excepting those
engaged in the crime, knew what had become of the hand-
some, accomplished Philip von Konigsmark. Some years
later his body was found under the floor of one of the
rooms just off the hall in which the murder took place.
Of course Sophia Dorothea was kept in ignorance of the
assassination. She was depending upon Konigsmark to
complete the arrangements for her escape to Paris, and
wondered what could have become of him. She asked no
questions, and would have received no satisfaction if she
had done so ; for those who knew would have given her no
information, and those who were not in the secret wondered
almost as much as she did. Suddenly suspense gave place
to alarm when she heard that all the papers belonging to
the murdered man had been seized and carried to the elec-
tor for examination. Her notes regarding her intended
escape were, of course, among them. No wonder she was
alarmed !
Madame von Platen read these notes with the elector,
and so interpreted the most trifling sentences as to give
them a false meaning, it required no uncommon inge-
nuity to do that, and von Platen it was who informed
Sophia Dorothea of the death of her friend Philip, though
not the manner of it. She was shocked and grieved, and
naturally turned to Mademoiselle von Knesebeck, the only
friend left to her, for consolation.
44 The Queens of England.
This lady-in-waiting was so much disposed to defend
her mistress, whom she loved, that it was deemed desirable
that she should be put out of the way ; so she was arrested
and locked up in the Castle of Schwartzfeld, in the Hartz
Mountains, where she remained for several years. At last
she escaped through the roof in a manner that appeared
so miraculous to the governor of the jail that he declared
some of the demons of the adjacent mountains had spirited
her off.
Sophia Dorothea's one desire was to get away from
Hanover, where she knew that she was surrounded by ene-
mies and spies ready to misconstrue every action. At
last, after a great deal of persuasion on her part, she was
permitted to withdraw to Lauenau, but not to take her
children with her. This was a sad deprivation to the poor
young mother, and it almost broke her heart to part with
the little ones, whom she feared she should never more
behold ; but go she would, for she had too much spirit to
remain in a place where she was daily subjected to the
most shameful insults.
After her departure a kind of a court, composed of
church and state officers, was formed to patch up a recon-
ciliation between George Louis and his wife. They did
not accuse the princess of any dreadful crimes, but of
incompatibility of temper and little failings of character.
One would think that the husband and wife might have
settled such differences without the interference of a coun-
cil of wise-acres. So they might if they loved and respected
each other, but, unfortunately, such had never been the
case.
Well, the lawyers waited on Sophia Dorothea by twos
and threes, and tried all the arguments they could
devise to make her own that she was wrong, and to show
her how a dutiful, obedient wife ought to behave. But
1 694- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 45
unlike Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin, she would not con-
fess faults that she had not committed. All the learned
men of the court could make no impression on the young
woman, who felt that she had been shamefully, wickedly
wronged and neglected. Her husband was a bad man, and
nobody knew it better than she did ; and all the lecturing,
coaxing, and manoeuvring of those who visited Sophia Doro-
thea at Lauenau could bring from her no reply but this :
" If I am guilty I am unworthy of the prince. If I am
innocent he is unworthy of me." She was right, and they
could only admire the dignity and purity of character that
prompted such an answer.
Nevertheless, before the end of the year sentence of
divorce was pronounced, on the plea of incompatibility of
temper, and George Louis was considered quite an injured
individual. By way of consolation all the property of
his wife was transferred to him in trust for his children ;
and with an annual pension of about ten thousand thalers,
the princess was condemned to close captivity in the castle
of Ahlden, near Zell, with a retinue of domestics who
were to act as spies on her actions, and a body of armed
jailers to see that she did not escape.
' Henry VIII. would have made shorter work of this mat-
ter, and simply have chopped off his wife's head when he
was tired of her; but George Louis preferred to keep his
shut up in a lonely castle for thirty-two years. It is a ques-
tion which was the more merciful, but certain it is, that all
Germany was scandalized at the decree of the court.
To such persecutions had Sophia Dorothea been sub-
jected in Hanover that she probably felt the truth of the
verse which begins thus :
" Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage "
for she entered upon her imprisonment with a certain
46 The Queens of England.
sense of calmness and repose in contrast to the weeks and
months of misery, excitement, and despair that she had
endured.
[A.D. 1699]. Thenceforth she was known as the Princess
of Ahlden, though she was the only person deprived of liberty
in the place. She had a little court, and held her levees,
which were attended by the officers of the town, the clergy,
the nobility, and gentry. All treated her with great respect.
For the first few years her captivity was not very irksome,
but after the escape of Mademoiselle Knesebeck she was
never allowed to walk in the gardens of the castle without
a guard, or to drive through the neighboring woods with-
out an armed mounted escort. Certain parts of the castle
were even forbidden to her ; and so much importance was
attached to this point that, on one occasion when a fire
broke out in the portion of the building where her apart-
ments were situated, she ran to the entrance of a certain
gallery, where she stood in fear and trembling, with her
jewel-box in her hand, until permission from the proper
authorities was obtained for her to advance.
Time did not hang so heavily on the hands of the Prin-
cess of Ahlden as one might suppose, for every hour had
its occupation. She superintended her estate, overlooked-
the work of each of her servants, and gave personal instruc-
tions to them, kept a diary of her thoughts and actions, 4
wrote a number of letters, and devoted much time to
charity. She was the Lady Bountiful of the district, and
spent half her income in supplying the wants of the poor.
There was a church in the village in a very dilapidated
condition when Sophia Dorothea went to Ahlden. She
put it in thorough repair, had it handsomely decorated, and
supplied it with an organ ; but no sooner was it all in order
than a chaplain was provided for her household, and she
was forbidden to attend the place of worship that she had
i75- SopJiia Dorothea of Zell. 47
felt such pleasure in fitting up. This was a serious disap-
pointment, but by no means the greatest of her trials ; for
she was not permitted to see any of her relations, only
an occasional open letter was allowed to pass between her
and her mother, and she heard no more of her children
than if they had been dead and buried. The prince and
princess were forbidden to mention their mother or to
think of her, and were threatened with severe punishment
if ever the\ did so.
In course of time the heart of the old elector warmed to-
wards the lonely prisoner of Ahlden, and he wrote her
several letters ; her father did likewise, but he was a weak-
hearted, weak-minded man who was easily frightened into
silence by certain ominous threats. He consoled himself
by making a will in which he bequeathed money, jewels,
and lands to his only daughter, and then left her to her
fate.
[A.D. 1700.] There was great rejoicing at Hanover
when the English Parliament fixed upon the Electress
Sophia as successor to Queen Anne. The deputation that
went from England to announce the welcome news was
received by the highest officials, lodged in the finest palace
in Hanover, and entertained in the most sumptuous man-
ner, entirely at the expense of George Louis. Grand balls
and feasts were given in their honor, and they went back
home loaded with rare and costly presents.
[A.D. 1705.] A few years later Parliament passed an
act naturalizing the Princess Sophia and her family, and
this made George Louis an Englishman. Shortly after
Hanover was in danger on account of the approach of the
French army, and then for a brief period the captive of
Ahlden was permitted to visit her parents at Zell. They
wanted to keep her with them always, and she begged to
be allowed to stay, but was refused. Her father had
48 The Queens of England.
treated her so affectionately during this visit at his castle
that his death, which occurred a few months after her return
to Ahlden, was a severe grief to her. An occasional inter-
view with her mother was always a solace to the prisoner,
but any appeal for a sight of her children was sternly
refused. That was a bitter sorrow.
Prince George Augustus had been commanded to forget
his mother, but he did not obey ; and one day, when he was
hunting in the neighborhood of her prison, he resolved to
visit her, and brave the anger of his father and the govern-
ment. So he put spurs to his horse and galloped full speed
toward Ahlden. His attendants were astonished, but soon
suspected his intention and followed him. He went flying
over the fields ; but two of his followers, who were better
mounted than he was, overtook him at the outskirts of the
wood not far from the castle of Ahlden, and after a great
deal of coaxing and argument persuaded him to go back
home. Probably he was closely watched after that, for he
does not seem to have made another attempt to see his
mother. It is to be hoped she never knew how near he
was to her that day, when a swifter steed might have been
the means of adding a ray of bright sunshine to her sad
and lonely existence. What would she not have given to
gaze upon her boy and press him to her heart ? We won-
der how even her enemies could have denied her that com-
fort.
George Augustus was not shut up in a prison for disobe-
dience ; but, with the hope of turning his thoughts away
from his mother, a wife was provided for him. Although
his father had been so unfortunate as to marry a woman
he never loved, he did not take the precaution to insure a
better fate for his son. But we will consider his case here-
after. For the present, it is only necessary to say that he
was married to Caroline, daughter of John Frederick,
i7*4- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 49
Margrave of Anspach, a bright, lively, clever girl, the
same age as himself.
The little court of Hanover was very gay that year, par-
ticularly when the marriage of George Augustus was
followed by that of his sister, who became the wife of
Frederick William, Crown Prince of Prussia. But the
young Sophia Dorothea had little happiness afterwards;
for her husband was a cruel brute, who governed his wife
and children with a word and a blow, the blow gene-
rally coming first. This couple made a bridal tour to
Brussels, where they remained for several days awaiting
an invitation from Queen Anne to visit her in England ;
but they waited in vain, for her majesty took no notice of
them whatever.
There existed at that time a strong party in England
desirous that the Electress of Hanover should visit them ;
but she preferred to stay where she was and enjoy her
books, cards, and philosophical studies with the learned
Leibnitz, until she should be summoned as queen. This
suited Queen Anne precisely, for she wanted no repre-
sentative of the House of Hanover in her dominion. She
feared the effect of their presence upon her subjects, and so
used every effort in her power to keep them away. Al-
though Sophia did not desire to go to England herself just
then she was very much distressed because her son, who
had been created Duke of Cambridge, was prevented from
taking his seat in the House of Peers. The old lady often
said that she cared not when she died, if on her tomb could
be recorded that " she was Queen of Great Britain and
Ireland." Queen Anne was very much offended when she
heard these words, and it was to appease her anger that
Tom D'Urfey wrote the verse, given in the last reign, for
which he was rewarded with fifty pounds.
[A.D 1714.] The tomb of Electress Sophia never bore
5O The Queens of England.
the record she sighed for, because on the roth of June ?
1714, she died, quite suddenly. The old lady had been
walking in her garden for an hour, when a shower of
rain came up, and she quickened her speed to get to a
place of shelter. One of her attendants, observing that
she was out of breath, warned her that she was exerting
herself too much. " I believe I am," she replied, with a
gasp, as she dropped to the earth. Those were the last
words she ever uttered, for all efforts failed to restore her
to consciousness.
Meanwhile Sophia Dorothea remained at her castle of
Ahlden, forgotten excepting by her son-in-law, who wrote
her numerous and most dutiful letters, until he succeeded
in securing the inheritance of all her property for his wife
beyond the shadow of a doubt. No sooner was that ac-
complished than he not only ceased to write, but put a stop
to all communications of any sort between the mother and
daughter. Thus was the prisoner, who had not seen her
child for many years, deprived of the poor satisfaction of
even an occasional letter from her. The daughter had
managed once, with the assistance of a confederate, to
convey a portrait of herself to the Princess of Ahlden, at
another time a watch, then some little trinket, accompanied
by a letter containing words of affection and hope; but the
tyrant of a husband, Frederick William, found it out, and
of course put a stop to it.
Queen Anne's death occurred shortly after that of the
Electress Sophia, and the different political parties waited
for her last breath, each ready to proclaim a different suc-
cessor; but while the Jacobites hesitated, the Whigs were
prompt to act, and the proclamation of George I. took
place in the presence of a vast concourse of people.
The news was carried to the imprisoned wife by one who,
while professing to be her friend, was acting as a spy. Again,
i7*4- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 51
it is said, was an attempt made at reconciliation on the part
of George Louis ; but his injured wife repeated as before :
" If I am guilty I am not worthy of him ; if I am inno-
cent he is not worthy of me." Even with the prospect of
going to England as queen Sophia Dorothea could not
descend to her husband's level, and she never landed on
the shores of that country of which she was sovereign only
in name.
As soon as George I. was proclaimed, a fleet was sent
to convey him to England, and he leisurely began his prep-
arations for the voyage. Meanwhile the Pretender im-
plored . Louis XIV. to publicly acknowledge him King of
England, but that sovereign was under certain engagements
with the House of Hanover which prevented ; and so the
son of James II. was deprived of his last chance, small as
it was, in the accession.
There was great excitement in London when, on the
5th of September, it was announced that George I. had
arrived at the Hague. He had wept when taking leave of
his Hanoverian subjects, who were really fond of him, and
showed no anxiety to get to his new realm. However, he
arrived at Greenwich on the i8th of September, and vari-
ous officials waited on him at once. Some of them were
very much disgusted at the new sovereign's discourtesy,
and left him with a secret wish that the Pretender were in
his place. However, it was too late to lament, so those
who had received the worst treatment revenged themselves
by making fun of the ugly German women who accom-
panied George. Among these were Ermengarda, the left-
hand wife, called the Maypole, because she was so tall and
lank ; Madame Kielmansegge, daughter of Madame von
Platen, called the elephant, because she was so fat and
coarse, and their retinues.
The Londoners had been so heavily taxed on account of
52 The Queens of England.
the dishonesty of certain public officers that so large a
train of followers as George took over with him created
some dissatisfaction ; and once, when Madame Kielman-
segge was driving out in grand style, a crowd hooted at
her, whereupon she leaned out of the carriage window and
said in broken English, " Vordy folks ! Vy you abuse us ?
Ve come here for all your goots." "Oh, yes," roared
a man in the crowd, " and for our chattels, too." There
was truth in the remark, for the populace groaned beneath
the weight of taxation necessary to support King George's
household.
Well, George I. made his public entry into London with
as much splendor as ever attended such an event, and the
next day he held a grand reception. His coronation
took place on the twentieth of October, and all the lords
attended the ceremony. Soon after Ermengarda von
Schulemberg was created Duchess of Kendal, and Madame
Kielmansegge was raised to the rank of Countess of Dar-
lington.
[A.D. 1715.] There were riots at Bristol and elsewhere
on the night of the king's coronation, and political excite-
ment ran high the following spring, when three of Queen
Anne's late ministers were accused of high treason. The
Duke of Marlborough made a grand triumphal entry into
London, attended by thousands of gentlemen on horse-
back, three days after the queen's death. But his sun had
set. Thackeray says of him : " Marlborough, the greatest
warrior that ever lived, betrayed William III., James II.,
Queen Anne, England to France, the Elector to the Pre-
tender, the Pretender to the Elector." He was to be
trusted no more, though he was elected to some of his
former offices.
Let us see how George got along with his new subjects.
He began by liking neither them nor their manners.
GEORGE I.
i 7 1 5- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 55
" This is a strange country," he said. " The first morning
after my arrival at St. James's, I looked out of the window
and saw a park with walks, a canal, and so forth, which
they told me were mine. The next day Lord Chetwynd,
the ranger of my park, sent me a fine brace of carp out of
my canal, and I was told that I must give five guineas to
Lord Chetwynd's servant for bringing me my own carp, out
of my own canal, in my own park."
George I. showed uncommon prudence in his manage-
ment of public affairs. He always seemed to regard him-
self merely as a lodger at St. James's, who might be turned
out at any time, and who was therefore determined to make
the best of his brief stay there. He chose to be away from
England as much as possible, but when obliged to be there
passed all his time with his German followers, and never
even took the trouble to learn the language of the country
he ruled. His aim was to lead a quiet, peaceable sort of
life, and leave England to itself. He made no parade of
royalty, was not hypocritical nor lofty, cared nothing for
art, and studied economy. He was good-natured, too, as
this story, related by Horace Walpole, goes to prove :
On one of King George's journeys to Hanover his coach
broke down, and he was obliged to send for assistance to a
castle near by, owned by a German nobleman of some
note. The possessor begged his majesty to do him the
honor of accepting a dinner at his house while the neces-
sary repairs were being made to the coach. While waiting
for the dinner to be served the host led the royal guest to
his picture gallery, where he had a fine collection of paint-
ings formed in several tours through Italy. Suddenly the
king stepped before the full length portrait of a young
man in the robes and regalia of a sovereign of Great
Britain ; he asked whom it represented. The nobleman
colored, and replied with an air of embarrassment that it
56 The Qtieens of England.
was die Chevalier cle St. George, or the Pretender, as he
was usually called, whose acquaintance he had made when
in Italy, and who had done him the honor of sending him
that picture. " Upon my word, it is very like the family ! "
exclaimed the king and moved on, thus relieving the host
from his awkward position.
This anecdote shows that he bore no ill-will to the unfor-
tunate Stuarts, and he was generous in excusing those who
evinced attachment for them.
At the first masquerade he attended as king, a lady
in domino approached and asked him to drink a glass of
wine with her at a side table ; he assented, and, filling two
glasses, the lady handed him one, saying, " Here 's to the
Pretender's health." " I drink with all my heart to the
health of every unfortunate prince," replied King George,
with a smile.
He was not so merciful after the failure of the Scotch
rebellion, for executions were of daily occurrence, and
those who were spared perished miserably in prison. The
wearing of oak-branches, a Stuart emblem, was con-
sidered an insult to the government, and two soldiers were
whipped almost to death in Hyde Park for appearing with
them on the twenty-ninth of May, in memory of the Resto-
ration ; while others were actually shot down for wearing
white-rose badges, which they refused to surrender.
[A.D. 1717.] The Princess of Wales had gone to Lon-
don with her daughters shortly after the accession of
George I., and lived at St. James's Palace. Three years
later she had a son, who was christened George William.
The king and the Duke of Newcastle were godfathers, and
the Duchess of St. Albans was godmother. But we must
relate an incident that occurred at the time this ceremony
was performed. The Prince of Wales wanted his uncle,
the Duke of York, to be sponsor for his boy with the king.
i? -- Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 57
George I. said that the Duke of Newcastle should share
the office with him, and peremptorily insistea that it should
be so. The prince was forced to yield, though he hated
the duke, who always treated him with studied neglect.
Just after the christening had been performed, the prince
crossed the room, and, shaking his finger in the face of
the Duke of Newcastle, said, " You are a rascal, and I
shall find a time to be revenged." The king understood
this to mean a challenge to fight, so placed his son under
arrest, but soon released him, and turned him and the
princess out of the palace, though their three daughters
lived with him until he died.
Not only did George I. banish his son from his palace,
but forbade all those who visited at the court of the Prince
and Princess of Wales ever to come into his presence.
The fact is that he had never loved his son since he had
made the attempt to visit his mother when he was hunting
in the neighborhood of Ahlden ; and it has been asserted
that he at one time thought of having the prince captured
and sent off to America, without letting it be known what
had become of him.
[A.D. 1720.] One of the most remarkable circum-
stances of the reign of George I. was the formation and
bursting of a gigantic speculation known as the South-Sea
Company, that being the name of the organization by which
the scheme was manipulated. As in all such cases, a few
people realized immense fortunes by the sudden rise of the
stock, that is, those who were in the secret of the plot and
knew when to sell. In a few months thousands of victims
were reduced to a deplorable state of misery and ruin by
the decline of the stock, which was much more rapid than
the rise had been.
The king was in Germany when this catastrophe hap-
pened ; but he was summoned to England to discuss with
58 The Queens of England.
his ministers some means for quelling the disturbance it
had caused. A committee from the House of Commons
was appointed to investigate the affair. They pronounced
it the most villanous fraud that had ever been contrived for
the ruin of a nation. Many members of parliament were
implicated in the disastrous affair, and the profits of the
South-Sea Company were found to amount to thirteen
millions of pounds. It was many years before the country
recovered from the dreadful effects of this unparalleled
swindle.
It was not only the officials who cheated ; this propen-
sity extended to the menials also. Once a Hanoverian
cook complained in person to the king that all his assist-
ants helped themselves so freely they left him no chance
whatever. He was honest, he declared, but such was not
the case with any other servant in the royal household.
" Embezzlement is rife in the kitchen in despite all I can
do," he said. " When the dishes are brought from your
majesty's table, one steals a fowl, another a pig, a third a
joint of meat, another a pie, and so on till there is nothing
left." George, who saw that the trouble lay in the fact of
there being nothing left to steal, answered, " I can put up
with these things ; and my advice to you is, to go and steal
like the rest, and to remember to take enough." This was
very bad advice, for the fellow became an accomplished
thief, though probably if he had not inclined in that direc-
tion he would not have taken his master at his word.
[A.D. 1726.] And now we have only to record the
death of the poor prisoner of Ahlden, after a captivity of
more than thirty years. She had been ill for a long time,
and became worse as the hopes she had entertained of
escape gradually grew fainter. Through the long weary
years she had been a model of patience, mildness, and
dignity, and she died asserting her innocence, commend-
i73 6 - Sophia Dorothea of Zell. 59
ing herself to God, mentioning her children with tender-
ness, and pardoning her oppressors.
[A.D. 1727.] Six months later King George I. set out
for Hanover, and by the end of a week he was dead. He
had landed in Holland and travelled quickly through the
country, eating heartily wherever he stopped, and taking no
heed of the violent pains that frequently attacked him after
doing so. As he approached Osnaburg he became worse,
and fell forward in his carriage, saying to his attendant, " I
am a dead man ! " He was carried to Osnaburg in an un-
conscious state, and died there on the eleventh of June,
1727, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. He was buried at
Hanover.
He had once promised the Duchess of Kendal that if it
were possible for the departed to return to this world, he
would visit her after his death. So when a large black
raven flew in at that lady's window at Isleworth, she was
so convinced that it was the soul of the departed mon-
arch that she treated the bird with great tenderness and
respect.
CHAPTER II.
CAROLINE WILHELMINA DOROTHEA, WIFE OF
GEORGE II. (A.D. 1683-1737.)
CAROLINE of Anspach, whose name appears in full in
the heading of this reign, was a highly accomplished young
lady. This was due partly to her excellent training and
careful education, and partly to her naturally quick, inquir-
ing mind ; for she learned easily, seldom forgot anything
worth remembering, and was a good judge of books and
people. She loved philosophical studies, yet she was not
at all pedantic. She was lively, witty, an excellent conver-
sationist, and spoke several languages fluently.
Her father died when she was still a child, and her
mother marrying again not long afterwards, the young girl
went to live with her guardians, the King and Queen of
Prussia. This queen was the sister of George I., and
daughter of Sophia Charlotte, Electress of Bradenburg,
mentioned in the last reign. Caroline was fortunate in
falling into the hands of so good and sensible a lady, to
whom she was indebted for the formation of certain traits
that made her remarkable when she grew to womanhood.
Caroline was born in the year 1683, and spent her child-
hood at the court of Berlin, where she pursued her studies
with little interruption. When she was about twenty-one
years of age an embassy was sent from Lisbon to demand
her hand in marriage for King Charles of Spain, who had
seen her a short time before. Religion prevented this
60
CAROLINE OF ANSPACH.
I 7 I 7- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 63
union; for Charles was a Catholic, and the Princess of
Anspach refused him on that account. Even the prospect
of filling so lofty a position as that of Queen of Spain was
not so dazzling as to tempt her to renounce her Protestant
faith.
[A.D. 1705.] Shortly after she became the wife of the
Electoral Prince of Hanover, and then it was said that
heaven had especially reserved her to make Great Britain
happy. But that was looking ahead, for she did not be-
come queen until many years had elapsed.
[A.D. 1715.] Caroline went to England, as Princess of
Wales, a little while after her father-in-law, George I.,
ascended the throne. Her two daughters, Anne and Caro-
line Elizabeth, accompanied her ; but the only son she had
at that time, whose name was Frederick Louis, remained
in Germany. We shall have more to say about these chil-
dren as well as those that were born in England, hereafter.
George I. never loved his son, the Prince of Wales, and
always designated the princess as " that she-devil." This
was because she was high-spirited and had a will of her
own ; not that she was disrespectful, but George was
unamiable, and had little respect for women, particularly
for those who possessed brains.
[A.D. 1717.] When the Prince and Princess of Wales
were ordered to withdraw from St. James's Palace, they
established a home of their own at Leicester House, where
their court was noted for its brilliancy. It was made up
of the most promising men and the prettiest and liveliest
women of the day. The apartments of the bed-chamber
ladies became the resort of the noted wits and beaux, who
would congregate of an evening for conversation and all
sorts of gay amusements.
Among these were Lord Chesterfield, Lord Scarborough,
Lord Hervey, Charles Churchill, and many others. ^ The
64 The Queens of England.
principal ladies were Lady Hervey, Lady Walpole, Mrs.
Selwyn, Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Clayton, and Miss Bellenden.
Three of these must each have a separate paragraph in
order to introduce them properly ; and, as they will appear
(at least two of them) frequently throughout this reign,
they ought to be known.
To begin then with the liveliest, most beautiful, most
charming, Miss Bellenden. She was one of the maids-of-
honor, and such a fascinating creature that the Prince of
Wales was early attracted towards her, and very much in-
clined to flirt. Perhaps he dreamed of a left-hand mar-
riage, but the lady did not, and saw nothing to admire in
the fair-haired little prince. It was Colonel John Campbell
who won her heart and married her, without ever consult-
ing the Prince of Wales, who was so indignant that he
never forgave Miss Bellenden. It is probable she never
asked to be forgiven, seeing that she had done no wrong.
Mrs. Howard was a daughter of Sir Henry Hobart, a
Knight of the Bath. Early in life she married Mr. Howard,
who became, by the death of his older brothers, Earl of
Suffolk. When this marriage took place the young couple
had very little money ; and, seeing no chance of improving
their fortunes at the court of Queen Anne, they went over
to Hanover, where they were kindly welcomed by the Elec-
tress Sophia.
Once this pair of adventurers were very anxious to enter-
tain the Hanoverian minister ; but how could they do so
when they had no money? Mrs. Howard's mother-wit
helped them out of the dilemma in this way. It was an
era when full-bottomed wigs were worn, each of which cost
from twenty to thirty guineas, and often perplexed barbers
to know where to turn for all the material they needed.
So Mrs. Howard, who had a splendid head of light-brown
hair, decided to sell it. The sacrifice enabled her to win
J 7 1 7- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of AnspacJi. 65
the good graces of the minister and his half-dozen secre-
taries, through the instrumentality of a good dinner, and
gratified her ambition by securing for her a position in the
Princess of Wales's household. Mrs. Howard was a woman
of medium height, well-formed, and extremely fair; her
features were regular, and she was generally considered
very pretty, though not beautiful. She always dressed with
the simplicity that good taste prompts ; but the most re-
markable feature about her was, that at the age of seventy-
nine she was still good-looking, and her eyes still preserved
the mild, grave expression that characterized them in her
youth. Her husband, who was a gambler and a drunkard,
left her as soon as she was fairly established in the royal
household.
Mrs. Clayton, another lady of the bed-chamber, was a
protegk of the Duchess of Marlborough, through whose
influence she obtained her position. She was of humble
birth, but married Sir Robert Clayton, one of the managers
of the Marlborough estate, in the duke's absence. She was
a woman of some accomplishments, ordinary intelligence,
and very bad temper, which often led her to make remarks
which had better have been left unsaid. Mrs. Howard and
she were bitter enemies always, and hated each other in-
tensely. This may have been, in part, owing to the fact
that Mrs. Clayton had considerable influence with Caroline,
and thereby excited the envy of the other lady. It was her
duty to introduce works of merit or petitions for relief.
She acted as mediator between Caroline and those who
desired favors of any description ; consequently, she was
flattered on all sides by various classes of people, who were
very apt to exaggerate her power when seeking her good
offices.
The Princess of Wales desired popularity above all
things, and for that reason presided over the round of
66 77/i? Queens of England.
pleasures, and set the fashions at her court. Every morn-
ing she held a reception or drawing-room, as it was called ;
and on two evenings in the week there was a reunion in her
apartments, which gradually increased in dimensions until
they became crowded balls, or masquerades. On other
evenings the fashionable world attended plays and operas.
This gayety was carried on at Leicester House, but for an
occasional repose Caroline would retire to Richmond
Lodge, her country retreat.
There was one person at court with whom Caroline was
frequently at odds. That was Lord Chesterfield, gentle-
man of the bed-chamber to the prince. Dr. Johnson said
of him, " that he was a wit among lords, but a lord among
wits." He possessed an uncontrollable desire to turn the
princess into ridicule, and some amiable friend early in-
formed her of it. She did not desire to quarrel, because at
that period it was her policy to retain as many friends for
her husband as possible ; but she told Lord Chesterfield,
half in jest and half in earnest, that he had better not pro-
voke her, for although he had a witty tongue she had a
bitter one, and would pay him back with interest whatever
debt he put upon her. The noble lord was not above
" fibbing," and declared that he would not presume to ridi-
cule the princess ; but no sooner was her back turned than
he would mimic her, and make everybody laugh at her
expense.
Caroline had, as she said, a bitter tongue, and could say
sharp things when she chose, but she knew how to control
herself. This is shown by the way she managed her hus-
band, for she ruled in seeming to obey, and he never sus-
pected it. She could even laugh heartily at him without
hurting his feelings, for her tact always led her to say
something that would excite his laughter at the same time.
When the Prince and Princess of Wales were driven from
i7 21 - Caroline Wilhehnina Dorothea of Anspach. 67
St. James's Palace by the king; they were not permitted to
take their daughters with them, and the son, who was the inno-
cent cause of the quarrel, died three months later. Frederick,
their eldest son, was an object of dislike to both parents,
and was therefore left in Hanover when they went to Eng-
land. Frederick was noted as a child for his cunning and
his spiteful disposition. He disliked all kinds of study, and
made very little progress in consequence. At an early age
he drank, gambled, and gave every evidence of having a
vicious character. When his governor complained, Caro-
line, who cared too little for him to correct him properly,
said that his were only boy's tricks. " Would to heaven
they were no more ! " exclaimed the worthy governor,
"but in truth they are the tricks of scoundrels."
Though this prince was not allowed to appear in Eng-
land before his father ascended the throne, a title or two
was sent over to him merely to prove that he was not for-
gotten. Thus he was created Duke of Gloucester, Knight
of the Garter, and in 1726 he became Duke of Edinburgh.
[A.D. 1721]. In 1721 the Princess of Wales had a son,
who was christened William Augustus. Later he was cre-
ated Duke of Cumberland, and was so much more beloved
by his parents than Frederick was that they were desirous
of securing the throne of England to him, and making over
the electorate of Hanover to Frederick, but the law would
not permit that exchange.
We must not omit to mention a circumstance of the
utmost importance that took place at this period. Lady
Mary Wortley Montague had just returned from Constan-
tinople, where she had witnessed inoculation for small-pox,
and reported the successful results. Dr. Mead was
ordered by the prince to try the experiment on six crim-
inals who had been condemned to death, but whose lives
were spared for this purpose. The success was so satis-
gg The Queens of England.
factory that Caroline ordered her two daughters to be
inoculated during the following year. If we recall how
this dreadful disease attacked numerous members of the
royal family during the previous century, we will under-
stand the blessing of this discovery. But it was reserved
for Dr. Jenner to discover vaccination, which he did by a
merely accidental observation some years later. This
circumstance is so well known that it is unnecessary to
relate it.
[A. D. 1727.] Now we come to a most important period
of this history, when the Princess of Wales becomes Queen
of England. It was on the afternoon of June 14, 1727,
that Sir Robert Walpole, the prime minister, received intel-
ligence of the death of George L, and hastened to do
homage to the new sovereigns, George and Caroline. On
that occasion he asked who would be selected to draw up
the usual address to the privy council, no doubt thinking
it would be himself. George II. named Sir Spenser
Compton, speaker of the House of Commons.
That was a polite way of informing Sir Robert that he
was dismissed. He was, of course, by no means pleased,
but showed no resentment toward his successor, because
he was not narrow-minded enough for that ; besides, he
knew that Sir Spenser was incompetent, and said to a
friend who was also turned out of office : " I shall go out ;
but let me advise you not to go into violent opposition, as
we must soon come in again."
The fact is that Sir Robert had very unwisely offended
the queen when she was Princess of Wales by speaking of
her as " that fat beast, the prince's wife." Nevertheless,
he was determined, if possible, to retain his position, and
knowing the queen's influence over her husband, it was
through her that he decided to manage it. So he ascer-
tained that Sir Spenser Compton intended to propose to
I 7 2 7- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 71
parliament an allowance of sixty thousand pounds per
annum for the queen, and then informed her, through a
friend, that if he were retained in office he should make it
one hundred thousand pounds.
Caroline was delighted, and intimated that Sir Robert
might be sure " the fat beast " had kindly feeling enough
towards him to induce her to secure for herself the extra
forty thousand pounds ; so she hastened to the king, and
pointed out to him the advantages of retaining in office so
able a man as Sir Robert, and the utter incompetency of
Compton.
The king was soon convinced, Sir Robert was reap-
pointed prime minister, and Sir Spenser was made presi-
dent of the council. Not only did Sir Robert secure the
promised sum for the queen, but he persuaded parliament
to add a hundred and thirty thousand pounds a year to the
king's revenue besides. This made him a most popular
officer with the royal couple, of course.
At the queen's first drawing-room, before the office of
prime minister had been decided upon, Lady Walpole
was among the guests ; but as her husband was not sup-
posed to be a candidate for royal favor, nobody made way
for her, as they had done on previous occasions, when he
occupied his lofty position, and she could not approach her
majesty nearer than the third or fourth row. With her
usual amiability, Queen Caroline no sooner espied Lady
Walpole, than she said, aloud : " Ah, there I am sure I see
a friend ! " Thereupon the crowd made way for the lady,
who declared that, " as she came away, she might have
walked over their heads had she pleased."
When George I. died he left a will which he certainly
supposed his successor would respect ; but he made a mis-
take : for when Dr. Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury, ap-
peared before the king with the precious document that
72 The Queens of England.
had been intrusted to him, and prepared himself to hear
the instructions contained therein, George II. astonished
him by quietly putting the paper in his pocket without look-
ing at it, and then walking out of the room. Afterwards he
dropped it into the fire. This was only following the ex-
ample of his sire, who had treated in like manner the wills
of the Duke of Zell and Sophia Dorothea. George I. must
have suspected that his son would imitate him in this mat-
ter, for he left two copies of his will in Germany, but both
were in course of time secured by the son and consigned
to the flames, as the original had been.
When George II. ascended the throne he was very popu-
lar, being generally regarded as a man of honor and integ-
rity. There is little doubt that had his poor injured mother
lived until that time he would have called her to England,
for when Lady Suffolk entered the new queen's room, on
the day after the king died, she was surprised to see the
full-length portrait of a beautiful lady in royal robes, and
over the bed in the adjoining apartment a smaller picture
of the same person. These Queen Caroline told her were
portraits of her husband's mother, that had been kept con-
cealed so long as George I. lived. Who can help regret-
ting that the poor lonely prisoner of Ahlden did not stay
on earth long enough to enjoy her son's society and affec
tion ? It is certain that he loved her a great deal better
than he ever did his father, and very little doubt can be
entertained that it was the knowledge of that fact which
increased the enmity the old king felt towards his son.
The new sovereigns were duly crowned, and every part
of the ceremony was performed on a scale of magnificence
that had not been seen for many years.
Although George II. was a small man, with light hair, he
presented a very dignified appearance in his royal robes,
and thoroughly enjoyed the whole coronation ceremony
*7 2 7- Caroline Williclunna Dorothea of Anspach. 73
from beginning to end. At the time of his father's acces-
sion he had said to an English nobleman : " I have not
one drop of blood in my veins which is not English, and at
the service of my father's subjects." He was now to have
an opportunity of proving whether he was sincere when he
made that popular remark.
Parliament was surprised when, after assuring them that
he was determined to secure the civil and religious rights
of the people, George II. announced the reappointment of
the old ministers, for the opposition party had flattered
themselves that they were to have a chance under the new
sovereign. Even the Duke of Newcastle, in whose face
George had shaken his fist, and whom he had called an
u impertinent fool," when William, Duke of Cumberland,
was christened, was retained in office.
Of course, Sir Robert Walpole had great influence after
he had managed to retain the former officials at their post.
He was called the queen's minister ; and it was generally
understood that she distinguished those whom he favored.
He knew the importance of Queen Caroline's confidence,
because she was really the ruler of the kingdom. She
ruled, but did so with such exquisite tact that her feeble-
minded lord never suspected it. She never spoke to him
about public affairs when any one was present, but if she
by chance ventured to do so, when off her guard, a rebuke
was sure to follow. She even went so far as to rise and
offer to leave the room whenever an interview took place
between the king and one of his ministers, and George
prided himself upon "being under the control of no
woman." He had lost sight of the fact that it was entirely
owing to his wife's interference that Walpole had been re-
instated. After praising the ability of the minister, the
principal argument she had brought forward was that he
was rich enough to be honest, and having no private busi-
74 The Queens of England.
ness of his own, he would have more time to devote to that
of the government. So George had followed her counsel,
as he always did unconsciously, and when speaking to his
courtiers with scorn of sovereigns who had been controlled
by women he would look about, and, with a pompous air,
ask, " Who governs now ? " Nobody ventured to enlighten
him as to who did not, but one of the wits answered rather
roughly on paper,
" You may strut, dapper George, but 't will all be in vain ;
We know 't is Queen Caroline, not you that reign
You govern no more than Don Philip of Spain.
Then, if you would have us fall down and adore you,
Lock up your fat spouse, as your dad did before you."
Queen Caroline never claimed credit for showing her
husband the right course, and she had the rare good sense
to see and acknowledge her own errors. Once she formed
a design to shut up St. James's Park for some reason, and
asked Sir Robert Walpole what it would cost to do it.
"Only a crown, madam," was the reply; whereupon she
laughed good-naturedly, and at once abandoned her idea.
George II. had so much respect for his wife's ability,
that when he made a visit to Hanover he appointed her
regent during his absence. Frederick, Prince of Wales,
was in the kingdom at the time ; but, as he made no secret
of hating both his parents, and favored the party opposed
to them in politics, he was not to be trusted. Besides, he
had a disgraceful way of finding fault with his father's man-
agement of public affairs, and talked loudly of what he
would have done in similar circumstances. But he would
certainly have governed less well than his mother did, for
she gave universal satisfaction. She had the benefit of Sir
Robert Walpole's counsel, and understood, as he did, not
only how to let well enough alone, but the wisdom of not
interfering with parliamentary government, and of keeping
the nation at peace with its neighbors.
J 7- s - Caroline Wilhchniua Dorothea of Ansfach. 75
Queen Caroline's mind was not entirely occupied with
the affairs of the nation, for she kept up the brilliancy of
her court, and was greatly interested in everybody con-
nected with it. She took wicked delight in teasing Mrs.
Howard, who was always precise, ladylike, and self-pos-
sessed to a degree that must have been provoking at times.
At an early period of the reign she was required to pre-
sent the basin for the queen to wash her hands, and to do
so kneeling. A page brought the pitcher and basin, and
placed both upon a table; then it became the duty of the
fyed-chamber woman to pour water into the basin, place it
before the queen, and remain on her knees, close by the
stand, while her majesty performed her ablution. Mrs.
Howard objected to so humble an office ; but we will let
Queen Caroline tell of it in her own words : " When I re-
quested Mrs. Howard to bring me the basin, she proceeded
to tell me, with her little fierce eyes, and cheeks as red as
a beet, that positively she would not do it ; to which I made
no answer for a moment, then spoke calmly, as I would to
a naughty child : ' Yes, my dear Howard, I am sure you
will. I know you will. Go, go; fie! for shame! Go,
my good Howard ; we will talk of this another time ! '
Mrs. Howard did come round, and I told her I knew we
should be good friends again ; but that of all my servants
I had least expected such treatment of her."
[A.D. 1728.] Queen Caroline also describes a personal
interview with Mr. Howard, who wanted to claim his wife,
after having left her for several years. He said that he
should not hesitate to drag his wife out of her majesty's
coach if ever he met her in it. Caroline replied " Do it
if you dare ; " though she added, when relating it afterwards,
" I was horribly afraid of him all the time I was playing
the bully, particularly as I knew him to be brutal, a little
mad, and seldom quite sober ; so I got as near to the door '
76 The Queens of England.
as possible, fearing that he might take it into his head to
pitch me out of the window, which was wide open. Then
I resumed my lofty air, and said : ' I would be glad to see
any one who would dare to open my coach door and take
out one of my servants,' though I knew perfectly well that
he might do so if he chose, and nobody could prevent him.
Then I told him positively, ' that I would neither force his
wife to go to him if she did not wish, nor keep her if she
did.' He said he would complain to the king. I told him
' the king had no control over my servants, and he might
save himself the trouble, as I was sure the king would give
him no answer, but that it was none of his business to con-
cern himself with my family ' ; and after a good deal more
conversation of this sort, I standing close to the door
all the while, to give me courage, Mr. Howard and \
bade each other good morning, and he withdrew."
[A.D. 1731.] Frederick, Prince of Wales, had joined
his parents in England without their desire, and he gave
them no pleasure. His vices increased with age to such a
degree that his friends could only excuse him by declaring
that his intellect was weak. Nevertheless, he won popu-
larity, and placed himself in course of time at the head of
the opposition party. George II. had no more violent or
powerful an enemy than this son. It was hoped that, if he
could get a good wife, he would improve in his morals, so
Sir Charles Hotham was sent to Berlin to negotiate two
marriages. One was between the Prince of Wales and the
eldest daughter of the King of Prussia ; the other between
the crown Prince of Prussia and Queen Caroline's second
daughter.
Both matches fell through, and so much angry feeling
arose that the two monarchs came near fighting a duel to
settle the dispute. George was in Hanover at the time,
and his royal brother-in-law, the King of Prussia, was at
Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 77
Saltzdahl, near Brunswick. General Sutton was selected
to act as second for George, and Colonel Derscheim for
Frederick. Meanwhile Borck, who had been ambassador
from Prussia to the court of St. James, hastened to Saltz-
dahl, hoping to be able to put a stop to the disgraceful
affair ; but the king was in such a fury that he could not be
open with him. He therefore pretended to approve of the
duel, and offered to be the bearer of the challenge. After
that important document had been duly prepared, the king
became somewhat calmer, and then Borck ventured to
reason with him.
" Sire," he said, " I allow that your majesty's quarrel is
not to be terminated any other way than by a duel ; but
your majesty being just recovered from a most serious
illness, and your health not being yet by any means re-
established, a relapse may occur on the day before or
perhaps at the very hour of the important meeting ; and in
that case, what would the world say ? How the King of
England would boast ? What scandalous constructions
might be put on the circumstance ! What an odious sus-
picion of your majesty's courage might ensue ! Therefore
I ask if you do not think it would be better to take no
steps in the affair for a fortnight ? "
Thus was the king talked into delay ; the challenge was
not sent, and so the ministers on both sides gained suffi-
cient time to effect a reconciliation.
[A.D. 1733.] The English court was soon busy with
another marriage, that of Queen Caroline's eldest daugh-
ter, the Princess Anne. This young lady had reached the
age of twenty-four, and it was thought high time for her to
be married. When she was not more than sixteen Louis
XV. proposed for her hand ; but, being the representative
of a Protestant family, she could not marry him, though
she was so proud and ambitious that she was heard to say,
7# The Queens of England.
"I would die to-morrow to he queen to-day." She never
loved her brothers, because she felt that their birth had de-
prived her of ever ascending the throne, and she often de-
clared that she wished they had never appeared in the
world. As she could not become a queen, she decided to
descend a step, and accept the hand of the Prince of
Orange. She had never seen him, but she was satisfied
to know that his was an exalted station. The king and
queen opposed the royal suitor because he was lame, his
neck was crooked, he was otherwise dreadfully deformed,
and he was one of the ugliest men in Europe. George told
his daughter this, and added that she must not be deceived
by the pictures the ambassadors had brought of him, be-
cause, although he was repulsive looking enough in them,
they were nevertheless flattering. " I do not care how
ugly he may be," she declared. " If he were a Dutch
baboon I would marry him." This obstinacy made the
king very angry, and he replied with his strong German
accent, " Nay, then, have your way, have your way ; you
will find baboon enough, I promise you."
So the Prince of Orange was accepted, and it is to be
hoped he never heard the unkind remarks that the bride's
family made behind his back, for the queen always spoke
of him as "the animal," and everybody ridiculed him.
The arrangements for the marriage could not be completed
without application to parliament for a dower. A com-
mittee was appointed to provide one, and they resolved to
sell lands in the island of St. Christopher to the amount
of eighty thousand pounds, and to make over that sum
to the king for his eldest daughter. As soon as the bride-
groom was informed that this important matter had been
settled, he repaired to England, and went direct to Somer-
set House, which had been prepared for him and his at-
tendants. Princess Anne was not flurried in the least,
*734- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspac/i. 79
when she was informed of his arrival. She was playing on
the harpsichord at the time, and went on as though noth-
ing unusual had happened. If she felt any curiosity to
behold the man she was to marry, she certainly did not
betray it, but appeared remarkably indifferent, and proved
herself an uncommonly strong-minded young woman.
A few days after his arrival in England the Prince of
Orange was attacked with a severe illness, which confined
him to his bed for many weeks. During the whole of that
time not a single member of the royal family went near
him, and it seemed to concern Princess Anne very little to
know whether he were well or ill. The prince made no
complaint about this shabby treatment, but his attendants
did, and all they made by it was being called " Dutch
boobies." The marriage was to have taken place before
the end of the year, but it had to be postponed until the
following March, and during the interval some of the
arrangements that had been begun had to be left as they
stood, half completed. No one was more annoyed by this
postponement than the Duchess of Marlborough, for an
enclosed passage way through which the wedding pro-
cession was to pass had been built up close to the windows
of Marlborough House, and completely darkened the
rooms. There it had to stay for four months, and the
duchess frequently looked up at the boards, and said : " I
do wish the princess would oblige me by taking away her
orange chest ! "
[A.D. 1734.] It was January before the bridegroom was
well enough to be removed to Bath, and a couple of months
later before his health was entirely restored. At last, on
the fourteenth of March, the marriage was solemnized at St.
James's Chapel by the Bishop of London.
Everything was conducted with great splendor, and the
groom was attired in a complete suit of cloth of gold, in
8o The Queens of England.
which the royal parents thought he looked more like a
baboon than ever. The bride wore a robe of silver tissue,
with a train six yards long, which was supported by ten
young ladies of noble birth, all dressed in the same gor-
geous material. The ceremony took place in the evening,
and was succeeded by a grand public banquet, the festivi-
ties being kept up until long after midnight. Queen
Caroline wept as she walked in the procession through the
brilliantly lighted gallery, and observed the deformed bit
of humanity that her daughter had accepted for a husband.
To be sure Anne was by no means a beauty ; but she was
a well-developed, fair complexioned, bright-eyed young
woman, though perhaps too stout. But the bridegroom's
ugliness was extraordinary. If you looked at him from
behind he appeared to have no head, and from before, he
seemed possessed of neither neck nor legs ; besides, there
was something disgusting about him which gave the idea
of uncleanliness, a very offensive breath. Strange to
say, Anne adored her "monster" after a time, though
he never cared particularly about her. She treated him
with the utmost consideration and respect, addressed all
her remarks to him, and applauded whatever he said.
Perhaps she did this to pretend that she was perfectly
happy ; but certain it is, that the homage she showed her
little husband was perfectly absurd.
During the week following the marriage Frederick, Prince
of Wales, took it upon himself to show the bridegroom the
sights of London ; and then it suddenly struck the govern-
ment that, as he was now son-in-law to the king, he ought to
be naturalized. Accordingly, the necessary bill was made
out and passed unanimously; but the prince received the
announcement that he had become an Englishman with an
indifference that proved how little he appreciated the honor.
It was much more gratifying to him when he heard that the
J 734- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspack. 8r
king had sent a message to the House of Commons that he
had settled five thousand pounds a year on Princess Anne
for life.
The bride and groom set out for Holland on the tenth
of April, and before three months had elapsed Anne was
back in England, where she seemed determined to remain.
Neither of her parents desired her presence ; but they could
not prevail upon her to return to her new home until to-
wards the close of the year. Just at that time Queen Caro-
line dismissed Lady Suffolk from her office of mistress of
the robes, and appointed the Countess of Tankerville in
her stead.
Prince Frederick was very much displeased with his
sister for marrying before he did, but still more so with his
father for settling a sum of money on her when he had not
been so favored. The great trouble with him was that he
was heavily in debt; and, out of the hundred thousand
pounds granted to him by parliament, the king allowed him
only thirty-six thousand, appropriating the rest himself.
No doubt he allowed the prince little or much money, ac-
cording as he behaved well or ill ; and this was certainly
humiliating to one of his station.
Her son's conduct was the more painful to Queen Caro-
line because she was so kind and considerate of others
herself. Here is a little anecdote in proof of this. One
of the princesses had suffered a lady-in-waiting to stand
behind her chair one morning for nearly an hour without
the least occasion ; the queen observed this lack of con-
sideration, but said nothing at the moment. The same
evening the princess was made to stand while reading to
her mother until she was well-nigh exhausted ; then, after
explaining why she had permitted her to remain in that
position so long, Queen Caroline added : " You are now,
my dear, capable of feeling how improper it is, unnecessa-
82 The Queens of England.
rily, to make those who are about you the victims of
etiquette." A lesson so taught was not likely to be disre-
garded.
About this time Queen Caroline's mind was occupied
with a matter that caused intense excitement in England.
This was Sir Robert Walpole's excise scheme, which can
be explained in a few words. After the civil war certain
articles, such as beer, ale, cider, tea, coffee, wine, vinegar,
tobacco, and sugar, had been subject to duty for the pur-
pose of supplying the government with money. This was
not in favor with the populace, because it increased the
price of such articles as were taxed, and made the cost of
living higher than it had been before. Then certain trades-
men, rather than pay the duty, organized a system of smug-
gling, which was done with the aid of gangs of armed men,
who beat, abused, and even murdered those custom-house
officers who insisted on performing their duty. Walpole
organized a plan to prevent the smuggling and the recur-
rence of these outrages. It is not necessary to enter into
the details of his scheme, but no sooner was it made public
than the agitation became intense. Taxation in any form
was regarded in the light of tyranny, and the mob that
gathered around the doors of the House of Commons
during the fierce debates, which lasted for three weeks,
declared that they would not submit to slavery, for so it
appeared to them. Walpole's proposition was not really
unreasonable at all, but the populace were driven to mad-
ness by pamphlets and ballads distributed among them by
those who desired to further their own personal interests
in one way or another. Riots threatened on all sides, and
even the soldiers, who had got the idea that the minister's
excise scheme would raise the price of tobacco, cursed
parliament and the administration, and murmurs of treason
reached to the very palace walls. Bonfires and illumina-
SIR ROBERT WALPOLE.
^734- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of AnspacJi. 85
tions lighted up the towns, and cockades were worn on
which was inscribed, " Liberty, Property, and no Excise."
In the city of London the mob hung Sir Robert Walpole
and a fat woman, meant to represent the queen, in effigy.
Feeling that the government was in danger on his ac-
count, the prime minister sought the queen, and offered to
surrender his office, but she would not permit him to do
so. Both she and the king declared that they would not be
so cowardly nor so ungrateful as to part with him at such
a crisis. George had often called Walpole hard names,
but under his wife's influence he had learned to love the
man whom he had several times pronounced " a noble
fellow " on being told what a firm stand he had made
against the enemies of the government.
Walpole had to withdraw his scheme at last, although he
felt sure that it would have been most beneficial to the
interest of the nation ; and at the next meeting of the par-
liament, when the question of the tax on tea came up, he
declared that he would never again engage in anything
that bore the least resemblance to excise. King George
revenged himself by having the names of the peers who had
opposed his minister read to him, and calling each in turn
by some angry epithet. The love that George II. bore
towards Walpole, whom he had begun his reign by thor-
oughly hating, is one of the best proofs of Queen Caroline's
power over him ; but there are many others besides.
We have seen how much enmity existed between Prince
Frederick and the king. On New Year's Day there was a
grand levee hdld at the palace, which the prince attended ;
not because he desired to show proper respect to his royal
parents, but for the purpose of appearing in the light of an
ill-used son, if, as was usually the case, the king refused to
speak to him. He was not to be gratified in this particu-
lar however, for Queen Caroline had persuaded her hus-
86 The Queens of England.
band to address Frederick kindly in public, and he com-
plied. The ill-feeling remained, however, and the queen
always opposed the settlement of an income on her son,
whom she did not hesitate to call an extravagant, unprin-
cipled fool. She thought him good-hearted, but weak,
easily led, and obstinate. It was said of him that he was
more German than English, but so was his mother, for that
matter ; and she was ever ready to sacrifice the interests
of England to those of her native land. But Walpole was
determined to preserve peace, though the king told him
daily, " that it was with the sword alone he desired to keep
the balance of Europe." This was while France, Spain,
and Germany were at war, and George could not bear to
be left out of the contest ; but towards the end of the year
he said : " I have followed your advice, Walpole, in keep-
ing quiet, contrary often to my own opinion, and some-
times, I have thought, contrary even to my honor ; but I am
convinced you advised me well." It must not be supposed
that George II. spoke English as well as this speech makes
him appear to have done, for he never lost his strong Ger-
man accent as long as he lived.
When the Prince of Orange joined his army Princess
Anne went to England on a visit. She was as arrogant as
ever, and, like her brother Frederick, despised her father, of
whom she too frequently spoke with the utmost disrespect.
One evening Lord Hervey was escorting her from the
drawing-room to her own aparments ; news of the sur-
render of Phillipsburg had just been received. The prin-
cess was speaking on this subject, and then said : " Was
there ever anything so unaccountable as the temper of papa ?
He has been snapping and snubbing every mortal for a
week, because he began to think Phillipsburg would be
taken ; and this very day, that he actually hears it is
taken, he is in as good humor as I ever saw him in my life.
i?34- Caroline Willielmina DorotJtea of Anspac/t. 87
To tell you the truth," she added, in French, though it was
quite as disrespectful as though uttered in German,* " I
find that so whimsical, and (entre nous) so utterly foolish,
that 1 am more enraged by his good than I was before by
his bad humor."
" Perhaps," answered Lord Hervey, " he may be about
Phillipsburg as David was about the child, who, whilst it
was sick, fasted, lay upon the earth, and covered himself
with ashes, but the moment it was dead, got up, shaved his
beard, and drank wine." "Well, it may be like David,"
said the princess, " but I am sure it is not like Solomon."
Having mentioned Lord Hervey, we must tell how he
stood at court. He was a great favorite with Queen Caro-
line, and, being many years younger than she, he was called
"her child, her pupil, her charge." He generally rode by
her carriage when she went hunting, on a horse that she
had given him, and on such occasions they discussed poli-
tics and other matters. Hervey was treated like a pet
child, and allowed to say what would have been regarded
as impertinence coming from any one else; but Queen
Caroline encouraged him by laughing at him, and kept him
with her as much as possible. He always sat and talked
to her while she ate breakfast, and presumed to give her
advice on every conceivable subject, often flatly contradict-
ing her, whereupon she would good naturedly declare that
he took such liberties because he knew she could not pos-
sibly live without him. It is to the memoirs left by this
lord that we are indebted for our knowledge of much of
the private life of Queen Caroline. A letter which he ad-
dressed to her one summer when he was visiting at some
distance in the country will give the best idea of the nature
of his position in the royal household. He begins by im-
agining that he died on the day he left the queen, and pro-
ceeds to recount how he serves her in spirit :
83 y/' ( ' Queens of England.
" On Monday, whilst you walked, my shade turned on the
side of the sun to guard you from its beams.
" On Tuesday morning, at breakfast, I brushed away a
fly that was just going to taste your chocolate.
" On Wednesday, in the afternoon, I took off the chilli-
ness of some strawberry-water your majesty was going to
drink, as you came in hot from walking; and at night I
hunted a bat out of your bed-chamber, and shut a sash just
as you fell asleep, which your majesty had indiscreetly
ordered Mrs. Purcel to leave open.
" On Thursday, in the drawing-room, I took the forms
and voices of several of my acquaintances, made strange
faces, put myself into awkward postures, and talked a good
deal of nonsense, whilst your majesty entertained me very
gravely, recommended me very graciously, and laughed at
me internally very heartily.
" On Friday, being-post day, I proposed to get the best
pen in the other world for your majesty's use, and slip it
invisibly into your portfolio just as Mr. Shaw was bringing
it into your gallery for you to write ; and accordingly I
went to Voiture, and desired him to hand me his pen ; but
when I told him for whom it was designed, he only laughed
at me for a blockhead, and asked me if I had been at
court for four years to so little purpose as not to know that
your majesty had a much better of your own.
"On Saturday, I went on the shaft of your majesty's
chaise to Richmond ; as you walked there I went before
you, and with an invisible wand I brushed the dew and the
worms out of your path all the way, and several times un-
crumpled your majesty's stocking.
"Sunday This very day, at chapel, I did your majesty
some service, by tearing six leaves out of the parson's ser-
mon, and shortening his discourse six minutes."
If Queen Caroline's young friend really performed such
*734- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 89
varied and such important services for her, she must have
missed him, indeed, when he was absent from home. He
gives an instance, in his memoirs, of how much Queen
Caroline endured for the sake of her husband, in these
words : " She works harder than any of the court drudges
in one respect, for she passes seven or eight hours tete-a-
tete with the king every day, generally saying what she
does not think, and forced, like a spider, to spin out of her
own bowels all the conversation with which the fly is
taken."
The queen's health was undoubtedly poor at this time ;
but in spite of that, after an acute attack of cold and fever,
for which she had twice been bled, George insisted on her
going from Kensington to London to celebrate his birth-
day, and made her accompany him to the opera the same
night. To be sure, this was not so inconsiderate as it ap-
pears ; for George II. thought so little of illness himself
that he would rise from a sick-bed to hold a levee when
he could scarcely keep up his head, and go back as soon
as it was over. He did not see why his wife should not
sacrifice herself as he did. She came very near swooning
on the morning of the birthday drawing-room, and sent one
of her attendants to beg the king to retire, saying : " That
she was unable to stand any longer ; " but, for all that, he
obliged her to attend a crowded ball in the evening, and
kept her there until after eleven o'clock.
Sir Robert Walpole urged Queen Caroline to take care
of herself, assuring her that England would fall into great
danger if deprived of her presence, and addressing her as
though she was the governing sovereign, which she was
in fact, though not in name.
[A.D. 1734.] When the Bishop of Winchester was
stricken with apoplexy, Lord Hervey announced it to
Hoadly, Bishop of Salisbury, and urged him in the strongest
90 The Queens of England.
terms to apply for the See, which would surely be vacant
within a few days, because the bishop's attack would with-
out doubt prove fatal. Now this promotion had been
promised to Hoadly by the king, the queen, and Walpole
at various times, and he felt no doubt that he would get it,
but Hervey knew better ; so he wrote the bishop to apply
to the king at once through his "two ears" the queen
and Walpole and make his request as though it were
according to an agreement. Caroline disliked Hoadly, and
pronounced his letter indelicate and ill-timed ; but he had
followed Hervey's instructions so accurately that he got
the appointment. When he went to make an acknowledg-
ment of his advancement, the king, who hated him too,
treated him with incivility that was at least honest ; but
Caroline showered congratulations and compliments on
him, not one of which was sincere. Walpole did worse, for he
hated the man more than either of the sovereigns did ; but,
leading the new Bishop of Winchester aside, he deceitfully
pressed his hand, and with warm congratulations assured
him that his elevation was entirely due to the efforts of
himself, Sir Robert. The minister was not aware of the
part Lord Hervey had played, or he would not have said
that, and the bishop did not tell him.
[A.D. 1735.] Shortly after this the king set out for
Hanover, and Caroline rejoiced at the extra power his
absence would give her, but still more at the idea of being
relieved from the dreary task of entertaining him for hours
at a time. But a few months later he returned, quite sud-
denly and unexpectedly. The queen and her court had
just left the chapel at Kensington on Sunday, October 26,
when it was announced that the king was driving up the
road. Her majesty went quickly to the gate, with her
ladies and gentlemen, to receive her husband, who, after
condescendingly permitting her to kiss him, led her up stairs
!735- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 91
with stately formality. George had returned in a bad
humor, which he took no pains to conceal. Besides, he
was ill, and very much fatigued from travelling, so he con-
versed with everybody but the queen, just as though she
were to blame for it all. She understood him perfectly,
and knew what a trial it always was to him to leave his
dear Hanover, where he thought everything and everybody
perfection as compared with England. She therefore bore
his ill-nature with wonderful patience, which only seemed
to increase the king's crossness and brutality.
He found fault with everything Queen Caroline had
done in his absence ; and, when Lord Hervey ventured to
defend her for removing some inferior pictures and statues
and replacing them by works of art, he said : " I suppose
you assisted the queen with your fine advice when she was
pulling my house to pieces and spoiling my furniture.
Thank God ! at least she has left the walls standing ! "
He then ordered that several old daubs of paintings should
be restored to their places before his departure for London
the next day, adding that " otherwise he knew it would
not be done at all."
A night's repose did not restore King George's temper.
When he made his appearance in the queen's morning-
room, she was drinking chocolate with her two daughters,
the Princess Amelia and Princess Caroline, while the Duke
of Cumberland, her son, stood at her side. Princess Anne
had returned to Holland some weeks previously, much to
the satisfaction of her parents. The father of the family
only stopped in their midst long enough to tell the queen
that she was always stuffing ; to scold Princess Amelia, who
was slightly deaf, for not hearing him ; to ridicule Princess
Caroline for growing fat, and, finally, to abuse the Duke of
Cumberland for standing awkwardly. Then having made
himself thoroughly hateful, he requested his wife to go for a
walk in the garden.
92 The Queens of England.
In the evening he was sauntering backwards and
forwards in the queen's apartment, while she was engaged
with some fancy work. Presently Lord Hervey enter-
ed, and the queen laughingly began to tease him about
an answer that had just appeared to a book written
by his friend, Bishop Hoadly, in which the bishop was
rather roughly handled. Before she had half finished
what she wanted to say, her ill-natured husband interrupted
her, and told her " she was always talking such nonsense
about things she did not understand ; " and added, " that if
it were not for such foolish people loving to talk of these
things when they were written, the fools who wrote such
nonsense would never think of publishing it." The queen
bowed, and said, " Sir, I only wanted to let Lord Hervey
know that his friend's book had not met with the general
approbation he had pretended."
" A pretty fellow for a friend," said the king, turning to
Lord Hervey. " Pray, what is it that charms you in him ?
His pretty limping gait ? " and then he mimicked the '
bishop's lameness, besides other defects, and wound up by
saying : " If the Bishop of Winchester is your friend, all I
have to say is, that you have a great puppy, a very dull fel-
low, and a very great rascal for your friend. He is just the
same thing in the church that he is in the government, and
as ready to receive the best pay for preaching the Bible,
though he does not believe a word of it, as he is to take
favor from the crown, though he would be glad to abolish
its power." It was dreadful for the king to say such things ;
for if he did not think Hoadly a proper person to be at the
head of the church, he had no business to appoint him.
The queen kept smiling and nodding her head all the time
he was delivering this most disgraceful, undignified speech,
and wishing with all her heart that he would stop. Lord
Hervey tried to introduce another topic, but that was un-
r 735- Caroline Wilhehnina Dorothea of Ansfach. 93
fortunate, and only set his majesty oft in a different direc-
tion, though he continued to be equally violent and
insulting. At last the queen began to talk of the custom
of feeing servants in private houses where one happened to
be visiting, and said that it had been a great expense to
her when she visited in town during the previous summer.
" That is your own fault," growled George, " for my father
when he went to people's houses in town, never was fool
enough to give away his money." " But I only gave what
my chamberlain, Lord Grantham, informed me was cus-
tomary," meekly replied Caroline. "Oh yes," returned
George, " always asking some fool or another what to do ;
only a fool would ask another fool's advice. Stay at home,
as I do; you do not see me running into every puppy's
house to see his new chairs and tables, and you need not
be poking your nose everywhere, and trotting about
wherever you can get bread and butter." Finding that he
could not be sufficiently abusive with his broken English,
though we think he was, George had recourse to German,
and poured a torrent of unpronounceable words on the
head of the unoffending queen, who kept on with her
work, then snuffed the candles, and was taken to task for
putting one of them out. Such scenes as this were of fre-
quent occurrence ; and the king seemed never so happy as
when he was raving like a madman, and making every one
near him uncomfortable.
Strange as it may seem, English literature began to rise
in this reign from the low state into which it had fallen
under George I. Queen Caroline laughed heartily over
the " Travels of Gulliver," in which Swift ridiculed states-
men, scholars, and men of every class of society. Pope
wrote a satire upon the literature of his time, which he
called the " Dunciad." It created a tremendous uproar
among men of letters, and he was assailed in all the news-
g<f The Queens of England.
papers for having produced such a work. His personal
appearance was ridiculed, too, for he was anything but
prepossessing ; and he was represented with a perfect like-
ness of his head and face on the body of a repulsive-look-
ing monkey, with its long, bony arms embracing a huge
pile of ponderous volumes. A weekly journal published
this :
A RECEIPT AGAINST POPE-ISH POETRY.
" Select a wreath of withered bays,
And place it on the brow of Pope ;
Then, as reward for stolen lays.
His neck encircle with a rope.
When this is done, his look will show it,
Which he's most like, a thief or poet."
Besides card-playing and court receptions, there were
operas and dramas, and of these the king and his whole
court were very fond. We must give an account of a
funny scene that took place one night at a theatre. John
James Heidegger, was a Swiss, who lived in England and
superintended operas and masquerades. He soon amassed
a fortune, and made himself very popular by devoting part
of it to charity. He lived extravagantly, dressed well, and
visited in the best society ; but he was so eccentric that he
was occasionally made the victim of practical jokes.
Once he was invited to an entertainment given by the
Duke of Montague, and the wine, of which he drank freely,
was drugged so that he soon fell sound asleep. He was
then placed upon a bed, and a cast was taken of his face
and made into a mask. This was done without Heideg-
ger's being aware of it.
The duke then hired a man just the size of the manager,
dressed him the same, put the mask on him, and took him
to the next masquerade, when the king, who had been pre-
viously apprised of the plot, was to be present. As his
*735- Caroline \ Vilhclmina Dorothea of Anspach. 5
majesty entered, Heidegger ordered the orchestra to play
"God save the King." No sooner was his back turned
than the impostor, imitating his voice and manner, ordered
" Charlie over the Water," a song that referred to Charles
Edward, the Pretender, and ought certainly not to have
been played in presence of George. Heidegger was hor-
rified ; he raved and swore at the musicians, and made
them recommence the loyal tune. A few bars of " God
save the King " were no sooner performed than the impos-
tor found an opportunity to again order " Charlie over
the Water." The orchestra thought their master must be
drunk, but obeyed. By this time the house was in a per-
fect uproar, and cries of " Shame ! shame ! " arose from
every part of it. The king's officers wanted to kick the
musicians out ; but the Duke of Cumberland, who was in
the secret, restrained them.
Heidegger was beside himself with rage and fright, but
he came boldly forward and offered to discharge the
band, then and there. The impostor appeared at his side
and said, in a plaintive voice, looking toward the king :
" Sire, the whole fault lies with that devil in my likeness."
That was too much. Poor Heidegger fairly gasped for
breath when he gazed upon his double. He turned pale
and stared ; astonishment had struck him dumb. At last,
thinking that his joke had been carried far enough, the
Duke of Montague ordered his man to unmask, and the
mystery was explained. Heidegger was in a perfect
frenzy ; he stamped his feet, retired from the stage, and
fell, in a state of exhaustion, into an arm-chair, then com-
manded his servants to extinguish the lights at once,
swearing that he would never again superintend a mas-
querade until that mask lay crushed to atoms at his feet.
[A.D. 1735.] Queen Caroline had made up her mind
that the Prince of Wales should marry ; so, after gaining
c/6 The Queens of England.
the king's consent, she employed Lord Hervey to tell the
prince of his intended fate. There was no princess in
view ; but the queen spoke about the coming marriage just
as though there was, purchased clothing for the wedding,
and ordered several costly presents for the bride, from
various, jewellers. The king was then in Hanover, and so
it was arranged that he was to see Augusta of Saxe-Gotha,
and if he liked her then negotiations for a marriage with
the heir-apparent would be begun. He sent a favorable
report a few weeks later, and Frederick was told to pre-
pare for the reception of his bride. He received the order
with an indifferent sort of resignation, but obeyed. This
gratified the queen, because her son had such contradict-
ory qualities that he was never to be counted on. There
was nothing either to admire or to hate in him. He was
neither great nor vicious, and his behavior was such that
although he gained good wishes, no one esteemed him, for
he was false and deceitful ; and it was suspected that his
supremely condescending manners were prompted by a
desire for popularity. His heart was bad ; his head was
weak ; and he was unfortunate in having a father who
abhorred him, a mother who despised him, sisters who
betrayed him, a brother set up against him in public life,
and servants who neglected him, and were incapable of
being useful to him.
[A.D. 1736.] Lord Delawar was sent to demand the
hand of Princess Augusta from her brother, the Duke of
Saxe-Gotha. As the young lady, who was very bright and
pretty, could speak neither English nor French, it was sug-
gested to her mother that it would be well for her to take
a few lessons in both languages. But as the Hanoverian
family had been on the throne of England for a score of
years or more, the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha concluded that
all the people there spoke or understood German, and
'73 6 - Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspacli. tyj
would not bother her child to study two languages that
seemed to her not worth the pains spent upon the work.
Prince Frederick showed no desire to seek the lady he
was to marry, but dutifully remarked that " whoever his
majesty thought a proper match for his son would be
agreeable to him " ; and the princess submitted joyfully to
the custom among the royalty of marrying people they had
never seen. She was willing to go to the prince, since he
was not gallant enough to travel to Germany to win her,
and probably rejoiced at the idea of one day becoming
Queen of England. She sailed in the month of April in
the royal yacht " William and Mary," and landed at Green-
wich on St. George's day, twenty-fifth. The bride was
just seventeen years of age, and excited much admiration
on account of her graceful, girlish air, her good humor, and
tasteful attire.
She was conducted to the Queen's House in the park,
where one would naturally suppose that all the royal
family would assemble to welcome her ; but such was not
the case, for there were only the solemn officers of state
and ladies-in-waiting to meet her. The people had gath-
ered in crowds to have a look at the princess, and as she
sat on the balcony overlooking the park they shouted them-
selves hoarse in her praise. At last Prince Frederick
made his appearance alone, and brought the " compli-
ments of the king, queen, duke, and princesses, who hoped
the bride was well." They could scarcely have done less,
but certainly might, and ought, to have done more to wel-
come a young girl who had come to their shores under
such circumstances. But she does not seem to have com-
plained, and no doubt contented herself with the belief
that she was only submitting to the custom of a strange
country.
Greenwich looked very bright and gay on the following
gg The Queens of England.
day; for the prince and princess dined in public, and a
crowd gathered to witness that important ceremony. Then
the royal pair drove down to the river, and entered a beau-
tifully decorated barge that awaited them, and were rowed
up and down, while horns were blown, guns fired, and
bands of music performed on the boats and at different
points along the banks of the river. On the next day,
which was Tuesday, Frederick awaited his bride, with
whom he had fallen in love at first sight, in London. She
left Greenwich in one of the royal carriages, alighted at
Lambeth, and then crossed over to Whitehall in a boat.
Entering one of Queen Caroline's state-chairs, the princess
was carried by two stout yeomen to St. James's Palace,
where everything was arranged in a tasteful, magnificent
manner for her reception. Prince Frederick received his
bride as she stepped from the chair, and drawing her to
him, pressed her in his arms and gave her two affectionate
kisses; then, taking her by the hand, he led her up the
grand staircase, and into the presence of a splendid and
numerous assemblage of court ladies and gentlemen. She
was first presented to the king, who would not permit her
to kneel, but, putting his arm around her, kissed her cheek
and said a few kind words. Queen Caroline greeted her
warmly, and her example was followed by her daughters
and the Duke of Cumberland.
The king had grown so impatient at being detained in
England for the wedding, when he wanted to get back to
his beloved Hanover, that he had declared if they did not
make haste with it they would have to dispense with his
presence altogether at the ceremony. But he was so well
pleased at the appearance and behavior of the young bride
that he was completely mollified. She was modest, but at
the same time self-possessed to a degree that proved her to
be thorougly well-bred and sensible. In this respect she
I 73 6 - Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 99
formed quite a contrast to the young people whose family
she was entering, for they squabbled about the most trifling
points of etiquette, which proved the littleness of their
minds as well as their faulty training. For example, the
prince thought that on such an important occasion as that
of his marriage, he and his bride should take precedence
of others of equal rank, and that his brother and sisters
should be satisfied with stools at the dinner-table, while he
and Princess Augusta occupied chairs, also that they
should be served with somewhat less ceremony and re-
spect. But they absolutely refused to enter the dining-room
until the stools had been replaced by chairs as large and
luxurious as those intended for the bride and groom, and
insisted upon being waited on by their respective servants,
who had orders to imitate those of the Prince of Wales in
every ceremony used at table.' Later in the evening, when
coffee was brought around in the drawing-room by Fred-
erick's servants, the Duke of Cumberland and the prin-
cesses all declined it, because, as they said, " they were
afraid instructions had been given to inflict some disgrace
in the manner of handing the beverage had they accepted
of any." They certainly did not deserve to partake of the
coffee, or anything else that was good, as long as they were
so petty and narrow-minded.
On the day after the arrival of the bride at St. James's,
there was a grand state-dinner, after which costumes were
rearranged, and the marriage ceremony was performed,
while several salutes were fired by the artillery at various
stages of the proceedings. The bride wore no wig, but
had her own hair tastefully dressed and surmounted by a
crown studded with diamonds, of which gems she wore a
profusion, besides on different parts of her person and
dress. Brides and babies ought always to wear white ; but
a different rule guided the Princess of Wales, whose robe
ioo The Queens of England.
at her wedding ceremony was of crimson velvet, bordered
with ermine. A long, full train, that hung from the shoul-
ders, where it was attached by diamond clasps, was sup-
ported by four young ladies, who wore silver gauge dresses
and diamonds valued at from twenty to thirty thousand
pounds each.
The Duke of Cumberland gave the bride away, and the
Duke of Grafton and Lord Hervey, lord and vice-cham-
berlains of the royal household, acted as ushers. All the
noble ladies and gentlemen of the court accompanied the
bride and groom in procession to the Chapel Royal, where
the ceremony was performed by the Lord Bishop of Lon-
don. At its completion there was a grand flourish of
trumpets, and a deafening beating of drums, followed by
the music of a brass band, and the thundering of cannon
in the park, that announced to Londoners the conclusion
of the compact. Then the bridal party proceeded to the
king's drawing-room, where his majesty and Queen Caro-
line were seated on a dais under a richly-draped canopy.
The newly-wedded couple walked hand in hand the entire
length of the room, and knelt before the royal parents, who
solemnly blessed their children.
A grand banquet was served at ten o'clock, and was
attended by much gaiety and joviality. Speeches were
made, healths were drunk, and everybody seemed happy.
GEORGE II.
CHAPTER III.
IN spite of Sir Robert Walpole's persuasions to the
contrary, the king went back to Hanover a week after
his son's marriage. Previous to his departure from
England he appointed Queen Caroline regent, much to
the dissatisfaction of the Prince of Wales ; but he went
further, for he sent word to the prince that wherever the
queen resided there would always be apartments for him-
self and the princess. In other words, Frederick was to
be treated as a sort of a prisoner without the privilege of a
separate court of his own. This was most humiliating, and
a condition of affairs that naturally led to disobedience and
deceit ; for when Queen Caroline removed from one resi-
dence to another her son would pretend to be making
preparations to follow, and then contrive some excuse for
not doing so. Once he pleaded illness of the princess,
although she was perfectly well, then the queen feigned
anxiety and went to visit the make-believe invalid, who re-
ceived her in a darkened room, and said she was suffering
from measles, although the doctors could not be induced
to back her up in her lie. The queen went to live at
Kensington, as she always did during her husband's ab-
sence, and every time she held a council meeting there
Frederick contrived to arrive just as the business was con-
cluded. This he did on purpose to annoy his mother, and
to show his displeasure at her being regent, when he
103
194 1 ^ c Q Hccns f England.
thought that position ought to have been assigned to
him.
It would have been a great deal better for all the members
of the royal family if the king had been more contented to
remain in England ; but he spent months at a time in Han-
over, and was only prevented at last from indulging in this
amusement by the breaking out of the seven years' war.
Everybody expressed his opinion very freely on the subject
of King George's love for Germany, and made that the
ostensible reason for complaint, no matter what it was really.
One day a poor, lean, lame, blind, old horse was turned
loose into the streets with a shabby, broken saddle on his
back, and a paper fastened to his head, on which was this
inscription : " Let nobody stop me : I am the King's Han-
over Equipage going to fetch his Majesty to England."
At the Royal Exchange a placard was posted up with
this notice : " It is reported that his Hanover Majesty de-
signs to visit his British dominions for three months in the
Spring." On the gate of St. James's Palace appeared this
advertisement : " Lost or strayed out of this house, a man
who has left a wife and six children on the parish ; who-
ever will give any tidings of him to the church wardens of
St. James's Parish, so as he may be got again, shall receive
four shillings and sixpence reward.
" N.B. This reward will not be increased, nobody judg-
ing him to deserve a crown." There were many more
such notices ; but we have quoted enough to give an idea
of what complaining there was because King George loved
Germany, and did not take the pains to conceal it.
During the king's absence Queen Caroline governed,
with Walpole for adviser and assistant ; but every measure
they decided upon was submitted to the Cabinet Council,
who were required to sanction and sign each document
before it was carried into effect. This was wise manage-
'73 6 - Caroline Willielmina Dorothea of Anspach. 105
ment, because the responsibility was thus shared by a num-
ber of people, though Walpole acted quite independently.
In 1736 the queen had a great deal of trouble as regent,
for there were corn-riots in the West, labor-riots in London,
because there were so many Irishmen there who were wil-
ling to work at cheaper rates than the English, and smug-
glers on the coasts who were in league with the peasantry.
This class of people gave special uneasiness, because when-
ever they were opposed they cursed the queen, as well as
" the foreign prince," as they called the king, and cheered
for James III. The disturbance became so great that the
guard around Kensington Palace had to be doubled, the
person of the queen not being considered safe. A large
part of the trouble was due to intoxication, which increased
depravity among the lower orders to an alarming degree.
So a bill was introduced before parliament to prohibit
the sale of gin. It did little good, however; for the horrid
stuff was sold under such names as Sangree, Tom Row,
Cuckold's Comfort, Parliament Gin, Make Shift, The Last
Shift, Ladies' Delight, King Theodore, Cholic and Gripe
Waters. Gin-shops disappeared and gave place to chem-
ists, who had whole rows of bottles labelled, " Take two or
three spoonfuls of this four or five times a day, or as often
as the fit takes you." When these people were arrested and
brought before the courts, they said that apothecary-shops
were more in demand than ever before, because the " late
act of parliament had caused people to suffer so much
from cholic that they had constantly to buy medicine."
There were those who informed against others for selling
gin, either privately or under a false name, merely for the
gratification of some spite, or from a feeling of envy ; but
when they fell into the hands of the mob they paid dearly
for it, for they were beaten, rolled in the dirt, held under a
pump, or ducked in the horse-pond or in the Thames.
io6 The Queens of England.
There were disturbances in Scotland, too, the most for-
midable of which was known as the Porteous riot, because
a captain of that name was one of the principal victims of
it. Sir Walter Scott has given an excellent and most inter-
esting account of this riot in one of the most popular of
his novels. He says that Captain John Porteous was the
son of a citizen of Edinburgh, who did all in his power to
bring him up to an honest trade ; but the boy was so wild
and dissipated that at last he was sent to join the army in
Holland, with the hope that the discipline would improve
his morals. Some years later he returned to his native
city, where he was employed by the magistrates to drill the
City Guard, because he was supposed to possess military
skill. It was not long before he was made captain, and his
very name became a terror to all disturbers of the public
peace, because he was so harsh and severe. He com-
manded a corps of a hundred and twenty soldiers, whose
duty it was to preserve order, and prevent street robberies
and mobs ; yet whenever there was a public holiday there
was sure to be a skirmish between the City Guard and the
rabble of Edinburgh, who really hated them.
Among the smugglers that abounded all along the coast
of Scotland was one Andrew Wilson, a man possessed of
so much strength, courage, and cunning, that he did not
hesitate to conduct the most desperate enterprises. He
frequently managed to escape the king's officers ; but they
watched him so closely that they were able to seize all the
wares he smuggled into the country v and completely ruined
him. He, like many others, could not .see the justice ef
taxation, and looked upon himself as a man deprived of
his honest dues, and resolved to get back what he could, in
one way or another, from the government. So, hearing
that a tax collector had come to the town, with a consider-
able sum of public money, Wilson decided to seize him and
1736- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 107
take from him just the amount of which he had been de-
prived. He associated himself for this purpose with a
young man named Robertson and two others, who, after
carefully watching the movements of the collector, broke
into the house where he lodged, and entered his apartment.
As soon as the collector beheld three armed men, for
Robertson, the fourth, kept watch at the house-door, he
suspected that his life was in danger, and jumped out of
the window in his night-shirt. The plunderers then helped
themselves to two hundred pounds; but no sooner had
they made their escape than one of the accomplices gave
the alarm ; the military were called in, Wilson and Robert-
son were caught with the money concealed about their per-
spns ; both were tried and condemned to death. As public
sympathy was always with smugglers, and they were gen-
erally regarded by the country people along the coast as
brave, worthy traders, this sentence was considered too
severe. On the other hand, the act had been so audacious
that it was thought proper to make an example of the cul-
prits. When it seemed certain that sentence of death was
really to be executed, files and other implements were con-
veyed secretly to the prisoners to enable them to escape.
Thus provided, they cut through a bar of one of the prison
windows, and might have got off, had it not been for Wil-
son's obstinacy. Robertson was a young, slender man, and
knew that he could pass through the opening, when he pro-
posed to enlarge it from the outside, to enable Wilson, who
was very fat, to pass also. Wilson insisted on going first ;
but all the pushing and squeezing in the world availed
nothing, and the poor man stuck fast half way, without
being able to advance or recede. In this plight he was
discovered by the jailer, who took the necessary precau-
tions to prevent the recurrence of such an attempt. Rob-
ertson did not once reproach his companion ; but Wilson
io8 The Queens of England.
was greatly distressed, because he knew that but for him
Robertson would not have got into trouble at all, and that
he had injured him a second time by not permitting him
to pass through the window first, when he might have
escaped. So his whole thought was turned towards devis-
ing some means for the rescue of the young man, for he
cared nothing about his own fate.
Next to the Edinburgh city jail was a church, to which
criminals under sentence of death were led by a strong
guard on the Sunday previous to their execution. Wilson
and Robertson, each between two soldiers of the City Guard,
sat in the pew set apart for persons in their unfortunate
situation on a certain Sunday, while the officiating clergy-
man preached an affecting sermon, part of which was ad;
dressed to the prisoners. Robertson wept, but Wilson's
countenance bore a look of fixed determination, and his
thoughts seemed far away. The congregation glanced
towards the two men, but their suspicion was not excited
by anything they saw ; on the contrary, compassion was
aroused, and after the benediction had been pronounced,
many lingered to take a last look, as they supposed, at the
unfortunate criminals. Suddenly Wilson seized two of the
soldiers, one with each hand, called to his companion,
" Run, Geordie, run ! " threw himself on the third, and
fastened his teeth in the collar of his coat. For an instant
Robertson was so taken aback that he did not stir, but the
cry of " Run, run ! " that arose from every part of the
church recalled him to himself ; so he shook off the grasp
of the fourth soldier, jumped over the pew-railing, and dis-
appeared through the church door, the crowd making way
for him, and covering his retreat. From that time the prac-
tice of taking culprits to church has been discontinued.
Now Wilson was looked upon as a hero, and it was
whispered that the mob of Edinburgh, who always favored
J 73 6 - Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 109
such offenders, would help him to escape also. Murmurs
to this effect reached the ears of the magistrates, who
ordered John Porteous to be at the place of execution with
the City Guard at the time appointed for Wilson to expiate
his crime. This defence not being deemed sufficient, a
regular mfantry regiment besides was drawn up on the
principal streets of the city, to intimidate the people in case
they purposed any interference with the officers of justice.
John Porteous became most indignant at this arrange-
ment, for he was jealous of the sound of any drums besides
his own within the city limits. He could not vent his ill-
humor on the magistrates, but resolved to do so on poor
Wilson, whom he ordered to be manacled as soon as he was
delivered over to his charge by the prison keeper. This
was done to prevent any possibility of escape, but the hand-
cuffs were too small for the wrists of so powerful a man as
Wilson, so the captain forced them on with his own hands
until they clasped, and tortured the criminal dreadfully.
Wilson remonstrated against such barbarity, and declared
that the pain distracted his thoughts from their proper
course at such a solemn moment.
"It signifies little," replied Captain Porteous; "your
pain will soon be at an end."
" Your cruelty is great," answered the sufferer. " You
know not how soon you yourself may have occasion to ask
the mercy which you are now refusing to a fellow-creature.
May God forgive you."
As these words were repeated among the crowd, com-
passion for Wilson was increased with a proportionate
degree of indignation against Porteous, who was much dis-
liked by the common people. When the criminal arrived
at the Grass-market, the place of execution, the multitude
attempted no violence, and the sentence of the law was ful-
filled in due form.
no The Queens of Englt
No sooner was life extinct than by a sudden impulse,
angry murmurs filled the air, which increased to whoops,
howls, and yells, while the mob pressed forward and threw
stones at Porteous and his men. One young man with a
cap slouched over his face jumped upon the scaffold and
cut down the body dangling there, while others approached
to carry it off. This excited the fury of Captain Porteous,
who snatched a musket from one of his soldiers, gave the
order to fire, and set the example by shooting a man dead
on the spot. Six or seven others were slain, and a great
many were wounded. This was an unjustifiable act of
violence on the part of a man whose duty it was to preserve
peace and order, and he recognized it as such when his
rage had subsided.
On his return to the guard-house Porteous dismissed his
men, and went to make his report of the day's proceedings
to the magistrates, glossing over his own part in them as
much as possible. The public indignation was great, and
before it had time to cool Captain Porteous was brought
up for trial before the High Court of Justiciary. There
was so much conflicting evidence that the jury had a long
and tedious task ; but at the end their verdict was such that
the captain was condemned to be hanged on September
8, and all his movable property confiscated to the crown,
according to the Scottish law in cases of wilful murder.
On the day appointed for the execution, Grass-market
was crowded almost to suffocation, and every window of
the surrounding tenement-houses was filled with specta-
tors. Few words were spoken, but there was an expres-
sion in men's faces that showed determination as they
watched for the approach of the criminal with a feeling of
triumphant revenge. Had the captain appeared upon the
scaffold some sympathy might have been awakened in his
behalf, but the longer the delay the greater became the
!73 6 - Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of AnspacJi. ill
animosity against him. Among the magistrates and the
better class of the Scotch people Porteous had been a
favorite officer, for he had proved himself a reliable man
in cases of emergency, and it was argued that on the occa-
sion of the Wilson execution his conduct might have been
caused by an imprudent excess of zeal. So a petition,
signed by a vast number of the nobility and gentry, was
sent to Queen Caroline, asking her to exercise the mercy
of the crown in the captain's behalf.
Just at the last moment, when all preparations for the
execution had been completed, a reprieve, granting a res-
pite of six weeks, arrived with the queen regent's signa-
ture. The news, which the magistrates almost feared to
communicate, was at length announced, and spread like
lightning among the crowd.
There were groans of indignation and disappointed
revenge as the citizens began to disperse and return to
their respective homes ; but some of them gathered in knots,
and several individuals were seen to pass from group to
group talking excitedly about the injustice of Wilson's
death, and how much more he was entitled to mercy than
this man, who had just been granted a reprieve. An
Edinburgh mob, when thoroughly excited, had always been
considered one of the fiercest that could be found in
Europe, and it was not easy to suppress them. They took
their departure from Grass-market, but they were to be
heard from soon again ; for that very night they assembled
to the number of four or five thousand, seized and closed
the city gates, took possession of all the arms belonging to
the City Guard, set fire to the prison gate, and released
even* prisoner confined within, excepting Captain Por-
teous. Him they dragged to the place of execution, and
with all the solemnity of a legal proceeding hanged him,
saying that they wanted to show the world that no author-
112 The Queens of England.
ity should have power to dispense with the laws of Scot-
land, while many talked in the coarsest and most oppro-
brious terms of the queen and her reprieve. As soon as
this horrible murder was committed the mob was appeased
and dispersed without further violence to any one.
Queen Caroline was excessively indignant, particularly
with Captain Moyle, commander of the troops, who had
refused to use his authority in suppressing the riot. She
declared that he deserved to be shot by order of court-
martial quite as much as the rioters deserved to be
hanged. Even Sir Robert Walpole, who tried to soften
her majesty's temper, acknowledged that Moyle had acted
like a fool, knave, and coward.
When the Edinburgh jail was thrown open by the mob
on the night of the Porteous murder, there was among the
prisoners a lovely, fair-haired young woman, named Effie
Deans, who had been arrested on a charge of having
killed her infant. This circumstance would not be in
place here, excepting as it led to an act of sympathy and
generosity on the part of Queen Caroline which shows a
pleasing trait in her character.
Effie Deans had a sister, ten years older than herself,
named Jeanie, who was so much distressed at the punish-
ment of one in whose innocence she had the utmost confi-
dence, that she was determined to get a pardon for her if
possible. For that purpose she applied to Mr. Butler, a
young minister, to whom she was engaged to be married.
He, too, believed in Effie's innocence, and resolved to aid his
lady-love in her worthy endeavor to save her sister. After
a few moments of reflection he remembered that his father
and grandfather had rendered important service to the
ancestors of the Duke of Argyle, whose influence with
Queen Caroline was very great ; he, therefore, gave Jeanie
a paper, which had descended as an heirloom in his family,
"736- Caroline Wilhchnina DorotJiea of Anspack. 113
stating that in consideration of the aid rendered to the
Argyle family, all the descendants thereof were earnestly
enjoined to grant any reasonable demand that might ever
be made by the Butlers.
Armed with this document, Jeanie sought the presence of
the duke, who, after inquiring into her sister's trouble and
carefully examining the paper she gave him, told her to
come to him two days later, and he would do his best to
serve her, adding : " But God has the hearts of kings in
his own hand."
Instead of waiting for Jeanie Deans the Duke of Argyle
sent one of his servants the next day in a coach to fetch
he*r, and after a long drive she found herself on a turnpike
road leading to London. The duke's servant got down
from the carriage, and opened the door just as his master
appeared. " You have been punctual, I see, Jeanie," said
the duke as he placed her in a large chariot drawn by four
horses, and seated himself by her side, giving his footman
an order to drive forward rapidly. It is not our province
to give all the details of this interesting adventure, which
anybody may read in Sir Walter Scott's " Heart of Mid-
Lothian " for himself ; we will mention only that part of it
which refers to the queen.
When Jeanie walked into the gardens of Kensington
Palace with the Duke of Argyle, she saw two ladies stroll-
ing about. They were her majesty and an attendant ; but
the young girl did not suspect the rank of the person whom
the duke approached and conversed with for several min-
utes, while she stood at some distance away. Neither
could she hear what was said, but presently she was told
by a signal from the duke to advance.
Queen Caroline smiled at the shy, awkward manner of
the quiet, demure little Scotchwoman as she came towards
her, and in a low, sweet voice, with a broad northern ac-
I 1 4 The Queens of England.
cent, asked " her leddyship to have pity on a poor mis-
guided young creature."
" Stand up, young woman," said the queen, in a kind
tone, "and tell me what sort of barbarous folk your
country people are, where child-murder is become so com-
mon as to require the restraint of laws like yours ? "
" If your leddyship pleases," answered Jeanie, " there are
many places besides Scotland where mothers are unkind to
their ain flesh and blood."
And so the conversation went on until Queen Caroline
was in possession of the whole of Effie's sad story, and then
she said : " I fear you have had a long journey to little
purpose ; since, if the king were to pardon your sister, in
all probability it would do her little good, for I suppose
your people of Edinburgh would hang her out of spite."
The queen spoke thus because she was still very angry
at the contempt with which her reprieve had been treated
in the case of John Porteous. But Jeanie replied : " I am
confident that baith town and country wad rejoice to see
his majesty taking compassion on a poor unfriended
creature."
" His majesty has not found it so of late," said the
queen ; " but, hark you, young woman, had you any friends
engaged in the Porteous mob ? "
" No, madam," replied Jeanie, pleased that she could
say so with truth ; " I would hae gaen to the end of the
earth to save the life of John Porteous, or any other un-
happy man in his condition ; but he is dead and gane to
his place, and they that have slain him must answer, for
their ain act. But my sister my puir sister Effie, still
lives, though her days and hours are numbered ! She
still lives, and a word of the king's mouth might restore
her to a broken-hearted auld man, that never, in his daily
and nightly exercise, forgot to pray that his majesty might
Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of AnspacJt. 117
be blessed with a long and a prosperous reign. Oh,
madam, if ever ye kend what it was to sorrow for and
with a suffering creature, whose mind is sae tossed that
she can be neither ca'd fit to live or die, have some com-
passion on our miser)' ! Save an honest house from dis-
honor, and an unhappy girl, not eighteen years of age,
from an early and dreadful death ! Alas ! it is not when we
sleep soft and wake merrily ourselves that we think on
other people's sufferings. Our hearts are waxed light
within us then, and we are for righting our ain wrangs and
fighting our ain battles. But when the hour of trouble
comes to the mind or to the body and seldom may it
visit your leddyship and when the hour of death comes,
that comes to high and low lang and late may it be
yours oh, my leddy, then it isna what we hae dune for
oursells, but what we hae dune for others, that we think on
maist pleasantly. And the thoughts that ye hae inter-
vened to spare the puir thing's life, will be sweeter in that
hour, come when it may, than if a word of your mouth
could hang the haill Porteous mob at the tail of ae tow."
The tears flowed down Jeanie's cheeks as she pleaded
for her sister's life, and all present were touched at her
simple, solemn manner. "This is eloquence," said her
majesty to the Duke of Argyle. " Young woman," she
continued, addressing herself to Jeanie, " I cannot grant a
pardon to your sister ; but you shall not want my warm
intercession with his majesty. Take this housewife case,"
she continued, putting a small embroidered needle-case
into Jeanie's hands ; " do not open it now, but at your
leisure you will find something in it which will remind you
that you have had an interview with Queen Caroline."
Jeanie had begun to suspect to whom she was speaking ;
but as soon as her suspicion was confirmed she dropped
upon her knees speechless with gratitude. After a few
u8 The Queens of England.
courteous remarks addressed to the duke, Queen Caroline
withdrew.
It is only necessary for us to add that upon opening the
needle-case at the duke's request, as they were driving
back home, Jeanie Deans found, besides the usual assort-
ment of silks, needles, scissors, etc., a bank-bill for fifty
pounds ; and her sister's pardon was sent to her before
many days had elapsed. The story, so beautifully related
by Scott, is founded on fact ; but the name of the young
girl who sought the interview with the Duke of Argyle in
behalf of her sister is a fictitious one.
In October King George wrote the queen to remove from
Kensington to St. James's, saying that the season being far
advanced, and the house in which she was living reputed
to be damp, he thought it would be better for her health,
.besides she would be nearer the ministers. She did not
obey, because she knew that her husband did not mean
what he wrote, but preferred to have her live in retirement,
as she was doing, until his return.
. Frederick, however, removed to London, but left his suite
in the country, so that he could not be accused of setting
up a rival court, and of thus acting in direct disobedience
to his father's commands. He charmed the public by send-
ing five hundred pounds to the Lord Mayor for the purpose
of releasing poor freemen of the city. To be sure he was
deeply involved in debt as usual, and his creditors would
have preferred to get the money themselves ; nevertheless,
his act was a liberal one, and formed a strong contrast to
his father, who spent large sums in Germany, much to the
disgust of his English subjects.
On the eighth of December the king left Hanover to re-
turn to England, and arrived at Helvoetsluys, the seaport,
on the eleventh of the same month. His daughter, Anne,
was dangerously ill at the Hague ; but he did not take time
!73 6 - Caroline Wilhehnina Dorothea of Anspach. 119
even to inquire how she was, so impatient did he feel to get
back to his Caroline. Everybody in London was on the
lookout for their sovereign, for it was known that he had
reached the*Holland coast, and as the weather was fine it
was expected that he would be among them in a few days.
But the wind changed, a violent storm ensued, and such a
terrific hurricane blew from the west that fears were en-
tertained for the king's safety. People began to bet on the
time of his sailing, and the probabilities of his having gone
to the bottom of the ocean. Day succeeded day; still no
news ; the excitement increased. Walpole began to dis-
cuss the situation of the royal family, and to consider what
sort of a ruler the Prince of Wales would make, how he
would treat his mother, sisters, and brother, who would
rule him, and whom he would bully. Lord Hervey had a
private conversation with the queen on the subject, and
assured her that she would be able to govern her son as
easily as she had her husband ; but she could not be in-
duced to believe that, called Frederick a fool, and wondered
at his popularity, which seemed perfectly incomprehensible
to her. Hour after hour reports came of losses at sea ; the
Harwich guns had been heard at a distance, and they were
regarded as signals of distress from the royal fleet. The
queen would not believe that the king was drowned, though
Frederick had informed her that little doubt remained, and
began to assume lordly airs as he grew more and more con-
vinced of his own advancement. But all his high hopes
were dashed to the ground when a courier arrived, having
risked his life to bring the news to England that King
George had not sailed when he expected, and was still at
Helvoetsluys awaiting favorable winds and weather.
At last favorable weather did come, and the royal fleet
set sail, but it was overtaken by a storm far more severe
than the one that had detained it before. This time Queen
120 The Queens of England.
Caroline was excessively anxious, for she saw there was real
cause for alarm. The ships that had comprised the royal
fleet were dashed ashore at various points along the coast,
some of them totally wrecked, and it was reported that the
last seen of the vessel which b,ore the king was when she
was tacking, and it was hoped that his majesty might have
got safely back to Helvoetsluys, though there were strong
doubts.
Christmas-day came around, and still no king. St.
James's palace presented a most gloomy appearance. The
queen and her attendants played cards in the evening, and
every one tried to appear cheerful and hopeful, but their
thoughts were far away, and all were prepared for the
worst. The next day, being Sunday, Caroline attended
chapel, resolved to keep up her courage until she was posi-
tive that her husband had perished. In the midst of the
service a letter was handed to her from the king, which she
opened at once. Considering the anxiety she had endured
she is to be excused for that, for she afterwards declared
that her heart had been heavier that day than ever before.
His majesty wrote that he had set sail, but the fleet had
been scattered, and his ship driven back to Holland after
knocking about for nearly twenty hours. He added that
the commander, Sir Charles Wager, was entirely to blame,
for he had hurried him aboard with the assurance that
wind and tide were both favorable.
This statement was entirely false, for it was George
himself who had insisted on setting sail, and he had even
declared that if Sir Charles refused he would go over in a
packet-boat, adding, " Be the weather what it may, I am
not afraid." " I am-" was the seaman's reply. " But I
want to see a storm," said the king, " and would sooner be
twelve hours in one than be shut up for twenty-four hours
more at this place." " Twelve hours in a storm ! " cried
i?37- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 123
Sir Charles, " four hours would do your business for you."
The commander would not sail until the wind was fair, and
when he did so, he said, " Although your majesty can com-
pel me to go, I can make you come back again." And
he was right, for the storm that overtook them was awful,
and their return to ' the Dutch coast was attended by a
great deal of danger. On landing Sir Charles said, " Sir,
you wished to see a storm ; how does your majesty like
it ? " " So well," replied the king, " that I never wish to
see another."
[A.D. 1737.] Queen Caroline wrote a letter to her hus-
band congratulating him on his safety, and he sent one in
return filled with terms of affection and praise. He passed
five long, tedious weeks at Helvoetsluys, and did not
arrive in England until the fifteenth of January. Contrary
to his usual habit, he came from Germany in a splen-
did humor, smiled on every one, complimented his wife,
and declared her to be the most superior woman in
the world. One thing made him very angry, and that was
when any of the ministers inquired after his health. He
really was not well, for his experience at sea had upset
him dreadfully ; but any man who presumed to refer to
his illness was pronounced a " puppy," and treated with
supreme contempt.
Soon after his return to England the king was much
annoyed about the income of the Prince of Wales, but the
manner in which it was settled by parliament gave both
his majesty and Queen Caroline perfect satisfaction. This
means, of course, that the prince did not get what he
asked for, because, if he had, their majesties would have
been very much displeased. Queen Caroline was so
anxious for her son William to succeed to the throne that
she would have given anything if Frederick could have
been put out of the way ; but she was not to be gratified,
124 The Queens of England.
and even if she had been, the little daughter born to the
Princess of Wales on the thirty-first of July, would have
stood in William's path.
The child was named Augusta, and the Prince of Wales
had behaved so badly towards his parents about the time
when she appeared in the world that he was requested to
leave St. James's Palace. He removed with his wife and
baby to Kew, and from that time he and his mother never
spoke to each other.
In September the Prince and Princess of Wales held a
levee at Carlton House, when the lord mayor and other
officials of the city offered congratulations on the birth of
the Princess Augusta, and many friends gathered about the
prince, anxious to show him that they considered him
oppressed, and wished to prove themselves his partisans.
He invariably discussed his father's treatment of him, but
always blamed the queen for it. Probably this was because
she was unwomanly, and unlike a mother enough to call
him by the harshest and most disgraceful names whenever
she had occasion to speak of him at all, and these were no
doubt repeated to him.
If the prince's levees were crowded so were the king's,
for his birthday drawing-room, on the thirtieth of October,
was the most splendidly attended of any that had been
celebrated since his accession. This was very gratifying
to King George, and put him in a most amiable mood, but
it was not long to continue ; for the queen, whose health
had been poor for many months, though she had endeav-
ored to conceal it, now grew visibly worse. Yet such was
her love for the king, and so anxious was she to gratify
ever}' desire of his, that even when suffering from an attack
of gout she would often plunge her whole leg in cold
water, in order that she might be able to attend him in a
walk of three or four miles. But such treatment only
i?37- Caroline Williclniina Dorothea of Anspach. 125
aggravated the disease, and in the month of August Queen
Caroline was so ill that a report was circulated of her
death, and all the London shop windows displayed mourn-
ing materials in place of the gay ones that had decorated
them before. The mourning was premature, however, for
the royal patient rallied, and was able to walk with the
king in the gardens of Hampton Court several times.
STOKE POGIS CHURCH.
However, in November of the same year she had a more
serious attack, which finally proved fatal. Queen Caroline
was a woman of such energy and will that she would not
succumb until the end. On the morning of the ninth she
got up as usual, but was obliged to return to bed for seve-
126 The Queens of England.
ral hours. There was to be a drawing-room that day, and
as the king always said that there was neither grace,
gayety, nor dignity on such occasions when the queen was
absent, she exerted herself to attend, and he was incon-
siderate enough to permit her to do so. Before long Lord
Hervey noticed how much she was suffering, and urged
her to retire ; she refused at first, but finding herself grow-
ing weaker she sent for the king, who was in another part
of the room discussing the merits of the last burlesque
performance. At length he answered the summons, and,
without any pretense of sympathy, led the queen from the
room, no doubt with a feeling of great annoyance at having
his entertainment interrupted. This was her last appear-
ance in public.
She was put to bed, and Princess Caroline, who was her-
self in bad health, watched beside her mother until long
past midnight. Then the king relieved her ; that is, robed
in a comfortable morning gown, he lay on the outside of
her majesty's bed, and scarcely left her room enough to
turn over. Besides, he was not quite comfortable, and so
grumbled at being kept awake, and did more harm than
good to the sufferer.
On the following day the queen was bled, but continued
to grow worse. That did not prevent his majesty from
giving directions about the lace ruffles that were to be
>ewed in his coat-sleeves in time for the reception of the
^reign ministers, before whom he was always desirous of
n aking a display.
The Princesses Caroline and Amelia watched by their
dying mother with all the devotion of dutiful, affectionate
daughters, but they were not to be rewarded by seeing her
recover ; for on the thirteenth the physicians announced
that their royal patient was beyond hope of recover}'. She
took a solemn, tender farewell of all her children, except-
Caroline \nihehninaDorotlicaofAnspacli. 127
ing the Prince of Wales, and Anne, who was in Holland,
and whose presence in London was not desired by any
one. Queen Caroline loved her other children as much as
she disliked the two older ones ; and her last words to the
Duke of Cumberland were touching and sensible. After
giving him a great deal of counsel, she concluded by tell-
ing him, "That should his brother Frederick ever be
king, he should never seek to mortify him, but simply try-
to manifest a superiority over him only by good actions
THE IVY TOWER.
and merit." She placed her two youngest daughters,
Louisa and Mary, under the care of the gentle Caroline,
and then took leave of the king, who was overcome with
grief.
The queen expressed no desire to see Walpole, but he
sought an interview, and then she requested him to take
care of the king. All this time no member of the royal
family had suggested that a priest should be sent for ; but
I2 8 The Queens of England.
for the gratification of public -opinion Walpole recom-
mended it, though he was little better than a heathen,
joked about bishops, and laughed at High Church and Low
He addressed himself to the Princess Amelia on the sub-
ject thus : " It will be quite as well that the farce should
be played. The Archbishop of Canterbury will perform
it decently ; and the princess might bid him be as short as
she liked. It would do the queen neither harm nor good ;
and it would satisfy all the fools who called them atheists
if they affected to be as great fools as they who called
them so."
So Archbishop Potter was summoned, and attended the
dying queen, morning and evening, but the sacrament was
not administered. It was supposed that this ceremony
could not be performed because of her majesty's inrecon-
cilable hatred of her eldest son, but this could not be
known positively, because all her interviews with the
archbishop were private. However, everybody felt great
curiosity to know whether the solemn rite had been ad-
ministered, but when at his last visit the courtiers met the
priest and asked eagerly, " My lord, has the queen re-
ceived ? " The only reply they got was, " Gentlemen, her
majesty is in a most heavenly frame of mind.'' What that
signified they were left to guess, and we may do the same.
Meanwhile the king passed his time praising the virtues
of his wife, which he recounted over and over again, yet
whenever he entered her room he was sure to say some-
thing rough or unkind. Once when her eyes had a vacant
look peculiar to invalids, he requested her to " stop staring
in that disagreeable way, which made her look just like a
calf with its throat cut."
On the morning of the twentieth the queen turned to
her physician, and asked, " How long can this last ? " " It
will not be long," was the reply, " before your majesty will
J 737- Caroline Wilhclmina DorotJiea of Anspach. 129
be relieved from this suffering." " The sooner the better,"
said the queen. Then she began a solemn, earnest, elo-
quent prayer, that excited the admiration of every one
present, for it was so beautiful and so touching. She re-
quested to be raised up in bed, and asked all present to
offer up a prayer for her. As she grew weaker she ordered
water to be sprinkled over her, so that she might revive
and be able to listen to the appeal to Heaven in her be-
half. " Louder ! " she murmured, while one or the other
of her family prayed, " louder, that I may hear." One of
the princesses read the Lord's Prayer, in which the dying
queen took part ; at its conclusion she looked fixedly at
those who stood weeping around her, then with a long-
drawn, feeble "so ! " expired, as the clock on the
chimney-piece struck eleven.
The king kissed the face and hands of his dead wife,
and then went to his own apartment ; but he was so super-
stitious and so afraid of ghosts that he would not allow
himself to be left alone for a moment. He kept con-
stantly talking about his " Caroline," and related over and
over again the different circumstances of her life. Then
he would weep ; but in the midst of his tears he burst into
a roar of laughter at Horace Walpole, the brother of Sir
Robert, because he presented such a grotesque appearance
when he cried.
George II. was not a man to grieve very long nor very
deeply, but he never ceased to respect the memory of his
wife, and declared that he had never seen a woman whom
he thought "good enough to buckle her shoes." Queen
Caroline was mourned by a great number of people, as she
well deserved to be, but by none more than the king, to
whom she had been one of the truest, fondest wives a
prince was ever blessed with. She loved him and was
faithful to him to the last. Queen Caroline was a clever.
130 The Queens of England.
learned, good-tempered woman. Her predominant passion
was pride, the dearest pleasure of her soul was power ; but
to her credit it must be recorded that she never abused the
power she had over the king's mind by employing it for
the promotion of her own friends or favorites. Carlyle
says of her : " There is something stoically tragic in the
history of Caroline with her flighty vaporing, little king ;
seldom had foolish husband so wise a wife."
Queen Caroline was buried at Westminster Abbey, and
the Princess Amelia acted as chief mourner. The anthem
sung on that occasion was " The Ways of Zion do Mourn,"
set to music by Handel.
Of course the ill-feeling between the king and the
Prince of Wales continued, and whatever courtiers visited
at Carlton House dared not show their faces at St.
James's, and the king's jealousy of his son was probably
further increased when George Augustus, who afterwards
reigned as George III., was born. This event occurred on
the 4th of June, 1738 ; and after that the party opposed to
the king gathered more and more around the prince, while
the rival courts kept the town amused.
[A.D. 1743.] For twelve years Sir Robert Walpole had
kept England at peace, but the era of war began soon after
Queen Caroline's death. George II. espoused the cause
of Marie Theresa when the French tried to deprive her of
her inheritance. During that campaign the Earl of
Stair, who commanded the British troops, allowed himself
to be surrounded by the enemy near the village of Dettin-
gen, and but for the bravery of George II., who was pres-
ent, would have lost the battle. His majesty rode a vicious
horse, which during the conflict carried him out of the
way. At length with the assistance of a soldier the animal
was stopped, and the king dismounted, saying in his broken
English, " Aha ! now dat I am upon my own legs, I am
sure dat I sal not run away ! "
175 1- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 131
The Duke of Cumberland had accompanied his father to
Flanders, and when they got back to England they met
with a most enthusiastic reception. The Prince of Wales
stood at the head of the stairs of St. James's Palace with
his two sisters to receive the king, who passed him by as he
would a dog. The next year the Duke of Cumberland
met with a signal defeat at Fontenoy, and in 1748 peace
was restored to England once more. The Prince of Wales
continued to oppose his father all the time, but that did
not prevent his son, Prince George, from having the Order
of the Garter conferred on him. On that occasion the
little knight was carried to the king's door in his father's
arms. The Duke of Dorset received him, and he made a
speech that had been taught him by his tutor.
[A.D. 1749.] The dissension between George II. and
his eldest son was put an end to at last by the death of the
latter, which occurred as a result of great imprudence in
175 1. The king was at Kensington when the news reached
him looking at a game of cards. " Dead, is he ? Why, they
told me he was better ;" and that is all the regret, if it may
be so called, that the royal father felt at the loss of his
first-born. But he sent kind messages to the widow, who
behaved with a great deal of sense and courage.
She was then the mother of eight children, and her hus-
band's death was a severe blow. She sat beside his body
for four hours before she would believe that he was dead ;
then, after taking a brief repose, she went to his writing-desk
and burned all his private papers.
[A.D. 1751.] Frederick had had his friends, and his death
was lamented by many, though his own family were not of
the number. A preacher said of him, " He had no great
parts, but he had great virtues, indeed, they degenerated
into vices. He was very generous ; but I hear his generos-
ity ruined a great many people ; and, then, his condescen-
132 The Queens of England.
sion was such that he kept very bad company." It is
rather hard to decide whether this was intended for praise
or censure ; but a Jacobite epitaph that appeared at the
time is decidedly more conclusive. It was to this effect :
" Here lies Fred,
Who was alive and is dead
Had it been his father,
I had much rather.
Had it been his brother.
Still better than another.
Had it been his sister,
No one could have missed her.
Had it been the whole generation,
Still better for the nation :
But since 't is only Fred,
Who was alive and is dead.
There is no more to be said.''
One of George II. 's earliest acts after the death of the
Prince of Wales was to appoint his wife regent, in case of
his own death before the next heir should be of age.
This gave great offence to William, Duke of Cumberland ;
but the king did not trouble himself about such a trifle, and
devoted the rest of his life to gayety and politics.
The young Pretender is said to have visited England
more than once for the purpose of finding out what the
populace thought of him. One day the king asked a cer-
tain lord where Charles Edward was. " Upon my word,
sire, I don't exactly know," was the reply. " I suppose
he is in Italy; but I '11 consult my last despatches." " Poh,
poh ! man," said the king, " don't trouble your head about
despatches ; I' 11 tell you where he is : he is now at No. ,
in the Strand, and last night he was at Lady - - 's party.
What shall we do with him ? " The lord proposed calling
a council to decide, but the king said, "No, no; we can
manage the business without a council. Let him stay
where he is at present; and when the poor man has
1760. Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of A/ispach. 133
amused himself with looking about London, he will go
home again."
George II. had no taste for art, science, nor literature,
and never pretended to have. " I hate bainting and boetry
too," he used to say, " neider de one nor de oder ever did
any good ! " But he loved the theatre, opera, and mas-
querades. Once when he was in Hanover he was visited
by the Princess of Orange and Maria of Hesse-Cassel with
their husbands. At that time his court was very brilliant,
and he gave a magnificent mask ball in honor of his guests
in the theatre of Herrenhausen. The stage was splen-
didly decorated, and the garden surrounding the theatre
was illuminated with colored lanterns. All the ladies and
gentlemen appeared in white satin dominos, and every de-
tail of the ball was conducted with unusual magnificence.
A grand supper was served on three long tables, and the
dancing was kept up until broad daylight.
A few days later there was an assembly at the opera-
house, when the king appeared in a richly embroidered
Turkish costume, with a striped silk turban, in which was
an agraffe of rare and costly diamonds, Dapper little
George danced and capered about with his red face, white
eyebrows, and goggle eyes, in a manner that would have
been more becoming to a man of twenty than one of
sixty.
[A.D. 1760.] The latter years of King George's life
were passed as regularly as clockwork. At night he played
cards in the apartments of his daughters, Amelia and Caro-
line, with some favored officers of his own household, and
two or three of the late queen's ladies. Every Saturday
he made a pleasure trip to Richmond, where, with a party
of courtiers, he dined. They went in coaches, drawn by
six horses, in the middle of the day, with the horse-guards
kicking up the dust before them, dined, walked an hour in
134 The Queens of England.
the garden, and returned in the same dusty procession.
This was considered enjoyment.
When the young and beautiful Duchess of Hamilton was
presented to King George, just after her marriage, he con-
versed with her for a long time, and was much pleased with
her naturalness and vivacity. He asked her what striking
public sights she had witnessed, whereupon she thought-
lessly replied : " Oh ! I have seen so much, there is only
one sight in the world which I wish to behold, and that is
a coronation." The old king gently took her hand in his,
and with a sigh, exclaimed, " I apprehend you have not
long to wait ; you will soon have your desire."
On the twenty-fifth of October, he arose about his usual
hour, and seemed well ; he called for his chocolate, and
inquired the direction of the wind, as if anxious for the
arrival of his foreign mails. He then opened the window,
and said he would walk into the garden ; but he stopped,
and with a deep sigh, fell to the ground, saying, faintly,
" Call Amelia," and then expired. He was raised and laid
upon the bed. It was found, on examination, that he had
died of rupture of the heart.
The funeral took place the following month, at night.
The king's chamber was hung with purple velvet, and lit
up with silver lamps ; the coffin was placed on a dais under
a canopy of purple velvet, surrounded by silver candelabra,
on high stands.
The procession passed through a double line of foot-
guards, every seventh man bearing a torch. The horse-
guards formed an outside line, and all their officers wore
crape sashes and carried drawn sabres. As the coffin was
borne along, minute-guns were fired, bells tolled, and a
funeral march was played on fifes, with muffled drums for
accompaniment. The procession was met at the entrance
to the Abbey by the dean and chapter in rich robes, all the
^fo- Caroline Wilhelmina Dorothea of Anspach. 135
choir and almsmen bearing torches. Arriving at the chapel
of Henry VII., the bishop read the prayers for the dead,
which were succeeded by an anthem. The Duke of Cum-
berland, as chief mourner, stood at the entrance of the
vault, in which his father's remains were placed beside those
of his mother.
He looked very tall in his black cloak, with a train rive
yards long, which must have felt very heavy during the
two hours he was kept standing. But he bore the ordeal
firmly, in spite of his lame leg, and the thought that he
must soon follow his father. He had had a paralytic stroke,
from which he had not entirely recovered. He lived five
years longer.
CHAPTER IV.
CHARLOTTE SOPHIA, WIFE OF GEORGE III.
(A.D. 1744-1818.)
LONG before his death, George II. began to look about
for a wife for his grandson, George William Frederick,
whose father, Frederick, Prince of Wales, died when the
young prince was only thirteen years of age. This event
made young George heir to the throne of England ; conse-
quently, it was by no means an unimportant matter to
decide upon a lady worthy of the honor of marrying him.
Before telling how it was settled, let us take a look at the
early life and education of the prince.
He was such a feeble infant at the time of his birth that
he was baptized privately on the following day ; but a
month later he had improved so much that this ceremony
was repeated in public, when the King of Prussia and the
Duke of Saxe-Gotha were god-fathers by proxy, and the
Queen of Prussia god-mother, also by proxy. No doubt
the old king would have stood sponsor for his first grand-
son if he had been friendly with the Prince of Wales ; but
we know of the enmity that existed between that father
and son. It fortunately did not extend to the grandson,
who became good friends with George II,. and was admit-
ted on familiar terms to his presence.
[A.D. 1 748.] George was not a bright boy at his studies ;
for when he was eleven years old he could not read Eng-
lish, though he knew something of Latin. Baron Stein-
's*
CHARLOTTE SOPHIA.
1760. Charlotte Sophia of England. 139
berg was directed by the king to find out what progress
the royal children were making in their studies. He ex-
amined them, and said to Prince George, " I will report
your proficiency in Latin ; but I wish you were a little
more perfect in your German grammar." "German gram-
mar ! " exclaimed the boy, " oh, any stupid child can learn
that."
[A.D. 1749.] He had for drawing-master Goupy, the
artist, who was very fond of him. One day the pupil was
standing behind his father's chair, where he had been
placed for punishment, when the master entered. " Sit
down, Goupy, and go on with your sketch," said the Prince
of Wales. But as the artist declared that it was impossi-
ble for him to use his pencil with any spirit while his little
friend was in disgrace, the prince was released. George
never forgot this act of consideration ; and many years
later, when he was king, he met poor Goupy, then eighty-
four years of age, in great distress, tottering along the road
from Kensington to London, with bailiffs at his heels.
The king stopped his carriage, and called out, " How now,
Goupy ! how now ! What 's the matter ? " The aged artist
replied that he had been arrested for debt, but added : " As
I once took your majesty out of confinement, I trust you
will not suffer me to be imprisoned." "O Goupy!" re-
turned the king. " Bailiffs, eh ? I can't stop the law, you
know ; let it take its course. But d'ye hear, Goupy ?
Ramus shall settle this business, and I '11 take care to
secure you from such dangers in future."
[A.D. 1750.] It was the fashion among the Georges for
each one to hate his heir, and Frederick, Prince of Wales,
did not depart from it. He lavished all his affection on
Edward, his second son ; but a short time before his death,
which occurred in 1751, he sent for the prince, and, em-
bracing him tenderly, said : " Come, George, let us be good
140 The Qiieens of England.
friends while we are suffered to be so." It was not to be
for a very long time, as he knew ; but the interview made a
favorable impression on the boy, who was very much
grieved when his father died. Soon after an act of parlia-
ment made the Princess-Dowager of Wales guardian and
regent of the heir-apparent during his minority; and
then the boy, who had already been made a Knight of the
Garter, was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester.
[A.D. 1752.] When, at the age of twenty-three, George
III. ascended the throne, his knowledge of books and men
was very limited, though the latter he learned to know by
experience. He was about fourteen years of age when
Lord Bute began to take a share in his education, and laid
the foundation of his future influence over the mind of the
prince.
[A.D. 1756.] George William Frederick was not more
than seventeen years old when, as we have said, his grand-
father began to think of a wife for him.
While the king was thus interesting himself for his grand-
son, that young prince fell in love with Lady Sarah Lennox,
a virtuous, beautiful young English girl, whom Walpole thus
describes : " There was a play at Holland House, acted by
children : not all children, for Lady Sarah Lennox and
Lady Susan Strangways played the women. They were
delightful, and acted with so much nature that they ap-
peared the very people they represented. Lady Sarah was
more beautiful than you can conceive ; and her very awk-
wardness gave an air of "truth to the sham of the part.
When Lady Sarah was in white, with her hair about her
ears and on the ground, no Magdalen of Correggio was
half so lovely and expressive."
[A.D. 1760.] Although George admired Lady Sarah,
he could not marry her, because she was English, therefore
his subject ; but he was wise enough to choose a bride for
1760. Charlotte Sophia of England. 141
himself at last. A princess of Saxe-Gotha had been
selected by the royal mother and Lord Bute ; but the king
said he had already had enough of that family. Then a
Colonel Graeme was sent to visit all the German courts in
search of a princess, good, beautiful, and accomplished.
At Pyrmont he happened to fall in with the Princess-Dow-
ager of Strelitz, with her two daughters. There was very
little etiquette observed at this watering-place. The young
princesses went about with a good deal of freedom, which
was the more agreeable to them, because it formed such a
contrast to the stiffness and formality of the life at their
little court. Colonel Graeme was thus afforded an oppor-
tunity of approaching them ; and it was not long before he
decided that the Princess Charlotte was in every way a
desirable person to become the wife of the future King of
England.
This princess was born at the palace of Mirow, May 16,
1744; and her early education was conducted by her
mother, with the assistance of an accomplished, noble lady.
She was not more than seven years of age when Madame
de Grabow began to instruct her. This lady was possessed
of such poetical talent as to be called " the German Sap-
pho," and proved of great service to her pupil, who be-
came, under her tuition, a good German, French, and
Italian scholar. The princess was well instructed besides
in history, geography, and mineralogy ; danced with grace,
sketched well, and showed a great deal of talent for music.
Above all, she was good and religious.
So Colonel Graeme's report was favorable ; but George
would not have consented to wed the princess if he had not
known something more about her, and this was through a
letter, said to have been written by her to the King of Prus-
sia, which by some means fell into George's hands. It was
during the Continental war, when the towns and villages
142 The Queens of England.
of the duchy of Mecklenburgh were occupied by the Prus-
sian troops, that this letter was written. Her native land
was subjected to such misery that many families were
obliged to seek homes elsewhere ; and it was under the im-
pulse of strong excitement that the princess addressed the
King of Prussia, thus :
" May it please your Majesty,
" I am at loss whether I should congratulate or condole
with you on your late victory over Marshal Daun, since the
same success which has covered you with laurels has over-
spread the country of Mecklenburgh with desolation. I
know, sire, that it seems unbecoming my sex in this age of
vicious refinement to feel for one's country, to lament the
horrors of war, or to wish for the return of peace. I know
you may think it more properly my province to study the
arts of pleasing, or to inspect subjects of a more domestic
nature ; but, however unbecoming it may be in me, I can-
not resist the desire of interceding for this unhappy
people.
" It was but a very few years ago that this territory wore
a most pleasing appearance ; the country was cultivated,
the peasants looked cheerful, and the towns abounded
with riches and festivity. What an alteration at present
from such a charming scene ! I am not expert at descrip-
tion, nor can my fancy add any horrors to the picture ;
but surely even conquerors themselves would weep at
the hideous prospects now before me. The whole country
my dear country ! lies one frightful waste ; presenting
only objects to excite terror, pity, and despair. The em-
ployments of the husbandman and the shepherd are quite
suspended ; for the husbandman and the shepherd are
become soldiers themselves, and help to ravage the soil
which they formerly cultivated. The towns are inhabited
only by old men, women, and children ; while, perhaps,
i7 6 <- Charlotte Sophia of England. 143
here and there a warrior, by wounds or loss of limbs ren-
dered unfit for service, is left at his door, where his
little children hang round him, ask the history of every
wound, and grow themselves soldiers before they find
strength for the field. But this were nothing, did we not
feel the alternate insolence of either army as it happens to
advance or retreat in pursuing the operations of the cam-
paign. It is impossible, indeed, to express the confusion
which they who call themselves our friends create ; for
even those from whom we might expect relief only oppress
us with new calamities. From your justice, therefore, it is,
sire, that we hope redress; to you even children and
women may complain, whose humanity stoops to the mean-
est petitions, and whose power is capable of repressing the
greatest wrong ! "
We have given the whole of this letter, because it is a
remarkable production from the pen of so young a girl.
So thought the king to whom it was addressed, for he
instructed his soldiers to be more humane ; and so thought
George III., who was charmed with the eloquence and
kind heart of the writer. We say George III., because by
this time the young prince had ascended the throne.
On the morning after the death of his grandfather, who
had said of him, " The boy is good for nothing but to read
the Bible to his mother," George proceeded from Kew to
St. James's Palace, accompanied by Lord Bute. On his
arrival there, he was presented by Mr. Pitt, the secretary
of state, with a paper, on which were written a few sen-
tences that the minister had prepared as a basis of the new
king's speech to the privy council. George thanked Mr.
Pitt, but said that he had already prepared himself ; and
he soon proved that he had done so, for the councillors
were astonished at the grace and dignity of his address.
Although in ordinary conversation George III. spoke so
144 Th c Queens of England.
rapidly that it was almost impossible to comprehend him,
in public he was perfectly intelligible, and moderated his
voice as well as any man in his dominions. He was
exceedingly popular on his accession. In his opening
speech before parliament, he who, it must be remem-
bered, was the first English George, said : " Born and
educated in this country, I glory in the name of Briton ;
and the peculiar happiness of my life will ever consist in
promoting the welfare of a people whose loyalty and warm
affection for me I consider as the greatest and most per-
manent security of my throne ; and I doubt not but their
steadiness in those principles will equal the firmness of my
invariable resolution to adhere to and strengthen this
excellent constitution in church and state, and to maintain
toleration inviolable." Mr. Pitt could have prepared no
speech for the king that would have been more satisfactory
than this, and he made several others that were equally so.
On July 8, 1761, the king announced to his council that
he had, after mature reflection, come to the resolution to
demand in marriage Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburgh-
Strelitz, a lady distinguished by every virtue and amiable
quality. On the fifteenth of the- next month the treaty was
concluded, and preparations were immediately made to
conduct the bride to England. The Earl of Harcourt and
the Duchesses of Ancaster and Hamilton, the two finest
women of the British court, were selected to escort her;
and the royal yacht in which she and her suite were to
embark was ordered to be convoyed by a fleet under the
command of Lord Anson.
[A.D. 1761.] Lord Harcourt wrote to a friend that the
bride was " the most amiable young princess he ever saw ; "
and was very enthusiastic over the reception he had met
with at the little German court, saying, " The great honor
the king has done this family is seen in its proper light."
WILLIAM PIXX.
1761. Charlotte Sophia of England. 147
His task was an easy and pleasant one, and his testimony
regarding the bride runs thus : " Our queen that is to be
has seen very little of the world; but her good sense,
vivacity, and cheerfulness, I dare say, will recommend her
to the king, and make her the darling of the British nation.
She is no regular beauty ; but she is of a very pretty size,
has a charming complexion, very pretty eyes, and is, in
short, a very fine girl." The two duchesses who were sent
to conduct the bride to England were such splendid-look-
ing women that they excited the greatest amount of admir-
ation in Germany, and Charlotte began to have some mis-
givings as to her own personal appearance when compared
with them. " Are all the women in England as beautiful
as you are ? " she asked when first she saw them.
The treaty of marriage was concluded on the i5th of
August, the Earl of Hardwicke acting as the king's ambas-
sador ; and then there were two days of state-banquets,
balls, fireworks, and illuminations in the city of Strelitz,
and everybody seemed wild with joy. On the seventeenth,
the princess took leave of her family and began her jour-
ney towards the sea-coast, being received with demonstra-
tions of delight from the populace wherever she stopped.
When she embarked at Cuxhaven all the ships fired a
salute of twenty-one guns each, and the young bride was so
overcome that she exclaimed, "Is it possible that I can be
worthy of these honors ? " The weather was so unfavorable
that the squadron did not proceed to sea until the twenty-
eighth. At length, on Sunday, September 6, the royal yacht
entered Harwich Roads; but, as it was not possible to
guess at the length of the voyage, no preparations had been
made for the reception of the princess, and she could not
land until the next day.
Even then the king was not present, and she was
received by no higher dignitary than the mayor. In the
148 The Queens of England.
afternoon she proceeded to Colchester, where she was
entertained at the house of a private gentleman.
On the eighth the princess arrived at Romford, where
she alighted at the house of Mr. Dalton, a wine-merchant,
and waited an hour for the royal carriages and servants,
sent from London to meet her. She then took her seat in
one of the carriages with the two Duchesses of Ancas-
ter and Hamilton. " She wore a fly-cap," say the chroni-
clers, "with rich lace lappets, a stomacher ornamented
with diamonds, and a gold brocade suit, with a white
ground." Three carriages containing ladies from Meck-
lenburgh and lords from St. James's preceded that of the
princess, and they all passed in procession through lines
of people, militia, and horse and foot-guards to London.
The young bride had been very gay and self-possessed
throughout the journey, but as soon as she came in sight
of St. James's Palace her courage failed ; she trembled and
turned pale. The Duchess of Hamilton smiled ; where-
upon the princess said : " My dear duchess, you may
laugh, you have been married twice, but it 's no joke
to me."
When the royal carriage stopped at the palace gate the
bride stepped out, assisted by the lord-chamberlain, Duke
of Devonshire, and advanced into the garden as the king
came forward to meet her. She sank down upon her
knees ; but he quickly raised her, kissed her on the cheek,
and led her into the palace. At first sight of the German
princess, George III. was certainly disappointed ; but it
was only a momentary cloud that passed over his counte-
nance, for he treated his bride with a great deal of tender-
ness and consideration always. Soon after her arrival a din-
ner was served, and then the bridesmaids and the court were
all presented to the princess, who said : " Mon Dieu, il y
en a tant, il y en a tant /" No wonder she was appalled
1761. Charlotte Sophia of England. 149
at the sight of so many strange faces and the sound of so
many strange names. She kissed the princesses with evi-
dent pleasure ; but, when it came to offering her hand to be
kissed by those of lower rank, she had to be instructed by
the king's sister, the Princess Augusta, how to do it.
At seven o'clock in the evening the nobility congregated
in the royal chapel to witness the marriage ceremony,
which was performed by the Lord Archbishop of Canter-
bury. All the royal family were present, and the king's
brother, Edward, Duke of York, gave away the bride.
Four daughters of earls acted as train-bearers, or brides-
maids. Among these was the beautiful Lady Sarah Lennox,
with whom the king had once been in love. The queen
was dressed in silver brocade, with a long train of violet-
colored velvet, lined with crimson, and fastened at the
shoulders with a bunch of large pearls.
After the ceremony the king and queen occupied two
state-chairs under a canopy on one side of the altar, and
the mother of the monarch sat in a similar chair of state on
the opposite side. The other members of the royal family
were seated on stools, while benches were provided for the
foreign ministers and others. At half-past ten the mar-
riage procession returned from the chapel, when a salute
was fired from the artillery of the park and the Tower.
While the company waited for supper the bride sang
and played, and conversed in French and German with the
king, the Duke of Cumberland, and the Duke of York.
Indeed, she behaved so prettily that all were charmed with
her graceful, easy, sensible manners. At the wedding
reception everybody was presented to the young queen ;
but, as she was acquainted with neither the history nor the
names of the guests, she spoke to no one. The king
looked very handsome, in a rich brocaded satin and vel-
vet costume, and spoke good-naturedly to his bride and
many of the court ladies and gentlemen.
150 The Queens of England.
On the Sunday after their marriage the royal couple
attended divine service at the chapel, and both seemed
very happy. The next evening they went in chairs to
Drury-lane Theatre, attended by the horse-guards. The
king was preceded by the Duke of Devonshire, his lord-
chamberlain, and the Honorable Mr. Finch, his vice-cham-
berlain ; the queen by the Duke of Manchester, her lord-
chamberlain, Lord Cantalupe, her vice-chamberlain, the
Earl of Harcourt, her master of horse, and the Duchess of
Ancaster and the Countess of Effingham. These went in
carriages, and took their places in the box of the theatre,
before the royal couple appeared. Never had such a crowd
of people been seen in the streets as gathered between St.
James's Palace and the theatre, to get a glimpse of the new
queen, and never had the play-house presented so brilliant a
spectacle ; for all the ladies and gentlemen wore the same
rich jewelry and dresses that had been made for the wed-
ding drawing-room, and the house was packed from pit to
dome. The queen had never seen a dramatic entertainment
before in her life, nor had she ever beheld such a brilliant con-
course of people, and her childish wonder and delight lit up
her pleasant countenance, and added much to her attractive
appearance. There probably never was great enjoyment
without something to mar it, and this case formed no
exception ; but it did not affect the royal couple person-
ally. It was the crowd in the streets that had their small
share in the fun spoiled by attempting to enter the theatre.
Many women had their clothing torn off ; one poor girl
was killed outright ; a man was so trampled upon that his
recovery seemed doubtful, and many were scratched and
bruised quite seriously.
This did not deter the populace from gathering again in
much larger numbers to witness the coronation. Grand
preparations had been made for this imposing ceremony,
1 7 6l> Charlotte Sophia of England. 151
which was to be as fine as any that had ever taken place
in England. Thousands sat in the streets all night in order
to secure good places, and long before daylight the scaf-
foldings which had been erected on all the street-corners
were crowded. A row of foot-soldiers was placed on either
side of the street, and parties of horse-guards at proper in-
tervals. The coaches and chairs of the nobility began to
hurry about to their various destinations soon after day-
light; but even then the roads were so blocked up that
ladies in full-dress were in some instances forced to walk,
escorted by soldiers to their places. When it is considered
that the Countess of Northampton wore three hundred
thousand pounds' worth of diamonds, and all the noble
ladies wore rich gems of great value, the military protec-
tion will not seem superfluous, particularly in such a
crowd.
Their majesties were carried in chairs from St. James's
to Westminster Hall at nine o'clock in the morning; but
they had to wait until chairs of state with the canopy were
put in place, for they had been forgotten amidst all the
preparations. The whole scene was so splendid that it is
impossible to do it justice in words, and Queen Charlotte
looked back before entering the Abbey at the sea of heads
and faces with perfect amazement.
A very imposing and pretty part of the show was the
procession of the Princess-Dowager of Wales from the
House of Lords to the Abbey. The royal mother was led
by the hand of her young son, William Henry, and followed
by the other members of her household, all attired in white
and silver. The princess wore a silk train short enough to
require no bearers ; her long hair fell over her shoulders in
ringlets, and her head was encircled by a band of dia-
monds.
The Westminster boys sang Vivat Regina as the queen
152 The Queens of England.
entered the Abbey, and Vivat Rex when the king appeared ;
then followed the usual ceremonies, and a sermon by the
Bishop of Salisbury. The Archbishop of Canterbury placed
the crowns on the heads of the sovereigns, and then pro-
ceeded to administer the sacrament. Contrary to any pre-
cedent, the king desired his crown to be removed, that he
might appear humbly at this ceremony ; but, as the queen's
crown had been fastened on with pins to keep it secure, it
was not an easy matter for her to follow the king's example,
therefore he consented that she might retain hers ; but it
was to be considered simply as part of her dress, and not
as indicating any power or greatness in a person kneeling
before God.
The banquet which followed cost ten thousand pounds.
Earl Talbot carried the second course to the king's table.
He had taken great pains to train his horse to back the
whole length of the hall, so that on retiring the animal
would not turn his rump towards the king. So much train-
ing must have bewildered the horse, for he backed into
the hall, much to the disgust of the earl, and was heartily
applauded by the spectators at his retreat. The champion
appeared on the identical charger that George II. had rid-
den at the battle of Dettingen, and acted his part admir-
ably. Many persons of quality in the galleries let down
handkerchiefs tied together, and strings with baskets at-
tached, for some of the good things from the tables ; for
they had eaten nothing since morning, and were almost
famished.
It was the universal opinion that no public festival had
ever passed off with more eclat than the coronation of
George III. and Queen Charlotte. They were both young
and popular, and the nation was enjoying a season of pros-
perity with political leaders who were in favor. The re-
moval of Pitt, the prime minister, who had been replaced
I76l.
Charlotte Sop hi a of England.
153
by Lord Bute, was not considered a wise move on the part
of George ; but he had stood in awe of that powerful states-
man, and had declared, " that he would not be the only
slave in a country where it was his wish to see all the peo-
ple free."
London became very gay under the new reign. The
queen announced her intention to attend the opera once a
week, and that seemed a great deal of dissipation to a
woman who had been strictly educated in the smallest and
GARRICK'S VILLA.
quietest of German courts. She was soon coaxed into at-
tending the theatre oftener, particularly as the great actor,
David Garrick, was then at his best. He had excited uni-
versal praise as Richard III., in which he made his first
appearance twenty years before. But this was all new to
the young queen, who, after witnessing one play, thirsted
for another. One night she went with the king to see
" King John " ; but that play was not repeated, because
154 The Queens of England.
George III. grievously offended Garrick by preferring
another actor who took the part of Falconbridge. As soon
as the great tragedian heard of this proof of what he con-
sidered bad taste on the part of his majesty, he would not
allow " King John " to have its run, and substituted some-
thing in which he was certain he could have no rival.
The last splendid scene of this year was when the queen
was introduced to the citizens of London, on Lord Mayor's
Day. All tu2 royal family left St. James's Palace at noon
in great state, escorted by guards, and cheered by crowds
of people. They proceeded to the house of David Barclay,
a silk mercer, and a member of the Society of Friends.
Barclay was eighty-one years of age, and boasted of having
entertained the two other Georges on occasions similar to
die one on which he welcomed George III. and his Queen
Charlotte. About a hundred Quakers had assembled at
the old man's house, which was decorated with brilliant
crimson damask, to do honor to their majesties, and each
was presented in turn. The king kissed all the women,
young and old, ugly and pretty, without distinction, and after
he passed into the next room, his young brother followed
his example. A little grand-daughter of Mr. Barclay kissed
the queen's hand with so much grace that the Princess-
Dowager took her up in her arms and embraced her a
dozen times. The Duke of York was so charmed with the
child that he wanted to present her to the king ; but she
refused until assured that he was a prince, whereupon she
confidently put her hand in his, and permitted herself to
be led. His majesty was greatly amused when the little
five-year old Quakeress told him, " that she loved the king,
though she must not love fine things, and that her grand-
papa would not allow her to kneel."
Mr. Barclay's daughters served the queen with tea : but
they merely handed it to the ladies-in-waiting, who pre-
1762. Charlotte Sophia of England. 155
sented it on their knees. After witnessing the procession,
the royal family attended a banquet at Guildhall, which
cost eight thousand pounds. It was so magnificent that,
on retiring, the king said to the Lord Mayor, " To be ele-
gantly entertained I must come to this end of the city."
One of the foreign ministers described it as a feast fit
only for one king to give to another.
The year closed with an act of parliament settling forty
thousand pounds per annum on Queen Charlotte, with a
dowry of a hundred thousand pounds and two palaces, in
case she should outlive the king. His majesty went in
state to the House to give the royal assent to the bill ; and
the queen, who accompanied him, rose from her seat and
made him a profound curtsey in acknowledgment of the
favor.
Somerset House was not considered fine enough for her
majesty's town residence, so George bought another for
twenty-one thousand pounds, and settled it on his consort.
It was known as Buckingham House, and afterwards as
Queen's House, and was intended as a sort of retreat when
its owner felt disposed to retire from the ceremony and
state of St. James's Palace. It was in this house that
George III. began the formation of a library, that in the
following reign was presented to the nation, and is now in
the British Museum.
The king continued for a time to be popular. In a letter
written by Horace Walpole, about this period, he says : " I
saw his majesty yesterday, and was surprised to find the
levee-room had lost so entirely the air of a lion's den.
The sovereign does not stand in one spot, with his eyes
royally fixed on the ground, and dropping bits of German
news; he walks about and speaks to everybody." It was
this affable manner of George III. that pleased people, yet
he could make himself disagreeable when he chose ; for
156 The Queens of England.
one historian tells us that " when anything displeased his
majesty he became sullen, silent, and cross, and would go
off to enjoy the melancholy of his own ill-humor."
[A.D. 1762.] Well, the royal couple established their
household in a style that would have done credit to a pri-
vate family, but was not becoming in them, because every
detail was planned with an eye to economy. Considering
that the nation had made such a liberal allowance to both
the sovereigns, it was expected that they would support the
royal dignity in a manner more in accordance with the
generally accepted ideas. But they were absurdly eco-
nomical, and their life was excessively prosaic and dreary,
though they were a model couple. The first entertainment
at their new house was given to about half a dozen
strangers, the whole company consisting of not more than
thirty people in all. Everybody danced excepting the
king's mother, the Duchess of Bedford, and Lady Bute.
Even the king and queen, the Princess Augusta, and her
four younger brothers all danced from half after six until
one o'clock in the morning, scarcely stopping for a moment
to rest, and then the guests went home without refresh-
ment of any kind. It was certainly carrying economy to
excess when people left a ball after several hours of dan-
cing, and had no supper. The famished guests must have
retired in ill-humor, and with little desire to pay so dearly
in future for their amusement. It need scarcely be said
that the courtiers made fun of such a tame entertainment,
or that they were greatly disappointed because the young
couple did not establish their household on a more luxuri-
ous scale. They had expected pleasure to reign supreme ;
but, instead of that, they found an abode of gloom and
meanness.
The queen's drawing-room was usually crowded ; but
as there were seventeen English and Scotch unmarried
GEORGE HI.
i? 66 - Cliatlotte Sophia of England. 159
dukes always present, it is no wonder that ladies attended
regularly. A visit from Queen Charlotte's brother, Prince
Charles of Strelitz, was an event that disturbed the court
monotony somewhat, and so royally was that handsome
young man entertained that his younger brother afterwards
spent a month in England. On that occasion, several
splendid fe~tes were given in his honor by various members
of the nobility.
The most important event to the royal family of the
year was the birth of the heir-apparent, on the twelfth of
August. He was christened George Augustus Frederick
the following month, the Princess Dowager of Wales,
the Duke of Cumberland, and the Duke of Mecklenburgh
acting as sponsors. This prince reigned as George IV.,
and we shall tell more about him hereafter.
[A.D. 1763.] Queen Charlotte was so happy in the
possession of a child of her own that she decided to do
something for those who were so unfortunate as to have
lost their parents early in life; so she established a
home in Bedforshire for orphan children. A lady was
placed at the head of this establishment who received a
salary of five hundred pounds per annum, in consideration
of which she was expected to instruct the orphan girls of
the Home in embroidery. Even in this act of benevolence
Queen Charlotte was somewhat calculating, for the first
piece of work produced by each girl went to her, and it
always consisted of something that could be used for win-
dow curtains, chair or sofa-covers, or bed-quilts for one of
the palaces. To be sure, her majesty paid well for this
handiwork, and performed many really charitable acts
which made her exceedingly popular.
[A.D. 1765.] She interfered very little with politics, but
devoted much of her time to the care of her sons, of whom
she had at this time, besides the Prince of Wales, Frede-
160 The Queens of England.
rick, afterwards Duke of York, and William Henry, after-
wards Duke of Clarence.
In a letter to his son, written at this period, Lord Ches-
terfield says of the queen : " She is a good woman, a good
wife, a tender mother, and an unmeddling queen. The
king loves her, but I verily believe has never yet spoken to
her one word about business." This is probably true, yet
it is strange ; for there was much anxiety and distress in
England, and politics were in a most troubled condition.
[A.D. 1766.] There had been many important changes
in the ministry, and war with the colonies had increased
the national debt heavily. Lord Bute, the king's favorite,
had been turned out of office, and succeeded by George
Grenville, at whose suggestion exorbitant taxes were im-
posed on the American colonies. In spite of violent
opposition, the stamp act was passed by parliament, and
caused great indignation among those whom it affected.
Everybody knows the important consequences of this act,
and the excitement it occasioned in the house of represen-
tatives in Virginia, when that eloquent and popular orator,
Patrick Henry, exclaimed, " Cassar had his Brutus, Charles
the First his Cromwell, and George the Third ".
Cries of "Treason!" here interrupted the speaker; but,
after a moment's pause, he continued, "And George the
Third may profit by their example. If this be treason,
make the most of it." We are not writing an American
history, and need not again refer to the Revolution that led
to our Independence ; it has merely been referred to
because of the excitement it caused in England.
CHAPTER V.
AFTER an illness that lasted six weeks, King George, who
knew the seriousness of its nature, made a speech before
the House of Peers, during which he asked that an act
might be passed enabling him from time to time to appoint
the queen or some other member of the royal family as
guardian to the heir-apparent, and regent of the kingdom.
Parliament granted this right.
The Duke of Cumberland died at this time. It will be
remembered that he was the favorite son of Queen Caro-
line, and uncle of George III. Never was there so popular
a prince, or one so winning in his ways when he was young;
but his health began to fail by the time he was twenty
years of age, and he was only forty-four at the time of his
death. A paralytic stroke had almost deprived him of the
sight of one eye in his youth, and a wound received on his
leg at the battle of Dettingen, when he fought so bravely
at his father's side, had left him lame. He was so unfor-
tunate on the battle-field afterwards that he retired to pri-
vate life, and devoted himself to gaming and horse-racing.
Then he ceased to be a favorite ; for right-minded people
could not approve of such a senseless waste of time. There
is one anecdote that shows a good trait in his character,
even while he was leading a useless life.
The duke's death was followed by that of his majesty's
youngest brother, Prince Frederick, and these two events
161
1 62 Tlic Queens of England.
cast a gloom over the royal family for some time. The
king and queen were then living at Richmond, and
amused themselves by visiting places in the neighborhood.
Their household was maintained on a very modest scale,
and with a small retinue of servants. The birth of their
first daughter occurred this year, and she was christened
Charlotte Augusta. This event was succeeded by the mar-
riage of the king's niece, Caroline Matilda, with Christian
VII., King of Denmark. A most unfortunate union this
one proved, for the groom was in every respect a man of
detestable character, and treated h;s poor wife with extreme
cruelty. Before ten years of married life had passed away,
this queen had been carried to Zell for safety by a British
fleet, and there she lived and died, neglected and for-
gotten.
[A.D. 1768.] We have spoken of the economy of George
III. and his wife ; but they sometimes gave entertainments
that were occasions of great display when they were in
town, and formed a striking contrast to their simple, private
life in the country.
Meanwhile, the royal couple were happy and contented
in their domestic life. When they were at Kew they rose
at six- o'clock, and spent a couple of hours doing exactly
as they pleased, undisturbed by business of any sort, and
untrammelled by ceremony. At eight o'clock there was a
lively family breakfast, at which the sovereigns were sur-
rounded by their children, who at this meal were permitted
to chatter freely. This was a privilege, for in public they
were taught to be silent, and it was at this time in the day
that parents and children became best acquainted with each
other. The king was so fond of riding that he passed
much time between breakfast and dinner on horseback,
and even went in the rain sometimes in this manner to
attend a council meeting at St. James's.
CEDAR FROM KEW GARDENS.
1768. Charlotte SopJiia of England. 165
Queen Charlotte, and often the king too, presided at the
children's early dinner; and every week there was a family
excursion to Richmond Gardens, where, while the young
people played, the queen would do some needle-work, and
his majesty would read aloud to her, generally from Shakes-
peare. In this pleasant manner the children of George III.
and Charlotte passed their early lives ; and, as the Prince
of Wales and his brother of York grew older, they had a
piece of ground in the garden at Kew, which they cultivated
with their own hands. There they sowed wheat, attended
the growth of their little crop, weeded and gathered it all
by themselves. They even went further : for they threshed
the grain, ground it, and attended the whole process of
making it into bread, which was eaten by the royal family
with great relish.
The Duke of York was a very little boy when he was
found one day in the cottage of one of the villagers, who
lived near Kew, seated on a low stool shelling peas, his
occupation being shared by a pretty little fair-haired girl,
with whom he fancied he was very much in love. He was
closely watched after that, and not permitted to run after
rustic beauties any more.
Queen Charlotte and George III. both patronized art,
though they were rather deficient in taste. A charter was
granted to the society of artists, and Joshua Reynolds, its
first president, was knighted, though the king preferred the
paintings of some less gifted artists. Benjamin West, who
succeeded Sir Joshua as president of the society, was such
a favorite that in the course of thirty years he painted
sixty-four pictures for George III., and received a very lib-
eral sum of money for them. Once, when a picture by
Wilson, which had been ordered for the royal collection,
was shown to the king, he exclaimed : " Hey ! What ! Do
you call this painting ? Take it away ; I call it daubing !
1 66 The Queens of England.
Hey what! 'T is a mere daub!" He then inquired
what Wilson expected for his work ; and, on being told a
hundred guineas, he declared it was the dearest picture he
ever saw: "Too much, too much," added his majesty;
"tell him I say so."
[A.D. 1772.] The death of his mother was a great sor-
row to George, for he was tenderly attached to her. He
had shown his devotion by visiting her regularly every
evening at eight o'clock, in company with Queen Charlotte,
and she had been his guardian and adviser ever since the
death of his father. Princess Augusta's character has
been so differently estimated that it is impossible to form a
correct judgment of it ; but it is allowed by all that she
was benevolent, and possessed many good qualities. She
certainly was honest in paying off, out of her own income,
the heavy debts that her husband left. Let us accept what
Bishop Newton, her chaplain, said of her : " The calmness
and composure of her death were further proofs and attes-
tations of the goodness of her life ; and she died, as she
had lived, beloved and lamented most by those who knew
her best." .
Meanwhile, children were being added to the royal fam-
ily,, and Queen Charlotte devoted herself to their care and
education. One day a visitor was surprised at seeing one
of the princesses, then six years of age, run to her mother
with a book in her hand, and tearfully exclaim, " Madam,
I cannot comprehend it ! I cannot comprehend it ! "
" Well, my child," said the queen, " do not be alarmed ;
what you cannot comprehend to-day you may comprehend
to-morrow; and what you cannot attain to this year, you
may arrive at the next. Do not, therefore, be frightened
with little difficulties ; but attend to what you do know, and
the rest will come in time." "This," said the visitor after-
wards, "was good common sense, and a golden rule well
worthy our observation.''
77 2 - Charlotte Sopida of England. 167
[A.D. 1773.] Let us see what progress literature made
in this reign. Though George II. never looked at a book
if he could possibly avoid it, and he generally managed
to do so, literature began to improve in his day, and
many periodicals were established. These gave rise to a
new class of writers, who called themselves critics. They
began by merely giving a list of the new books that ap-
peared. After a time short notices accompanied the titles,
and the contents of the works, with opinions as to the merit
or demerit were given. This was the origin of the reviews,
which at the present time form such an important part of
the magazine articles of the present day. This class of
periodicals became numerous after the accession of George
III. ; but the critics did not confine themselves to notices
of books, for they took delight in abusing people, and
brought to light a large amount of private scandal, by re-
sorting to the use of fictitious names. The charm of the
writings of such men as Fielding and Smollett, as well as
the memoirs and novels of other authors, consisted in the
facility of recognizing the portraits of well-known individ-
uals of the day, whose weaknesses were often presented in
false and glaring colors. These critics spent their whole
time in coffee-houses and at the theatres, where they were
ever on the alert for any bit of gossip, that, whether true
or false, they managed to work up into an interesting and
spicy article for their papers. Of course there was no end
of quarrels resulting from such proceedings; but these
men would have starved if the periodicals had not existed,
for the House of Hanover did not patronize^ literary men.
To be sure, Queen Charlotte did procure a pension of two
hundred pounds a year for Beattie ; but neither she nor
Lord Bute, when he was in power, used much judgment in
the granting of pensions, excepting with regard to Hogarth,
Johnson, and Smollett. The last had no regular sum set-
1 68 The Queens of England.
tied on him ; but he was engaged to edit " The Briton," a
weekly paper, devoted to abusing Pitt and all the popular
party.
As for music, both George and his queen were devoted
to this branch of art, and encouraged George Frederick
Handel to establish an academy for its advancement ; but
it soon broke up on account of rivalry. Then Handel re-
turned to the continent, and in his native land devoted
himself to the production of those noble oratorios that gave
him celebrity and wealth.
Many years later, when King George, who delighted in
Handel's oratorios, was listening to one of them, a thunder-
storm came up. " How sublime ! " exclaimed his majesty.
" What an accompaniment ! How this would have de-
lighted Handel ! "
Queen Charlotte excited the ire of some of the court
ladies when she issued a decree against the enormous
head-dresses that were then in fashion. She was prompted
to this not without some provocation ; for a dowager-
duchess had appeared at a drawing-room with a structure
of jewels and feathers a yard and a quarter in height,
almost too ridiculous to be believed. It had become
the fashion to pile up the hair to at least half a yard above
the head ; and this was done by spreading it thinly over
pads of wool, tow, or hemp, and sticking it in place with
pomatum and other compounds. After this structure had
attained the desired proportions, it was finished off with
great bunches of flowers and feathers, interspersed with
sparkling jewels. But as this was the work of two or three
hours, it must not be supposed that it was repeated every
day. No, indeed ! Once in two or three weeks was con-
sidered often enough for brushing and combing ; and we
shudder to think of what must have been the contents of
the puffs that these great ladies carried about so proudly.
i?79- Charlotte Sophia of England. 169
No history tells how they managed to sleep, or the suffer-
ing that such a weight on top of the head must have occa-
sioned, but everybody must agree in considering Queen
Charlotte a wise woman for altering such a filthy, silly
fashion. To the front wire was attached a string, by which
the wearer could draw up her hood or let it fall back at
will. It must not be imagined that ladies' heads exceeded
their bodies in size , for, to insure symmetry, enormous
hoop-skirts, oval in shape, and spreading out suddenly over
the hips, were worn, making a slender waist look very wasp-
like. A long, loose cloak, fastened at the throat, was the
outer garment, which, with the hood described above, must
have given a woman the appearance of an animated wool-
sack. These ladies had so much trouble to squeeze them-
selves in and out of carriages, large and cumbersome
though they were, that it was suggested to manufacture
them with movable tops, and then, by means of pulleys
and ropes, gently raise the wearers of hoops and gigantic
head-gear, and lower them into the vehicle, thus avoiding
damage to their toilets.
The fashions for the lords of creation were not less ridic-
ulous than those of the women, though different. Many
of the rich young men of England had visited Italy, and
from that sunny land of the South, they brought back not
what was virtuous and sensible, but all the follies and
vices that it was possible to imitate. These travellers
formed themselves into a club, which, in honor of Italy,
they called the "Macaroni Club." They were distin-
guished by an immense bunch of false hair hanging down
the back, the head being surmounted by a tiny cocked hat.
A closely-fitting short jacket, waistcoat, and knee-breeches
completed the attire, and each Macaroni carried an enor-
mous walking-stick, ornamented with silk cords and tas-
sels. A man thus attired must have presented an exceed-
170 The Queens of England.
ingly droll appearance ; yet the style became popular, and
was even adopted by members of the clergy, whose hats were
made, clothing cut, and wigs combed a la macaroni. There
were dances, songs, and music, called Macaroni, and noth-
ing was popular that was not sufficiently trifling, showy, and
affected to belong to the macaronic class. This manner
of dress excited so much ridicule that it was altered before
very long, and gave place to a higher style of dressing the
hair. Then the beaux wore nosegays on their breasts,
large enough to fill a good-sized mantel-vase. Walpole says
of the members of the fashionable club, after complaining
of a dull winter in politics : " Even our macaronies enter-
tain the town with nothing but new dresses and the size
of their nosegays. They have lost all their money, and ex-
hausted all their credit, and can no longer game for twenty
thousand pounds a night."
Queen Charlotte's maids-of-honor grumbled a good deal
at the changes their mistress instituted in the fashions ; but
they were ready to mutiny when she made it a rule of her
household that they should not be provided with supper.
However, a compromise was affected, their salaries were
raised, and each maid-of-honor received a thousand pounds
on her marriage as a gift from the queen. This was very
benevolent on the part of her majesty, and there are many
equally kind, considerate acts told of her. Here is one
that she managed very gracefully.
[A.D. 1779.] In one of the battles off the French coast,
near Brest, a mate named William Moore was so desper-
ately wounded in the shoulder and leg by the blowing up
of a vessel that it was not supposed he would ever be fit
for service again. While he was lying in bed, a kinsman
named Ashburner, who often sold dry goods at court, was
one day exhibiting his wares to Queen Charlotte, when he
adroitly managed to mention the name of Moore, and then
!783- Charlotte Sophia of England. 171
related all the circumstances of his hard fate. Her ma-
jesty was touched by the story, and told Ashburner to
send the mate to Windsor, where she was then living, as
soon as he was well enough to travel. Such a command
was balm to the wounded man, who, before the lapse of
three days, was not only comfortably lodged at the palace*
but watched and tended by the queen's own surgeon, and
provided with a competent nurse.
It was many weeks before the invalid was cured ; but at
last he asked permission to thank his royal benefactress,
and was admitted to her presence. He faltered out a few
awkward sentences, turning red and pale by turns ; but
ended by assuring her majesty that he was equal to the
performance of duty again. " So I hear from the doctor,"
replied the queen, " and I have spoken about you to the
king, and, there, Mr. Moore, is his majesty's acknowledg-
ment for your gallantry and sufferings when afloat." The
man took the paper, but wondered why so much was said
about the performance of a mere act of duty. " Will you
not see what his majesty says, Mr. Moore ? " asked the
queen, as the man sidled towards the door. He silently
obeyed, and, on opening the document, found that he had
been promoted to a lieutenancy on board the " Mercury."
Some years later Moore became a captain, which proves that
Queen Charlotte's charity was judiciously bestowed. The
commander of the vessel on which Moore was injured lost
his life when it blew up ; and for his widow and children
her majesty obtained such a liberal pension that they could
enjoy not only the comforts, but many of the luxuries of
life. These are only a couple of a large number of Queen
Charlotte's benevolent deeds.
Few persons interested themselves more to rescue Dr.
Dodd from the hands of the executioner than the queen.
William Dodd was a popular divine of the Church of Eng-
172 The Queens of England.
land, as well as a voluminous writer. But he committed
several errors in the course of his life, which was violently
ended because of a check which he forged for a large sum
of money on Lord Chesterfield. Queen Charlotte argued
that a man occupying the holy office of minister of the
Gospel ought not to be punished like a common criminal ;
but the king replied, that the crime was the more heinous
because committed by a clergyman, and declared that the
law must take its course.
[A.D. 1780.] There came a year of riots in London,
occasioned by the repeal of certain laws against the Catho-
lics. Queen Charlotte was called upon for the exercise of
considerable courage at this period, for she was left almost
alone at Buckingham House, with her children, while the
mob set the city on fire in several places, and behaved so
disgracefully that there was no telling where they would
stop. The king, who was hated by a large portion of his
subjects, spent two nights at the queen's riding-house with
his council, where he was constantly receiving reports of
the doings of the rioters. At length it was decided to
fire on them, yet the king mercifully hesitated to give the
necessary directions to his troops ; and even when St.
James's Palace was assailed, he ordered the soldiers not to
fire if they could possibly help it ; but to keep the crowd
off with their bayonets. Thus, those of his enemies who
pronounced George a stubborn man were bound to ac-
knowledge that he was also a merciful one.
[A.D. 1783.] Having reached the age of twenty-one, the-
Prince of Wales was allotted an establishment of his own
at Carlton House, which had been the residence of his
grandfather, whom he is said to have resembled in many
respects. Then parliament settled upon him a hundred
thousand pounds, besides an annual income of fifty thou-
sand. Thus liberally provided for, he devoted himself to
1773-
Charlotte Sophia of England.
173
a life of indulgence and idleness, and incurred the dis-
pleasure of the king, both on account of his vices and his
politics. He entered the House of Peers, and in following
the lead of the opposition party, imitated the example of
the Georges who had preceded him. In spite of his lib-
eral allowance, he got into debt, which his so-called friends
solicited the king to pay. The conduct of their eldest son
CARLTON HOUSE.
was a source of much unhappiness to the royal couple.
The queen did not lose confidence in him, though she was
deeply distressed.
[A. D. 1784.] A year after he went to live at Carlton
House his royal sire offered to pay his debts, if the
accounts were sent to him. They were sent, but, after
being kept for months, they were returned, because they
1/4 The Queens of England,
were found to be incorrect, twenty-five thousand pounds
being entered without any explanation as to whom that
sum was due. The prince declared it to be a secret of
honor, which he would not reveal, and the king, in his turn,
declared that he would pay no debt the nature of which
his son was ashamed to acknowledge ; and there the mat-
ter rested.
[A.D. 1785.] But the following year the prince's debts
had increased to such an outrageous amount that he could
see no way out of his dilemma excepting in flight. He
wanted, as Earl of Chester, to remove to some German
court, and there live in retirement, declaring that the king
hated him, and would not allow parliament to assist him.
The great trouble was, that no confidence existed between
George III. and his eldest son, and neither treated the
other with fairness. The ministry offered the prince a
hundred thousand pounds, provided half the sum might be
retained for the payment of his debts ; but he pronounced
the offer useless, saying that he knew the king would not
listen to it, and if Pitt, the minister, were to propose such
a measure he would be turned out of office. It was pro-
posed to him to try to conciliate his royal father by ceas-
ing to adhere to a political party in opposition to the gov-
ernment; but he refused to abandon Fox or any of his
friends. Then it was proposed that he should marry ; and,
as he was very much in love with Mrs. Fitzherbert, a lady
who had been divorced from a bad husband, he resolved
to do so. But this marriage could not be legal for two rea-
sons : first, because Mrs. Fitzherbert was a Catholic ; and
second, because no prince of the blood was permitted to
marry without the king's consent before he had attained
the age of twenty-five. So George, Prince of Wales, kept
his marriage secret, and even had it denied in parliament,
much to his wife's indignation. When the queen heard of
1 7&5- CJiarlotte Sophia of England. 177
it she commanded the presence of her son, and, on being
assured that he was really married, and to a woman
worthy of respect, she consented to receive her. Not only
did Queen Charlotte show marked courtesy to Mrs. Fitz-
herbert, but she did a service for her son in using her
influence to have all his debts paid off. Then Carlton
House, which had been dull and silent, became once more
the scene of gay and brilliant entertainments.
We must now return to the royal couple, and see them
pleasantly established at Windsor, though with the king's
health far from satisfactory. It was at this period that a
remarkable lady entered the queen's service ; and, as she
was well-known in the literary world, she must be properly
introduced. This was Frances Burney, the daughter of a
musician of much talent. She was only a little child when
her mother died ; and, as her father seemed to think that
his whole duty consisted in fondling his children and treat-
ing them with the kindness and affection his sweet temper
prompted, Frances educated herself. Dr. Burney (he
had the degree of Doctor of Music from the University of
Oxford) really had little time for anything but the les-
sons he gave, for they sometimes kept him busy from seven
in the morning until eleven at night, and he often carried
a tin-box of sandwiches, with a bottle of wine and water,
for his luncheon, which he would eat in a hack while hurry-
ing from one pupil to another. Two of his daughters were
sent to a school in Paris, and one of them taught her little
sister, Frances, to write ; and before she was fourteen she
began to find pleasure in reading. Dr. Burney had a large
library, but it contained no novels, and so his daughter's
taste was not spoiled by light reading.
The social position of the Burney family was peculiar ;
for, while the children played with those of the trades-
people in the neighborhood, they had opportunities of
178 The Queens of England.
seeing some very distinguished people, who were proud to
know the doctor. Samuel Johnson was his most intimate
friend, and they spent many a long winter evening together.
David Garrick often amused the Burney girls with his
powers of mimicry, and there were so many other artists
and men of letters whom Frances had an opportunity of
seeing that it would be tedious to mention all their
names.
The very finest musicians of the day visited Dr. Burney,
and esteemed him so highly that occasionally he would
gather them at his modest little house, and give such a
splendid concert that many members of the nobility con-
sidered it a privilege to get an invitajtion. At this time
Frances was a shy, awkward girl, who trembled if any of
the guests spoke to her. Therefore she was permitted to
remain in the background, and, while thus unobserved, she
watched people, observed their peculiarities, and analyzed
their characters. She had a vivid imagination too, and
laid up a store of material for fiction that was of great use
to her later.
Frances soon began to write little stories that amused her
sisters very much, but were not shown to her father, who
knew nothing of their existence. Dr. Burney had an inti-
mate friend named Samuel Crisp, a well-educated, literary
man, whose advice was of the utmost benefit to Frances,
whom he always called his Fannikin, while she in return
called him her dear Daddy. Crisp enjoyed Dr. Burney's
concerts; but, when he grew old and gouty, and could no
longer attend them, Frances would write him a long ac-
count of each one, and of the gay people who attended.
These letters were answered, and contained so much in-
struction about what to read and how to write, that they
went far towards the development of " Fannikin's " in-
tellect.
i7 8 5- Charlotte Sophia of England. 179
The result was that Frances Burney wrote a novel which
took the literary world by surprise. Her father wept over
it for joy. " Daddy " Crisp shook his fist at Fannikin in
affectionate anger for not having confided in him, and
everybody began to guess what author could have written
" Evelina." When they found out that a reserved, inex-
perienced young woman had produced the best work of
fiction that had appeared in many a day, praises were in-
creased. Frances Burney suddenly found herself famous.
Then she wrote another novel, which she called " Cecilia."
The publishers paid her two thousand pounds for it, and
there never was a book more eagerly snatched from the
counters of the booksellers. Frances Burney was now
thirty years old ; she had literary fame, position and money.
What, then, could have induced her to take the steps to
which we have alluded, that of entering the queen's ser-
vice ? It is certainly inexplicable ; but this is how it
happened :
Mrs. Delany, a lady of noble birth, having been left a
widow, was kindly cared for by King George and Queen
Charlotte, who fitted up a house for her in Windsor Park,
and settled on her an annuity of three hundred pounds a
year. Their majesties frequently visited the old lady, and
the young princes and princesses often honored her by
their company to tea.
Miss Burney was visiting at Mrs. Delany's house, when,
one day after dinner, as the old lady was taking her nap,
a stout gentleman entered, unannounced. " What ? what ?
what ? " he asked, looking about, as the visitors who had
been playing a game scampered out of the room, and a cry
of " The King ! " was set up. Mrs. Delany came forward
to receive her royal guest, and introduced Miss Burney,
who was questioned as to what she had written and what
she was going to write. The queen soon appeared, and
180 The Queens of England.
his majesty repeated to her all that the young authoress
had said. Miss Burney was charmed with the royal pair,
and felt quite at her ease when their visit was repeated a
few days later. On that occasion the king expressed his
opinion about many English and foreign writers. Voltaire
he pronounced a monster, Rousseau he liked better. " But
was there ever such stuff as a great part of Shakespeare ? "
he cried, "only one must not say so. But what think
you ? What ? Is there not sad stuff ? What ? what? "
Well, one of the keepers of the queen's robes retired
about this time, and the position was offered to Miss Bur-
ney. She consented, with the advice of her father, to give
up writing, to leave a happy home and pleasant associates,
to become the companion of an old German woman who
was the chief-keeper of the robes and waiting-maid to
her majesty. We wonder how Dr. Burney could have con-
sented to allow his daughter to enter upon the five years of
drudgery to which she bound herself; but he, poor de-
luded man, seemed to think that going to court was like
going to heaven, and so he actually persuaded her to it ;
and, after escorting her to her dreary prison, for so it was,
went home rejoicing at her marvellous prosperity. It is to
the diary that Miss Burney kept while she was waiting-
maid to her majesty that we are indebted for an account
of the domestic life at court.
She felt very timid the first day she entered upon her
office , but Queen Charlotte was exceedingly gracious, and
soon placed the new maid at her ease by treating her less
like a servant than a friend. Nevertheless, she was glad
to escape from the royal presence to dine with the ladies
and gentlemen-in-waiting. The meals served for these
court attendants were much more enjoyable than those at
which their majesties presided, because there was less for-
mality and ceremony. The queen was no longer served
1785- Charlotte Sophia of England. 181
by gentlemen who kneeled while offering a dish, but they
were never permitted to sit in her presence ; no matter how
high their rank, and it is easy to understand how uncom-
fortable they must have felt when forced to eat standing.
No wonder the lords, bishops, and officers preferred to
dine with the maids-of-honor and ladies-in-waiting, with
whom they could enjoy themselves, and at whose sides they
might sit while partaking of their meal.
Miss Burney found the dressing of the queen a very for-
midable matter at first, because the ringing of the bell that
summoned her always put her in a flurry at the start. No
maid was permitted to remain in the room while the queen
was dressing, but they assembled in the ante-chamber,
where one handed to the other the various articles as they
were required. " 'T is fortunate for me," says Miss Burney,
"that I have not the handing of them. I should never
know which to take first, embarrassed as I am, and should
run a prodigious risk of giving the gown before the hoop,
and the fan before the neckerchief."
The actual toilet for the day was performed at one
o'clock, and concluded with the powdering of the hair, a
very important matter, always performed by a regular hair-
dresser. On his arrival her majesty was covered by a
large peignoir, and then left alone with the artist, who flung
the powder at the royal head causing a light spray to fall
gently on every part of the hair, standing off to view the
effect, applying the puff here and there, and so continuing
the operation until the desired effect was produced.
One of Miss Burney's duties consisted in preparing her
majesty's snuff-boxes, and dampening the contents to suit
the royal nose ; for Queen Charlotte was a connoisseur of
the article, and took it as regularly as did all the gentle-
men and most of the ladies of that period. " On court
days," says Miss Burney in her diary, " the queen dresses
1 82 The Queens of England.
her head at Kew, and puts on her drawing-room apparel at
St. James's. I dress all at Kew except my tippet and long
ruffles, which I carry in paper to save from dusty roads."
The most rigid etiquette was observed when the royal family
were at Windsor. Nobody ever knocked at a door for fear
of shocking the royal nerves ; a shake of the knob was
the only signal allowed to a person desiring to enter. When
a birthday occurred, the family walked on the terrace,
crowded with people of distinction, who gathered to show
respect. One of these scenes is thus described :
" It was really a mighty pretty procession. The little
Princess Amelia, just three years old, in a colored robe,
covered with fine muslin, a dressed close cap, white gloves
and a fan, walked on alone, turning from side to side to
see everybody as she passed, for all the people on the ter-
race stand up against the walls, to make a clear passage for
the royal family, as soon as they come in sight. Then fol-
lowed the king and queen, no less delighted themselves
with the joy of their little darling." Little Amelia was a
great pet with her parents, and when she observed Miss
Burney among the guests, and actually stopped to kiss her,
the breach of etiquette was merely smiled at, though the
queen was not pleased ; for she only addressed a word to
those whom she desired especially to distinguish. So rigid
was the court etiquette that no person ever passed a room
occupied by the royal family if the door chanced to be
open, and the children never spoke in the presence of
their parents unless called upon to answer an observation
directed to them.
[A.D. 1786.] But everything was different at Kew,
where the absence of restraint formed a striking contrast
to the life at Windsor. There the king was called
" Farmer George," and there were some odd sketches
made by the caricaturists of the day, representing his
WILLIAM HIT
Charlotte Sophia of England. 185
majesty with his wife on his arm, trudging along in
true rustic fashion. Some very amusing anecdotes are
given of " Farmer George's " visits to the cottages of his
neighbors, which were made with the least possible cere-
mony, and often at most inconvenient periods.
He rode for hours every day, and would poke his nose
wherever the fancy happened to take him. Once he was
caught in a shower and took shelter in a cottage, where he
found a girl roasting a goose. He requested her to go and
put his horse under an adjacent shed, which she agreed to
do if he would keep the goose from burning during her
absence. Presently the girl's father entered, and, though
surprised at seeing the occupation of his sovereign, had
the good sense not to recognize him. George began to
talk to the man about the disadvantage of roasting with a
string, and explained how much easier and safer it was to
cook with a spit, which required less watching and only
occasional basting. At the conclusion of his lecture jhe
secretly wrote upon a piece of paper " to buy a jack," and
enclosed five guineas, which he placed upon the table
before his departure.
One day his majesty met a young rustic on the road not
far from Windsor Castle. "Who. are you, boy? " he asked,
attracted by something in his appearance. "Who are you,
eh, eh?" "I be a pig-boy." "Where did you come
from ? Who do you work for here, eh ? " "I be from the
low country ; out of work at present." " Don't they want
lads here ; not want lads, eh ? " "I doan't know ; all
about here belongs to Georgy." " Georgy ! Who 's.
Georgy ? " " He lives at the castle, yonder : but he does
no good for I." The king immediately gave the lad
employment on his farm, and told him if he were a steady
lad, " Georgy " might be a friend to him.
He thus addressed a stable-boy one morning : " Well,
1 86 The Queens of England.
boy ! What do you do ? What do they pay you ? " "I
help in the stable, but they only give me victuals and
clothes," said the lad. " Be content ; I have no more,"
was the king's reply.
He could be generous, though, on occasion ; for two
boys who did not know him fell on their knees one day, and
asked relief, saying that their mother had been dead three
days, and their father was too ill to rise from his bed of
straw. The king went with them to their miserable hovel,
and, finding that they had not exaggerated their distress,
gave them a liberal sum of money, and then went to the
castle, whence he sent a plentiful supply of food and
clothing. He did more. When the sick father recovered,
the boys were educated and provided for at his majesty's
expense.
Visiting the stable one morning, King George found the
grooms disputing so loudly that his arrival was not noticed.
" I don't care what you say, Robert," said one, in a very
loud tone, " but everybody else agrees that the man at the
Three Tuns makes the best purl in Windsor." " Purl !
purl ! " exclaimed the king. " What 's purl, Robert ? " The
manner of making the beverage was explained to him, and
he said, " Very good drink, no doubt ; but too strong for
breakfast.'' Five years later, George, who had such a
good memory that he knew the names, numbers, and uni-
form of every regiment in the service, entered the stables,
shortly after daylight, one morning, and asked a boy to
whom he was unknown, where all the men were. " I don't
know, sir, replied the lad ; " but they will soon be here,
for they expect the king." " Ah ! oh ! Then run, boy, to
the Three Tuns and say that the king expects them ; to
the Three Tuns, boy, d' ye hear ? They are sure to be
there, for the landlord makes the best purl in Windsor."
CHAPTER VI.
THERE was great excitement in the palace when the king
entered Queen Charlotte's apartments one day, and ex-
claimed quite joyously, " Well, here I am, safe and well,
though I have had a very narrow escape from being
stabbed." He then proceeded to tell how a woman had
presented him with a paper, just as he was about to enter
his carriage at the gate of St. James's Palace, and as he
proceeded to open it she struck at him with a knife, which
pierced his clothing, but fortunately did him no injury.
She was about to repeat the thrust, when a yeoman of the
guard caught her arm and wrenched the knife from her
grasp. She was proved to be insane in the examination
which followed, and sent to an asylum ; but Queen Char-
lotte was so alarmed for the safety of her husband that
she could not bear to see him go about unattended, as he
often did, and every time he went to London she watched
for his return with the utmost anxiety.
[A.D. 1787.] It was a great comfort to the queen when
a reconciliation took place with the Prince of Wales, after a
coldness that had prevented his attending several of the
drawing-rooms. Miss Burney gives an instance of his
playfulness when he was visiting at Windsor to celebrate
the return of his brother, the Duke of York, to England,
after an absence of seven years. " At near one o'clock in
the morning, while the wardrobe-woman was pinning up
187
1 88 The Queens of England.
the queen's hair, there was a sudden rap-tap at the draw-
ing-room door. Extremely surprised, I looked at the
queen to see what should be done ; she did not speak. I
had never heard such a sound before, for at the royal doors
there is always a peculiar kind of scratching or rattling of
the knob instead of tapping. I heard it, however, again,
and the queen called out : ' What is that ? ' I was really
startled, not conceiving who could take such a liberty as to
come to the queen's apartment without being announced
by a page ; and no page, I was very sure, would make such
a noise. Again the rapping was repeated, but more smartly.
I grew quite alarmed, imagining some serious evil at hand,
either regarding the king or some of the princesses. The
queen, however, bade me open the door. 1 did so ; and
what was my surprise to see there a large man, in an im-
mense wrapping great-coat buttoned up around his chin, so
that his face was almost hidden. I stood quite motionless
for a moment ; but he, as if also surprised, drew back ;
I felt quite sick with sudden terror. I really thought some
ruffian had broken into the^house, or a madman. ' Who
is it ? ' cried the queen. ' I do not know, ma'am,' I an-
swered. ' Who is it ? ' she called aloud, just as the man
took off his hat, and I beheld the Prince of Wales. The
queen laughed heartily, and so did I, too, happy at this un-
expected explanation. He told her eagerly that he only
came to inform her there were the most beautiful northern
lights to be seen that could possibly be imagined, and
begged her to come to the gallery windows to see them."
This is a long story about a trifling matter ; but it proves
that the prince was at that period on friendly terms with
his mother, and that he felt privileged to lay aside court
etiquette when such was the case.
[A.D. 1788.] Everything was forgotten by Queen Char-
lotte, except the alarming illness that now threatened the
1786- Charlotte Sophia of England. 189
king. He tried to conceal it as long as possible, and by so
doing became much worse, until at last the disease affected
his brain, and he was seized with delirium. This lasted so
long that it was thought death would result ; and the politi-
cians, belonging both to the government and the opposition
party, began to speculate as to how far they, individually,
would be affected. The Prince of Wales and his brother
of York did not behave with common decency at this time,
but gayly flew about from club to club, party to party,
without even pretending to care that their father was ill
and suffering. Their shameful conduct was universally
discussed, for they acted like men with little feeling
and less brains. The poor queen had a succession of
fainting spells that prostrated her almost as low as her
royal husband. Between these attacks she would pace
her room, too nervous to rest, and if by way of solace she
attempted to read aloud to her children, she would stop
in the midst of it and burst into an agony of tears.
The royal patient constantly bewailed the fact that he
could not sleep, and would pray aloud for that blessing ;
then he would declare that he needed no physician but
the queen, adding : " She is my best friend ; where could
I find a better ? "
One night he got out of bed, and with a candle in his
hand, walked to the queen's couch to make sure that she
had not left him ; then he sat and conversed with her, at
times rather incoherently and hoarsely, for nearly an hour.
The sufferer was occasionally better, but relapses were so
frequent that at last the queen was advised to remove to
a room in another part of the palace, the one she had
occupied adjoining the king's being required for the
medical men and others, who, with the Prince of Wales
and the Duke of York, kept watch.
One night the king suddenly appeared among them, and
190 The Queens of England.
roughly asked what they were there for. They endeavored
to pacify him, but in vain ; he treated them all as enemies.
His second son had slipped out as the father entered, and
that made a favorable impression on the poor invalid, who
said, touchingly, "Freddy is my friend, yes, he is my
friend ! " At last, after a good deal of maneuvering and
whispering on the part of the gentlemen present, one of'
them with gentle firmness led him back to bed.
Everything was badly managed at Windsor just at this
time; for the simple reason that the queen, rather from
necessity than choice, submitted to the Prince of Wales
and depended on him, and he lost no time in making her
feel that he was supreme master. Nothing was done but
by his orders ; and the queen spent her time in patient
sorrow and retirement with her daughters, whose conduct
formed a pleasing contrast to that of the sons.
The Prince of Wales was desirous that his father should
be removed from Windsor to Kew; but the question arose
as to how he could be induced to make the change. On
being assured that the quiet and fresh air of the country
were necessary for the patient, the queen decided to go at
once. She proceeded, without state, accompanied by her
daughters, to Kew. On arriving there she found half the
apartments locked up by the prince's orders, while on the
doors of the few allotted to the queen and her modest
retinue the names of those who were to occupy them were
scratched in chalk. It was night before the king arrived.
He had not been permitted to see his wife and daughters
for some weeks, and he was wheedled away from Windsor
by being told that they were at Kew, and by a promise
that they should be admitted to his presence. He made
the journey, therefore, in silent content, but the promise
was broken. The queen was assured it was for the best,
and the royal patient spent the night in violence and
i7 ss - Charlotte Sophia of England. 191
raving because of the cruel disappointment to which he
had been subjected.
Meanwhile preparations were going on to name the
prince-regent, the king's friends taking great pains that, in
case of his recovery, his rights should not be infringed
upon. And he did recover this time ; for Dr. Willis, of
Lincoln, a man who had devoted himself to the study of
nervous diseases, was summoned. He arrived with his
two sons, and took the royal patient in charge, with such
good restilt that on the tenth of December he walked in
the garden alone.
[A.D. 1789.] On the first day of the new year the
queen was gratified with a most favorable report ; for Miss
Burney, whose duty it was to make inquiries about the
royal patient the first thing every morning, was informed
that during the night he had prayed aloud for his own re-
covery. On the eighteenth he remembered that it was the
queen's birthday, and expressed a desire to see her ; but
that pleasure was still denied him. A few_days later, Miss
Burney was walking in the garden, when she suddenly and
most unexpectedly encountered the king, who, she sup-
posed, had been taken to Richmond Gardens. As her maj-
esty, acting by the doctor's advice, had ordered everybody
to keep out of the patient's way, and not to address him on
any account, Miss Burney no sooner recognized him
than she fairly took to her heels. The king called her by
name, and was so delighted at the sight of an old familiar
face that he ran after her. The Willises, father and sons,
followed close behind, somewhat in alarm. Miss Burney
kept on in breathless affright, until the older doctor per-
emptorily ordered her to stop, with the assurance that fur-
ther agitation would be injurious to the patient. She then
turned and advanced to meet the king, as though she had
not before been aware of his presence. He put his arms
192 The Queens of England.
around her and kissed her on the cheek, then held her lest
she should run away from him while he spoke, rapidly,
hoarsely, and at times incoherently, about family matters,
politics, foreign affairs, art, and music, singing something
from his favorite Handel, but so falsely that his hearers
were alarmed. He showed plainly that he was aware of
his condition, and named those whom he meant to promote
and to discharge as soon as he was well.
At last, after various vain attempts, Dr. Willis induced
him to return to the house; and Miss Burney ran to relate
to the queen all that had happened. Her majesty listened
with breathless interest, and made the young lady repeat
every word of her recital again and again. All that the poor
queen heard filled her with encouragement, and she was not
to be disappointed ; for the following month the king was
well enough to write a letter to Mr. Pitt, informing him that
he was prepared to resume the government of his realm,
and appointing a day for an interview with his council.
A message to parliament, informing them of the king's
recovery, was followed by bonfires, illuminations, and
other demonstrations of public rejoicing. On the seven-
teenth of March the queen caused Kew Palace to be dec-
orated with thousands of colored lanterns, and a trans-
parency, beneath which were these lines that she herself
had composed :
" Our prayers are heard, and Providence restores
A patriot-king to bless Britannia's shores.
But not to Britain is the bliss confin'd :
All Europe hails the friend of human kind.
If such the general joy, what words can show
The change to transport from the depths of woe,
In those permitted to embrace again,
The best of fathers, husbands, and of men ! "
[A.D. 1790.] Then the queen held a drawing-room, and
afterwards attended the theatre, so anxious was she to
Charlotte Sophia of England. 193
prove to the nation that the king had really recovered. As
she entered the play-house shouts of welcome from an im-
mense audience greeted her, the orchestra struck up
"God save the King," and so great was the enthusiasm
that it was repeated five times, and succeeded by an anthem,
in which the spectators took part. A visit to St. Paul's
was made by the royal family in April, when an immense
concourse of people assembled to take part in the cere-
monies, and the king seemed fully absorbed in his devo-
tions during the service. He was heard afterwards to say
that his illness had been a perfect bliss to him, because it
had proved how confidently he might rely on the support of
his people. Strange to say, the king's sons were the last to
acknowledge his sanity, and the least rejoiced at his res-
toration to health. They did their utmost to keep as many
people as possible away from congratulatory balls ; and at
one given by the French ambassador they would neither
dance nor remain to supper, because they desired to
appear inattentive to their mother, who was present. The
reason for this conduct was that her majesty had opposed
an unqualified regency for the prince, and neither he nor
his brothers could forgive her for standing between them
and the power they coveted.
No sooner did the king resume the reins of government
than, contrary to the Prince of Wales's expectations, he
conveyed to parliament his approval of all the actions of
his ministers during his long illness, and removed from
office all those who had opposed his cause with a view to
gaining favor with the heir-apparent.
Queen Charlotte had a mania for the collection of pre-
cious stones, as some people have for porcelain, coins, or
stamps ; and at the first drawing-room which she held, just
after the king's recovery, she fairly glittered in a blaze of
diamonds. Around her neck was a double row of these
194 The Queens of England.
gems, to which was suspended a medallion. Across her
shoulders were festooned three rows of costly pearls, and a
portrait of the king was hung on the back of her skirt from
five rows of brilliants, producing a gorgeous effect. The
tippet was of fine lace, fastened with the letter G in dia-
monds of immense value, and in her majesty's hair was
"God save the King," in letters formed of the same costly
gems. The princesses were beautifully attired, and all
the noble ladies wore emblematical designs, painted, as
fancy or loyalty dictated, on the satin part of their head-
dresses.
Towards the close of the year Frederick, Duke of
York, married Frederica, eldest daughter of the King of
Prussia. The bride was in her twenty-fourth year, the
groom in his twenty-eighth. She was good, handsome, ac-
complished, and kind-hearted ; far too superior a person for
so vicious a spendthrift as the prince. They were married
in Berlin, but the ceremony was repeated in London by the
Archbishop of Canterbury in presence of the whole royal
family. Notwithstanding that the duke's income was in-
creased to thirty-five thousand pounds a year on his mar-
riage, he ran into debt so deeply that he could never
extricate himself, and the poor duchess became so disgusted
with his shameless dissipation and cruel neglect of herself,
that at the end of six years of misery she left him and went
to live in retirement. She was so good and charitable that
she was warmly beloved by a large number of people, and
she was universally styled " The poor soldiers' Friend," be-
cause she helped so many sick and wounded representatives
of the army.
[A.D. 1794.] Napoleon's brilliant successes at this time
cast a gloom over England, until Lord Howe won his
splendid naval victory. The royal family visited the tri-
umphant fleet on its return, when the king presented a
WHAT A LITTLE PLACE YOL" OCCUPY
Charlotte Sophia of England. 197
diamond-hiked SWOTO to the admiral, and splendid gold
chains to various officers under his command.
Sovereigns may be popular one year and the reverse the
next. So it was with George III., though both the idolatry
and the hatred of his subjects were undeserved. The
attack against his life by the mad lieutenant was followed
by others which threatened to be more successful. A
crowd of people assembled in the park one day when the
king set out in state from St. James's to attend a parlia-
ment meeting. At first a sullen silence was observed, and
few hats were removed ; but presently shouts of " Give us
bread ! " " No war ! " " No king ! " and many others
arose. His majesty entered his coach and was driven off.
No sooner, however, had he reached a certain narrow street
than a ball, either of lead or marble, was hurled through
the window, but fortunately passed out at the other side
without damage, excepting to the glass. George evinced
the utmost calmness, and read his speech with even less
hesitation than usual. When he was disrobing afterwards
the gentlemen in attendance talked about the ball that had
been thrown at the royal carriage, whereupon the king, who
joined in the conversation, said : " Well, my lords, one
person is proposing this, and another is supposing that,
forgetting that there is One above us all who disposes of
everything, and on whom alone we depend." On his return
the mob threw stones at the coach, which was nearly de-
molished, and several of them hit the king, though without
doing him serious injury.
[A.D. 1796.] Two other attempts were made on the
king's life, one when he was reviewing his troops, and the
other just as he entered his box at the theatre. On the
latter occasion he behaved with so much courage and pres-
ence of mind, that the audience were aroused to the highest
pitch of excitement, and shouted "God save'the King!"
198 The Queens of England.
several times, and then the following^tanza by Sheridan,
the distinguished orator and dramatist, was sung :
" From every latent foe,
From the assassin's blow,
God save the king 1
O'er him Thine arm extend,
For Britain's sake defend,
Our father, prince, and friend,
God save the king ! "
We have scarcely mentioned Prince William, Duke of
Clarence, third son of George III. and Queen Charlotte.
At the age of thirteen he was sent as midshipman on board
a man-of-war, and told to fight his way. He obeyed by
having a wrestle with another " middy " soon after he was
afloat, and in this way secured the respect of his fellow-
officers. He was present in several important actions,
under different admirals, and when a certain Spanish com-
mander was brought prisoner on board the " Prince
George," this smart, active, young midshipman, whom he
observed on duty at the gangway, was pointed out to him
as a prince of the blood, he exclaimed, " Well may England
be queen of the seas, when the son of her sovereign is
engaged in such duty ! " Prince William was the least
courteous of the queen's sons, owing, perhaps, to the
fact of his having spent so many years among sailors,
enjoying the freedom of a life on the ocean wave ; but
he was certainly coarse in manners and speech. Once
he disappointed his sister, Princess Mary, very much by
drinking champagne until he was too intoxicated to dance
a minuet with her at the drawing-room, as he had prom-
ised. We shall tell more about this prince hereafter, when
he becomes King of England.
Of the marriage of the Prince of Wales with Princess
Caroline of Brunswick, which took place about this time,
we need only*say that it began, continued, and ended mis-
1805. Charlotte Sophia of England. 199
erably ; but the particulars of it and of the remainder of
their lives will be considered in the ensuing reign.
[A.D. 1801.] We pass over five years, and find the
prince in full opposition against the crown and Pitt, which,
with other matters, weighed so heavily on the mind of the
king that a return of his malady was the consequence. He
improved, after a few weeks, enough to be able to open par-
liament in person ; but he required constant watching, and
could not attend any of the entertainments he was in the
habit of honoring with his patronage. He lived with the
utmost regularity, but was excessively careless about
taking cold, though it was always a prelude to the attacks
of brain fever that had perceptibly impaired his mind.
[A.D. 1804.] He was living at Windsor with his family
when he again became suddenly and alarmingly ill. His at-
tack was called rheumatic, but his mind was more affected
than his body, and no wonder ; for he was constantly on the
rack between public affairs, changes, and quarrels in the
ministry and the conduct of his sons. He recovered after
several weeks, only to continue the contest which had begun
between himself and the Prince of Wales, relative to the
residence and education of the Princess Charlotte, daughter
of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The monarch wished
her to be placed under the supervision of the queen at
Windsor, in order that she might be brought up properly ;
but the prince objected merely for the sake of opposition.
After years of estrangement the father and son had an inter-
view on the subject ; but the latter was so insulting in his
tone and manner that the poor king was more annoyed
than ever.
[A.D. 1805'.] The remaining years of his life were spent
in retirement, except on rare occasions ; and the queen,
who watched over him with a true wife's devotion, be-
held the gradual but certain decay of his mental faculties,
the details of which are too painful to be interesting.
2OO The Queens of England.
A gorgeous entertainment, the expense of which exceeded
fifty thousand pounds, was given by the king at Windsor
on the installation of the Knights of the Order of the Gar-
ter ; but his conduct was so undignified, and so different
from what that of a monarch should have been on such an
occasion, that the queen looked at him in amazement, and
perhaps wondered whether it was all due to his disordered
mind.
[A.D. 1809.] The venerable monarch was not able to
attend the grand fete given by Queen Charlotte, at Frog-
more, in celebration of his having reached the fiftieth year
of his reign. His sight had grown so dim that, although
he rode out every day, his horse was led by a servant, and
when he walked he felt his way along the terrace by means
of a stick. London and all the principal cities of the king-
dom were illuminated at the time of the jubilee, and large
sums of money were raised by subscription for the benefit of
the poor. In this way many were made happy, but the king
was sad and dejected. He would often shed tears during
the performance of Handel's " Total Eclipse," a compo-
sition of which he was very fond, even though it reminded
him of his increasing blindness. One morning the Prince
of Wales entered his father's apartment unannounced,
and heard him reciting the following well-known lines of
Milton :
" Oh dark ! dark ! dark ! amid the blaze of noon !
Irrevocably dark ! Total eclipse
Without all hope of day !
Oh first created beam, and Thou great word,
Let there be light, and light was over all ;
\Yhy am I thus deprived, thy prime decree? "
[A.D. 1810.] The royal household was indeed a sorrow-
ful one when the death of the Princess Amelia occurred,
for she was the youngest of the children and had always
been a pet. Nothing could have been more touching tha
i8is Charlotte Sophia of England. 2OI
the appearance of the afflicted father, aged and almost
blind, as he leaned over the couch of his dying child, whis-
pering to her words of consolation and hope of future
glory. When the princess bade the king farewell, just
before she died, she placed a ring on his finger, on which
were inscribed these words, " Remember me."
From that period the king's mental state became gradu-
ally worse, and the following year the Prince of Wales was
appointed regent, though the queen still retained the care
of her husband, with the assistance of the council, who
were constantly at Windsor. At times his majesty would
appear better, then he would relapse into a state that
offered little hope. The queen's position was by no means
a pleasant one. She was constantly brought in contact with
the Princess of Wales, whom she thoroughly disliked ; and
her heart was torn by the sad scenes in which her poor,
afflicted consort played the leading part. Thus one day she
entered his room and found him singing a hymn to the ac-
companiment of a harpsichord, on which he was performing
himself. On concluding the hymn, he knelt down, prayed
for his family and the nation, and finally that God would
restore to him the reason which he felt he had lost. At
other times he was heard begging that he might die ; then
he would imagine that he really had departed this life, and
ask for a suit of black, that he might wear mourning for the
old king. Such pathetic scenes Queen Charlotte witnessed
constantly. And she had other matters to worry her; for
the public distress was so great that she became excessively
unpopular, not because she had been guilty of any wrong,
but simply because indignation had to be vented on some-
body.
[A.D. 1815.] One day, when she was going to attend
her last drawing-room, she was hissed and insulted by a
mob that actually had the audacity to stop her chair. She
2O2 The Queens of England.
was equal to the occasion, and showed a great deal of
pluck. Quietly letting down the window of the chair, she
spoke without agitation to those nearest to her : " I am
about seventy years of age," she said, sorrowfully ; " I have
been more than half a century Queen of England, and I
never was hissed by a mob before." The vulgar are easily
silenced by true dignity and courage, and so the venerable
lady was allowed to pass on unmolested. The Prince of
Wales sent several aides-de-camp to escort his mother back
home in safety ; but she said to them : " You have left
Carlton House by his royal highness's orders ; return there
by mine, or I will leave my chair and go home on foot."
[A.D. 1818.] Queen Charlotte appeared in public no
more, for her health was declining, and she went to Bath
to try and restore it, without avail. Towards the close of
the year she was again at Kew, where she was confined to
her bed with dropsy. She could not see the king, for he
was at Windsor, and it was deemed unsafe for her to move.
At last her case was pronounced hopeless, and she expired
on the sixteenth of November. Her last breath was drawn
in the arms of her eldest son, who, during her final illness,
had been unremitting in his attentions.
The queen's funeral took place on the 2d of December,
the procession consisting of horse and foot soldiers, as if
they had been escorting a warrior to the tomb instead of a
woman. The arrangements throughout were very inap-
propriate, and few members of the peerage felt called upon
to do honor to their late sovereign. Her will, which had
been made only on the day preceding her death, was a
very sensible one, but she left debts to the amount of nine
thousand pounds. These were contracted for purposes of
charity, and were of course paid, for Queen Charlotte was
exceedingly benevolent without the least ostentation. Her
superb diamonds, valued at a million of pounds, were
divided by her request among her four daughters.
Charlotte Sophia of England. 203
George III. survived his wife two years, but was never
informed of her death, because he was not in a condi-
tion to bear the sad news when he could have understood
it, which was only at rare intervals. He now occupied a
long suite of rooms, in which were pianos and harpsichords ;
on these he would occasionally play a few notes from some
composition of Handel's, and then stroll on. . His bodily
health was good and his appetite was excellent, and this
made the loss of his reason only the more pitiable. He
generally wore a blue robe-de-chambre fastened with a belt
in the morning, and changed it for a costume of brocaded
silk in the afternoon. As he wandered through his apart-
ments, which he could do even though he had become
totally blind, the old king would speak to the dear ones,
whom he fancied were near him, but always made the re-
plies himself, or he would address an imaginary parliament,
and, when exhausted, fall back in a kind of delirium.
[A.D. 1820.] As the new year opened the health of
George III. began to fail, and he was soon reduced al-
most to a skeleton. For a month he was confined to his
bed, and on the 2gth of January breathed his last, without
the slightest pain. He was nearly eighty-two years of age
at the time of his death.
CHAPTER VII.
CAROLINE OF BRUNSWICK, WIFE OF GEORGE IV.
(A.D. 1768-1821.)
THOSE who have read the preceding pages will remem-
ber the birth of the " Lady Augusta," because of the quar-
rel that event occasioned between her father, Frederick,
Prince of Wales, and her grandfather, George II. She
grew up a beautiful, accomplished woman, the favorite
sister of George III., whose protection she was forced to
seek after she had reached middle age. We have nothing
to do with that part of her life, however, nor with her child-
hood, which was passed quietly with scarcely any remark-
able incidents. When she was twenty-seven years of age
she married Charles William Frederick, Hereditary Prince
of Brunswick, a man distinguished for his fine appearance,
courtly manners, and heroism on the field of battle.
He soon won the heart of " Lady Augusta," and she
promised to marry him, though the king and queen were
by no means pleased with the match. When the prince
arrived on English soil the people of Harwich pressed
forward in crowds to have a look at him, and a simple-
hearted Quaker forced his way into the bridegroom's
apartments, and taking off his hat, said : " Noble friend,
give me thy hand ! " It was given to him, and after kissing
it, he added, " Although I do not fight myself, I love a
204
CAROLINE OF BRUNSWICK
1 768- Caroline of Brunswick. 207
brave man that will fight ; thou art a valiant prince and
art to be married to a lovely princess ; love her, make her
a good husband, and the Lord will bless thee both ! "
This was the warmest greeting the bridegroom received
in England, for the royal couple treated him with marked
coldness, and Queen Charlotte did all she could to pre-
vent too great an outlay of money. To be sure, she gave
the bride a gold watch set with jewels of exquisite work-
manship, and George III. presented her a diamond neck-
lace worth thirty thousand pounds ; but everything per-
taining to the wedding was conducted on a very simple
scale, considering the rank of the principal parties con-
cerned, and not a gun was fired by way of congratulatory
salute. The servants of the royal household were not
even permitted to put on their new attire, either for the
wedding ceremony or the drawing-room, which was held
next day ; but were ordered to reserve them for the queen's
birthday.
As soon as the marriage ceremony was performed the
bridal pair drove to the Leicester House, where a splendid
supper awaited them. It was a season when political party
spirit ran high, and George III. took great pains to con-
ceal the unpromising condition of affairs from the prince.
But it would have been a very unobservant person who had
failed to notice the difference between the enthusiasm
accorded to the young couple on their arrival at the theatre
a few nights later, and the lack of it that signalized the
entrance of their majesties. Queen Charlotte was young
then, and it is certain that she did not love the bride and
groom any better because of their seeming popularity.
Horace Walpole describes their visit on the next night
at the Opera House thus : " The crowd is not to be de-
scribed. Many noble ladies sat on chairs between the
scenes ; the doors of the boxes were thrown open, ancJ the
208 The Queens of England.
boxes were all filled to the back of the stoves ; nay, women
of fashion stood on the very stairs till eight at night. In
the middle of the second act the Hereditary Prince of
Brunswick turned his back to the king and queen, pre-
tending to offer his place to Lady Tankerville. You know
enough of Germans and their stiffness to etiquette to be
sure that this could not be done inadvertently, especially
as he repeated this only without standing up with one of
his own gentlemen in the third act."
Now it is very probable that the prince was far from
pleased at the treatment he had received at the hands of
his bride's brother and sister-in-law ; but it is scarcely likely
that he would be guilty of a desire to insult the king, whose
guest he was. Several grand balls succeeded the wedding,
and then the bride and groom went in separate carriages,
each with three uninteresting attendants, on their way to
Harwich. Arriving at the sea-coast, they embarked on
separate yachts for Holland, and had such a tempestuous
voyage that they were in great danger most of the way.
This seems a rather unsociable way of travelling ; but per-
haps court etiquette required the prince and princess each
to have a different ship.
A grand ovation awaited them all along the route to
their home in Brunswick, where they were greeted with a
hearty welcome by all the ducal family. This union proved
a happy one ; but we shall have nothing more to say about
it, merely having introduced the Prince and Princess of
Brunswick, because they became the parents of Caroline
Amelia Elizabeth, the subject of this sketch.
[A.D. 1768.] Caroline, their second daughter, was born
in 1768. Her home education was very imperfect, for there
was a lack of discipline in it that colored her after-life. It
was her misfortune that she early discovered how to be
mistress of her weak-minded mother, for whom she had, in
Caroline of Brunswick. 209
consequence, little respect. She was good-hearted, but
utterly wanting in tact and common sense.
As a punishment for certain indiscretions, she was not
allowed to appear at court for a few months ; and when
she returned an aged lady kindly said that she hoped it
would not be necessary for her to be dismissed again,
whereupon she pertly replied : " Gone is gone, and will
never return^ and what is to come will come of itself."
Caroline delighted in making dashing, fearless remarks
that too often excited a smile and encouraged a repetition.
After a lesson in natural history, her governess once asked,
" In what country is the lion to be found ? " " Well,"
answered the princess deliberately, " I should say, you may
find him in the heart of a Brunswicker." When taking
part in any boisterous game, of which she was very fond,
if her attendant warned her of danger, she would reply :
" A Brunswicker dares do anything ! " or, " A Brunswicker
does not know that thing, fear."
[A.D. 1780.] " How would you define time and space ? "
asked her father, when she was not more than twelve years
of age. " Space is in the mouth of Madame von L ,"
she answered, " and time is in her face." When told that
it was not becoming for so young a lady to have opinions
of her own, she rather cleverly returned, " People without
opinions of their own are like those barren tracts which
will not bear grass."
This young princess's religious education was as* sadly
neglected as her home-training. Like many other royal
German ladies, she could not decide what church she was
to join, until she knew what prince she was to marry ; and
then, having been taught morality, but no creed, the prin-
cesses were ready to adapt their consciences to the Greek,
Roman Catholic, or Protestant faith, just as it happened.
Two offers of marriage had been refused by Princess Caro-
2io The Queens of England.
line, when the Duke of York, commander of the English
force in Holland, made a visit to his aunt at the court of
Brunswick, and was so favorably impressed with his young
cousin that he went back home with quite a flattering re-
port about her. George III. had never seen his niece; but,
when he heard so much about her, he began to consider
what sort of a match he could manage between her and his
eldest son, the Prince of Wales.
[A.D. 1794.] Of this prince so much has been said in
the previous reign that it will be necessary for us to take
up his life only at the time of his marriage. As his union
with Mrs. Fitzherbert was illegal, the prince provided
for her a sumptuous house at Brighton, and finding himself
over head and ears in debt, agreed to take a wife who could
help him out of his dilemma. It must not be supposed
that the Prince of Brunswick would or could pay the
seventy thousand pounds that the Prince of Wales owed,
but parliament had agreed to do so if he would consent to
marry. So for the sake of his creditors, and his own peace
of mind with regard to them, he wrote to Caroline of Bruns-
wick, and offered her his hand in marriage. She replied
coolly but favorably ; and, as the prince's financial affairs
were getting more and more desperate, what, with horse-
racing and all sorts of dissipation, he lost no time in setting
on foot the arrangements for his marriage.
Lord Malmesbury was selected for the prince's proxy,
and he was instructed to bring Princess Caroline to Eng-
land without using any discretion in the matter whatever.
He reached Brunswick on the twenty-eighth of November,
and was received with a most enthusiastic welcome. Then
he saw the future Queen of England for the first time. She
was an accomplished, high-spirited girl of twenty-seven,
who spoke English fluently, and dressed tastefully. She
had fair hair, expressive, almond-shaped eyes, good teeth,
1794- Caroline of Brunswick. 211
and a delicately formed mouth. Her face was pretty, but
her figure was rather undersized and not graceful. This
was a slight defect compared with one of which Lord
Malmesbury speaks in his diary. We refer to uncleanli-
ness, which seems to have been sadly apparent in this
pretty creature, and was in great part due to her bad
training.
The duchess was indiscreet enough to talk disparagingly
of Queen Charlotte to the English ambassador; but she
was so fond of gossip that she could not lose this oppor-
tunity of telling how she had been an object of envy and
dislike to her sister-in-law, who had been ready to quarrel
with King George because he had given her a handsome
diamond ring on her marriage. " George is more kind-
hearted than wise-headed," she added, "and loves me as
well as he could love anybody."
Lord Malmesbury had not been in Brunswick more than
a week when Major Hyslop arrived with a portrait of the
Prince of Wales, and a private letter to his envoy, urging
him to set out with the Princess Caroline immediately.
Whether it was impatience to possess his bride, curiosity to
behold her, or the increasing demands of creditors that
prompted the message, we can only guess ; but the mar-
riage was celebrated on the eighth of December, just five
clays after Major Hyslop's arrival.
Lord Malmesbury was the person to name the day of
departure for England, and after a consultation with the
Duke of Brunswick, he wrote the bridegroom that provid-
ing he received intelligence of the sailing of the fleet from
England, which was to serve for a wedding escort, by the
eleventh, he should set out on that day with the princess.
The Duke of Brunswick spent his mornings in consulta-
tions with Lord Malmesbury, and these were succeeded by
public dinners and operas, the Princess Caroline appearing
212 The Queens of England.
on each occasion as the heroine. The father begged of
the ambassador always to recommend to the princess dis-
cretion, adding : " She is not a fool, but she has no judg-
ment; she is too curious, and too free in expressing her
opinions aloud about people." Thus Lord Malmesbury
became a sort of mentor to the young bride, and constantly
gave her instructions how to act, well knowing that she
would have to be very discreet if she was to succeed in her
new position.
Lord Malmesbury escorted the princess to a masquerade
ball at the court opera house, and acted as a check on her
whenever she seemed disposed to enter into the spirit of
the fun, as she had done before her marriage. A strange
conversation took place between these two during one of
these dances. They had retired to one of the private
boxes, and the bride repeated the questions regarding her
future state that naturally occupied her mind all the time.
Among other things, Lord Malmesbury told her that she
should never miss going to church on Sundays, as the king
and queen were always punctual in their attendance. This
did not please the princess, and she inquired if the prince
was like his parents in that respect. Lord Malmesbury
replied, that if he were not, she would bring him to it ; and
if he would not go with her she would do well to set a
good example and go with him. "You must tell him that
the fulfilling regularly and exactly this duty can alone
enable you to perform exactly and regularly those you owe
him. This cannot but please him, and will in the end
induce him to go to church."
The envoy well knew that no amount of advice or train-
ing could fit a young, innocent woman to conform to the
habits of the prince whom he represented. The princess
thought his conversation very serious for a masquerade, and
told him so, whereupon he gayly defended himself ; but he
'794- Caroline of Brunswick. 213
took another opportunity to say that, "in the order of
society those of a very high rank have a price to pay for it.
The life of a Princess of Wales is not to be one of pleasure,
dissipation, and enjoyment. The advantages belonging to
it must be purchased by sacrifices, which must be con-
stantly repeated."
Princess Caroline took all that Lord Malmesbury told
her in good part, and even expressed a desire that he
should be her lord-chamberlain when she established her
household, but though he felt flattered at this mark of her
esteem, he said that he desired no favors. So the guardian
got on very well with his ward, though she said, wearily
one day that she " never should be able to learn all those
things."
At length the time approached for the departure of the
bride. It was her desire to take one Mademoiselle Rosen-
zweit with her to England as "a sort of reader," but as
soon as the prince heard of it he peremptorily objected,
and said that he would not have her in that or any other
capacity. The Duke and Duchess of Brunswick were very
angry at this exercise of authority on the part of the bride-
groom, but they were forced to submit. However, the
duke took occasion to say to the envoy that the reason why
.he was anxious to have Mademoiselle Rosenzweit with his
daughter was that she could write and spell, in which
accomplishments the princess failed, therefore her services
would be needed.
At last, on the twenty-ninth of December, the bride left
Brunswick, but it was three months before she reached
England. This delay was caused by the war which was
raging between the French on one side and the Dutch and
English on the other. Major Hyslop went forward to give
notice in case of danger, and to see that all necessary
arrangements were completed for the comfort of the party.
214 Th c Queens of England.
The citizens of Brunswick gathered in crowds to bid fare-
well to their princess, and a volley was fired from the
ramparts as she passed out of her native town.
For three days the travellers continued on their way, but
made very slow progress, for they were often detained by
the movements of the troops, and suffered considerably
from cold. The princess found her lady companions so
dull and stupid that she invited Lord Malmesbury to ride
in her coach with her, but he declared that it would be a
breach of etiquette, at which the princess laughed very
heartily ; but he was far too proper a person to consent to
anything of which all the world would not approve, so the
bride was forced to submit.
[A.D. 1795.] There was a delay of several days at
Osnaburg, and Lord Malmesbury relates an anecdote as
an illustration of the princess's lack of judgment. There
were a great many poor French emigrants at this place,
some of them actually dying of hunger and exposure. When
Caroline saw them she was filled with compassion, but did
not know how to set about assisting them. " I tell her
liberality and generosity are an enjoyment, not a severe
virtue," says the lord mentor in his notes. " She gives
a louis for some lottery tickets ; I give ten, and say the
princess ordered me to do it. She looked surprised, and I
told her that I was sure she did not mean to give only the
value of the ticket, and that I merely forestalled her inten-
tion. Next day an emigrant with a pretty child draws near
the table ; the Princess Caroline immediately, of her own
accord, puts ten louis in a paper and gives it to the child.
The duchess, who goes with us as far as the sea. observes
it, and inquires of me what it was. I tell her a demand on
her purse ; she looks embarrassed, and says, in French, ' I
have only my pretty double Brunswick louis, which would
look prettier in the hands of that child than in your
'795- Caroline of Brunswick. 215
pocket,' I answered. She felt ashamed, and gave three
of them. In the evening, Princess Caroline, to whom this
sort of virtue was never preached, on my praising the coin
of the Brunswick money, offers me very seriously eight or
ten double louis, saying (in French, which we translate) :
' Oh, I beg of you to take them ; they are a mere trifle
of no consequence whatever.' This shows how little she
could distinguish between benevolence and the mere act of
throwing away money like a child. I took an opportunity
at supper of defining to her what real charity was, and I
recommended it to her as a quality that would, if rightly
employed, make her more admirers and give her more
satisfaction than any that human nature could possess.
The idea was perfectly new to her, but she felt the truth of
it ; and she certainly is not fond of money, as both her
parents are." *
On the i8th of January the escort wrote: "Princess
Caroline was very miss-ish at supper. I much fear these
habits are irrevocably rooted in her. She is naturally curious
and a gossip ; she is quick and observing, and she has a silly
pride of finding out everything. She thinks herself par-
ticularly acute in discovering likings, and this leads her at
times to the most improper remarks and conversation. I
am determined to take an opportunity of correcting her,
cost what it may."
Princess Caroline flattered herself that she would reform
her husband ; for although Lord Malmesbury had dropped
numerous hints as to his vices, he had so whitewashed the
general character of the prince as to make him appear far
less of a scapegrace than he really was. She knew of his dis-
agreement with his parents, but thought she would be able
to act the part of Uie good angel, and reconcile them ; that
she would domesticate him and give him a taste for virtue,
and thus gain for herself and him the blessings of a grate-
216 The Queens of England.
ful nation. Thus, filled with good intentions, did this
young bride declare herself ready, and with confidence in
her own capacity, to undertake the reformation of a man
she had never seen. She was not long, poor girl ! in find-
ing out how utterly useless such a task would be, and how
impossible even to mak^ the attempt.
The travellers did not reach Hanover until the twenty-
fourth of January, and they had suffered so intensely from
the severe weather that the duchess was as cross and ill-
natured as possible, while her daughter preserved her
patience and good humor throughout the journey. There
was one matter that gave Lord Malmesbury great concern,
and that was the toilette of his charge. During their so-
journ of three weeks at Hanover he had several discussions
with her upon this subject, and this is what he wrote on
thfe eighteenth of February, in his diary : " Argument with
the princess about her toilette. She piques herself on
dressing quickly ; I disapprove this. She maintains her
point ; I, however, desire Madame Busche to explain to her
that the prince is very delicate, and that he expects a long
and very careful toilette, of which she has no idea. On
the contrary, she neglects it sadly, and is offensive from
this neglect. Madame Busche executes her commission
well, and the princess comes out the next day well washed
all over."
The Madame Busche, to whom the lord refers, was a
court lady, who attended the princess from Brunswick. It
would quite be edifying could we be informed what argu-
ment she brought to bear in order to induce the bride to
take a bath ; but it is to be hoped that once having discov-
ered the necessity of daily ablutions, there was no need of
further reminders on that subject. But-washing alone was
not enough ; the princess was so untidy about her clothing
that her escort was forced to make another appeal to the
1795-
Caroline of Brunswick.
217
court ladies, since he scarcely dared to broach so delicate
a point to the princess herself. He says : " I had conver-
sations with the Princess Caroline on the toilette, on clean-
liness, and on delicacy of speaking. On these points I
endeavored, as far as it was possible for a man, to incul-
cate the necessity of great and nice attention to every part
of dress, as well to what was hid as what was seen. I
knew she wore coarse petticoats, coarse chemises, and
thread stockings, and these never well washed or changed
often enough. I observed that a long toilet was necessary,
COWLEY'S HOUSE.
and gave her no credit for boasting that hers was a short
one. What I could not say myself on this point I got
said through women : through Madame Busche, and" after-
wards through Mrs. Harcourt. It is remarkable how
amazingly on this point her education has been neglected,
and how much her mother, although an Englishwoman, was
inattentive to it. I had another conversation with her on
speaking slightingly to the duchess ; being peevish to her,
and often laughing at her or about her. On that point I
talked very seriously indeed said that nothing was so ex-
2 1 8 The Queens of England.
tremely improper, so radically wrong ; that it was impossi-
ble, if she reflected for a moment, that she should not be
sorry for every disrespectful word she uttered to her mother,
who always showed the most tender affection for her. The
princess felt this, and it made a temporary impression. But
on this, as on all other subjects, I have had too many op-
portunities to observe that her heart is very, very light, in-
capable of strong or lasting feelings. In some respects
this may make her happier, but certainly not better."
At last news came that the fleet had arrived off Stade,
and that was a signal for the mother and daughter to part.
The duchess was affected to tears ; but Caroline behaved
with sense and propriety, and kept up her spirits all the
way. Three days later the bridal party reached the coast,
and embarked on board the "Jupiter," a fifty-gun ship,
while the rest of the fleet poured forth a thundering salute.
One of the ladies selected to attend the bride was Mrs.
Harcourt, who had met her at Hanover ; the other was
Lady Jersey, who awaited her in England. The squadron
arrived off Yarmouth in due season ; but a thick fog set in,
and it was not until noon on Saturday, a week from the
day of sailing, that they dropped anchor off Gravesend.
The princess won the hearts of the officers and seamen by
her cheerfulness and affability, which called forth the
praise even of Lord Malmesbury.
On Sunday morning the bridal party was transferred to
one of-the royal yachts, and, after a pleasant sail, reached
Greenwich at noon. Vast crowds had assembled to greet
the princess, but not the bridegroom or any of his family.
There was a delay of more than an hour, because the lady-
in-waiting was behindhand, and had kept the carriages
until she was ready. When she did at last arrive she
turned up her nose at the costume of the princess, and
behaved so rudely that Lord Malmesbury had to take her
1795- Caroline of Brunswick. 2 19
to task for it. This costume consisted of a muslin gown
over a blue satin petticoat, with a black beaver hat, in
which were blue and black plumes. Lady Jersey had
brought a rich white satin frock and an elegant turban,
which the bride was required to put on at the governor's
house before proceeding to London.
The procession, consisting of two coaches, each drawn
by six white horses, and escorted by a detatchment of the
prince's own regiment, then started, and the bride must
have been somewhat surprised at tfye small greeting and
applause she met by the way.
About half-past two she alighted at St. James's Palace,
and was conducted to the rooms of the Duke of Cumber-
land, which had been prepared for her use. Then the win-
dows were opened, and the princess stepped out upon the
balcony to show herself to the crowd. Lord Malmesbury at
once went for the prince, who, it must be admitted, had not
shown much eagerness to behold the bride. How the
poor stranger's heart must have fluttered at this moment,
with none of her own countryfolk near to advise and guide
her ! She had not long to wait ; for the prince soon ap-
peared, and this is the report of the interview as given by
the lord, whose duties were not yet over : " I, according to
the established etiquette, introduced (no one else being in
the room) the Princess Caroline to him. She, very
properly, in consequence of my saying it was the right
mode of proceeding, attempted to kneel to him. He raised
her gracefully enough, and embraced her, said barely one
word, turned round, retired to a distant part of the apart-
ment, and calling me to him, said : ' Harris, I am not
well ; pray get me a glass of brandy.' I said, ' Sir, had
you not better have a glass of water ? ' upon which he,
much out of humor, said, with an oath, ' No ! I will go
directly to the queen.' And away he went. The princess,
22O The Queens of England.
left during this short moment alone, was in a state of
astonishment, and on my joining her, said : ' Mon Dieu, is
he always like that ? I find him very fat, and not at all
like the picture he sent me.' " No wonder she was
shocked at such treatment ; it was a wretched beginning to
her new life, and showed, even more plainly than she sus-
pected, what her future treatment was to be.
Lord Malmesbury tried to mend matters as best he
could, and stammered out a lame apology : " His royal
highness was a good deal affected and flurried at this first
meeting ; but would be better by dinner-time." Of course
the princess was not to be deceived by such an excuse, and
embarrassed her companion by indulging in no end of un-
complimentary remarks. Relief came to him in the shape
of a summons to wait upon the king at once.
Strange as it may appear, his majesty immediately began
to discuss the war and foreign politics ; and then, having
satisfied himself on these points, suddenly seemed to
remember the purpose of Lord Malmesbury's mission to
the continent. He had only one question to ask about his
son's wife : " Is she good-humored ? " "I have never seen
her otherwise, even when severely tried," was the reply.
" I am glad of it," said the king, significantly ; for he well
knew what need she would have of*that quality.
Lady Jersey acted as a spy while waiting on the princess,
and had managed to worm a secret out of her during the
short time they were at Greenwich together, which she lost
no time in communicating to the prince. This was a love
affair with a young German, and the knowledge of it made
the prince exceedingly angry. That evening at dinner, the
princess behaved absurdly. She was "flippant, rattling,
affecting raillery and wit," that proved her a very coarse,
vulgar persom The bridegroom was thoroughly disgusted
and everybody else astonished ; for there was none of the
1795- Caroline of Brunswick. 221
shyness or reserve that would seem natural and becoming
to a young woman in such a position.
When opportunity offered, the prince asked Harris
what he thought of the princess's manners, and took him to
task for bringing her to England at all. Lord Malmesbury
then informed the prince of the injunctions he had received
from the Duke of Brunswick, at the same time assuring
him that he had observed only slight defects of character,
that he hoped might be amended, and adding, that no dis-
cretion had been left to him in the matter, as he had merely
been ordered to ask for the hand of the Princess Caroline
in marriage, and nothing more, and that he would not have
presumed to give any opinion of his own upon the lady,
unless requested to do so ; and even in that case it would
only have been in strict confidence to the king himself.
The prince sighed, but he was not consoled, and his disgust
for his bride was fast turning to hatred.
After the dinner was over the king and queen, with
other members of the family, arrived, and the princess was
presented in due form. The king was kind and affection-
ate towards his niece, but the queen was so cold and
unfriendly that everybody present noticed it. On the
eighth of April all the royal family dined together at the
Queen's Palace, Buckingham House, and after the meal
they retired to their separate apartments to dress for the
wedding ceremony, which took place at night. It was per-
formed in the Chapel Royal at St. James's by the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury. The prince handed his hat with its
rich diamond buckle to Lord Harcourt to hold, and then
made him a present of it. During the procession it was
noticed that the Prince and Princess of Wales scarcely
addressed a single remark to each other, although they
walked side by side. Some chroniclers say that the prince
had partaken so freely of wine during the dinner which
222 The Queens of England.
preceded the ceremony that he had to be held up in the
chapel between two dukes, and scarcely seemed aware of
what he was about. This may not be a fact, but he cer-
tainly behaved very strangely during the ceremony ; for he
got up from his knees at the wrong time and interrupted
the archbishop, who stood silently wondering what he
intended to do. It was the king who stepped forward and
whispered to his son, who then resumed his position, and
allowed the service to be concluded. With the bridegroom
behaving as he did, and taking no pains to conceal his
displeasure, the wedding must have been a melancholy
affair indeed. After all the legal formalities had been dis-
posed of, there was a grand supper at Buckingham House,
and at midnight the newly-wedded pair went to their own
home at Carlton House. It is said they had their first
quarrel on the way, which is not surprising if it be
really true that the prince had been drinking too freely,
and he was probably not more abstemious at supper than
he had been at dinner. The city was illuminated, and
there was great rejoicing in honor of the royal marriage,
though perhaps a peep into the hearts of the principal
parties concerned would have shown more cause to weep
than to rejoice.
Two days after the marriage the royal couple returned to
Windsor, where they spent a few days, then went to a coun-
try-seat belonging to the prince at Kempshott. The bride
had only one lady-in-waiting with her at that time, and she
was her sole female companion ; but the prince was sur-
rounded by a lot of his low friends, who constantly were to
be found, in one part of the house or another, in such a
state of intoxication as to be sleeping and snoring on the
sofas. After two or three weeks the " happy pair " estab-
lished themselves at Carlton House, and then the princess
was for the first time presented to the public at the theatre.
'795-
Caroline of Brunsivick.
223
The princess had evidently formed good resolutions,
which appeared in her amiable and prudent behavior. The
change that came over her later must, therefore, be at-
tributed, in great part, to the ill-treatment she received at
the hands of the ruffian she was so unfortunate as to have
married. The lady-in-waiting that was forced upon her
was an objectionable person, and most disagreeable to the
princess, who saw her treated with cordiality in the queen's
COUNTRY-SEAT.
house and even invited to play cards with the princesses.
This was not customary, and King George expressed his
disapproval of such proceedings, but he was overruled.
The first serious matter to which the prince turned his
attention after his marriage was the payment of his debts,
which were perfectly enormous. But he had accepted a wife
solely on condition that his creditors should be satisfied;
and when it was proposed by one of the members of par-
224 The Queens of England.
liament that a yearly deduction should be made out of his
revenue for that purpose he was highly indignant. If he
had been an honest man he would never have contracted
debts that were far in excess of his income ; but, having done
so, he ought to have been eager to retrench. He preferred
to throw himself on the mercy of his country, like a spend-
thrift and a pauper, and afterwards continue in his reckless
course.
Princess Caroline was soon made aware that her mar-
riage was part of a bargain, the price being the payment of
her husband's debts ; also that he had been formerly mar-
ried to Mrs. Fitzherbert, on whom he had settled a superb
mansion in Park Lane. No one can deny that the young
wife had much to complain of, though it may not justify
her future conduct.
While parliament remained in a state of indecision re-
garding the prince's debts, his brother, the Duke of Clar-
ence, afterwards William IV., made an extraordinary har-
angue, which created no little surprise. He represented
that it was taking advantage of the poor innocent prince to
make any opposition to the full payment of all his obliga-
tions, when it was well known that his consent to his mar-
riage had been obtained with that understanding. This
was certainly an honest speech, and perhaps a proof of
brotherly interest and partisanship ; but it can scarcely be
pronounced discreet or delicate.
At last, after no end of propositions, debates, and dis-
putes, Mr. Pitt's suggestion was agreed upon. This was
an income of one hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds
a year for the prince, besides his revenue from the duchy
of Cornwall, of thirteen thousand pounds more. In addi-
tion, the princess was to have fifty thousand pounds, be-
sides twenty thousand pounds for jewels, and twenty-six
thousand pounds for the refurnishing of Carlton House.
1795- Caroline of Brunswick. 225
The old standing debts of the Prince of Wales were all
settled, and this was no trifling affair; for to his ferrier
alone he was indebted forty thousand pounds, and to his
jeweller eighty-five thousand pounds. This included the
four thousand pounds that the jewelled frame had cost in
which the prince's miniature had been placed before it was
sent to Brunswick. It is not surprising that the bride was
disappointed when she beheld the original, after having
viewed his flattered counterpart with such a surrounding.
CHAPTER VIII.
[A.D. 1796.] LONG before the first year of their mar-
riage was completed the princess was living almost in
solitary confinement at Brighton, while her good-for-noth-
ing husband was leading the gayest sort of an existence in
London, courted and honored at all the brilliant parties he
attended, and almost ignoring the- fact that he had a wife.
He had abandoned his extravagant court at Carlton House
for a time, because he was not entirely satisfied with the
revenue that had been settled on him ; so he showed his
discontent by assuming a theatrical air of injured innocence,
poked his wife off in the country, and continued his shame-
ful course.
Then, feeling justly indignant at her husband's neglect,
and at the coldness of all of the royal family, excepting the
old king, who was always her firm friend, the princess was
guilty of an indiscretion, the effect of which went far to-
wards completing her ruin. This consisted in writing let-
ters to her relations in Brunswick, in which she not only
complained piteously of her own position, but imprudently
made use of very harsh terms towards the queen and the
princesses, who she declared disliked her exceedingly, and
seemed to take special pains to misrepresent her every
action. Her situation was without doubt distressing, and
it seems not unnatural for the young wife to yearn for some
sympathizing friend in whose ear she could pour forth her
226
1796- Caroline of Brunswick. 227
tale of wrong and regret ; but we know that lack of judg-
ment was Princess Caroline's greatest fault, and it appears
plainly in this, instance. She did not write a dignified,
sorrowful appeal to her parents, telling them of her blasted
hopes, and asking advice, for which there might have been
some excuse ; but she sent pages of gossip and sarcastic
abuse of her relations in England to various parties in her
native land, tittle-tattle, unwise as it was unrefined, and
unladylike.
These letters she confided to the care of Doctor Ran-
dolph, a clergyman, who was going to Germany, and
promised to deliver them. All his arrangements were made
for the journey when Mrs. Randolph fell ill, and it was
abandoned. The packet of letters written by the princess
was forthwith returned under cover, addressed to Lady
Jersey. That malicious spy carried them to the queen, by
whom they were read, and displayed among the different
members of the royal family, the Prince of Wales included.
Of course this dishonorable action was not reported to the
writer of the letters, who remained in ignorance of their
fate for many years ; therefore she continued to suffer from
the ever-increasing coldness -and disdain of her husband
and his family, excepting the king, without being able to
account for it. She had committed a fault, but compared
with those of the prince it sinks into insignificance ; for he
was a heartless, treacherous reprobate from his cradle to
his grave.
Princess Caroline had a little daughter born in the early
part of the new year at Carlton House. The father pro-
nounced her a "fine little girl," and she was christened
Charlotte Augusta. The usual congratulatory addresses
were prepared ; yet, when the corporation of London de-
sired to present theirs, they were informed that, "as the prince
had reduced his establishment, he was unable to receive
228 The Queens of England.
them "in a manner suitable to the situation," yet they
might send it to him. To this they very properly refused
to listen, whereupon his royal highness sent for the Lord
Mayor, and gracefully proclaimed his sentiments of venera-
tion and esteem for the corporation of the city of London
with many lame excuses for not receiving the address. He
did not, however, add that he was at that very moment
contemplating a final separation from the princess, which
was his real reason for declining public rejoicings.
Soon after he went to Windsor to live, and the princess
was so lonely with the few old people selected by the queen
to be her companions that she complained both to the king
and the prince. The consequence was a message sent to
her through Lady Cholmondeley, saying that " they ought
to separate." This was no shock to the young mother,
who had been prepared by the prince's neglect to expect
nothing better ; but, when this message had been repeated
several times, she merely replied, " That she would be quite
happy to live with her husband provided a change was
made in his behavior."
The prince's message was followed by a letter, in which,
after writing " our inclinations are not in our power, nor
should either of us be held answerable to the other because
nature has not made us suitable to each other," he pro-
posed that they should live apart, and meet in society
merely as ordinary acquaintances. The injured wife
agreed to this, only stipulating that the separation should
be forever, and concluded her reply thus : " You will find
enclosed a copy of my letter to the king. As I have at
this moment no protector but his majesty, I refer myself
solely to him on this subject ; and, if my conduct meets his
approbation, I shall be in some degree at least consoled.
I retain every sentiment of gratitude for the situation in
which I find myself as Princess of Wales ; enabled by your
VIEW FROM RICHMOND HILL.
Caroline of Brunswick. 231
means to indulge in the free use of a virtue dear to my
heart I mean charity. It will be my duty likewise to act
upon another motive, that of giving an example of patience
and resignation under every trial."
In this dignified, sensible answer, the prince could see
only that he was to be rid of the creature whom he had
used as a tool to relieve him of his embarrassments, and
agreed without a moment's hesitation to her wish that their
separation should be final.
The king attempted to patch up a reconciliation, but did
not succeed. He then suggested an allowance of twenty
thousand pounds for the princess, but she declined any
stipulated sum, and declared that her bills should be sent
to the prince for settlement. Public opinion was in favor
of the princess; and the first time she appeared at the
opera, after the separation, she was greeted with a tremen-
dous outburst of applause, that must have been galling to
the prince. It certainly alarmed the poor lady, who said,
" she supposed she should be guillotined on account of it."
She had contrived before this to dismiss Lady Jersey, who
was excessively obnoxious to her, and Lady Carnarvon and
Mrs. Fitzroy were ladies-in-waiting in her stead.
The princess now gathered about her friends well
known for their rank and respectability, all of whom were
impressed by her good sense and discretion. This makes
it very clear that she was driven, by a persistent course of
ill-treatment, to the follies of her later life. It was so
painful for her to appear at court, where she met with cold-
ness and disdain, that she made a humble appeal, both
to the king and the prince, to be relieved from doing so ;
and the public felt so much sympathy with her that her
request could not be refused. The worthy old king had a
warm feeling for his favorite sister's child, and was grieved
at the indignity she had suffered ; so he wrote her a kind,
232 The Queens of England.
fatherly letter, urging her to make another attempt at
reconciliation with the prince. His tone throughout was
affectionate and sensible, and he advised her to intimate to
her husband that she desired his return, and to promise
that no reproaches should disturb his equanimity if he
would consent. With the belief that the king would not so
have written unless he had reason to suppose that his son
was willing to become reconciled to her, the princess
eagerly undertook the task of writing to him, and for the
moment felt buoyed up with the hope of winning him.
This is a copy of her letter :
" I avail myself with the greatest ardor of the king's
desire, whose letter shows me that you are willing to yield
to his wishes, which fills me with the greatest delight. I
look forward with infinite pleasure to the moment that will
bring you to Carlton House, and that will forever termi-
nate a misunderstanding which, on my side, I assure you,
will never be thought of again. If you do me the honor of
seeking my society in future, I will do everything to make
it agreeable to you. If I should displease you, you must
be generous enough to forgive me, and count upon my
gratitude, which I shall feel to the end of my life. I may
look for this as mother of your daughter, and as one who
is ever yours."
This humble appeal had no effect on the prince, and,
finding it treated with silent contempt, the princess gave
up all hopes of a reconciliation, and went to live with a
few ladies at Montague House, near Blackheath. Her
little daughter was not allowed to accompany her, but was
kept at Carlton House, under the direction of Lady Elgin
and Miss Hayman, the sub-governess.
The prince continued to live at Carlton House, but saw
very little of his daughter, because he had not much time
for anything but his own pleasures, and she constituted no
^797- Caroline of Brunswick. 233
part of them. However, rather than leave her to the care
of her mother, he assumed some concern for her welfare,
and by his gracious and charming manners made a most
favorable impression on Miss Hayman.
[A.D. 1797.] The princess visited her daughter about
once a week, and loved the little thing so dearly that she
made several applications to the prince to be allowed to
have her at Montague House ; but he never noticed them.
Miss Hayman thus describes one of the royal mother's
visits to the nursery :
" The princess came in to see me and spoke very affably.
She asked me if I did not find the infant wonderfully like
the Prince of Wales, and whether I was fond of children,
and added that her little Charlotte had been naughty, but
was now, by Lady Elgin's care, quite good. She stayed
about half an hour, and selected some lace for the baby's
frocks. When Lady Elgin came in she said, ' Miss Hay-
man must now kiss her royal highness's hand ; ' but the
princess got up and said, ' Oh, no ! We will shake hands
instead,' and turned the whole formality into a jest. She
then began a gossiping conversation on novels, and showed
throughout the warm-heartedness and kindliness, the indis-
cretion and want of dignity which, Lord Malmesbury had
noticed in her."
Miss Hayman was removed from the royal nursery at the
end of three months, because the princess seemed to favor
her : but she was then taken into service at Montague House,
where pleasant parties were often given, and the friends of
the princess contrived to pass the time quite merrily. Sir
Gilbert Elliot, Lord and Lady Wood, the Duke and Duchess
of Hamilton, the Edens, and Lord Thurlow were among
the guests, and, strange to say, the last was friend and ad-
viser to both the Prince and Princess of Wales. Sir Gil-
bert Elliot constantly praises the conduct of the injured
234 The Queens of England.
wife, and declares that she was utterly undeserving of
"such strange neglect." He said of her besides: "Her
countenance is remarkably lively and pleasing ; I think her
positively a handsome woman, but she is a little indiscreet ;
for she is apt to select any new guest, to whom she will
pour out the whole story of her wrongs, while the rest stand
about and look on."
The Princess Charlotte was sometimes taken to visit her
mother. On one of these occasions she was permitted to
remain in the drawing-room until dinner was announced,
and all the guests pronounced her one of the finest and
pleasantest of children. The mother got down on her
knees and romped and played with her child for a long
time. When the little girl became unruly one day, Miss
Garth, a lady-in-waiting, said to her, " You have been so
naughty, I don't know what we must do with you." " You
must soot me," she replied, meaning shoot her.
Although the life of Princess Caroline was in some re-
spects a sad one, she passed many pleasant hours in com-
pany with her friends, dancing, playing cards, blind man's
buff, and other games, interspersed with musical parties.
[A.D. 1798.] After many months the idea of a recon-
ciliation was broached by the prince and his advisers ; but
fancying that she saw some object for which she was again
to be made a tool, the shrewd princess was determined that
unless the matter was laid before her in due form she
would treat it according to the example the prince had
shown her. She was right; for Mrs. Fitzherbert, who
always considered herself the only real wife of the Prince
of Wales, was again honored by his attentions. She had
been the person selected by himself for a wife, the Duke of
York was her firm friend, the queen was kind and attentive,
and George III. treated her with the tenderness of a father
from the time of her landing in England until he ceased to
179 8 - Caroline of Brunswick. 235
reign. She was a good woman, and never in any way gave
cause for scandal. On the contrary, when the prince, her
husband, returned to live with her, she gave a public break-
fast in honor of the event, and the following eight years
were very happy ones to this couple.
At this period a taste for the best music and the stage
was cultivated to a remarkable degree by the nobility.
Both the king and the Prince of Wales extended their pat-
ronage to the opera, which was a pastime that only the
aristocracy could indulge in, because it was too expensive
for the general public. The royal family attended regu-
larly, and the corps of actors included a great deal of
talent. One of these was Elliston, who had a curious ad-
venture with George III., by whom he had been com-
manded to appear in a certain part on his benefit-night.
The monarch had been taking a very long walk, entirely
alone, when a sudden rain storm came up just as he was
passing the theatre door. In he went, and meeting no one
passed at once to the royal box, and seated himself in his
own chair. The light in the theatre was dim, the air some-
what close, and the king, soon succumbing to the influence
of both after his brisk walk, fell asleep. Towards night
Elliston entered the theatre to make sure that everything
was in readiness for the play ; but first went to the king's
box to inspect that. What was his surprise to find a man
comfortably ensconced in his majesty's own arm-chair?
He raised his hand and was just about to let it descend
with a smart blow on the intruder's shoulder when he rec-
ognized the king. What was to be done ? He dared not
arouse the royal sleeper, and the time for the performance
was approaching. Suddenly an^idea struck him; softly
stepping out of the royal box, he took a violin from the
orchestra, and stationing himself in the pit just under
the sleeper's nose, struck up " God save the King ! " Up
236 The Queens of England.
started his majesty, rubbing his eyes, and staring at the
comedian, who went down on his kness, while continuing
his tune. "Hey! hey! hey! What! what! Oh, yes! I
see, Elliston ha! ha! ha! Rain came on took a seat
took a nap. What 's o'clock ? "
"Approaching six, your majesty."
"Six! six o'clock !" exclaimed the king. "Send to
her majesty say I 'm here. Stay stay this wig won't
do eh, eh ? Don't keep the people waiting light up
light up let 'em in let 'em in ha ! ha ! ha ! fast
asleep ! Play well to-night, Elliston. Great favorite with
the queen. Let 'em in let 'em in."
The house was illuminated at once ; messengers were
sent off to the royal family, and in a few minutes they
reached the theatre. At the close of the performance, the
comedian attended the king and queen to their carriage,
and as he held open the door, his majesty laughingly ex-
claimed, " Fast asleep, eh, Elliston ! fast asleep ! ha ! ha !
ha!"
[A.D. 1801.] By this time the king's health was se.ri-
ously impaired ; but of his condition and the causes, the
chapter devoted to his reign contains an account. He was
always friendly to his daughter-in-law, and said, again and
again : " The princess shall have her child, and I will speak
to Mr. Wyatt about building a wing to her present house."
He meant well, but his mind was so feeble that he was to
be depended on for nothing. The Prince of Wales both-
ered him, as he was constantly doing in one way or another,
and sent a request through Mr. Addington, who had suc-
ceeded Mr. Pitt as prime minister, to be placed in command
of the army. After a month's delay, the king, who had
but a poor opinion of his eldest son's ability or courage,
declared that there was no situation in the army suited to
his rank ; and not long after peace was concluded.
1804. Caroline of Brunswick. 239
[A.D. 1802.] This joyful event was celebrated by fes-
tivities of all kinds. The Lord Mayor gave a magnificent
entertainment, which the Prince of Wales attended ; and so
great was the popular enthusiasm that the horses were
taken from his carriage, and the mob drew it to the Man-
sion House. At the close of this feast there was a ball
given by the Gaining Club, in a hall decorated on the most
magnificent scale. The windows were, by some mechani-
cal contrivance, converted into entrances, hung with fes-
toons of flowers and gilt lanterns containing brilliant
lights. The hall was splendidly illuminated, and the walls
were covered with a rich green and buff paper. Each re-
cess formed a conservatory for choice plants and trees of
rare beauty. There was a grand orchestra, composed of
first-class musicians, and a large band of Indians performed
their war-dances. The Prince of Wales wore a rich High-
land costume, and was comfortably placed in a room appro-
priated to him and his party.* An adjoining one repre-
sented a cave, in which a company of bandits, consisting
of musically-inclined lords, sang comic songs for the amuse-
ment of his royal highness. Many of the foreign ministers
were present, and the ball was pronounced one of the most
splendid ever given in England.
[A.D. 1804.] We now turn with pleasure to the young
Princess Charlotte, who had become a most engaging child
of eight years. Miss Berry pictures her with " her face
damaged by small-pox to an extent rarely seen at the time
among the higher classes ; " and says " that it frightened
her to hear dismal stories, yet able to tell a very good one
herself." She was a bright child, could speak French, knew
music, and was remarkably amiable and good-natured. She
had a peculiar little stammer in her speech, which she never
lost, even after she became a woman. Miss Gale had suc-
ceeded Miss Hayman as sub-governess, and lived with her
240 The Queens of England.
charge at a country place known as Shrewsbury House,
near Shooter's Hill.
There are many stories told of her amusing insubordina-
tion. She used to leave the doors wide open, and rush
with a shout into Miss Gale's room. " My dear princess,"
the lady would exclaim, " you should always shut the door
after you." " Not I, indeed ! " returned the little lady ; " if
you want the door shut, ring the bell." Then with a
laugh she would run off. Sometimes she would commit a
forbidden act, and then say, defiantly, " I have done it,
now punish me."
Her mother remained at Montague House, always fa-
vored and protected by the king, who was very fond of his
grandchild. The princess devoted herself to music, paint-
ing, and modelling, and spent her evenings with the friends
who gathered around her and sympathized with her wrongs.
Although she would at times abuse the prince loudly at
her own table, she always gave her daughter good advice
with regard to him. Such speeches as this were not
uncommon : " It must have been an honor and pleasure to
you that your father wished to see you on his birthday, and
I trust you will never in any day of your life deviate from
the respect and attachment which is due to the prince,
your father."
The young princess had violent likes and dislikes. Two
people for whom she felt a special aversion were Dr.
Fisher, Bishop of Salisbury, and Mrs. Udney. She shows
this in a will which she made before she Was nine years
old, from which she excludes both. It ran thus : " I make
my wilL First, I leave all my best books and all my
books to the Rev. Mr. Nott. Secondly, to Mrs. Campbell,
my three watches and half my jewels. Thirdly, I beg Mr.
Nott, whatever money he finds me in possession of, to dis-
tribute to the poor, and I leave to Mr. Nott all my papers
1804- Caroline of Brunswick, 241
which he knows of. I beg the Prayer-book which Lady
Elgin gave me may be given to the Bishop of Exeter, and
that the Bible Lady Elgin gave me may be given to him
also. Also my playthings the Misses Fisher are to have.
And, lastly, concerning Mrs. Gargarin and Mrs. Lewis, I
beg that they may be very handsomely paid, and that they
may have a house. Lady de Clifford, the rest of my jewels,
except those that are the most valuable ; and these my
father and mother, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are to
take. Nothing to Mrs. Udney, for reasons. I have done
my will, and trust that after I am dead a great deal may
be done for Mr. Nott. I hope the king will make him a
bishop. Charlotte." This childish will, instead of merely
exciting a smile on the part of the prince, caused his
serious displeasure. He pronounced it "high treason,"
and sent for Mr. Adam, chancellor of the duchy of Corn-
wall, to get his opinion on this highly important matter.
Meanwhile, the privy council did not consider it beneath
their dignity to put their wise heads together for consulta-
tion about Princess Charlotte's will. The desire to have
Mr. Nott created a bishop never could have originated in
that young brain, they decided. " Your royal highness has
a just conception of the matter," declared Mr. Adam. In
short, after the document had occupied a great deal more
time and thought than it was worth, it was settled that as
Mrs. Campbell had been so highly favored, she had exerted
an undue influence over the mind of the little princess, and
the worthy woman was forthwith dismissed from the house-
hold.
The king now decided to undertake the education of
Princess Charlotte himself, acting as trustee for the nation.
His reason for this step was that he did not consider his
son a proper person even to live in the same house with
her, and it was not expedient that the mother should take
242 The Queens of England.
*
her in charge. The Prince of Wales had not been on
friendly terms with his parents for many months ; but Mr.
Pitt, who was again in power, attempted to bring about a
reconciliation between him and the queen. This was not
a difficult matter; for the mother's heart naturally yearned
towards her son, and a dutiful note from him was answered
affectionately by her.
In accordance with a desire expressed by the prince that
he might be permitted to throw himself at the king's feet,
an appointment was made for him at Kew ; but, although
the king went there specially for that purpose, the prince
pleaded illness, and failed to appear. He was not ill, but
very indignant because his father made frequent visits to
the Princess of Wales, to whom he knew that, if he gave up
his daughter to the king, some benefit would accrue. In
order to avoid the necessity of giving his consent to this
step he decided to forego the privilege he had asked.
Three months later the interview really did take place, and
the very first person to whom the king made a report of it
was the Princess of Wales. He wrote her a most affec-
tionate note, in which he assured her that nothing should
be decided upon with regard to the future of her daughter
without her concurrence, adding : " For your authority as
a mother it is my object to support."
[A.D. 1805.] " The king was so fond of his daughter-in-
law that he presented her with two beautiful Arabian horses
and a very costly service of gold, and frequently expressed
a desire to pass as much time in her society as possible, and
to take her under his special protection.
Having presented the bad sides of the prince's character,
it is only fair to tell something good of him ; for we know
that " there is good in all, though none all good," as the
proverb says. Here is an anecdote that indicates kind-
ness of heart. It is thus related by a person who wit-
nessed the scene :
1805. Caroline of Brunswick. 243
" Being at Brighton, and going rather earlier than usual
to visit his stables, the prince inquired of a groom, ' Where
is Tom Cross ? Is he unwell ? I have missed him for
some days.' ' Please your royal highness,' answered the
groom, hesitatingly, ' I believe for Mr. can inform
your royal highness.' ' I desire to know, sir, of you.
What has he done ? ' 'I believe your royal highness
something not quite correct. Something about the
oats.' ' Where is Mr. ? Send him to me immedi-
ately.' The prince seemed much disturbed at what he
had heard, as the youth for whom he inquired was the son
of an old, faithful groom, who had died in his service.
When the officer of the stable appeared, his royal highness
inquired, ' Where is Tom Cross ? What has become of
him ? ' ' I do not know, your royal highness.' ' What has
he been doing ? ' ' Purloining the oats, your royal high-
ness, and I discharged him.' ' What, sir ? Send him away
without acquainting me ! not know whither he has gone !
a fatherless boy, driven into the world from my service,
with a blighted character ! Why, the poor fellow will be
destroyed. Mr. , I did not expect this from you ! Seek
him out, sir, and let me not see you until you have discov-
ered him.' Before many days Tom was found and brought
before his royal master. He hung his head, and the tears
rolled down his cheeks. The prince looked at him for a
moment or two, and then said : ' Tom, Tom, what have you
been doing ? Happy it is for your poor father that he is
gone ; it would have broken his heart to see you in such a
situation. T hope this is your first offence ! ' The youth
was so overcome with shame and remorse that he wept
bitterly. ' Ah, Tom, I am glad to see that you are peni-
tent,' continued the prince ; ' your father was an honest
man ; I had a great regard for him ; so I should have for
you, if you were a good lad, for his sake. Now, if I desire
244 The Queens of England.
Mr. to take you into the stable again, do you think I
may trust you ? ' Tom fell on his knees, implored forgive-
ness, and promised to reform. ' Well, then, you shall be
restored,' said the prince. 'Avoid evil company ; go and
recover your character ; be diligent ; be honest, and make
me your friend; and hark ye, Tom I will take care
that no one shall ever taunt you with what is past ! ' '
It was by such gracious acts that the Prince of Wales
won the gratitude and admiration of his inferiors. " Do as
I say, but not as I do," ought to have been his motto, for
he could advise others so much better than he could act for
himself.
It is always interesting to know what people look
like ; so here is a picture of the Prince of Wales as
he appeared at the age of forty-two : "A merry, good-
humored man, tall, though somewhat portly in stature, in
the prime of life, with laughing eyes, pouting lips, and nose
which very slightly turned up and gave a peculiar poig-
nancy to the expression of his face. He wore a well-pow-
dered wig, adorned with a profusion of curls, and a very
large pigtail appended thereto. His clothes fitted him
like a glove ; his coat was single-breasted and buttoned up
to the chin. His nether garments were leather pantaloons
and Hessian boots. Around his throat was a huge, white
neck -cloth of many folds, out of which his chin seemed
to be always struggling to emerge."
[A.D. 1806.] Here was an exterior that may have been
very attractive to those who did not know the Prince of
Wales for the lazy, vain, frivolous, weak, dissipated creature
that he was ; always plunging himself into some awkward
embarrassment by thoughtlessly taking action where his feel-
ings were aroused. And thus, with a decided hatred for
his injured wife, he chose to pervert every indiscreet or
thoughtless speech or action of hers into the appearance of
GEORGE IV.
1807. Caroline of Brunswick. 247
crime ; for he never could prove anything against her. He
bribed her servants and his own to appear against the
princess, when the king thought fit to institute a court of
inquiry; but never were proceedings more improper or
unjust. But the truth prevailed, as it always must, and
the princess came out victorious at last, though not with-
out severe tests of patience and resignation, that nothing
but great piety and fortitude could have carried her
through. She had warm friends always, and they gath-
ered about her at this crisis. The most valuable of her
allies was Mr. Perceval, who enthusiastically espoused her
cause, and drew up a statement of her case. This docu-
ment has always been considered one of the most power-
ful and complete defences ever written, and the author
of it had the satisfaction of a splendid triumph. To be
sure, there was considerable delay ; for so determined was
the prince upon the ruin of his wife that even when the
king was convinced of her innocence, and willing for her
to reappear at court, he adopted every means to procure
further inquiries, and if possible more charges.
[A.D. 1807.] An ignominious defeat was his reward ; for
the council declared the princess innocent of every charge
brought against her, and she was invited to appear at the
queen's drawing-room. The royal family were all present
when she entered, elegantly attired. The king received
her affectionately, the ladies and gentlemen with cordial
respect, the queen with cold, formal courtesy, and the
princesses with indifference. Presently she stood face to
face with the prince, her husband, in the very centre of the
apartment, with all eyes fixed on them. They bowed,
exchanged a few common-places, and then passed on, he
as cold as an icicle, she dignified and triumphant. They
never met again ; and, strange to say, instead of profiting
by the lesson she had had, and seeking to retain the favor
248 The Queens of England.
of the populace, which she certainly had secured, the
princess became so reckless as to alienate even her best
friends.
She lived at Kensington Palace, though she still retained
her villa at Blackheath, and held a sort of court, attended
by the Tory nobility, who knew that the king and Mr. Per-
ceval, then minister, were on her side. She kept up con-
siderable style, gave and attended balls and parties, and
gathered around her as many lively, witty people as pos-
sible, for she had a special aversion to dull ones. In course
of time an eccentric and somewhat frivolous set of friends
replaced the better class, and had a baneful influence on
the princess.
Miss Berry wrote of her at this period : " Her conversa-
tion is certainly uncommonly lively, odd, and clever.
What a pity that she has not a grain of common sense, not
an ounce of ballast to prevent high spirits and a coarse
mind running away with her, and allowing her to act indeco-
rously whenever an occasion offers." This is probably
a true picture of her ; for she was always seeking amuse-
ment, and would sacrifice propriety for the sake of getting
it. Perhaps she tried in this way to forget her sorrow ; but
that does not justify her conduct.
Among the most respectable and powerful of the
princess's allies were Mr. Canning and Mr. Brougham,
both prominent statesmen, who were of great advantage to
her for many years.
[A.D. 1811.] The king's mental condition became so
dreadful that at last, after repeated relapses, little hope
was entertained of his ultimate recovery, and the Prince of
Wales was appointed regent. In celebration of this event,
he gave one of the grandest fetes at Carlton House that
had ever been witnessed in England. It was considered
ill-timed, because his father's life hung upon a thread, but
i8n. Caroline of Brunswick. 249
the excuse he gave was a popular one ; for he said that he
desired to benefit those branches of trade which had
suffered so long from the discontinuance of court splendor.
The queen and her daughters were displeased at the
prince's apparent heartlessness, and refused to attend his
fete ; but his brothers were present, also the princess's suite,
though she herself was excluded. Princess Charlotte, who
had reached her fifteenth year, was also tabooed, and the
letter she wrote on the subject to Miss Hayman shows how
she felt about it.
" MY DEAR HAMY, But a few lines, as I will write you
a longer one soon again, only to tell you that the prince-
regent gives a magnificent ball on the fifth of June.
I have not been invited, nor do I know if I shall be or
not. If I should not it will make a great noise in the
world, as the friends I have seen have repeated over and
over again it is my duty to go there ; it is proper that I
should. Really I do think it will be very hard if I am not
asked."
It does seem hard, but it is nevertheless a fact, that this
little maiden was not permitted even to be a spectator of all
the magnificence displayed at her father's entertainment.
The costumes worn by the ladies were all new and splendid,
and the supper surpassed any that had ever been given at
the other courts. Louis XVIII. and several other mem-
bers of the French royal family, then in London, attended
the ball by special invitation from the prince. The host
wore a rich scarlet uniform, with a magnificent badge, dia-
mond aigrette, and jewelled sabre. He received his royal
guests in an apartment fitted up for the occasion with rich
blue silk, brocaded \\\th fleurs-de-lis in gold. " The Grecian
Hall was adorned with shrubs and innumerable large
lanterns and patent lamps. The floor was carpeted ; and
two lines composed of Yeomen of the Guard, and the ser-
250 The Queens of England.
vants of the king, the regent, the queen, and the royal
dukes, in their finest liveries, formed an avenue to the oc-
tagonal hall where yeomen were also stationed. That
hall was decorated with antique drapery of scarlet trimmed
with gold, and festooned with gold cords and tassels. A
dozen officers and lords received the company. The
prince entered the state-rooms with the royal family of
France at a quarter past nine. During the evening the
prince-regent passed from room to room, and conversed
with the utmost cheerfulness and lack of ceremony with his
guests. For some time the company amused themselves
walking about the halls and apartments, and every one
particularly admired the grand circular dining-room, sup-
ported by columns of porphyry, and the elegance of the
whole of its arrangements. The room in which the throne
stood was hung with crimson velvet, with gold lace, and
fringes. The canopy of the throne was surmounted by
golden helmets, with lofty plumes of ostrich feathers, and
underneath stood the state-chair. The ball-room floors
were chalked in beautiful arabesque devices and divided
for two sets of dancers by crimson silk cord ; but the
weather was so warm that little dancing took place in any
of the rooms. At two o'clock the supper was announced,
and the company, preceded by the prince and- the French
royal family, descended the grand staircase to the tempo-
rary buildings that had been erected on the la\vn. Passing
through a grotto lined with shrubs and flowers, they came
to a grand table, extending the whole length of the conser-
vatory, which was two hundred feet. Along the centre of
the table, about six inches above the surface, a canal of
pure water flowed from a silver fountain, beautifully con-
structed at the head of the table. Its banks were covered
with green moss and aquatic flowers, while gold and silver
fish swam up and down in the current. At the head of the
THE GROTTO.
i8n. Caroline of Brunswick. 253
table, above the fountain sat the prince-regent, with his
most particular friends on either side of him. They were
attended by sixty waiters ; seven served the prince, besides
six of the queen's, and six of the king's footmen in state
liveries, and one man in a complete suit of ancient armor.
At the back of the prince's seat were elevated stands, so
arranged as to exhibit to the greatest advantage exquisitely
wrought silver-plate, and near the ceiling was a royal
crown, and his majesty's cipher, G. R., splendidly illumin-
ated. There was also an immense side-board covered with
gold urns, vases, and salvers, and on the top was a Spanish
urn of great value, taken from the ' Invincible Armada.'
There were other tables running in various directions, and
places for the accommodation of two thousand persons.
When the whole company was seated, there was a line of
female beauty more richly adorned, and a blaze of jewelry
more brilliant than was ever displayed before in England.
Bands of music were stationed at various points, and per-
formed choice selections. The upper servants wore a cos-
tome of dark blue with gold lace trimmings, and the assist-
ants were dressed in black suits with white vests. All the
tureens, dishes, and plates were of silver. There were
hot soups, roasts, entrees, and all sorts of fine, well-cooked
viands, a profusion of peaches, grapes, pine- apples, and all
other fruits in and out of season. There was iced cham-
pagne at every three or four seats, and other wines in
great plenty. The ropes that supported the tent were
gilded and ornamented with no end of wreaths and fes-
toons of flowers."
The next day the public were admitted to view the dec-
orations, \vhich was considered a mark of great good
nature on the part of the prince. The crush was so tre-
mendous on that occasion, and the excitement so great,
that when the gates were thrown open many women were
254 The Queens of England.
knocked down and trodden upon. Many fainted, shrieks
and cries filled the air, limbs were broken, and clothing
torn from the backs of people. At last, after a great deal
of mischief had been done, the Duke of Clarence came
forward and made a speech, which had the effect of tran-
quillizing the mob.
CHAPTER IX.
[A.D. 1812.] THE health of the king did not improve;
and, as the prince-regent now held the reins of govern-
ment, a separate maintenance was provided for the queen
and princesses. This was quite necessary, because the
prince was on bad terms with all his family ; besides, he
was thinking seriously of a divorce from Princess Caroline,
which he felt more sure of getting because of his father's
inability to protect her. But that matter had to rest for a
while, because his mind was so filled with political dis-
turbances, the Catholic question, changes in the ministry,
and at last the assassination of Mr. Perceval in the House
of Commons. The prince was entirely under the control
of men of small ability, who advised him so badly that he
became exceedingly unpopular, and attacks of the most
stinging and bitter character were made against him in the
papers. Such men as Moore, Charles Lamb, Cruikshank,
and Home held him up to ridicule in the most merciless
manner, and, as he was vain and sensitive, it must have
been very galling. Here is one of the verses written by
Charles Lamb, which leaves no doubt to whom it refers :
THE TRIUMPH OF THE WHALE.
" lo ! Paean ! lo ! sing,
To the finny people's king,
Not a mightier whale than this,
In the vast Atlantic is ;
2 55
256 The Queens of England.
Not a fatter fish than he
Flounders round the Polar sea :
See his blubber at his gills,
What a world of drink he swills !
Such a person, next declare,
Muse, who his companions are :
Every fish of generous kind
Stands aside or drinks behind.
Name or title, what was he ?
Is he Regent of the sea i
By his bulk and by his size,
By his oily qualities,
This (or else my eyesight fails),
This should be the Prince of Whales/
[A.D. 1813.] Meanwhile, Princess Charlotte had be-
come a handsome young lady, with piquant manners, that
made her very attractive. She loved her mother and
espoused her cause, which excited the jealousy and indig-
nation of her father to a degree bordering on insanity.
She had not seen her mother for several weeks for some
reason, when Princess Caroline drove to Windsor and
demanded to see her child. She was denied, but had an
interview with the queen ; during which the latter pointed
out to her that it was the regent who regulated this matter,
and no one else had any authority. The princess was
very angry, and a message from the regent sent by Lord
Liverpool, requesting her not to go there again, did not
tend to pacify her. Her reply was, that if she saw the
Princess Charlotte once a week she would obey, other-
wise she would certainly go to Windsor whenever she
chose. She knew that she should meet with a refusal to
see her daughter ; but she wanted it in black and white.
After consulting several times with Mr. Brougham, the
princess at last resolved to send the queen a letter claim-
ing free access to her daughter, and complaining that her
education was being neglected, and that she was being
i Si 3- Caroline of Brunsivick. 257
kept in too close confinement. The prince was in such a
rage when he read the letter, which was of course sent to
him before it could be answered, that he determined to
take his daughter under his immediate control, and to get
rid of the governess to whom she was attached, because
she was supposed to favor her pupil's mother too much.
The prince was shocked when he one day heard his daugh-
ter call the queen "the Merry Wife of Windsor," and
reprimanded her for her disrespect. " Don't you know
my mother is Queen of England ? " he asked, sternly.
" And you seem to forget that my mother is Princess of
Wales ! " retorted the pert young lady.
On the eve of her seventeenth birthday Princess Char-
lotte wrote a letter to Lord Liverpool, in which she declared
that as her late governess had been removed, she was now
old enough to do without another, and required an estab-
lishment with her own ladies-in-waiting. As she wrote all
the details of the different scenes she had with her aunts
and the queen to her mother, it is probable that she
received some secret hints from that quarter.
One morning the young princess was summoned to
appear before her father, the queen, the lord chancellor,
and her aunts. The regent asked her angrily, " What she
meant by refusing to have a governess," adding, " as long
as I live you shall have no establishment unless you
marry." She referred him to her letter for his reply,
whereupon both he and the queen abused her and called
her a " perverse, wilful creature."
The chancellor then explained to her, rather roughly,
what was her duty, and she asked him as a father what he
would do. He replied, that if the princess were his daugh-
ter he would lock her up. She said not a word, but on
going to the room of one of her aunts burst into tears, and
exclaimed, "What would the king say if he could know
258 The Queens of England.
that his grand-daughter had been compared to the grand-
daughter of a collier ? " As a compromise, the Duchess of
Leeds was appointed as governess, merely in name, and
the princess was to have two ladies-in-waiting besides.
She was now a young lady " out " in society, and a ball
was given at Carlton House in honor of her birthday.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales sent a letter to the
regent, which was returned unopened. This was repeated
several times, when it was decided by Mr. Brougham and
others to publish it. The mother began by saying how
she had waited day by day to see her daughter, but it had
been made more and more impossible. " Our intercourse
has been gradually diminished," she wrote ; " a single inter-
view weekly seemed hardly sufficient for a mother's affec-
tions ; that, however, was reduced to our meeting once a
fortnight, and I now learn that this most rigorous interdic-
tion is to be still more rigidly enforced." Then, after a
most touching appeal, she closes by reminding the regent
that their daughter had never been confirmed.
The effect of this document was marvellous. The whole
country was aroused, and every heart throbbed with indig-
nation at the idea of a loving mother being so cruelly sep-
arated from her child. But the prince had made up his
mind to get rid of his wife, and so employed an eminent
law firm to manage it for him, by what intrigues and
falsehoods he cared not, so long as it was accomplished.
Parliament declared the princess innocent of any of the
charges brought against her, still intercourse with her
daughter was restricted.
That daughter had shown such a spirit of independence
that a household of her own had been established at War-
wick House. This was a dilapidated, gloomy building ; but
the young princess preferred it to the fine apartments she
occupied at Windsor, because it freed her from the super-
Caroline of Brunswick. 261
vision of the queen. The Duchess of Leeds was at the
head of the household, and Miss Knight was lady-compan-
ion. She went from time to time to Carlton House,
which was just across the road from hers , but the prince-
regent desired to keep her back as much as possible, and
informed her that all intercourse with her mother must
cease for a time. Such a command had the effect of keep-
ing her at home ; for she was so grieved that for several
weeks she refused to attend any public amusements, even
the queen's drawing-rooms.
The Duke of Brunswick was killed on the battle-field of
Jena, and his wife had been forced to seek the protection
of her brother, George III., very soon after. By the time
she arrived in England, however, that brother, who, she
always said, "loved her as well as he could anybody," was
not permitted to see her, and not in a condition to recog-
nize her, even if he had been. So the poor duchess set up
an establishment of her own not far' from her daughter,
whose cause she espoused, and to whom her sympathy was
a source of real comfort. Her death, which occurred at
this period, left Princess Caroline an orphan, and deprived
her of another valuable friend.
The princess continued to be popular with the people,
though some gentlemen of high standing had deserted her
when the prince became regent. She dared not visit her
daughter, but managed to meet her clandestinely when she
drove out ; and when such meetings occurred on the public
highway, crowds would gather around the carriage with loud
demonstrations of approbation ; and threatening cries of
" to Carlton House," more than once arose from the mob.
Not only was the prince-regent anxious to get his wife out
of the way, but he had a similar desire regarding his
daughter. Her case seemed easy to manage, if he could
only find a husband for her, so he pitched on the Prince of
262 The Queens of England.
Orange, a young man who had been educated in England,
and was serving on the Duke of Wellington's staff.
[A.D. 1814.] The first time the young princess met him
was at a party at Carlton House, given for that purpose.
She looked very pretty in a dress of violet-satin, trimmed
with blonde, and made a favorable impression on the prince.
She did not dislike her suitor ; but her father's eagerness
to conclude the match rendered her suspicious, and set her
to making inquiries as to her future position in case she
consented to the marriage. She consulted her mother,
who told her that the match was unpopular with the nation,
because they did not wish the heir to the throne of Eng-
land to pass most of her time in Holland, as she would be
obliged to do if she married the Prince of Orange. Fur-
thermore, the Princess of Wales assured her child that all
the world was astonished at her eighteenth birthday having
been passed over with no public testimony of joy. " Oh,
but the war, and the great expenses of the nation, occasion
my coming of age to be passed over at present," argued
Charlotte. "A very good excuse, truly," replied the
mother, " and you are child enough to believe it ! "
Thus when the high-spirited girl found that her father's
aim was to get her out of the way, and for that reason was
so anxious for her to marry the Prince of Orange, she
began to raise objections, and made such a struggle that
the affair came to a dead stop, and another husband had
to be sought.
All England rejoiced this year because of the defeat of
Napoleon and his exile to Elba. This was a signal for the
return of the Bourbons to France. Louis XVIII. made
a public entry into London, escorted by the regent, on
whom he bestowed the order of St. Esprit, in the enthu-
siasm of his gratitude for the hospitality he had re-
ceived. There were only two people not permitted to
^H- Caroline of Brunswick, 263
take part in the festivities, 'the Princess of Wales and her
daughter. The regent escorted the French royal family
to Dover, and the Duke of Clarence attended them to their
native land.
But there were grand doings at hand ; for early in June
the Emperor of Russia, the King of Prussia, the czar's
sister, the Grand Duchess Catherine, Blucher, the great
general, and many other distinguished foreigners visited
London, and the whole city went wild over these visitors.
The queen gave two drawing-rooms, and, on hearing that
it was the intention of the Princess of Wales to be pres-
ent, her majesty wrote her that as the regent had declared
it to be his fixed and unalterable intention never to meet
her in public or private, she would not be received. It
was only after a great deal of persuasion on the part of
her friends that the princess consented to stay away ; but
she wrote to the regent and told him she would not stand
such treatment. Her letter was not noticed, and, rather
than submit to further indignities, she began to think about
leaving the country, where she had known nothing but
insults and neglect.
A series of fetes and banquets were given to the illus-
trious visitors ; one of them by the merchants, and another
by the Lord Mayor, which had seldom been surpassed in
magnificence. During his progress through the streets
with his guests the regent was incessantly hissed, and the
mob called out, " Where 's your wife ? " much to the cha-
grin of the host, who was anxious to appear at his best.
The princess was excluded from the banquets, but she
went to the opera on the night when all the potentates
were to be present. Her lady-in-waiting thus describes the
scene :
" When we arrived at the opera the regent was placed
between the emperor and the King of Prussia, and all the
264 The Queens of England.
minor princes were in a box to the right of them. 'God
save the King ' was being played when the princess entered,
consequently she did not sit down. As soon as the air
was over the whole pit turned to the princess's box and
applauded her. We entreated her to rise and make a
courtesy ; but she sat immovable, and at last she said to
one of her ladies, ' My dear, Punch's wife is nobody when
Punch is present ! ' 'We shall be hissed,' suggested one
of the gentlemen. ' No, no,' replied the princess, with a
good-humored laugh, ' I know my business better than to
take the morsel out of my husband's mouth , I am not to
seem to know that the applause is meant for me until they
call my name.' When his royal highness left the theatre,
at the close of the performance, the audience called for
the princess, and gave her a warm applause. She then
went forward and made three courtesies, and hastily with-
drew. When the coachman attempted to drive home, the
crowd of carriages was so great that he was obliged to turn
out of his road and pass Carlton House. As soon as the
mob discovered the princess, they surrounded her carriage,
and huzzaed her loudly. Some of them opened the doors
and insisted on shaking hands with her, and asked if
they should burn Carlton House. 'No, my good people,'
she said ; ' be quite quiet : let me pass, and go home to
your beds.' '
The Princess of Wales was very anxious to have a visit
from the Emperor of Russia, and he set out one day with
the intention of calling on her, when one of the ministers
pursued him in hot haste and implored him, in the name
of the regent, to turn back.
In the crowd of kings and princes who visited England
at this period was Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, a
young man of two and twenty, who struck the fancy of
Princess Charlotte the very first time she saw him. He
Caroline of Brunswick. 26$
had brought a letter to her from the Duke of Brunswick,
and she was so pleased with him that she complained to
her aunt, the Duchess of York, saying that she would like
to know him better, but had no opportunity, because she
was not permitted to attend any of the balls. So the
duchess gave one specially for her, and the mo. she saw
of Prince Leopold the better she liked him. In the park
he would ride near the carriage, and showed plainly that
he reciprocated her admiration. He courted and flattered
the regent, offended no one, and made himself so popular
that after he went away the regent declared him to be a
most honorable, worthy young man.
The Princess of Wales had made up her mind to leave
England. It was an unwise step, and Mr. Brougham ad-
vised her to abandon it ; but, with the obstinacy of a weak
person who will not be convinced, she refused to listen to
his advice. She made a formal application to Lord Liver-
pool for permission to reside abroad ; this was granted,
and parliament made her a liberal allowance. On the
ad of August she embarked on board the frigate "Jason,"
under the name of the Countess of Wolfenbiittel, and
started on her pilgrimage. It is said that on her arrival in
Germany she contrived to see Prince Leopold and hand
him a letter from her daughter. This is probable, because
she favored the match, and was capable of an undignified
act, such being the case.
The Prince of Coburg made no sign, having very wisely
decided to await an invitation from the regent before again
appearing in England.
[A.D. 1816.] But the young princess was fretting her
heart out, because she fancied that he had forgotten her.
She had no sooner completed her twentieth year, however,
than she quite unexpectedly received a message that she was
to go with the queen to Brighton, where a surprise awaited
266 The Queens of England.
her. She obeyed, wondering what it could possibly be,
and was received on her arrival there by her favored suitor.
The young lady was happier than she had been in many a
day ; and, as all the royal family were pleased at her choice,
arrangements for her wedding were soon made, and the
ceremony took place in May. Claremont House was pur-
chased and handsomely fitted up for the young couple,
and shortly after their marriage they went there to live.
Every time they appeared in public they met with a most
enthusiastic reception ; and this displeased the regent very
much, for he was greeted with nothing but complaints on
every side. The married life of the Princess Charlotte was
extraordinarily happy. She was known by the country
people for miles around, and dispensed so many benefits
among them that every visit of hers was like a ray of sun-
shine. In her own household she was a queen, beloved
and respected by her husband, and by all who approached
her. So happy were this couple in their domestic life that
they cared little for the gayeties of London, and seldom
went to town.
[A.D. 1817.] Now we must turn to the "Countess of
Wolfenbiittel," and follow her in her travels. She was
accompanied by Mr. St. Leger, Sir William Cell, Mr.
Craven, Dr. Holland as physician, and Captain Hesse as
equerry. She went first to Brunswick, where she was
received by her brother and all the inhabitants with the
heartiest of welcomes ; but a spirit of restlessness had taken
possession of her, and she could stop nowhere very long.
The governors of the German cities all treated her with
respect and courtesy as she passed along, but before she
reached Switzerland Mr. St. Leger had withdrawn from
her train, for some reason not reported. A greater portion
of the month of September was passed at Geneva, where the
" Countess " met Marie Louise, the ex-Empress of France,
1817- Caroline of Brunswick. 267
and the two ladies were for a time on very intimate terms.
But the countess dressed so absurdly, and made such a
spectacle of herself, that the gentlemen who had accom-
panied her from England were shocked.
In October the Princess of Wales, as we shall continue
to call her, because we know her best by that title, arrived
at Milan. There she took one Bartholomew Bergami, a
handsome Italian, into her service, and made him her cham-
berlain. Wherever she went she behaved so unlike a lady
that she was thought by many people to be insane ; and, as
she passed on through Italy, her English attendants fell off
one by one. She complained that they were tyrants, but
it is probable that they only gave her good advice, which
she was silly enough to ignore. Spies were watching her
wherever she went; she was well aware of it, and acted
all the more recklessly in defiance of her enemies. She
purchased a villa at the Lake of Como, and made a com-
panion of Bergami, whom she allowed to sit at table with
her, thus bestowing honors with little judgment. At one
of her festivals at Como her conversation was so thought-
less and silly that a friend asked her if she did not know
that every word and action of hers was reported at Carlton
House within a fortnight. " I know it," she replied, " and
therefore do I speak and act as you hear and see. The
regent will hear it ? I hope he will, for I love to mortify
him." Thus did this foolish woman effect her own ruin
with deplorable obstinacy. From Como she went to
Palermo, and thence to Genoa, everywhere dancing, sight-
seeing, and feasting, as though life were worth nothing
unless passed in gayety.
At Genoa the princess had a superb palace, where she
surrounded herself with Italians, and held her court, which
was attended by the nobility. Reports derogatory to the
princess's character were constantly reaching the regent,
268 The Queens of England.
who, anxious to catch at any straw that might enable him
to obtain the divorce he longed for, sent -a commission to
Italy to investigate her actions.
The following seven months were spent in continual
travelling and change of scene, during which the princess
visited Sicily, Tunis, Carthage, and many other places of
note. In the spring she went to Athens, and thence to
Constantinople, and by the middle of July she was in the
holy city of Jerusalem. There she was received cordially
by the Capuchin friars, and established the " Order of St.
Caroline." After making a flying visit to Jericho, and
suffering from the fierce heat of the sun, the princess and
her attendants were glad to take to the sea again, and in
course of time reached Rome. A brief sojourn in that
city satisfied the royal traveller, who then returned to the
Villa d'Este, on the Lake of Como, and began to sign
herself Caroline d'Este.
A few months later she repaired to Carlsruhe on a visit
to the Grand Duke of Baden ; but her reception was not
such as to induce her to prolong her stay ; and when she
appeared at Vienna contemptuous neglect awaited her.
English families had long since ceased to show her respect ;
and from the time of her leaving her home to become a
wanderer nobody is to blame but herself for whatever ill-
treatment she experienced. Up to that period all the world
sympathized with her, but they could do so no longer.
Towards the close of the year the sad news of the sud-
den death of her daughter, the Princess Charlotte, reached
her. She bore it with wonderful calmness, and wrote to a
friend in England : " I have not only to lament an ever-
beloved child, but a most warmly attached friend, and the
only one I have in the kingdom. But she is only gone be-
fore. I have not lost her, and I now trust we shall soon
meet in a much better world than the present one."
KENSINGTON GARDENS.
Caroline of Brunswick. 2/1
[A.D. 1818.] Three of the royal dukes married this
year, and towards its close, Queen Charlotte, who had
been declining for many months, died suddenly while sit-
ting in a chair.
[A.D. 1819.] The Duke of Kent, George III.'s fourth
son, had married Princess Victoria of Leiningen. The
event had no connection with this reign ; but we mention
it merely to announce the birth of their daughter, which
occurred on the twenty-fourth of May. It was not sup-
posed that she would ever mount the throne, therefore her
appearance in the world was not considered of great im-
portance. She was christened in June, and received the
name of Alexandra Victoria. The baptismal ceremony
took place in the grand saloon of Kensington Palace, in
presence of the regent and other members of the royal
family. The Emperor of Russia was god-father. As this
princess is the present Queen of England, we shall have
more to say about her by-and-by.
[A.D. 1820.] The great bell of St. Paul's announced
the death of George III. at midnight, on January 29, and
the accession of George IV. Before ten days had elapsed
the new king was again embroiled with his ministers on
the subject of a divorce from his wife, who, having met
with a series of insults and petty slights at the various
courts of Europe, had made her way to St. Omer, where
she awaited her legal advisers before deciding on her
future course.
It was Mr. Brougham and Lord Hutchinson who met
her there, the latter with a proposition, that as the death
of George III. left her without income, the king would
grant her fifty thousand pounds per annum on the condi-
tion that she would remain on the continent, surrender the
title of queen, and never, under any pretext whatever, set
foot in England. She refused the proposal with infinite
272 The Queens of England.
scorn, and declared her intention to proceed to England.
This was the result of Mr. Brougham's advice, for he was
always friendly to Caroline, and knew that her acceptance
of Hutchinson's proposal would be most injurious to her
character.
No sooner had her interview closed with the envoys
from the king, than Queen Caroline, without a moment's
delay, proceeded to Calais, dismissed her Italian followers,
and, attended only by Alderman Wood and Lady Anne
Hamilton, embarked on board the packet " Leopold," then
lying in the harbor. She did not sail until the next morn-
ing, and reached Dover about noon. Much to her surprise
a royai salute greeted her, and the whole town lined the
shores to welcome their queen. Her progress to London
was a perfect ovation, and by the time she reached the
metropolis so many mounted persons had joined her that
she found herself escorted by a vast cavalcade. It was
seven o'clock in the evening when she passed through the
city ; and such crowds gathered to see her that the streets
were almost impassable, and the windows were rilled with
eager faces and waving handkerchiefs. So great was the
excitement that Carlton House had to be guarded, for
threatening yells and cries arose from all sides.
The queen found refuge at the house of Alderman Wood,
and no sooner was she domiciled there than the ministers
met to decide what course was to be pursued with regard
to her for the peace and well-being of the United King-
dom. Each one carried a "green bag," which was sup-
posed to contain a copy of the report made by the Milan
spies, or commissioners, as they were called, on the conduct
of the Princess of Wales, now queen, while she was travel-
ling abroad. Meanwhile the king had the humiliation of
hearing the hussars of his own regiment shout, " Long live
the queen ! " and it was reported to him how at the Toy Tav-
i82o. Caroline of Brunswick. 273
ern, Hampton Court, where they were quartered, a dozen
or more of them had stood up and drank her health with a
pot of porter.
Mr. Brougham threw himself heart and soul into the
queen's cause, and conducted it in a masterly manner,
showing himself a man of courage and ability. He was
ably assisted by Canning, who warned and threatened the
House of Lords, and boldly declared, " that his affection
and respect for the queen were undiminished, and that he
considered her the grace and ornament of every society."
While the trial was pending, the queen took possession
of Brandenburgh House, where she daily received large
mobs, who came with addresses of sympathy. The nu-
merous amusing scenes created by these deputations were
not lost sight of by the queen's opponents, who made such
bitter attacks that the more respectable class, who were
inclined to support her, were thereby driven away.
Having established herself comfortably, the queen sent for
all her Italian attendants, who arrived in London in August,
several boatloads of them, for the queen's house
was on the river, and the government had so barricaded
Westminster Bridge that it could be approached in no other
way. So many Italians congregated together under one
roof excited no little curiosity among the London rabble,
who hovered around them and watched them as a cat does
a mouse. On the seventeenth of August, the day fixed for
the trial to begin, the city was in a perfect ferment. Bands
of soldiers and police were stationed at every corner, and
the space between St. James's and the houses of parlia-
ment was crammed with people soon after daylight.
As the peers began to arrive they were greeted with hisses,
and groans, or loud cheers, according as they opposed
or defended the queen. The Duke of Wellington, who was
prominent in the opposition, frequently had his horse
274 The Queens of England.
stopped by people who would shout in his face, " No foul
play, my lord ! the queen forever." He would answer in
his characteristic style, " Yes, yes, yes ; " and once, it is
said, he added good humoredly : " And may all your wives
be like her!" A perfect roar of voices and deafening
shouts of applause greeted the arrival of her majesty's car-
riage each day; and as she passed Carlton House the
crowd jealously watched to see whether the guard on duty
presented arms. Fortunately they did, for they would other-
wise have been torn to pieces. " God bless your majesty !
We '11 give our blood for you ! The queen or death ! May
you overcome your enemies ! " were the exclamations that
arose on all sides as Queen Caroline passed along.
A confused sound of drums and trumpets announced her
arrival at the house. The peers rose as she entered, and
remained standing until she took her seat in a crimson and
gilt chair, placed immediately in front of her counsel. Her
appearance was not prepossessing ; for she wore a black
satin dress with a high ruff, and an unbecoming broad hat
with a huge bow, and a bunch of ostrich plumes. On her
head was a curled black wig, and her eyebrows were
painted. Considering that nature had given her blue eyes
and light hair, these artificial additions were not in keep-
ing with her other characteristics, and gave her a bold, de-
fiant, unattractive air.
It was embarrassing to the lords to have the queen
present every day ; but, as she could get no information as
to the charges brought against her, she was resolved to be
there.
Lord Liverpool's bill, which favored the king in every
particular, concluded by proposing that " Caroline Amelia
Elizabeth should be deprived of her rights, rank, and privi-
leges as queen, and that her marriage with the king be dis-
solved and disannulled to all intents and purposes,"
Caroline of Brunswick. 275
We do not propose to give the details of the " queen's
trial " as it dragged its slow length along. The bill passed
by a majority of nine only, and they consisted of the mem-
bers of the cabinet, who dare not vote as they chose. No
action could be taken upon so small a majority, yet the
queen can scarcely be said to have achieved a victory.
The case had been unfairly tried, and the popular voice
declared it so. She had made several attempts to have her
name restored to the liturgy, and refused to accept an in-
come offered by the king unless that was done. At last
she was forced to abandon that request, much to the dis-
appointment of her friends, and to accept the fifty thousand
pounds a year.
[A.D. 1821.] The king's attention was now turned
towards his coronation, which was to be managed on a
most magnificent scale ; for never was there a man more
fond of display and theatrical effect than George IV.
Queen Caroline immediately addressed Lord Liverpool on
the subject, claiming her right to take part in the cere-
mony. Much correspondence, arguments, and discussions
with legal advisers on both sides ensued, and the result
was the entire exclusion of her majesty. She then
addressed a note to the Archbishop of Canterbury, inform-
ing him of her desire to be crowned some day, within a
week after that ceremony was performed for the king.
The archbishop's answer was, " that he was the king's ser-
vant, and was ready to obey any command that he might
receive from his royal master."
All this anxiety and disappointment began to tell on the
poor queen's health, and she was ill and suffering, when,
with her usual spirit and energy, she presented herself at
the grand door of Westminster Hall on the morning of the
coronation, and demanded admittance as a spectator. She
had started from Brandenburgh House at six o'clock, with
276 The Queens of England.
Lord and Lady Hood and Lady Anne Hamilton in attend-
ance, in a carriage drawn by six white horses. No person
could enter the hall without a ticket, and, as the queen had
none, an officer on guard respectfully declined allowing
her to pass. She felt the insult keenly, but laughed and
chatted in a flippant manner as she turned away. It was
a pitiable sight, that of the queen going to every door in
turn, and being turned away because she could not show
the indispensable ticket. Lord Hood suggested that on
account of her rank the queen should not be bound by the
rules which governed others ; but the doorkeepers were
inexorable, and there was nothing left but for her to enter
her carriage and go back home, humiliated, almost
crushed.
George IV. had spent days and nights with his tailor
and friends, discussing and selecting the various articles in
which he was to appear on the grand occasion. His robes
are said to have cost twenty-five thousand pounds, and his
jewels were gorgeous. Never was a more magnificent scene
witnessed than that which marked the coronation cere-
mony of George IV., and never did monarch labor harder
to make it so.
Poor Queen Caroline's nervous system had sustained a
shjock from which it could not rally, and three months
after the king's coronation she died. On the second of
August she was attacked with her last illness, and after
five days of intense suffering sank into a stupor, from
which she never awoke. She was conscious of her con-
dition, made her will, and gave all the necessary directions
for the disposal of her body. She died on the seventh of
August, 1821, at the age of fifty-three.
Her will contained a clause to this effect : " I desire and
direct that my body be not opened, and that three days
after my death it be carried to Brunswick for interment,
i82i. Caroline of Brunswick. 279
and that the inscription on my coffin be, ' Here lies Caro-
line of Brunswick, the murdered Queen of England.' '
The king was in Ireland while his wife was dying.
There he was magnificently feted and escorted wherever
he stopped. He made speeches to flatter his Irish sub-
jects, promises that he never intended to fulfil, and
received attentions that were remarkable for nothing more
than their insincerity.
Lord Byron gave vent to his contempt of the whole pro-
ceeding in the following lines :
THE IRISH AVATAR.
" Ere the daughter of Brunswick is cold in her grave,
And her ashes still float to her home o'er the tide,
Lo ! George the triumphant speeds over the wave,
To the long-cherished isle which he loved like his bride.
But he comes ! the Messiah of royalty comes !
Like the goodly Leviathan roll'd from the waves !
Then receive him as best such an advent becomes,
With a legion of cooks and an army of slaves.
Is it madness or meanness that clings to thee now ?
Were he God as he is but the commonest clay,
With scarce fewer wrinkles than sins on his brow
Such servile devotion might shame him away.
Spread, spread for Vitellius the royal repast,
Till the gluttonous despot be stuffed to the gorge ;
And the roar of his drunkards proclaim him at last,
The fourth of the fools and oppressors called ' George.' "
Grief was great throughout the kingdom at the death of
Queen Caroline. Fearing that the funeral might prove
the occasion of a popular demonstration, it was resolved
that the body should not pass through the city, but be
taken through roundabout and private roads. In a
pouring rain the procession started. It consisted of a
280 The Queens of England.
hearse emblazoned with escutcheons and drawn by eight
horses, heralds, twelve mourning-coaches, and six squad-
rons of soldiers. At every turn barricades had been
placed by an angry and excited crowd, who, amid yells of
triumph, saw the authorities yield to the course they had
determined on, and, contrary to imperative instructions,
pass with the cortege through some of the most public
thoroughfares. But the excitement was intense ; the
soldiers were attacked with brickbats and stones, and
several people were killed.
It took two days to get to Harwich ; and, just before the
coffin was placed on the man-of-war that awaited it, the
discovery was made that the plate which Queen Caroline
had ordered had been replaced by another bearing a sim-
ple inscription. The interment took place at Brunswick,
after night, on the twenty-fourth of August.
The king survived until June 26, 1830. When he was
dying, a letter was brought to him from Mrs. Fitzherbert,
in which that worthy lady offered to watch over and soothe
his last moments. After his death her miniature, attached
to a red cord, was found hanging from his neck, where, it
is supposed, he always wore it.
One historian justly says of George IV., that he was
jovial, epicurean, good-natured ; offering a disastrous spec-
tacle of a life wrecked by self-indulgence and an un-
bounded love of pleasure.
ADELAIDE LOUISA.
CHAPTER X.
ADELAIDE LOUISA, WIFE OF WILLIAM IV.
(A.D. 1818-1849.)
THERE is so little to relate about this queen, that were it
not for the fact that her reign develops many matters of
importance and interest to the whole civilized world, we
should feel tempted to pass her by with a brief notice.
But this would be unsatisfactory in an historical point of
view. Queen Adelaide will, therefore, receive her share of
mention whenever she takes prominence as we proceed.
It was on April 13, 1818, that the regent, afterwards
George IV., announced to parliament through Lord Liver-
pool that he had given his consent to the marriage of his
brother, the Duke of Clarence, with Adelaide Louisa
Theresa Caroline Amelia, Princess of Saxe-Coburg Mein-
ingen. Two other brothers of the regent were married
the same year ; but of these, more hereafter.
When quite a youth Prince William Henry had entered
the navy as midshipman under Captain Digby, and for
many years his life was one of neglect, poverty, and obscu-
rity. Nobody ever thought it necessary to honor him until
he reached his fortieth year, when Mr. Canning, the
premier, brought him into notice by giving him the appoint-
ment of lord high-admiral. He reigned when the Duke
of Wellington succeeded Mr. Canning, and sank into ob-
283
284 The Queens of England.
scurity again until, by the deaths of the Princess Charlotte
and his elder brother, the Duke of York, he was made
prominent by becoming heir to the throne.
[A.D. 1830.] The princess he had married was remarka-
ble for nothing so much as her amiability. For many
years she lived with her husband at Bushey Park, a pleas-
ant domestic life, free from the intrigues and excitements
of court or political affairs. She was by no means de-
lighted when the death of George IV. elevated her to the
throne ; for she loved her retired home in the country, and
it was a long time before she took upon herself the dignity
of her new position.
It was the same with her husband, "the bluff sailor-
king " William IV., who declared " that he had slept in a
cot, and did not desire luxury and magnificence." By his
simplicity and good nature he had made himself exceed-
ingly popular with the lower and middle classes, and there
never was anything like the enthusiasm with which he was
greeted by all parties. He could not readily throw off the
habits and manners of a country gentleman, even when a
crowd gathered to stare at him at every turn he made, for
he had been too long accustomed to trot about without
exciting the least observation.
He began his reign by providing for old friends, pen-
sioning some and placing others in lucrative offices. He
threw himself into the arms of the Duke of Wellington,
whom he placed at the head of the administration, because
he was to be depended upon for advice and support. Wil-
liam, as well as other members of the royal family, had
always been friendly to Mrs. Fitzherbert, and he showed
the kindness of his heart by responding to an application
made in her behalf soon after his brother's death. He in-
vited her to Windsor, desired her to put her servants into
mourning, though he did not show that respect to the
l $3- Adelaide Louisa of England. 285
dead king in his own household, and settled an income
of six thousand pounds a year on her.
King William was glad of every opportunity to show
himself to his subjects, particularly in such public spectacles
as he knew would give them pleasure. Indeed, he went
about this task in such a business-like manner as to aston-
ish everybody. A month after his accession he inspected
the Coldstream Guards in St. James's Park, which was sur-
rounded by a large assemblage of spectators. He was
dressed (for the first time in his life) in a military uniform,
with a large pair of gold spurs, half-way up his legs, like a
game-cock. These were entirely useless, because a stiffness
in the joints of his hands prevented his holding the reins,
therefore he could not ride.
The queen appeared at this review, and afterwards held
a drawing-room, when the ministers' wives were presented
to her, also various officers of state ; but she did not enjoy
that sort of thing at all, and is said to have behaved like a
well-bred actress rehearsing a part, while anxiously awaiting
the dropping of the curtain. Luncheon was served at one
o'clock, and then the king and queen, seated together on
one throne, received the addresses of the Oxford and Cam-
bridge representatives. Then the queen retired, and a
council was held, and the king had a civil word to say to
everybody, inviting some to dine with him, promising to
visit others, and reminding several of former intercourse in
a most affable but rather undignified manner. When all
this was over, his majesty put on his plain clothes, and took a
stroll about the streets arm-in-arm with a gentleman, and
followed by a mob that so shoved him about that on his
return to the palace he was glad to take a quiet walk in the
garden, saying, good-humoredly, to his companion : " Oh,
never mind all this ; when I have walked about a few
times they will get used to it, and will take no notice."
286 The Queens of England.
For the next three days regiments were inspected in the
various parks, the king's affability being the theme on
everybody's lips, and then he held a grand levee, which
was crowded to excess. He had gained favor with the
army, the navy claimed him as their chief, so it would be
difficult to tell with which of the services he was most
popular.
William IV. could not comprehend etiquette, and
appeared at the House of Lords without his crown, because
he found it less irksome when carried in the hands of Lord
Hastings than on his own head. He wanted to take the
King of Wiirtemberg, who was visiting England, in his
coach with him, but that was beyond all precedent, and
could not be allowed ; however, nobody could prevent his
sitting backwards in his private carriage, or making any
man who accompanied him sit by his side instead of
opposite.
After the session at the House of Lords, William drove
all over town in an open barouche with the queen, Princess
Augusta, and the King of Wiirtemberg ; but that was not
the worst of it : he actually stopped at a hotel to set down
his guest, and that was a sample of simplicity and good-
nature never before witnessed in a sovereign of England.
He had immense dinners every day at the palace, often
inviting the same people three or four times hand-running.
At eleven o'clock he dismissed his guests thus : " Now,
ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a good-night. I will not
detain you any longer from your amusements, and shall go
myself to bed ; so come along, my queen."
One of the reviews made by his majesty was succeeded
by a breakfast at Apsley House, the home of the Duke of
Wellington, about fifty members of the council and foreign
ministers being present, and that same evening he sat at a
state dinner between the King of Wiirtemberg and the
1830. Adelaide Louisa of England. 289
duke. When his health was drunk, he returned thanks
briefly, saying that he should give a toast by-and-by. So
after a while he sent a message to his band to plaj the
merriest waltz they could, and as soon as he was obeyed,
he gave " The Queen of Wiirtemberg," and praised her
tremendously. He next ordered them to play " See the Con-
quering Hero Comes ; " then he rose and said he had been
so short a time on the throne that he did not know whether
etiquette required him to speak sitting or standing; but he
wished to propose the health of the Duke of Wellington,
whom he compared with the Duke of Marlborough, and,
after making a long speech, concluded by declaring that
he gave him his fullest confidence, and should continue to
do so as long as he remained upon the throne.
While King William was keeping himself busy with din-
ners, drives, reviews, breakfasts, etc., Paris was in a state
of siege, and no end of reports some true, some false
were constantly arriving in England, where the result was
watched with the greatest anxiety. Three days brought
the French Revolution to a climax, and established the
Duke of Orleans Louis Philippe on the throne. But
it did not tranquillize Europe ; for there was every prospect
of a general war, and much alarm was felt in England in
consequence. The First Napoleon said that a revolution
in France was a revolution of Europe ; and so it proved,
for there was fighting in all the principal towns before
peace was really established.
Before William had been on the throne a year there was
trouble in Ireland, and in some counties it became neces-
sary for the military force to put down the outrages com-
mitted by mobs. The Irish people believed that their
rights had been assailed by the government, and Daniel
O'Connell made speeches to the ignorant portion of the
inhabitants, which served, as he intended they should, to
290 The Queens of England.
increase their discontent. Then there was an outbreak
among the English peasantry against the use of agricultural
machinery. They met in crowds and went about destroy-
ing all the barns, corn, and hay-ricks, and setting fire right
and left to the threshing-machines, like a set of maniacs.
Of course such lawless behavior filled the country with con-
sternation, because it was impossible to tell where it would
end.
When parliament met, the king made a speech which
proved to be one of the most offensive that ever proceeded
from an English sovereign. It was known to be the work
of his ministry, but did not increase his popularity on that
account. The Duke of Wellington followed it up by a
declaration against reform in parliament, which certainly
sealed his fate, for it was condemned by friend and foe.
It proved that, though a great general, the duke was by no
means capable of filling the position of prime minister.
Excitement ran so high in London that the Lord Mayor's
dinner, which had been fixed for the ninth of November,
had to be postponed, for there was great fear of a repetition
of Guy Fawkes's day. Troops paraded the streets, pru-
dent citizens renewed their bolts and bars, lined their shut-
ters with iron plates, and laid in a supply of arms, while
little knots of people gathered at the street-corners, waiting
for something, though they did not know exactly what.
Before the end of the week everybody was laughing at the
panic they had experienced ; but the effect of it was seri-
ously felt, for certain disorderly citizens organized mean-
ingless riots, merely because they could think of no other
way of amusing themselves just then. Besides, the impres-
sion got abroad that the King of England dared not pass
through the streets of his own capital to dine with the
Lord Mayor, and that the banquet had, therefore, to be
postponed.
'830. Adelaide Louisa of England. 291
The reform bill was a most important matter ; and, when
we consider the nature of it, we shall see why it created so
much excitement among the common people of Great Britain.
This measure was introduced into parliament with the inten-
tion of regulating the number of representatives from the
various counties, according to their size and standing. It
had another aim. Hitherto the affairs of government had
been exclusively in the hands of the aristocracy ; but the
reform bill was introduced for the purpose of admitting the
middle classes to a voice in public concerns. It is easy to
see, therefore, why the workingmen were aroused ; but those
who witnessed the tame, wordy meetings of the working-
men not long since on the San Francisco sand-lots can
form no idea of the riots which succeeded such demonstra-
tions in England fifty years ago.
The panic had another effect, which was the removal of
the Duke of Wellington from office, at the same time that
Sir Robert Peel offered his resignation in the House of
Commons. This meant a complete change in the ministry.
Throughout the troubled and unsettled state of affairs the
king behaved admirably, and proved that, although he had
ignored court etiquette at the opening of his reign, he had
much more real dignity than his predecessor, whose mind
was ever bent on theatrical effect, and who never yielded
one jot where a display of ceremony could be made. William
treated his ministers with great kindness and consideration,
supporting them while Jt was possible, and parting with
them in sorrow when it became a necessity.
Lord Grey was requested not only to form a new min-
istry, but even to make the necessary changes in the royal
household. No wiser selection could have been made ; for
Lord Grey was popular, and people saw in the parliament-
ary reform a noble beginning of a great work. Brougham,
now Lord Brougham, who so warmly defended Queen
292 The Qtieens of England.
Caroline of Brunswick, was appointed Lord High Chan-
cellor, and this also gave general satisfaction. Lord John
Russell, whose name appears often in the cabinet during
the present century, was appointed paymaster-general.
The year closed with a report that Asiatic cholera was
spreading over Europe, and making rapid strides towards
England. Great anxiety was felt ; but honest-hearted, un-
selfish King William took prompt measures towards the
establishment of a proper quarantine, and so held the
plague at bay.
[A.D. 1831.] All through the January nights of the
new year the heavens were lit up by burning barns and
ricks ; and in the manufacturing districts men formed into
organizations called trades-unions, because representatives
of certain trades bound themselves to stand by one another
in the maintenance of what they believed to be their rights.
But they were merciless to those who dared to act inde-
pendently, and murder was committed at Manchester out of
revenge in consequence of a quarrel about the trades-union.
While discussions on the reform bill were engaging the
attention of parliament, trades-unions were growing, and
the arrest of O'Connell was agitating the Irish, the queen
lived quietly, and took no part in public affairs. She was
called a prude because she would not allow her ladies to
wear low-neck dresses, while during the previous reign no
others had been permitted.
One night in February the king and queen went to the
theatre. They were well received on entering ; but on re-
turning home they were hooted at, and their carriage was
pelted with stones, one of which broke the window and
fell in the lap of Prince George of Cumberland. The
king told one of his officers " that the queen was terrified,
and it was very disagreeable, because they should always be
going about somewhere."
1831- Adelaide Louisa of England. 293
The queen had no influence whatever with her husband
in public affairs ; but she was interested in the elections,
knew the king's weak points, and felt unhappy at his being
so completely under the influence of his ministry. At her
balls and drawing-rooms scarcely anything was talked of
but the doings of parliament, and the elections continued
to cause great excitement. When the Lord Mayor unwisely
had the city illuminated after certain of them had been
decided, there was a great uproar and a general breaking
of windows. A few nights later the queen attended a con-
cert, and as she was returning the mob surrounded her
carriage, and her footmen were obliged to beat the people
off with their canes to keep them from poking their heads
into the coach. Her majesty was dreadfully alarmed, and
the king, who was not well enough to accompany her to
the concert, had heard something of the tumult, and was
anxiously pacing backwards and forwards in his room when
Lord Howe, the chamberlain, who always preceded the
queen, entered. " How is her majesty ? " eagerly demanded
William as he went down to meet her. " Very much
frightened, sir," was the reply of the chamberlain ; who,
being an anti-Reformer, at once proceeded to give a most
graphic and rather exaggerated account of the attack.
The king was so angry that he declared neither he nor the
queen should again enter the city, and the latter felt as
distressed and disgusted as possible.
In June the royal family attended the Ascot races. They
arrived at the course with a cortege of eight coaches, each
drawn by four horses, phaetons, pony chaises, and led
horses. Their reception was strikingly cold and indiffer-
ent, and the king looked bored to death. After the races
there was a dinner at the castle each day, when the king
invited a crowd of people. The queen was led to the
dining-room by the Duke of Richmond, and the king fol-
294 The Queens of England.
lowed with the Duchess of Saxe-Weimar, the queen's
sister. He drank wine with everybody, and after dinner
dropped asleep from the effect of it. That did not inter-
fere with the concert by a very good band, that was going
on all through dinner, and continued for a couple of hours
afterwards.
At this period a deputation waited upon Prince Leopold,
the widower of Princess Charlotte, mentioned in the last
reign, to invite him to become their king. As he had been
expecting this for a long time, he did not hesitate to ac-
cept.
The next event of interest was the coronation. A coun-
cil was held at St. James's to consider it, when the king
made a request that the ceremonies might be short, and
that all those not connected with the church might be dis-
pensed with. His object was to make it less tedious and
less expensive than the last, which had occupied the whole
day, ana cost two hundred and forty thousand pounds.
Greville, who occupied a position in the council, gives
an account of the queen's decision with regard to her
crown. He says : " I rode to Windsor to settle with the
queen what sort of a crown she would have. I was ushered
into the king's presence ; he was sitting at a red table in
the sitting-room of George IV. looking over the flower-
garden. He sent for the queen, who came with two ladies.
She tried to be civil to me in her ungracious way, and said
she would have none of our crowns, and asked me if I
thought it was right that she should. I said, ' Madam, I
can only say that the late king wore one at his coronation.'
However, she said, ' I do not like it, and I have got jewels
enough, so I will have them made up myself.' The king
said to me, ' Very well ; then you will have to pay for the
setting ? ' ' Oh, no,' replied the queen, ' I shall pay for it
all myself.' "
I 8s i - .Adelaide Louisa of England. 295
When the estimates for the coronation were presented,
they amounted to less than thirty-one thousand pounds,
which was^i moderate sum compared with similar preceding
ceremonies. The king objected very seriously to being
kissed on the cheek, as an act of homage, by the bishops,
and ordered that part of the ceremony to be struck out ;
but it had been the custom for ages, and he had to give in,
whether he liked it or no.
The coronation was announced for September 8, and
very extensive alterations were made in Westminster Abbey
for the occasion. About forty private gentlemen acted as
pages of the Earl-Marshal, attired in blue frock-coats,
white breeches and stockings, crimson silk sashes, and
small oddly-shaped hats, with black ostrich feathers. Each
carried a gilt staff, bearing the arms of the Earl-Marshal,
and it was his duty to conduct people provided with tickets
to their proper seats.
Shortly after five o'clock in the morning a royal salute
was fired by the artillery stationed in the Green Park, and
that was a signal for every one interested in the proceed-
ings of the day to be on the move. At six the troops dis-
tributed themselves along the line of procession in St.
James's Park. The members of the House of Commons,
some in military, others in Highland costumes, had a
covered platform all to themselves in Westminster Hall.
The queen's ivory rod, surmounted by a dove, was borne
by Earl Camden, the sceptre and cross by the Earl of
Jersey, and the crown by the Duke of Beaufort. Her
majesty followed between the Bishops of Winchester and
Chichester, and attended by five gentlemen pensioners on
each side. Her train was borne by the Duchess of Gor-
don and six daughters of earls. The ladies and women
of the bed-chamber and the maids-of-honor followed.
Of the king's regalia, St. Edward's staff was borne by
296 The Queens of England.
the Duke of Grafton, the golden spurs by the Marquis of
Hastings, the sceptre with the cross by the Duke of St.
Albans, the sword by the Marquis of Salisbury ,the second
sword by the Marquis of Downshire, the third by the Mar-
quis of Cleveland, their coronets carried by a page. Then
followed the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, and
Garter King-at-Arms, and the Deputy Lord Great Cham-
berlain of England ; the Royal Dukes with their train and
coronet bearers ; the High Constables of Ireland and Scot-
land, the Duke of Norfolk, the Duke of Wellington, with
his staff and baton of field-marshal ; Earl Grey with the
sword-of-state, the Duke of Richmond with the sceptre and
dove, the Duke of Hamilton with St. Edward's crown, the
Duke of Somerset with the orb.
After them the Bishops of Rochester and Exeter with
the Bible, the Bishop of Oxford with the chalice, followed
by the king, supported by the Bishop of Bath and Wells
and the Archbishop of York, his train borne by the Mar-
quises of Worcester, Lichfield and Douro, and the Earls of
Kerry and Euston, assisted by the Master of the Robes and
his grooms. On each side of his majesty walked ten gen-
tlemen pensioners in the uniform of officers of the Guard,
headed by their lieutenant and standard-bearer ; then came
the Groom of the Stole, the Gold Stick, and the Master of
the Horse, the Captains of the Yeomen of the Guard, and
a few other subordinates of the royal household.
His majesty took his seat, the Bible and chalice were
placed on the altar, where two officers of the wardrobe
spread a rich cloth of gold, and laid two handsome cushions
on the steps, while the Archbishop of Canterbury put on
his cope, and the bishops, who had read the Litany, their
vestments. The king and queen then, with their support-
ers and the bearers of the regalia, advanced to the altar,
where the king offered a pall and an ingot of gold, and the
1
1831- Adelaide Louisa of England. 297
queen a pall of gold. Their majesties knelt while the
prayer was said by the archbishop, and then were con-
ducted to their chairs-of-state, when the Litany and com-
munion service were read, and a sermon preached by the
llishop of London.
After the sermon, the archbishop administered the corona-
tion oath, which was followed by the ceremony of anoint-
ing, and this concluded with a benediction. The spurs
and sword were then laid upon the altar, and the latter
returned to the king by the prelates, when his majesty
offered it at the altar, whence it was redeemed by Earl
Grey, who carried it without a scabbard until the end of
the ceremony.
Then the mantle was placed around his majesty; he
received the orb, the ring, and the sceptre, the crown was
placed upon his head, and the spectators shouted, "God
save the king ! " while the trumpets sounded, drums were
beaten, and the park guns sent forth a loud peal.
The prayers and anthems having been completed, the
peers put on their coronets, and the Bible was presented to
the king, who took his place upon the throne. Then fol-
lowed the usual acts of homage, and the treasurer of the
household scattered coronation medals. The anointing,
crowning, and enthroning of the queen then took place.
After partaking of the sacrament, their majesties were
disrobed, and proceeded, as they had entered, to the west
door of the abbey. The regalia was received by the offi-
cers of the Jewel Office, and their majesties returned to St.
James's Palace in the same state as they had approached
the abbey. It was three o'clock in the afternoon before the
ceremony ended.
There was no grand state banquet, but the king enter-
tained a large party of the royal family and nobility, with
the chief officers of the household instead. In consequence
298 The Queens of England.
of the ill-health of Princess Victoria, heiress-presumptive,
neither she nor her mother, the Duchess of Kent, took part
in the ceremonies.
Coronation day was distinguished as a general holiday,
and in the evening the city was illuminated. It was
selected for the laying of the corner-stones of two churches,
one at Hastings by the Princess Sophia Matilda of Glou-
cester, and one at East Cowes by the Princess Victoria.
Everybody felt satisfied, the coronation had been a success,
and a number of peers had been created.
The reform bill was not yet settled in parliament, and
the debates upon it brought into prominence many men
whose names are familiar to us at the present day.
Macaulay was one of these, and his speeches were very
brilliant. Robert Peel, whom we have already mentioned,
was another. At last the real fight took place in the House
of Lords, where there was a magnificent display of talent on
both sides, which resulted at the first reading in the defeat of
the reform bill. We need not give the details of this matter.
While it was pending little else was thought of, and no
sooner was it decided than the appearance of cholera, that
dread disease that had been slowly but surely approach-
ing, filled the public attention.
It broke out with violence at Sunderland among the
filthy and degraded ; but it did not become so dreadful a
plague as many that had visited England in previous times.
It proved a benefit in this, that it awakened people to the
necessity for cleanliness in the thoroughfares, and prompted
the benevolent to help those who were attacked with the
disease on account of their privations and unhealthy
habitations in wretched, damp country villages. A board
of health was established, and England was from that
period awakened to the duty of care for the public health,
which, we have seen, was a matter of slight consideration in
earlier days.
1832. Adelaide Louisa of England. 299
[A.D. 1832.] Riots continued while the reform bill
remained unsettled; for this was the only argument that
those ignorant, lawless people who took part in them could
bring to bear against those who opposed them. The
consequences of these proceedings were dreadful. In
Derby the town jail and many houses of the respectable
inhabitants were destroyed, and in Nottingham the ancient
castle belonging to the Duke of Newcastle was completely
demolished.
The rioters even marched upon St. James's Palace under
pretence of presenting addresses, and several mansions in
the neighborhood were stoned. Fortunately they first at-
tacked the Duke of Wellington's house, which gave the
troops ample time to assemble for the protection of the
palace.
A riot in Bristol lasted three days, during which all the
public buildings were set on fire, and the toll-gate was
pulled down. The prison-doors were burst open, and all
the prisoners liberated; dwellings and warehouses were
completely demolished, and the property destroyed in
that one town alone was valued at half a million of pounds.
At last the military attacked the rioters, and, after several
were shot down, order was restored ; but many had perished
in the flames they themselves had kindled, after having
drunk to excess of the liquor they had stolen. Public
meetings were held in every part of the kingdom to express
dissatisfaction, particularly in the large manufacturing
towns, some of which were frequently set on fire.
In November a meeting of the political union of the
working-classes was announced, their object being to de-
mand universal suffrage, vote by ballot, and yearly par-
liaments ; but government took the matter in hand, and the
leaders of such illegal proceedings were frightened into
abandoning them for the time being. These scenes of ex-
300 The Queens of England.
citement produced their effect, even across the channel in
France, where demonstrations were made by men who
attacked some of the principal places, and were only dis-
persed at last by the appearance of the National Guard in
their midst. Lord Eldon wrote at the time on this subject :
" The French are more volatile than we are ; they have
travelled somewhat quicker on the road to ruin than we
sluggish Englishmen travel ; but we are, I fear, on the same
road."
We have said very little about the Princess Victoria, be-
cause she lived in retirement, pursuing her studies under
the excellent supervision of her mother, the Duchess of Kent ;
but in the autumn of this year the two royal ladies made
an interesting tour through the principal counties of Eng
land and Wales, and were everywhere received with demon-
strations of welcome and respect. They returned to Ken-
sington Palace in November, highly gratified with their tour.
During this year occurred some events to which we must
allude, because they are too important to be passed over in
silence. One is the marriage of Leopold, King of the
Belgians, with the Princess Louise, daughter of King Louis
Philippe of France. This event was preceded by the death
of the only son of Napoleon I., known as the Duke of Reich-
stadt. He died of consumption at the palace of Schoen-
brunn, near Vienna, at the early age of twenty-one. A
funeral service at the church of St. Mary was the only mark
of respect shown to the memory of this young man in Paris,
because the Bonaparte family were not then in power.
Sir Walter Scott died on the twenty-first of September,
at Abbotsford, at the age of sixty-one. Few men of genius
ever had so brilliant a career, or acquired during their life-
time so widespread a reputation. He was a lawyer, an his-
torian, a novelist, a poet, than whom none have maintained
a longer or firmer hold on the popular favor ; but, what i
!833- Adelaide Louisa of England. 301
better, he died a great and good man. Carlyle says of
him : " No sounder piece of British manhood was put to-
gether in the eighteenth century of time. Alas ! his fine
Scotch face, with its shaggy honesty, sagacity, and good-
ness, when we saw it latterly on the Edinburgh streets was
all worn with care, the joy all fled from it, ploughed deep
with labor and sorrow. We shall never forget it ; we shall
never see it again. Adieu, Sir Walter, pride of all Scot-
land ; take our proud and last faiewell ! "
[A.D. 1833.] At the beginning of the new year Queen
Adelaide was anxious that Lord Howe, who had resigned
the chamberlainship, should resume it. She was very fond
of him, and received his respect and attentions in return
for the favor she showed him. He had been opposed to
the government, and, as his return to office was to be made
only on condition that he would change his principles, he
refused. He was replaced by William Basil Percy, Earl
of Denbigh, who remained in her majesty's service to the
close of her life.
There was a change in the government this year : Lord
Brougham had become chancellor, and the reformed
parliament, as it was called, emancipated the slaves in the
British colonies. This was a most important event, and
interested the whole civilized world.
Among the distinguished Frenchmen who visited Eng-
land at this period was Monsieur Thiers, who was enter-
tained by Talleyrand, the French ambassador to London,
at a grand dinner.
At important assemblages the young Princess Victoria
now began to be brought forward. She attended the cere-
monial of the opening of a new pier at Southampton, which
was managed with great pomp, all the city officials being
present. About twenty-five thousand spectators were
present, and the Duchess of Kent announced that she
302 The Queens of England.
desired her daughter to become impressed with the value
of everything that could be of practical benefit to all classes
of the community. Their royal highnesses were escorted
by a military staff, and were treated to a splendid collation,
served for them in a beautifully decorated tent that had
been erected for the occasion.
An address was then presented by the corporation to the
royal visitors, acknowledging the distinction they had con-
ferred on the town, and requesting the duchess to name
the pier. Her royal highness named it " The Royal Pier,"
and added her wishes that it might promote the prosperity
of the town. This ceremony was followed by a regatta on
the water and a public dinner, after which there was a dis-
play of fireworks. The young princess excited a great deal
of interest, and the Southampton people felt quite as proud
of her as they did of their new pier. Wherever she travelled
with her mother, a salute was sure to greet them.
William IV. did not like this ever-increasing popularity
of his successor at all, and remonstrated, saying that such
an honor was only due to himself and the queen ; but the
Duchess of Kent insisted on receiving all the honors that
she considered her due, and would not give orders that the
salutes should be discontinued, as the king had requested.
[A D. 1834.] The death of Lord Grenville, which oc-
curred this year, left the chancellorship of Oxford vacant,
and the Duke of Wellington was appointed to the office.
He was installed with grand ceremonies, and nothing
could surpass the enthusiasm of the crowd that collected
to do him honor.
Several distinguished people died just at this period.
One was Lord Chancellor Bathurst, who had occupied
public positions for many years, and boasted of "being the
only civilian invited to the annual banquet given by the
Duke of Wellington on the anniversary of the battle of
i*?
LAFAYETTE.
1835- Adelaide Louisa of England. 305
Waterloo. Another was Coleridge, the poet, whose beauti-
ful compositions are so familiar to us all.
In France, General de Lafayette closed his earthly
career. We must honor his memory for the part he took
in our war of Independence, and the assistance he ren-
dered the American colonies in throwing off the English
yoke. After his return to his native land Lafayette lived
quietly, until the revolution of 1830 brought him into
prominence again, and he became chief of the Republican
party. He was honored with a grand public funeral.
[A.D. 1835.] Of the various changes that took place in
the government from year to year we have scarcely made
mention, because they would not be interesting to our
readers. It is enough to know that they occurred, and,s
some of them were extremely distasteful to the king, he
became so ill-humored and low-spirited that it seemed
almost impossible for him to rally. Lord John Russell,
secretary of the home department at this time, was an
object of special odium ; but his majesty so thoroughly
hated all of his ministers this year that when he was told
he ought to give a dinner for the Ascot races, he said, " I
cannot give any dinners without inviting the ministers, and
I would rather see the devil than any one of them in my
house."
The king's ill-feeling towards his ministers would have
rendered their position excessively disagreeable if they had
considered themselves really his ministers ; but they were
working, they thought, for the good of the country, and
had so little regard for the intellect or judgment of Wil-
liam that they treated him as a cipher. Indeed, his out-
bursts of temper often led to the belief that he was losing
what little mind he had.
At one of his levees he made a disgraceful scene with
Lord Torrington, a gentleman of the bed-chamber. A card
3o6 The Queens of England.
was handed to Torrington of somebody to be presented.
He read the name, and added, " Deputy-governor."
Deputy-governor ? " asked the king, angrily, " Deputy-
governor of what ? " "I cannot tell, your majesty," replied
the gentleman, " as it is not upon the card." " Hold your
tongue, sir," roughly retorted the king; "you had better
go home and learn to read." This was so public an insult
that Torrington ought to have resented by instantly resign-
ing, but he probably was a daily witness to just such
scenes ; for the king could not bridle his temper, and lost
no opportunity of showing dislike of everybody who sur-
rounded him. He was so absurd as to admit only Tories
to his private society, and no member of the Whig cabinet
was ever entertained at Windsor.
[A.D. 1836.] The Duchess of Kent came in for her
share of his ill-humor at a birthday-dinner. She and Prin-
cess Victoria were invited to go to Windsor on the twelfth
of August, to celebrate the queen's birthday, and to stay
there until after that of the king, on the twenty-first. She
sent word that she wanted to keep her own birthday on
the fifteenth, at Claremont; took no notice of the queen
whatever, in her reply, but said she would go to Windsor
on the twentieth. This put the king in a perfect fury, but
he made no reply. He was in town on the day the duchess
had named for her arrival, for the purpose of assembling
parliament, and having desired them not to wait dinner for
him at Windsor, marched off to Kensington Palace to spy
into the state of affairs there.
He flew into a rage on discovering that the duchess had
appropriated to her own use a suite of apartments, seven-
teen in number, which he had refused during the previous
year to let her have. This was a piece of intrusion that
his angry majesty would not bear meekly, so he hastened
to Windsor to give vent to his feelings. It was ten o'clock
Adelaide Louisa of England. 307
at night when he arrived, and, walking straight into the
drawing-room, where the whole court were assembled, he
approached the Princess Victoria, took hold of both her
hands, and in a loud tone of voice expressed his pleasure
at seeing her there, and his regret at not being oftener
gratified in that respect. Then, turning towards the
duchess, and making a stately bow, he continued, in a still
louder tone : " A most unwarrantable liberty has been taken
in one of my palaces ; I have just come from Kensington,
where I found apartments taken possession of, not only
without my consent, but contrary to my commands ; this I
cannot understand, nor will I endure conduct so disre-
spectful."
An embarrassed silence followed this coarse attack,
which proved only the prelude to a storm that was to
break next day. It was the twenty-first of August, the
king's birthday, and a hundred people of the court and
neighborhood were assembled at dinner in the palace.
The Duchess of Kent sat on one side of the king, one
of his sisters on the other, and the Princess Victoria
opposite. Near the conclusion of the meal, at the queen's
desire, the health of his majesty was proposed. All the
guests drank it standing, according to custom, and then
followed a long speech by the king, during which he
poured forth the following terrible tirade : " I trust in God
my life may be spared for nine months longer, after which
period, in the event of my death, no regency would take
place. I should then have the satisfaction of leaving
the royal authority to the personal exercise of that young
lady (pointing to the princess), the heiress-presumptive to
the crown, and not in the hands of a person now near me,
who is surrounded by evil advisers, and who is herself
incompetent to act with propriety in the station in which
she would be placed. I have no hesitation in saying that
308 The Queens of England.
I have been insulted, grossly and continually insulted,
by that person, but I am determined to endure no longer
a course of behavior so disrespectful to me. Amongst
many other things, I have particularly to complain of the
manner in which that young lady (again pointing to the
princess) has been kept away from my court ; she has
been repeatedly kept from my drawing-rooms, at which
she ought always to have been present, but I am fully
resolved that this shall not happen again. I would have
her know that I am king, and I am determined to have
my authority respected, and for the future I shall insist
and command that the princess do upon all occasions
appear at my court, as it is her duty to do."
This speech was made in a most excited manner, and
took everbody completely by surprise. The queen looked
distressed, the princess burst into tears, and the whole
company were shocked. The Duchess of Kent remained
perfectly silent, but immediately rose and retired. She then
announced her intention to depart at once, and ordered
her carriage ; but a sort of reconciliation was patched up,
and she was persuaded to stay until the next day.
The king asked one of his gentlemen what people said
about his speech, and was told that the general opinion
was that the Duchess of Kent merited the rebuke, though
it ought not to have been given there before a hundred
people. His majesty replied : "I do not care where I
said it or before whom ; I had been insulted in a measure
by her that was past endurance, and I will not stand it any
longer."
[A.D. 1837.] The middle of this year was marked by
the illness of the king, which did not cause alarm at first ;
but it was greatly increased by another quarrel with the
Duchess of Kent. This was the cause of it : The king
wrote a letter to Princess Victoria, offering her ten thou-
Adelaide Louisa of England. 309
sand pounds a year for her own use, quite independently
of her mother, which he sent by Lord Conyngham, with
orders to deliver into the princess's own hands. On arriv-
ing at Kensington, Conyngham asked to be admitted to
the presence of the princess. He was requested to state
by what authority he made such a demand. He said by
his majesty's orders. Shortly after he was ushered into a
room where sat the Duchess of Kent with her daughter.
He made a speech, saying, "that he had waited on her
royal highness by the king's commands, to present to her a
letter with which he had been charged by his majesty."
Thereupon the duchess put out her hand to take it ; but
the lord begged her royal highness's pardon, saying,
" That he had been expressly commanded by the king to
deliver the letter into the princess's own hands." Then
the duchess drew back, and Victoria took the letter.
After reading it, she wrote to thank the king and accept
the offer. That was the signal for a grand dispute,
for the king desired his niece to name a person who was to
receive the money for her, and suggested Stephenson.
The Duchess of Kent positively objected, and put in her
claim for part of the money. She was exceedingly angry
with the king, and he with her, and a great deal of harsh,
bitter correspondence resulted ; but the matter was never
settled, for his majesty's illness prevented.
He was ill for several days before he would permit any-
body to say in his presence that such was the case, and
continued to do business as long as possible, even dictat-
ing the reports about his condition himself. On the sev-
enteenth of June prayers were offered for his majesty in
the churches, and the following day the sacrament was
administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He said,
just after the ceremony : " This is the eighteenth of June ;
I should like to live to see the sun of Waterloo set."
310 The Queens of England.
For three weeks the faithful wife sat at his bedside, per-
forming for him every office he required, totally depriving
herself of rest or recreation. This was a labor of love, for
Queen Adelaide had always been devoted to her husband.
With his head upon her shoulder, and her hand upon his
breast, his majesty gently dropped into the sleep that
knows no waking.
His remains lay in state at Windsor Castle until July
8, when he was buried at St. George's Chapel. For the
last time the royal crown of Hanover was placed beside
the imperial crown on the coffin of a King of England.
Queen Adelaide, now Queen-dowager, was present in the
royal closet. When the coffin had been lowered, dust
thrown upon it, the blessing pronounced, and a rocket
sent up from the door of the chapel, the flag at the Round
Tower was lowered, and the royal widow left, followed by
the mourners.
[A.D. 1849.] Queen Adelaide lived until the close of the
year 1849. Parliament had made her rich by giving her a
hundred thousand pounds, which she devoted to charity.
Neither rank nor wealth ever spoiled the simplicity of her
heart or her manners. She always respected the memory
of her husband, over whose reign she had shed a respect-
ability that did her credit. She was not what might be
termed a woman of brains, and never influenced the king
for good or for evil ; but she was wise enough not to
interfere in state affairs, and for her virtues she merits
respect.
In her will, Queen Adelaide requested that her coffin
should be carried to the grave by sailors, a touching
tribute to her husband's memory, and to the Navy, to which
she had shown her attachment.
QUEEN
CHAPTER XI.
QUEEN VICTORIA. (A.D. 1819-1862.)
WILLIAM IV. expressed a wish that he might Jive until
his niece was old enough to assume the reins of govern-
ment herself, so that no regent might be necessary. He
was gratified, for Princess Victoria had celebrated her
eighteenth birthday just four weeks before messengers
arrived at Kensington Palace to summon her to the throne.
It was on the morning of June 20, 1837, long before day-
light, that the king's illness terminated fatally.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Howley, the Lord
Chamberlain, and the Marquis of Conyngham immediately
started to carry the news to Kensington. They arrived
there at five o'clock, and this is Miss Wynn's account of
how the new sovereign received them : " They knocked,
they rang, they thumped for a considerable time before
they could rouse the porter at the gate ; they were again
kept waiting in the court-yard, then turned into one of the
lower rooms, where they seemed forgotten by everybody.
They rang the bell, and desired that the attendant of the
Princess Victoria might be sent to inform her roy?l high-
ness that they requested an audience on business of im-
portance. After another delay, and another ringing to
inquire the cause, the attendant was summoned, who stated
that the princess was in such a sweet sleep that she c-ould
314 The Queens of England.
not venture to disturb her. Then they said, 'We are come
on business of state to the queen, and even her sleep must
give way to that.' It did ; and, to prove that she did not
keep them waiting longer than she could help, she came
into the room in a few minutes in a loose white night-gown
and shawl, her night-cap thrown off, and her hair falling
upon her shoulders, her feet in slippers, tears in her eyes,
but perfectly collected and dignified. The prime minister
was presently sent for, and a meeting of the privy council
called for eleven o'clock."
Greville says : " Never was anything like the first impres-
sion the young queen produced, or the chorus of praise and
admiration which is raised about her manner and behavior,
and certainly not without justice. It was very extraordinary,
and something far beyond what was looked for. Her ex-
treme youth and inexperience, and the ignorance of the
world concerning her, naturally excited intense curiosity to
see how she would act on this trying occasion, and there
was a considerable assemblage at the palace notwithstand-
ing the short notice which was given. The first thing to
be done was to teach her her lesson. This task was per-
formed by Lord Melbourne. He asked her if she would
enter the room accompanied by the great officers of state,
but she said she would come in alone. As soon as the
lords were assembled, the proclamation was read and the
usual order passed, when the doors were thrown open and
the queen entered, accompanied by her two uncles, the
Dukes of Cumberland and Sussex.
" She bowed to the lords, took her seat, and then read
her speech in a clear, distinct, and audible voice, and with-
out any appearance of fear or embarrassment. She was
quite plainly dressed in mourning. After she had read her
speech and signed the oath for the security of the church of
Scotland, the privy councillors were sworn ; and, as the two
Victoria of England. 315
old royal dukes, her uncles, knelt before her, swearing
allegiance and kissing her hand, I saw her blush up to the
eyes, as if she felt the contrast between their civil and their
natural relations, and this was the only sign of emotion which
she evinced. Her manner to them was very graceful and
engaging ; she kissed them both, and rose from her chair
and moved towards the Duke of Sussex, who was farthest
from her, and too infirm to reach her. She seemed be-
wildered at the multitude of men who were sworn, and who
came one after another to kiss her hand ; but she did riot
speak to anybody, nor did she make the slightest difference
in her manner or show any in her countenance to any in-
dividual of whatever rank, station, or party. She went
through the whole ceremony, occasionally looking at Mel-
bourne for instruction when she had any doubt what to do,
which hardly ever occurred, and with perfect calmness
and self-possession, but at the same time with a graceful
modesty and propriety particularly interesting and ingra-
tiating. When the business was done, she retired as she
had entered.
" The Duke of Wellington said that if she had been his
own daughter he could not have desired to see her perform
her part better. At twelve she held a council at St.
James's, at which she presided with as much ease as if she
had been doing nothing else all her life ; she looked very
well, and though so small of stature, and without much
pretension to beauty, the gracefulness of her manner, and
the good expression of her countenance, give her on the
whole a very agreeable appearance, and, with her youth,
inspire an excessive interest in all who approach her.
After the council she received the archbishops and bishops,
and after them the judges. They all kissed her hand, but
she said nothing to any of them. In short, she appears to
act with every sort of good taste and good feeling, as well
316 The Queens of England.
as good sense, and nothing can be more favorable than the
impression she has made."
When Conyngham carried the announcement of the
king's death to the young queen, he was at the same time
the bearer of a request from the Queen-dowager Adelaide
that she might be permitted to remain at Windsor until
after the funeral. Without a moment's hesitation the new
sovereign wrote a most kind, tender, and sympathetic
letter to her aunt, begging her to remain just as long as
she pleased, and to consult nothing but her own feelings
and convenience in the matter.
Up to this period but little was known of the young
queen, because her life had been one of seclusion. Her
mother was a wise, judicious parent, who knew that court life,
such as it was during the reigns of George IV. and William
IV., could not have a beneficial effect on the character of
a young girl ; and she therefore kept her daughter at a
safe distance. This lady was Victoria Maria Louisa, the
youngest daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, and widow
of the Prince of Leiningen.
[A.D. 1818.] Edward, Duke of Kent, was decidedly
the most honest and high-minded of all the sons of George
III., and for this reason probably was by no means popular
in his own family. His income was so small that he could
not afford to maintain his rank in England, therefore much
of his time was passed in Germany. It was while sojourn-
ing in that country that he fell in love with the Princess
of Leiningen, and they were married in 1818. It did
not seem then as if the duke would ascend the throne,
because there were so many who preceded him in the line
of succession ; but we have seen how one by one they were
removed by death, until it became evident that his brother,
George IV., must soon make way for him.
[A.D. 1819.] That being the case, the Duke and Duch-
1825- Victoria of England. 317
ess of Kent went to England to live while patiently await-
ing the course of events, and on the 24th of May, 1819,
their only child was born. She was christened Alexandrina
Victoria, the first name being in honor of the then reigning
Czar of Russia ; but as she always signed only the last one,
the Alexandrina has fallen out of sight.
The duke only lived eight months after the birth of his
child, and this event left her heiress-presumptive to the
throne. The duchess was left with scarcely sufficient
means for the proper education of her daughter ; but there
never was a woman better fitted for the duty of rearing the
future Queen of England. She had strength of character,
noble principles, gentle disposition, and marked amiability
and agreeableness of manner, besides being a devoted
mother and an educated, accomplished lady.
Her first care was for the health of her little Victoria,
who was born with a delicate constitution. She was, there-
fore, encouraged to romp and play in the open air of some
wholesome country resort as much as possible, even while
her intellectual and mcral training were progressing. Her
mother was her constant companion, superintended her
studies, and assisted her in them, at the same time sharing
her amusements, and watching with pleasure her gradual
development.
[A.D. 1825.] When she was six years of age the Rev.
George Davys was appointed her preceptor, and the Baron-
ess Lehzen became her governess. The young princess
had reached her eleventh year before she was made aware
of her claim to the succession. Then William IV. ascended
the throne, and his two children were already dead. Prin-
cess Victoria's education from that period was conducted
in a manner that would best prepare her for the lofty posi-
tion she was to occupy, and she had a mind capable of
profiting by it. She gained a good knowledge of history
The Qtieens of England.
and geography, as well as of the lives of all the scholars,
statesmen, inventors, discoverers, poets, and divines who
had ever benefited the human race. Long before she
became queen she spoke English, German, and French
with equal fluency, read Italian, could translate some of
the Latin poets, and showed decided talent for mathemak
ics. Besides, she sang well, danced prettily, and sketched
from nature. Her religious training was such as to fit her
for the Christian nation over whom she was to rule, and she
has proved in her
domestic life the
excellence of her
early impressions.
The Duke of
Kent died in debt,
which his wife and
daughter were so
anxious to liqui-
date that they prac-
ticed great econo-
my in order that
they might be able
to do so. Still this
worthy task was
not completed un-
til the princess as-
cended the throne, when she drew on her own privy purse
for that purpose.
[A.D. 1837.] On the seventeenth of July her majesty pro-
ceeded in state to the House of Lords, where she made her
first speech. It had been carefully prepared, and gave a
great deal of satisfaction. A proclamation appeared in the
" Gazette " the same evening dissolving parliament. Three
months later the youthful sovereign paid a state visit to the
VICTORIA AT THE AGE OF EIGHT.
1838. Victoria of England. 319
city of London, where a grand banquet had been prepared
for her by the Lord Mayor. She was accompanied by her
mother, her two aunts, the Duchesses of Gloucester and
Cambridge, the royal Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, her
uncles, and Prince George of Cambridge. She was attended
in her state carriage by the Duchess of Sutherland, Mis-
tress of the Robes, and the Earl of Albermarle. The
ambassadors, cabinet ministers, and other noble ladies and
gentlemen followed in a train of two hundred carriages,
that extended for a mile and a half. They left Buckingham
Palace at two in the afternoon, and passed through Temple
Bar, which was at that time considered the entrance f .o
the city proper, with the usual ceremonies.
At St. Paul's addresses detained the queen so long that
it was half-past three before the procession reached Guild-
hall, where the Lady Mayoress waited to receive her maj-
esty. After the banquet, which was a splendid affair in
every respect, the title of baronet was conferred on the
Lord Mayor, and two sheriffs were knighted. One of these
was Mr. Montefiore ; and it is worthy of note that " Sir
Moses " was the first Jew who had ever been so honored
in England. This event was a proof of the young queen's
liberality in religious views, of which she has since given
many others.
[A.D. 1838.] The public mind soon began to be oc-
cupied with the coronation, and there was much speculation
throughout the country with regard to it, because nearly
two centuries had elapsed since the last queen-regnant had
been crowned alone. The excitement became very great
as the twenty-eighth of June, the day appointed for the im-
portant ceremony, approached ; and so eager were people
to witness the procession that windows along the route
were let for as much as two hundred pounds each, and the
cost of single seats ranged from ten shillings to five guineas.
320 The Queens of England.
Crowds of spectators filled every street through which
her majesty was to pass, and never had so much enthusiasm
been shown on a similar occasion. " The procession
formed near Buckingham Palace at ten o'clock in the
morning. It was headed by trumpeters, a squadron of the
Household Brigade, the foreign ministers, then the foreign
ambassadors, these being followed by a mounted regi-
mental band and a detachment of the Household Brigade.
Next came the carriages of the Duchesses of Kent and
Gloucester, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the
Duke of Sussex.
" Another mounted band, and the queen's barge-master,
with forty-eight watermen, preceded twelve of the queen's
carriages conveying the ladies, noblemen, and gentlemen
belonging to the royal household, followed by a squadron
of the Household Brigade, and another mounted band.
After them came the military staff, aides-de-camp, and
other distinguished officers on horseback, the royal hunts-
men, yeomen, and foresters, six of her majesty's led horses,
with the Yeomen of the Guard and their officers.
"Then came the Queen in her state-carriage, drawn by-
eight cream-colored horses, followed by the Duke of Buc-
cleuch, on horseback as Captain-General of the Royal
Archer Guard of Scotland, with a few other officials. A
squadron of the Household Brigade closed the procession,
which proceeded slowly to Westminster Abbey.
" That ancient edifice was fitted up splendidly. A gal-
lery had been raised capable of holding four hundred
spectators, besides an organ and an orchestra. This was
at the west end of the abbey. There was another gallery at
the east end, capable of holding six hundred persons, re-
served for the House of Commons, and above this, two
others, the topmost one being reserved for the trumpeters.
"On the south side were boxes for the Sovereign, the
1838. Victoria of England. 321
Earl-Marshal, the Ambassadors, and the Lord Chamber-
lain. The peeresses were placed in the north transept, the
peers in the south, the Judges, Knights of the Bath, and
Aldermen in the choir, the Bishops on the floor to the north,
with the royal family, and the clergy of Westminster op-
posite. The latter waited in the nave to join the proces-
sion on entering the abbey ; and Augusta of Cambridge,
Prince George of Cambridge, the Duke of Nemours, the
Prince of Holstein, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, the Duke of
Nassau, Prince Ernest of Hesse, and the Prince of Lein-
ingen had seats in the royal box.
"The clergymen headed the procession in the abbey,
followed by the heralds, the officers of the household, the
chief prelates, and officers of state. Then came the
Duchess of Cambridge, with a circlet of gold on her head,
wearing a robe of purple velvet, her train borne by Lady
Caroline Campbell, her coronet by Viscount Villiers ; the
Duchess of Kent with a similar circlet and robe, her train
borne by Lady Flora Hastings, her coronet by Viscount
Morpeth ; and the Duchess of Gloucester, her train borne
by Lady Caroline Legge, her coronet by Viscount Evelyn.
" The regalia was carried thus : St. Edward's staff by
the Duke of Roxburgh ; the golden spurs by Lord Byron ;
the sceptre, with the cross, by the Duke 4 of Cleveland ; the
third sword by the Marquis of Westminster ; the second
by the Duke of Sutherland ; and the curtara or dull sword,
emblematic of mercy, by the Duke of Devonshire. The
coronets of these noblemen were carried by pages.
" After the Black Rod, the Deputy Garter, and the Lord
Great Chamberlain of England, came the Duke of Cam-
bridge, in his robes of state, with his baton of field-marshal,
his coronet borne by the Marquis of Granby, his train by
Major-General Sir William Maynard Gomm ; and the
Duke of Sussex, in his robes of state, his coronet borne by
322 The Queens of England.
Viscount Anson, his train by the Honorable Edward Gore
and Viscount Coke.
"Then came the Duke of Leinster as High Constable of
Ireland, and the Earl of Erroll as High Constable of Scot-
land, the Duke of Norfolk as Earl-Marshal, with his baton,
and the Duke of Wellington as Lord High Constable of
England, with his staff and field-marshal's baton. The
sword-of-state was borne by Viscount Melbourne, the
sceptre, with the dove, by the Duke of Richmond, St.
Edward's crown by the Duke of Hamilton, the orb by the
Duke of Somerset, the patina by the Bishop of Bangor, the
Bible by the Bishop of Winchester, and the chalice by the
Bishop of Lincoln.
" They preceded the queen, who wore a royal robe of
crimson velvet, bordered with ermine and edged with gold
lace, the collars of the orders of the Garter, Thistle, Bath,
and St. Patrick, and a circlet of gold. Her majesty was
supported on either side by the Bishops of Bath, Wells, and
Durham ; her train was borne by Ladies Adelaide Paget,
Frances Elizabeth Cowper, Anne Wentworth Fitzwilliam,
Mary Augusta Frederica Grimstone, Caroline Amelia Gor-
don Lennox, Mary Alethea Beatrix Talbot, Catherine Lucy
Wilhelmina Stanhope, and Louisa Harriet Jenkinson,
assisted by the Lord Chamberlain of the Household, the
Marquis of Conyngham, followed by the Groom of the
Robes, Captain Francis Seymour, with ten gentlemen-at-
arms on either side, with their lieutenant standard-bearer,
Clerk of the Cheque, and Harbinger.
" Afterwards came the Duchess of Sutherland as Mis-
tress of the Robes, the Marchioness of Lansdowne as
First Lady of the Bed-chamber ; other ladies of the bed-
chamber, two marchionesses, four countesses, eight maids-
of-honor, and eight women of the bed-chamber.
"They were followed by the Gold Stick of the Life
l8 33- Victoria of England. 323
Guards, Viscount Combermere ; the Master of the Horse,
the Earl of Albermarle ; the Captain-General of the Royal
Archer Guard of Scotland, the Duke of Buccleuch ; and
the Captains of the Yeomen of the Guard, the Earl of
Ilchester, the Band of Gentlemen-at-Arms, Lord Foley, the
Lords in Waiting, the Keeper of Her Majesty's Privy
Purse, and the Yeomen of the Guard brought up the
rear.
"After the regular cornation ceremony the lords pro-
nounced the words of homage, and kissed her majesty's
hand. The princes of the blood royal ascended the steps
of the throne, took off their coronets, knelt, pronounced the
words of homage, touched the crown upon her majesty's
head, and kissed her left cheek.
" The Duke of Norfolk and sixteen other dukes did the
same, with the exception of kissing her hand instead of the
cheek. Their example was followed by twenty-one mar-
quises, ninety-three earls, nineteen viscounts, and ninety-
one barons.
" Lord Rolle, who was very infirm, slipped on ascending
the throne, when the queen rose and extended her hand,
expressing a hope that he was not hurt. The Duke of
Wellington was much cheered when performing his
homage ; and, when this part of the ceremony was con-
cluded, the members of the House of Commons gave nine
hearty cheers, accompanied with frequent cries of " God
save Queen Victoria ! " which were repeated throughout
the building.
"The crown made for George IV. weighed more than
seven pounds, and, being considered too heavy, a new one
had been prepared for the queen, formed of hoops of silver,
covered with precious stones, over a cap of rich blue vel-
vet, surmounted by a ball studded with small diamonds,
having on the top a Maltese cross of brilliants, a splendid
324 The Queens of England.
sapphire in the centre, a cluster of brilliants, with fleurs-
de-lis and Maltese crosses round the centre of the crown,
and the large heart-shaped ruby worn by the Black Prince
in front, a large oblong sapphire below it, and clusters of
pearls, with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and other gems."
This is the description given by the Duke of Buckingham
in his " Memoirs of Victoria's Court."
The usual grand public banquet was omitted, but her
majesty entertained a party of a hundred people at dinner
at the palace after the ceremony, and on the following
night the Duke of Wellington gave a splendid ball at
Apsley House, for which two thousand invitations were
issued. A number of state dinners were given by the
cabinet ministers, and there were illuminations and fire-
works, a fair, and free admission to all the theatres granted
to her majesty's subjects, who enjoyed the amusements
provided for them with great spirit.
One of the most conspicuous persons in the coronation
procession was Marshal Soult, one of the ablest of
Napoleon's generals, who had been sent to England as
ambassador to represent the French government. The
white-haired soldier was cheered whenever the crowd
caught sight of him, and throughout his sojourn in Eng-
land reviews were got up for his entertainment, and every-
thing was done to make his visit agreeable.
Another person who attracted attention was Prince
Esterhazy, the Austrian ambassador, who appeared in a
superb costume, and sparkled with gorgeous diamonds
from head to foot.
Several new peers were created after the coronation,
besides twenty-nine baronets, among whom were George
Earle Lytton Bulwer, the novelist, and John Frederick
William Herschel, the scientist, and a great many knights.
With the opening of the new reign we see a change in the
MARSHAL SOULT.
1838. Victoria of England. 327
government, which had begun while William IV. was ruler.
He had exercised the right to dismiss his ministers if he
pleased, and all the sovereigns who preceded him had
done the same, and kept their favorites, whether it suited
the House of Commons or no. This was to be the case no
longer, and the constitutional government which exists to-
day in England began now gradually to develop itself ; but,
until this excellent system of government was firmly estab-
lished, there was a good deal of discontent among all
classes.
One important event that took place after the death of
William IV. was the accession of his brother Ernest, Duke
of Cumberland, to the throne of Hanover. This gave gene-
ral satisfaction in England, for the duke was thoroughly de-
tested, and his absence from the country most welcome.
He was suspected of having taken part in the Orange plot,
in 1835, the object of which was to set aside the claims of
the Princess Victoria and place himself on the throne, and
this circumstance certainly did not increase his popularity.
Of all the sons of George III. he was the roughest, the
most overbearing, unprincipled, and brutal, and England
was blessed in being rid of him.
Lord Melbourne was the queen's prime minister, and
she had a sincere regard and affection for him always. He
was kindly, good-natured, and honest, and sought in every
possible way to make her reign agreeable to her. He
advised her to the best of his ability, but she had too much
sense to depend entirely on his counsel. He was not a man
of very strong intellect, nor was he a statesman, so there
was little danger of the young queen becoming a mere
puppet in his hands, as some prominent Tories feared she
might.
The Duke of Wellington was one of these. He said on
the queen's accession : " The Tories will never have a chance
328
The Queens of England.
with a young woman for sovereign ; I have no small talk
and Peel has no manners." But he was to find his mis-
take, for the queen had the interest of her kingdom too
much at heart to be governed entirely by personal feelings.
There were two powerful leaders in the House of Lords
who were opposed to Lord Melbourne, though one was a
Whig and the other a Tory. They were Lord Brougham
THE YOUTHFUL QUEEN.
and Lord Lyndhurst, the former a man whose capacity
for work seemed almost superhuman, and whose power as a
speaker was immense. There never was a man whose
knowledge was so universal or who did so much at one
time as Lord Brougham, and his extraordinary ability was
felt in England for many years.
i 839. Victoria of England. 329
Lord Lynclhurst was one of the most remarkable par-
liamentary debaters of his day, and resembled Lord
Brougham in his ability to labor, though he was not
master of so many branches of learning. The two com-
bined were the most formidable opponents the ministry
could have had, and they were merciless in their criti-
cisms of Lord Melbourne.
When the new parliament assembled an unusually large
number of men, who afterwards became prominent, were
gathered together. Among these were Mr. Grote, the his-
torian of Greece, Mr. Edward Lytton Bulwer, Mr. Disraeli,
Mr. Gladstone, Lord Carlisle, Lord John Russell, Lord
Palmerston, Sir Robert Peel, and Lord Derby. Lord John
Russell was leader of the Whig party in the House of Com-
mons, and Sir Robert Peel of the Tory or Conservative
party, as they were now called. O'Connell, the great Irish
agitator, was very prominent in the House of Commons, and
Richard Lalor Sheil was an eloquent orator of the Irish
National party. This is a long list of names, some of
which may not be mentioned again , but others are so
closely connected with the queen's career, because of the
positions they fill in the government, that short biographies
will be supplied where they seem to be appropriate.
[A.D. 1839.] The first serious source of trouble in the
new reign was Canada. That country had been colonized
by both French and English emigrants, and for some time
the line of their respective possessions was clearly drawn.
But British ways of thinking and acting and British laws
began to predominate, which led to jealousy on the part of
the French, who feared that their neighbors would get the
upper-hand in everything. Members of parliament in Eng-
land frequently discussed Canadian affairs, and from time to
time made laws that were expected to tend towards her
welfare, but the colonists were not satisfied. They felt
330 The Queens of England.
that the home government had little sympathy with their
situation, and that they were being left out in the cold,
while attention was directed towards affairs that they fan-
cied must be of greater interest to parliament, simply
because of being better understood or more nearly affect-
ing individuals.
At last a rebellion broke out, but it was quickly put
down by the end of three weeks. Unlike most outbreak
of that sort, its effect was good ; for it aroused England to
the necessity of at once doing something to ameliorate the
condition of her colonists. No time was to be lost, and
the friends of good government were alive to the necessity
of sending to Canada a man of ability and unexceptionable
character. It was Lord John Russell who undertook to
select a governor-general, and the person he named was
Lord Durham.
Lord Durham accepted the mission with reluctance,
because his health was not good, and he knew that energy
and labor were required in order to accomplish what was
expected of him. It was only after repeated assurances of
the support he would receive in England that he consented
at last to go.
It is not necessary to enter into the difficulties that
beset his path, or to trace out the details of his policy.
He was too despotic to please the colonists, but he acted
conscientiously, and was warmly upheld by the home gov-
ernment at first. He issued a proclamation that caused
dissatisfaction, and seems to have been misunderstood, and
he was unmindful of some of the technicalities of English
law. Then some of his friends turned against him, and
his foes were merciless in their denunciation. Among the
latter was the all-powerful Lord Brougham, against whose
thundering eloquence no man could hold up his head.
Suffice it to say that Lord Durham returned to England a
i 839- Victoria of England. 331
disgraced man. He had saved Canada, but ruined himself.
The policy which he recommended on his return was the
one upon which the foundation of the prosperity of all the
British colonies was established. In so far Lord Dur-
ham's mission to Canada was a splendid success ; but the
anxiety and the hard work it had entailed upon him ruined
his already enfeebled health, and he died a short time
after his return, at the age of forty-eight.
At the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign there was
trouble nearer home to be contended with ; and this was
" Chartism," which a few words will serve to explain. The
reform bill was passed before King William died, as .we
have seen, but those among the lower classes who had
worked for it were not satisfied ; they had not yet obtained
all they desired, for they had looked for relief from poverty
and misery, and no relief had come. They fancied that
the new government was unmindful of their wants. They
hated the rich, who enjoyed the comforts of which they
were deprived, and the rich feared the consequences of
their hatred. This separated the two classes as decidedly
as though an ocean had rolled between them, in so far as
sympathy or assistance was concerned.
The result was grand mass-meetings in every part of the
country, which were organized, in many instances, by men
of eloquence and ability. One of the leaders was Feargus
O'Conner, who headed the processions, and fancied him-
self the saviour of the workingmen. His rude eloquence
had great weight with the masses, who felt that they were
thrust out of the political workings of the government, but
needed to be told what changes they required. Then
Daniel O'Connell stepped forward as leader of the work-
ingmen's party, and wrote an appeal to the government,
setting forth the grievances of the people and demanding
reform. To this document he gave the popular title of
332 ' The Queens of England.
" the People's Charter," and said, as he handed it to the
secretary of the association : " Agitate for it, and never be
content with anything else." This was the introduction of
the movement known as Chartism that agitated England
during the following ten years ; for charters representing all
sorts of grievances, political and social, were made out,
and Chartist newspapers were founded. The most influ-
ential of these was the " Northern Star," conducted by
Feargus O'Conner. Some of the Chartist meetings were
preceded by torchlight processions, and many of them ter-
minated in serious riots.
It must not be supposed that complaints were made
without cause, or that the grievances were imaginary ; for
the poor of England really suffered, and there was urgent
need of reform. Some of the points in "the People's
Charter " were adopted as part of the English Constitution,
and as time rolled on Chartism gradually faded out of
existence.
There was a great and most beneficial change made in
the post-office system at this period ; and this is how it came
about : Miss Martineau says, that Coleridge, when a young
man, was walking through the Lake District one day, when
he saw a postman deliver a letter to a young woman at a
cottage door. The woman turned it over and examined it,
and then returned it, saying that she could not pay the
postage, which was a shilling. Hearing that the letter was
from her brother, the poet's interest was aroused, and he
paid the postage in spite of the woman's protestations.
No sooner was the postman out of sight than the woman
tore open the sheet, and showed Coleridge that it was
blank. She then explained that she and her brother had
agreed that as long as everything went well with him he
was to send her a blank sheet once every three months,
and upon the receipt of it she would know that such was
the case without the expense of postage.
1 839- Victoria of England. 333
This incident made such an impression on Coleridge
that he repeated it to Mr. Rowland Hill, who was struck
with the belief that there must be something wrong in a
system which prompted brother and sister to cheat in
order to gratify their desire to hear from each other.
So he set to work to make inquiries as to the cost of
carrying letters, and never rested until he succeeded in
establishing the penny-post, which has proved a great
blessing to the whole civilized world. Of course, it was not
accomplished without a great deal of trouble and opposi-
tion ; but no sooner were the advantages of cheap postage
recognized in England than the system was imitated by
nearly all nations.
Now we come to an event that will no doubt prove
more interesting to our readers than politics or inventions,
the queen's marriage ; but first we must introduce the
person selected for her consort, and take a glance at his
early life.
Francis Charles Augustus Albert Emanuel was the
second son of Ernest and Louise, Duke and Duchess of
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He was born at Rosenau, a summer
residence, about four miles from Coburg, August 26, 1819,
and was consequently three months younger than Victoria.
The Duchess of Kent was a sister of the Duke of Saxe-
Coburg ; therefore Prince Albert, as he was always called,
and Princess Victoria were first cousins.
The prince was a remarkably intellectual and thoughtful
child, with so great a fondness for study that, instead of
being a task, it was a source of pleasure to him. He loved
occupation, and could never bear to be idle. His tutor
said that " to do something was with him a necessity," and
he comprehended so easily and clearly that it was a pleas
ure to teach him.
He was fond of active sport, as all healthy boys are sure
334 The Queens of England.
to be, and engaged in them with the same zeal that marked
his devotion to study. He had a sunny nature and an
excellent heart, which prompted him to do good to others,
and never to forget a favor, no matter how trifling, done to
himself.
King Leopold of Belgium was uncle to Prince Albert
and Queen Victoria, and very fond of both, and anxious
that they should marry, because he saw qualities in each
that led him to believe they were eminently suited to make
each other happy. But he was not willing to depend
entirely on his own judgment, so he took into his confi-
dence Baron Christian Friedrich von Stockmar, his old
friend and adviser, who had been with him in England.
Stockmar was capable of forming an opinion on this
important subject, because he had seen much of the prin-
cess in her youth, and knew her character and disposition
as well as he did those of the prince. He favored the
match ; but advised that the young people should be
brought together without allowing them to suspect the
reason.
An opportunity presented itself soon ; for the Duchess
of Kent invited the Duke of Coburg and his sons to visit
her at Kensington Palace. This was in 1836, and as the
visitors remained four weeks the young people had ample
time to become good friends. As soon as Prince Albert
left England King Leopold informed his niece of his wish,
and desired an answer. She wrote in the most flattering
terms of her cousin, and concluded her letter thus : " I
have only now to beg you, my dearest uncle, to take care
of the health of one now so dear to me, and to take him
under your special protection. I hope and trust that all
will go on prosperously and well on this subject now of so
much importance to me."
The prince was kept in the dark about the matter ; but
STREET IN COBURG.
1 839. Victoria of England. 337
care was taken that his education should be such as to fit
him for the position of consort to the Queen of England ;
and the next two years of his life were devoted to hard
study under the guidance of some of the best professors in
Germany.
[A.D. 1839.] When his cousin mounted the throne he
was one of the first to congratulate her. He wrote : " Now
you are queen of the mightiest land in Europe ; in your
hand lies the happiness of millions. May heaven assist
you and strengthen you with its strength in that high but
difficult task ! I hope that your reign may be long, happy,
and glorious, and that your efforts may be rewarded by the
thankfulness and love of your subjects."
At last King Leopold took occasion, when Prince Albert
was visiting htm, to find out whether he loved the young
queen, and was so well pleased with the result of the inter-
view that he wrote Baron Stockmar, who was then in Eng-
land : " If I am not very much mistaken, Albert possesses
all the qualities required to fit him for the position which he
will occupy in England. His understanding is sound, his ap-
prehension clear and rapid, and his heart in the right place."
The prince was too young to marry yet, so it was decided
that he should make a tour of Italy after he left the uni-
versity where he had been pursuing his education. The
queen had taken Baron Stockmar into her confidence, and
told him how much she thought of her cousin. She now
requested him to accompany the prince to Italy, and he
consented. They spent part of the winter in Florence,
where the prince took long walks about the country and
continued his studies. He rose at six and worked until
noon, dined at two o'clock, and went to bed at nine. Music
occupied much of his time, for he played well on the piano
and the organ ; and he often went into society, though he
was not fond of parties and balls.
338 The Queens of England.
After visiting Rome and most of the other cities of Italy,
the prince returned to Coburg ; and the baron, who had
been his companion, and who had watched him closely for
many weeks, was more than ever convinced of his noble
qualities and strength of character.
In October, 1839, the prince went to England again,
in company with his brother. During the three years that
had passed since his former visit Prince Albert had
grown tall, and had developed into a handsome man.
He had a sweet expression, a bright, intelligent counte-
nance, broad forehead, and clear blue eyes. The young
queen was perfectly delighted with the change that had
taken place in him, and on the very day of his arrival at
Windsor Castle wrote her uncle : " Albert's beauty is most
striking, and he is most amiable and unaffected, in short,
very fascinating. The young men are amiable, delightful
companions, and I am very happy to have them here."
Four days later she informed Lord Melbourne that she
was going to marry her cousin Albert, and he expressed
his entire satisfaction at a step which he felt sure would
be acceptable to all her subjects. Then she wrote Baron
Stockmar : " I do feel so guilty, I know not how to begin
my letter ; but I think the news it will contain will be suf-
ficient to insure your forgiveness. Albert has completely
won my heart, and all was settled between us this morn-
ing. I feel certain he will make me very happy. I wish
I could say I felt as certain of my making him happy ; but
I shall do my best. Uncle Leopold must tell you all
about the details, which I have not time to do. Albert is
very much attached to you."
Prince Albert also wrote to the baron, and said : "Vic-
toria is so good and kind to me that I am often puzzled to
believe that I should be the object of so much affection.
I know the interest you take in my happiness, and there-
fore pour out my heart to you."
l8 4- Victoria of England. 339
The princess returned to Germany in November, and
stopped at Wiesbaden, where they met King Leopold and
Baron Stockmar, who desired to make arrangements for
Albert's establishment in England. Shortly after his
arrival in Coburg his engagement was made public, and
though the rejoicing was great, everybody felt sorry that
the young prince, who was a general favorite, was so soon
to leave them ; and it was not without a great deal of regret
that he himself thought of his departure from his native
land, that he was so soon to leave forever.
[A.D. 1839.] General Grey, who went over with Lord
Torrington in December to invest the prince with the Order
of the Garter, and to accompany him to England, thus de-
scribes the final departure from Gotha : " It was an affect-
ing scene, and everything shows the genuine love of all'
classes for their young prince. The streets were densely
crowded ; every window was crammed with heads ; every
housetop covered with people, waving handkerchiefs and
vying with each other in demonstrations of affection that
could not be mistaken. The carriages stopped in passing
the dowager-duchess's, and Prince Albert got out with his
father and brother to bid her a last adieu. It was a terrible
trial to the poor duchess, who was inconsolable for the loss
of her beloved grandson. She came to the window as the
carriages drove off, and threw her arms out, calling,
' Albert, Albert ! ' in tones that went to every one's heart,
when she was carried away almost in a fainting state by
her attendants."
[A.D. 1840.] Meanwhile the queen summoned her privy
council and announced to them her marriage engagement,
and, at the opening of parliament in January, she repeated
the announcement from the throne. She had the satisfac-
tion of finding that her choice of a husband was universally
approved of, and time proved that she could scarcely have
34O The Queens of England.
made a wiser one ; for there is probably no queen who ever
had as happy a married life as Victoria.
Baron Stockmar was sent to England, as the prince's
representative, to settle the terms of the treaty of mar-
riage, and to arrange the prince's future establishment
there. A letter to the queen concerning his household
shows how sensible the prince was, especially in his
determination to side with no party? He says : " I should
wish particularly that the selection be made without re-
gard to politics ; for, if I am really to keep myself free from
all parties, my people must not belong exclusively to one
side. Let the men be of very high rank or very accom-
plished or very clever, or persons who have performed
important services for England. It is necessary that they
should be chosen from both sides, the same number
of Whigs as of Tories ; and, above all, it is my wish
that they should be men of high character and well edu-
cated. I am satisfied you will look upon this matter as I do ;
and I shall be much pleased if you will communicate what
I have said to Lord Melbourne, so that he may be fully
aware of my views."
Now arose three points of discussion in England before
the marriage treaty could be signed. They were, first,
religion, a report having been circulated that the prince
was inclined to Catholicism. It was soon shown that he
and all his family were Protestants, and that there was no
essential difference between the communion services of the
German and English churches.
Second, the annuity, which, after considerable debate
between the two political parties, was fixed at thirty thou-
sand pounds, though the queens of the three preceding
sovereigns, as well as the Princess Charlotte when she
married Prince Leopold, had been granted fifty thousand.
The prince felt disturbed when he heard of this diminu-
1840. Victoria of England. 341
tion in his allowance, not so much because of his desire
for money as because it struck him as a sign that the
English people were not pleased with the marriage. How-
ever, Baron Stockmar, with his usual thoughtfulness, wrote
a letter to the prince, explaining that it was only on
account of the commercial distress throughout the country,
and not from any personal motives, that parliament had
decided as it did.
The third point of discussion was more a matter of
feeling, particularly with regard to the bride, because it
was a question of precedence and rank. The English
Constitution made clear the position of the wife of a king,
who had the highest rank next to her husband, but said
nothing on this point about the husband of the queen-
regnant. It was easily settled, however, and gave the
prince the first place after the queen, although it was not
until many years after the marriage that the title of prince-
consort was formally granted to him.
An enthusiastic welcome awaited Prince Albert on his
arrival in England, and the people streamed out of every
town and village on the road to cheer him. The impres-
sion he made was most favorable, and all those who were
not prejudiced by party feeling soon liked him thoroughly.
The marriage took place on the tenth of February, and
thousands of the queen's subjects lined the roads between
Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, to view the
bridal procession on its way to and from the chapel. The
young couple spent three days quietly at Windsor, and
then returned to London.
Although the prince occupied the first position of any
gentleman in the kingdom, a few members of the royal
family disputed his right of precedence, and that was a
source of -disquietude, which was felt also whenever he
travelled on the continent with the queen. Then in his
34 2 The Queens of England.
own household his position was not at first clearly defined,
and that was excessively disagreeable to a man of the
prince's character. In May he wrote to his friend, the
Prince von Lowenstein : " In my home life I am very
happy and contented ; but the difficulty in filling my place
with the proper dignity is that I am only the husband, and not
the master, in the house." It was his aim to become the
queen's private secretary and chief adviser, and to assume
control of the royal household. He desired no power for
himself, but studied English law and politics, that he might
be able to assist and advise his wife with regard to any
difficult question that might be brought before her; in
short, to be the head of his family and household. And he
succeeded, not in a day, but in course of time, and by the
exercise of great tact and self-control. He had decided
opinions, and was never indifferent to the foreign or do-
mestic relations of his adopted country ; but he never di-
rectly interfered with the machinery of the government or
the duties of the sovereign. He devoted himself nobly
and unselfishly to the task of doing all the good in his
power towards making his wife's reign a prosperous and
happy one to the nation.
His path was made smoother by the queen's excellent
judgment and warm affection ; for she lost no opportunity
of making it felt that she and her husband were one in
purpose, as in heart and authority. The prince had an in-
valuable adviser in Baron Stockmar, whose knowledge of
men and of politics made him thoroughly reliable. Lord
Palmerston spoke of him " as one of the best political
heads he had ever met with, and one of the first statesmen
of Europe."
The royal marriage was succeeded by all sorts of public
entertainments, which served to introduce the prince to
court life ; but they were a great strain upon him, for he
1840. Victoria of England. 343
had lived so quietly and regularly all his life that the late
hours he had to keep were hard to bear. Besides, the
pressure of public duties obliged him to neglect his music
and drawing for awhile, and this was a serious deprivation.
The prince was an excellent musician, and played both the
piano and the organ, but particularly the latter, with rare
skill. When work became so planned out as to afford
some leisure hours, the royal couple devoted them to etch-
ing and to music. To sing and play together was their
chief amusement. So highly was Prince Albert's musi-
cal knowledge thought of that he was appointed one of
the directors of a series of classical concerts, that soon be-
came popular, and went far towards cultivating a taste for
the best music. He was interested in all branches of art,
and never failed to encourage painters and sculptors as
well as musicians.
Several attempts have been made on the life of the
queen during her reign. The first one occurred about
four months after her marriage. She was driving in an
open carriage, with the prince, up Constitution Hill, when
a youth, seventeen years of age, named Oxford, fired two
shots at her. Fortunately neither took effect, and the
wretched creature was found to be insane, and confined in
a lunatic asylum.
The prince could have no better proof of the high esti-
mation in which he was held by both parties in parliament
than when a bill was passed appointing him regent, in case
the queen should die and leave minor children. There
was only one dissenting voice, and that was the queen's
uncle, the Duke of Sussex, who wanted the position him-
self, and thought he was entitled to it. Baron Stockmar
then felt that his presence was no longer needed in England,
and returned to his quiet home in Coburg, whence he kept
up a regular correspondence with the prince, and always
344 The Queens of England.
pointed out his line of conduct, and watched him at a dis-
tance with keen interest.
The queen had a daughter born on the thirteenth of
November, at Buckingham Palace. She was baptized by
the names Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa. The sponsors
were the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, represented by the Duke
of Wellington, King Leopold, the Queen-dowager, the
Duchesses of Kent and Gloucester, and the Duke of
Sussex. Lord Melbourne declared next day to the queen
that the infant "looked about her quite conscious that the
stir was all about herself ; " but as she was only three
months old when the ceremony took place, it is not prob-
able that she recognized herself as the heroine of it.
The prince wrote his father : " The christening went off
very well. Your little grandchild behaved with great
propriety."
The Christmas holidays were kept that year at Windsor
Castle. This had always been a favorite festival with the
prince, and the custom of interchanging gifts, which marks
the day in Germany, was introduced into his home. Christ-
mas trees were set up, and every member of the household
was remembered in the pretty articles that surrounded
them.
This year the queen received some beautiful presents
from the Emperor of China, consisting of a golden bed-
stead, ear-rings worth a thousand pounds each, an exqui-
sitely wrought shawl, and some rare silks and embroidery.
This was at the close of the Chinese war with England, of
which it is not necessary to give here all the particulars.
The English gained victories that opened several ports in
China for them to carry on trade ; but they acted with un-
pardonable injustice towards the Chinese, and their victory
ought rather to have made them blush than rejoice.
[A.D. 1841.] The Melbourne administration had by this
SIR ROBERT PEEL.
l8 4*- Victoria of England. 347
time become unpopular, because the country had fallen
heavily into debt, trade was in a depressed state, and
pauperism and distress had increased. A fierce political
struggle was pending ; and it was very gratifying to the
queen to find, when she made short excursions in the
country, that, in spite of the discontent which prevailed,
she was met with every mark of loyalty and affection by
her subjects.
In August parliament met, and, after a fortnight's debate,
decided to represent to her majesty the necessity of a
change in the ministry. So Lord Melbourne had to
resign, though he took leave of the queen with sincere
regret. She was grieved with parting with her minister,
whom she had seen every day for four years, and in
whom she had found a warmly-attached friend ; but Prince
Albert was such a clever, able support that the trial
was by no means so great as it would have been before her
marriage.
The task of forming a new ministry was intrusted to
Sir Robert Peel, who worked so quickly that all the ap-
pointments were made in less than a week. No sooner
was the new cabinet fairly established than the Prince of
Wales was born at Buckingham Palace. This event took
place on the ninth of November, and during the following
month the court removed to Windsor Castle. Here is a
copy of the letter which the queen wrote King Leopold
soon after :
" We arrived here with our awfully large nursery estab-
lishment yesterday morning. To-day is very bright, clear,
and dry, and we walked out early, and felt like prisoners
freed from some dungeon.
" I wonder very much who our little boy will be like.
You will understand how fervent are my prayers, and I am
sure everybody's must be, to see him resemble his father in
348 The Queens of England.
every, every respect, both in body and mind ! Oh, my
dearest uncle, I am sure if you knew how happy, how
blessed I feel, and how proud in possessing such a perfect
being as my husband, and if you think you have been
instrumental in bringing about this union it must gladden
your heart ! "
[A.D. 1842.] King Frederick William of Prussia was
invited to England to stand sponsor for the Prince of
Wales. He arrived at Greenwich on the twenty-second of
January, and was met by Prince Albert, who escorted him
to Windsor Castle. There he was received by the queen
with all the formalities of state. Three days later the
baby- prince was christened at St. George's Chapel, Wind-
sor. Besides the King of Prussia, the sponsors were the
Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, represented by the Duchess of
Kent, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha,
represented by the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess
Augusta of Cambridge, and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-
Coburg.
The ceremony was performed with unusual splendor;
the chapel was hung with banners, lights shone upon the
altar, and the music was very fine. An anthem had
been composed for the occasion ; but the prince objected
to anything new, saying : " We will have something we
all know something in which we can all join some-
thing devotional," and so the Hallelujah Chorus was
substituted.
Shortly after the King of Prussia returned home Prince
Albert received news of the approaching marriage of his
brother Ernest with the Princess Alexandrine of Baden.
He was urged to be present at the ceremony ; but public
affairs were in such a dreadful condition in England that
he could not leave, though he was strongly inclined to
do so.
1842. Victoria of England. 349
Insurrections were from time to time breaking out in the
iron and coal districts, where there was a great deal of
suffering and want. Ireland was still excited by the Chart-
ist agitators, and the horrible war with Afghanistan, where
the British troops suffered so dreadfully, was still going on.
These are some of the circumstances but there were
others besides which called for an increase of soldiers
and large sums of money ; and the Melbourne administra-
tion, as we have seen, had left the country in debt two
million five hundred thousand pounds.
In the face of such troubles Prince Albert could not
desert his wife to attend his brother's wedding. He worked
hand-in-hand with Sir Robert Peel, and together they es-
tablished an income tax, which worked with splendid
results, and furnished two million pounds more than had
been expected. Even the queen shared the burden of the
taxation, which proved such an excellent remedy that con-
fidence in the government was restored. The harvest was
good this year, trade began to revive, and it seemed at last
that a tide of prosperity had set in. The poorer classes had
suffered so much that it was long before they could re-
cover from the depression into which they had sunken ; but
reforms were going on in every branch of industry that
effected their interest, and a brighter day had dawned for
England.
In March an account of the massacre of the British
troops at Cabul was communicated to the queen, but it was
not until the following month that the shocking details of
it reached England. But such scenes were fortunately not
repeated, and when the war was over England retained a
firmer hold on India than she had done before.
For the advancement of trade the court gave a series of
dinners, concerts, and balls, which kept all sorts of shop-
keepers busy. In May a grand bal! was given for the
3 SO The Queens of England.
benefit of the Spitalfields weavers, which the queen and
prince attended, and for the same purpose a fancy-dress
party was given at Buckingham Palace. This was a mag-
nificent entertainment, and the costumes were splendid.
The prince was dressed as Edward III., the queen as Queen
Philippa, and their ladies and gentlemen appeared in the
court-dress of that period. The Duchess of Cambridge
headed a procession of a hundred and twenty persons who
represented France, Italy, and Spain.
Another attempt was made on her majesty's life this
year. Here is an account of it as given by the prince in
a letter to his father : " On Sunday, as we were returning
from the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, at two o'clock,
there was, as usual, a crowd of spectators under the trees,
who bowed and cheered. Suddenly I saw a man step out
from the crowd, and present a pistol full at me. I heard
the trigger snap, but it must have missed fire. I turned to
Victoria, who was seated on my right, and asked her, ' Did
you hear that ? ' She had been bowing to the people on
the other side, and observed nothing. I said, ' I may be
mistaken, but I am sure I saw somebody take aim at us.'
When we reached the palace I asked the footmen who had
been at the back of the carriage if they had not noticed a
man step forward and stretch his hand towards the car-
riage, as if he wanted to throw a petition into it. They had
noticed nothing. I did not breathe a syllable about it to
any one, except Colonel Arbuthnot, to whom I told what
had happened, and directed him to make it known to the
inspector of police, Sir Robert Peel, and Sir James
Graham.
" I then ran out upon the balcony to see whether the
man had not been seized, but all was quiet, and the people
had dispersed, satisfied with having seen the queen. In the
afternoon Sir Robert Peel came with the head of police,
1842. Victoria of England. 351
and took down my statement, in writing, together with a
description of the man's appearance.
" Yesterday morning a boy of fourteen, named Pearse,
came to Mr. Murray, and said that he had seen a man
present a pistol at us as we were returning from church,
but he did not fire, and afterwards exclaimed, ' Fool that
I was not to fire ! ' We sent the boy to the home office,
where his evidence was taken down. The police showed
the greatest activity. We are naturally much agitated,
Victoria very nervous and unwell. As the doctor wished
that she should go out, we determined to do so ; for we
should have to shut ourselves up for months, had we
settled not to go out, so long as the miscreant was at large.
Besides, as he could have no suspicion he was watched, we
felt sure that he would come again skulking around the
palace, and that the numerous policemen in plain clothes,
who were on the lookout for him, would seize him on the
least imprudence or carelessness on his part. We drove
out at four, gave orders to drive faster than usual, and for
the two equerries, Colonel Wylde and Colonel Arbuthnot,
to ride close to the carriage. You may imagine that our
minds were not very easy. We looked behind every tree,
and I cast my eyes around in search of the rascal's face.
We, however, got safely through the parks, and drove to-
wards Hampstead. The weather was superb, and hosts of
people on foot. On our way home, as we were approach-
ing the palace, between the Green Park and the garden
wall, a shot was fired at us about five paces off. It was
the fellow with the same pistol a little swarthy, ill-
looking rascal. The shot must have passed under the
carriage, for he lowered his hand. We felt as if a load
had been taken off our hearts, and we thanked the
Almighty for having preserved us a second time from so
great a danger.
352 The Queens of England.
" John Francis (that is the man's name) was standing
near a policeman, who immediately seized him, but could
not prevent the shot. The culprit was instantly taken off
to the police office. He is not out of his mind, but a
thorough scamp. His answers were cearse and witty. He
tries to make fun of his judges. Little Pearse identified
him this morning as the same person he had seen on Sun-
day. He is twenty-two years old, the son of a machinist
at one of the theatres ; a wretched creature."
Francis was tried and found guilty of high treason.
There were circumstances which led to the belief that the
pistol he had used was not loaded at all, and that he only
wanted to make himself notorious. The queen interfered
in his behalf, and had the death-sentence changed to trans-
portation for life. Francis was greatly relieved when he
found that he was not to be hung ; but the leniency shown
to him had a bad effect, for the very day after it was made
public another attempt was made on the queen's life by a
hunchbacked boy named Bean.
Her majesty was driving to the chapel of St. James's
Palace when Bean pointed his pistol, but it missed fire, and
a youth named Dassett tore it out of his hand, and collared
him, calling at the same time to the crowd to secure the
assassin. He was promptly arrested, and the pistol was
found to be loaded with powder, paper closely rammed
down, and some scraps of a clay pipe.
Bean had left his father's house a week before, and had
written that he would never see him again, because he in-
tended committing a desperate, though not a dishonest deed,
and signed himself, "your unhappy, but disobedient son."
Now, the fact of the fellow's having deliberately set about
a crime for which Francis was then lying under sentence of
death in prison, proved that something was wanting in the
laws for the punishment of such miscreants.
I 4 2 - Victoria of England. 353
Sir Robert Peel lost no time in introducing a bill in
parliament, which, it was thought, would put a stop to
such attempts. It made the offender subject to trans-
portation for seven years, or imprisonment, with or with-
out hard labor, for a term not exceeding three years
" the culprit to be publicly or privately whipped as often
and in such manner and form as the court shall direct,
not exceeding thrice." This bill became a law, and
under it Bean was sentenced to eighteen months' impris-
onment.
One point that gave the prince serious concern was
the internal working of the royal household, which did
not run smoothly by any means. It may seem easy to
control such a matter, particularly when one observes
the regularity and precision of the present day ; but there
was no system when Prince Albert undertook the re-
form. The whole management of the palace was in con-
fusion ; there were too many masters, and nobody's duties
were clearly defined. With every change in the ministry
the three principal officers of the household were changed,
and their appointments were not due to special qualifica-
tions. They were regulated by politics, and, such being the
case, no uniformity of system could prevail ; there could be
no order, comfort, or economy, for no one felt particularly
responsible or knew how soon he might be called upon to
make way for a successor. Certain officials were responsi-
ble for the interior of the palace, certain others for the
grounds, woods, and forests, but they never worked in
harmony. . The consequence was, that as the inside clean-
ing of the windows belonged to the lord chamberlain's
department, the outside was regulated by the officer who
ruled over the grounds ; and, unless a good understanding
happened to exist between him and the lord chamberlain, it
is easy to see what trouble might arise from that one matter
354 The Queens of England.
alone. As Baron Stockmar says in his memoranda : " The
lord steward finds the fuel and lays the fire, and the
lord chamberlain lights it. The lord chamberlain pro-
vides all the lamps, and the lord steward must clean, trim,
and light them." Before even the most trifling repairs
could be made so many people had to be consulted that
months elapsed, while the pane of glass, lock, bolt, or hinge
was under consideration. Neither the lord chamberlain
nor the master of the horse had his deputy residing in the
palace ; consequently, the servants went and came as they
chose, did their work or left it undone as fancy dictated,
and often absented themselves for several days without any
notice being taken of it.
[A.D. 1843.] All this the prince was determined to
change ; but it would take time, and had to be done with
extreme caution to avoid giving offence to the large num-
ber of people who would be affected by the reform. Sir
Robert Peel was consulted, but he thought that ancient
institutions ought not to be interfered with, and feared that
any change in the household, that would seem to impair
the authority of the great officers of state would make the
distinguished members of the House of Peers less anxious
to fill such positions.
The prince concurred with J5ir Robert, but was, never-
theless, bent on improvement. " All I beg of you now, my
dear Sir Robert," he said, "is your cordial assistance in
combating the existing and crying nuisances. Much as I
am inclined to treat the household machine with a sort of
reverence from its antiquity, I still remain convinced that
it is clumsy in its construction, and works so ill that as long
as its wheels are not mended there can neither be order,
regularity, comfort, security, nor outward dignity in the
queen's palace."
The prince's persevering qualities were in course of time
Victoria of England. 355
crowned with success, and it was through the officers of
state themselves, who agreed to confer on the master of
the household absolute authority over all the internal
affairs of the palace. This arrangement proved even more
satisfactory than was at first expected, and relieved the
prince of a multitude of petty cares.
CHAPTER XII.
[A.D. 1843.] PARLIAMENT opened this year with very
exciting debates on the corn laws, which, of course, re-
ferred to all sorts of grain. Sir Robert Peel entered upon
his office bound to maintain these laws, but five years later
he repealed them. Such a change of policy brought
down upon his head the most outrageous abuse, but he was
probably convinced that the change was beneficial.
These laws made the price of all grain that was im-
ported so high that few could afford to purchase any but
English grain. This protected the English farmer, and
gave him a chance to charge a good sum for his crops ;
which was all very well for the farmer, but the manufac-
turer rebelled. Foreign countries said : " If you refuse to
buy our grain, we will manage to do without your woollen
and cotton goods." This was ruinous to trade, and in
consequence there was less manufacturing done. Many
were thrown out of employment, and all wages were reduced.
That the poor were forced to earn less and pay more for
their daily bread struck some members of parliament as
a most unjust state of affairs. They did not wonder at
the riots that were becoming matters of daily occurrence,
and sought for a remedy.
This was only to be found in free-trade, which means
relief from duty ; but it would take time, thought, and de-
bate before this remedy could be established. The nom-
356
i8 4 3-
Victoria of England.
357
inal leader of the Free-trade party in parliament was Mr.
Charles Villiers, a man of aristocratic family and rare
ability, who had brought forward his views for several
sessions in the House of Commons, and had worked hard
to secure converts to the principle he advocated.
The real leader of the movement was Mr. Richard
Cobden, a manufacturer of cotton goods in Manchester.
HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.
He was a man who saw and thought for himself, while he
was willing to learn from everybody. He travelled a great
deal, and thus gained a stock of information that proved
of much value. He was not an orator, but his simple,
honest, straightforward style of speaking was most con-
vincing. He ruled men by appealing to their common
sense, and showing them wherein lay their own interest ;
358 The Queens of England.
therefore was he most fitted by nature to succeed in his
arguments against the corn laws.
His strongest ally was Mr. Bright, an orator of the
most brilliant type. Mr. Bright had a commanding pres-
ence, a fine, broad head, a handsome, expressive face. He
had not read many books ; but those he had read he knew
thoroughly, and the principal ones were the Bible and
Milton. Mr. Bright was a Quaker and a manufacturer of
carpets. His business was a prosperous one, and he had
amassed a large sum of money ; therefore, when he made
his appearance in parliament, his eloquence had a disin-
terested ring; no one could accuse him of pleading his
own cause alone.
Mr. Cobden and Mr. Bright met for the first time when
both were interested in the question of education, and
each was struck with the peculiar ability of the other.
They became friends, and when Mr. Bright was in deep
grief after the death of his young and lovely wife, Mr.
Cobden made him a visit of condolence. After express-
ing what his heart dictated, it suddenly occurred to him
that work would offer the greatest relief to his stricken
friend, work for the alleviation of other's misery.
" Come with me ! " he said, after a pause. " There are
thousands and thousands of homes in England at this
moment, where wives and mothers and children are dying
of hunger. Come with me, and we will work for them,
and never rest until the corn laws are repealed."
The invitation was cordially accepted; and these two
men formed a bond of friendship so strong, so close that
until the death of Mr. Cobden the name of one was
scarcely ever mentioned without that of the other. Their
gifts were exactly suited to each other ; for each possessed
something that the other needed, and together they be-
came a power that stopped at nothing short of complete
success.
l8 43- Victoria of England. 359
But before free-trade was fairly established many con-
verts had to be made, and much opposition had to be put
down. A favorable effect was produced by a letter from
Lord John Russell, at the time of the potato-rot in Ire-
land, which threatened to produce a famine. This letter
had a great influence on Sir Robert Peel, as it convinced
him of the necessity of doing something for the advance-
ment of trade, and prompted him to favor the repeal of
the corn laws, for which he was, as we have said, so se-
verely condemned. Before introducing another statesman,
who became prominent at this time, a few pages must be
devoted to the queen and her family.
On the twenty-fifth of April another daughter was
added to the royal family. She was christened Alice
Maud Mary, and her sponsors were the King of Hano-
ver, Ernest, now Duke of Coburg, Princess Sophia
Matilda, and Feodore. The queen wrote her uncle that
the ceremony went off brilliantly, and that little Alice be-
haved extremely well.
The royal couple took a lively interest in the exhibition
of cartoons, on subjects taken from English history and
poetry, that was opened at Westminster" Hall that sum-
mer. All classes of people, from the highest to the lowest,
visited this exhibition, and this showed that a taste for art
was developing itself.
The prince was a great admirer of fresco painting, and
gave valuable instructions with regard to the decoration of
both houses of parliament. After they were completed, he
ordered eight pictures, for a pavilion in the garden of Buck-
ingham Palace, illustrating Milton's " Comus," one from
each of the following artists : Landseer, Maclise, Uwins,
Eastlake, Leslie, Ross, Dyce, and Stanfield.
The queen, with her husband, watched the progress of
this work with real interest, and one of the artists thus
360 The Queens of England.
wrote about them in a letter to a friend : " I have never
met with any royal personages who have impressed me so
favorably as our reigning sovereign and her young and
interesting husband. They come to us twice a day un-
announced, and without attendants, entirely stripped of all
state and ceremony, and courting conversation in a way
that has gained our admiration and love."
The Queen and Prince Albert had long been contem-
plating a visit to the court of Louis Philippe, so the day
after the opening of parliament in August they embarked
at Southampton on the " Victoria and Albert," a new yacht
that had just been built for them. The French royal
family were at Chateau d'Eu, near Treport. After cruising
about off the coast of the Isle of Wight for four or five
days, the queen and prince crossed over to Treport, and
the French king came out in his barge to welcome them.
Her majesty describes it thus in her journal : " The
landing was a fine sight, which the beauty of the evening,
with the setting sun, enhanced. Crowds of people (all so
different from ours), numbers of troops (also different from
our troops), the whole court, and all the authorities were
assembled on the shore. The king led me up a somewhat
steepish staircase, where the queen received me with the
kindest welcome, accompanied by clearest Louise, Queen
of the Belgians; He'lene, Duchess of Orleans, in deep
mourning: Frangoise, Prince de Joinville, and Madame
Adelaide. All this the cheering of the people, and of
the troops crying "Vive la Reine ! Vive le Roi /" well
nigh overcame me. The king repeated again and again
to me how happy he was at the visit, and how attached he
was to my father and to England."
The visitors remained five days, and were received with
so much affection by every member of the royal family and
so splendidly entertained that it was with sincere regret
that they parted from them at last.
lS 44- Victoria of England. 361
After stopping two or three days at Brighton, the queen
and prince made a tour in Belgium, and visited their be-
loved uncle, King Leopold. The month succeeding this
journey was marked by the prince's first visit to Cambridge,
where he and the queen were received by the students with
tremendous enthusiasm.
[A.D. 1844.] The first grief that darkened the home of
the royal couple was caused by the death of Prince Albert's
father, which occurred quite suddenly in January, 1844.
This event was not entirely unexpected ; nevertheless the
prince was deeply shocked, for he had always entertained
a warm affection for his father. The following month he
decided to visit Coburg, and see those of his relations
who remained.
Shortly after his return the King of Saxony arrived at
Buckingham Palace on a visit, and two days later the
Emperor of Russia appeared, having given only forty-eight
hours' notice that he would do so. Meanwhile, the court
removed to Windsor Castle, where the emperor was con-
ducted by Prince Albert and received by the queen. The
royal visitor was struck by the magnificence of the castle,
and repeatedly declared that the English court was con-
ducted on a grander scale than any he had ever seen.
A brilliant review was given in Windsor Park on the
fourth of June in honor of the two royal guests, and they
were delighted with the rapidity of the artillery movements.
The whole royal party 'attended the Ascot races on the
sixth, and returned to town on the seventh. Next day the
emperor went with Prince Albert on an excursion in the
country, and attended the opera with the queen in the even-
ing. On the ninth he took his departure, having made a
most favorable impression in England.
On the sixth of August the queen's second son was
born, at Windsor Castle. He was christened at the end of
362 The Queens of England.
four weeks in the private chapel, and received the names
Alfred Ernest Albert. The sponsors were Prince George
of Cambridge, the Prince of Leiningen, represented by
the Duke of Wellington, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg
and Gotha, represented by the Duchess of Kent. The
scene was very solemn. The Princess Royal and the
Prince of Wales were present ; and it was on that occasion
that the former first beheld the father of the man she was
to marry fourteen years later, the Crown Prince of
Prussia, who was then on a visit to England.
In October grand preparations were made for the recep-
tion of King Louis Philippe. The Duke of Wellington
went with Prince Albert to Portsmouth to receive him and
accompany him to Windsor, and everything was done to
make a favorable impression on both sides, because his
visit was the first one ever made by a French to an English
sovereign. The king was no stranger in England, for he
had lived there for five years during his exile from France ;
and it gave him much pleasure to visit the old familiar
scenes, and to reflect upon his improved condition. He
could not forget how, under a feigned name, he had been
glad to earn twenty pence a day while in exile, and now
he was King of France ! His visit had a good effect, for it
removed much of the angry feeling that had existed be-
tween his country and England, and established a bond of
friendliness.
[A.D. 1845.] When the Queen and Prince Albert accom-
panied Louis Philippe to Portsmouth they saw Osborne,
in the Isle of Wight, for the first time, and were so pleased
with the prospect it offered for a quiet retreat that they
purchased it. There were eight hundred acres at first, but
more were added, until the estate comprised twenty-three
hundred acres. The prince cultivated the whole place,
and improved it year by year, until he made it one of the
most delightful country-seats in the world.
1845- Victoria of England. 363
On the ninth of August the queen prorogued parliament ;
and the same evening she and the prince, attended by
Lord Aberdeen, Lord Liverpool, Lady Gainsborough, Lady
Canning, Mr. Anson, and Sir James Clark sailed from
Woolwich for Antwerp in the royal yacht, their destination
being Saxony. This is what her majesty wrote in her
journal on the morning of her departure :
" A very fine morning when we got up. Both Vicky and
darling Alice were with me while I dressed. Poor, dear
puss (the Princess Royal) would much have wished to go
with us, and often proposed that she might go, and said,
' Why am I not going to Germany ? ' Most willingly
would I have taken her, and I wished much to have taken
one of dear Albert's children with us to Coburg ; but the
journey is a serious undertaking, particularly the first time,
and she is very young still. But what chiefly decided us
is the visit to the King of Prussia, where I could not have
looked after her. All four children were with us at break-
fast, after which I gave Lady Lyttelton my last instruc-
tions, and then with a heavy heart we bade them adieu
in the hall. Poor little Vicky seemed very sorry, but did
not cry. It was a very painful moment to drive away with
the three poor little things standing at the door. God bless
them and protect them ; which He will ! And they are in
excellent hands. Our dear Osborne is so lovely and so
enjoyable that we left it with the greatest regret."
Sir Robert Peel met her majesty at Buckingham Palace,
and gave such a satisfactory report of public affairs that
the royal travellers set out on their German tour with noth-
ing to mar their pleasure.
They arrived at Antwerp on the tenth of August, and
found the city illuminated in their honor. They were
received by a guard of soldiers, and proceeded to Malines,
where they were welcomed by King Leopold and his
364 The Queens of England.
queen. They then proceeded to the Prussian frontier,
where they were met by the English ambassador, the King
of Prussia with several members of his family, many gen-
tlemen in uniform, and a numerous escort. They were
magnificently entertained, and shown all the sights of
Cologne and other cities.
At Bonn a Beethoven festival was given, and afterwards
all the professors of the university where Prince Albert
had been educated were presented to her majesty. We
need not follow the royal couple through all their travels,
but will quote the queen's account of their arrival at
Coburg, Prince Albert's birthplace.
" I began," says the queen, " to feel greatly moved,
agitated, indeed, in coming near the Coburg frontier. At
length we saw flags and people drawn up in lines, and in a
few moments more we were welcomed by Ernest in full
uniform. We got into an open carriage of Ernest's, with
six horses, Ernest sitting opposite to us. The good
people were all dressed in their best, the women in pointed
caps, with many petticoats, and the men in leather breeches.
Many girls were there with wreaths of flowers. We came
to a triumphal arch, where we were received by the land-
director, who said a few kind words of welcome, to which
I replied, all those who accompanied him standing on
either side, and the good people receiving us in such a
warm, hearty, and really friendly way. We then drove to
Ketschendorff, the pretty little house of 'our dear late
grandmother, where we found uncle Leopold and Louise,
who got into the carriage with us. Ernest mounted a horse
and rode next to the carriage on my side, Alvensleben on
the other. Then the procession was formed, which looked
extremely pretty. At the entrance to the town we came to
another triumphal arch, where the burgomaster addressed
us. On the other side stood a number of girls, dressed in
BEETHOVEN'S HOUSE AT BONN.
Victoria of England. 367
white, with green wreaths and scarfs, who presented us with
bouquets and verses. I cannot say how much I felt moved
on entering the dear old place, and with difficulty I re-
strained my emotion. The beautifully ornamented town,
all bright with wreaths and flowers, fhe numbers of good
affectionate people, the many recollections connected with
the place, all was so affecting.
" The palace was soon reached, and as the royal corttge
approached it numbers of young girls, dressed like the oth-
ers, threw wreaths into the carriage. The staircase was full
of relations. It was an affecting, but exquisite moment,
which I shall never forget."
Before they rose, the first morning after their arrival at
the Roseman, the singers of the Coburg Theatre serenaded
them. " Before breakfast," the queen writes, " we went
upstairs to where my dearest Albert and Ernest used to
live. It is quite in the roof, with a tiny little bedroom on
each side, in one of which they both used to sleep, with
their tutor. The view is beautiful, and the paper is still
full of holes with their fencing ; and the very same table
is there on which they were dressed when they were little."
After visiting the fortress that overlooks Coburg, and driv-
ing in the suburbs, the first day closed with a performance
of the " Huguenots " at the theatre, where the royal couple
were greeted as they entered with " God save the Queen,"
sung in German.
The twenty-sixth of August was the prince's birthday,
and a number of gifts were spread out on a table for him,
which the queen, with the assistance of the Duke and
Duchess of Coburg, had arranged amidst beautiful flowers.
Some of the peasants 'remembered the day, and came all
decorated in ribbons and flowers, and preceded by a band
of music, to offer their congratulations.
The next day the royal couple left Coburg and travelled
368 The Queens of England.
on, stopping frequently to visit various relations ; each of
whom vied with the other in the feasts that were prepared
for the entertainment of their guests. After seeing and
enjoying the numerous points of interest in the Thurin-
gian forest, the travellers began to turn their attention
homeward ; but a flying visit had to be made at the Chateau
D'Eu, so that Louis Philippe might not feel himself
neglected.
On the evening of September 7 the royal couple left
the Scheldt in their yacht, and at nine the next morning
were off Tre'port. The king was on the lookout for them,
and soon appeared on board in full uniform. They were
received with the same affectionate welcome that greeted
them two years before from the whole French royal family,
and conducted to the chateau. There a room was shown
to her majesty, which had been fitted up in honor of her
former visit, with pictures of the various incidents of it, as
well as of the king's visit to Windsor, and among them
full-length portraits of the queen and Prince Albert. The
whole company of the Opera Comique had been brought
down from Paris that day, and in the evening they gave a
performance in a tent erected for the purpose.
Next day the travellers returned home, and the prettiest
sight that awaited them, as they approached Osborne, was
the bright, chubby faces of their four little children, who
were on the watch for them.
[A.D. 1846.] We must now take a look at the political
struggle that was so bitter and so fierce this year. Sir
Robert Peel had become a free-trader, and announced him-
self as such in parliament ; but his downfall was at hand,
even when victory seemed so near. This was brought
about by a bill introduced for the purpose of checking
assassination in Ireland, called the coercion bill.
It was at this exciting session that Mr. Disraeli rose into
CASTI.E OF COBURG.
l8 4& Victoria of England. 371
sudden prominence. He had been for many years in the
House of Commons, and had made many speeches, but
hitherto his political career had been a failure. His first
speech was, perhaps, as clever as many later ones that won
outbursts of applause, but he was ridiculed by the noisy
members of the house to such an extent that most men with
less courage would have been silenced forever. Not so
Disraeli ; he looked straight at the party that opposed him,
and, raising his hands with theatrical effect, he exclaimed,
in a tone of voice so powerful as to penetrate to every part
of the house : " I have begun several times mapy things,
and I have often succeeded at last ; ay, sir, and though I
sit down now the time will come when you will hear me."
His prediction came true, and from the time nine years
after when he rose to denounce Sir Robert Peel, until
the day of his death, his career was one long brilliant suc-
cess.
That night he made for himself a name, and for the Tory
party, of which he became the leader, a new career. The
man whom the House of Commons had ridiculed nine
years before, now proved himself a great parliamentary
orator, and, as time went on, a politician perfectly capable
of assuming the control of his party. Sir Robert Peel had
gone over to the free-traders, and now the " Protection-
ists," headed by Lord George Bentinck and the opponents
of the coercion bill, would combine to turn him out of
office. This was accomplished after a great deal of pas-
sionate, bitter debate, and three days later the great minis-
ter announced his resignation.
It was with a feeling of profound regret that the queen
parted with her ministers, and the formal leave-taking was
a severe trial on both sides. Her majesty wrote King
Leopold : " Yesterday was a very hard day for me. I had
to part with Sir Robert Peel and Lord Aberdeen, who are
372 The Queens of England.
irreparable losses to us and to the country. They were
both so overcome that it quite upset me, and we have in
them two devoted friends. Never, during the five years
that they were with me, did they ever recommend a person
or a thing that was not for my or the country's best, and
never .for the party's advantage only."
Sir Robert Peel had done his duty to his country and his
conscience, and the very measure which deprived him of
power has proved a blessing, for which the British nation
can never cease to be grateful.
Lord Jo 4 hn Russell succeeded Sir Robert Peel as First
Lord of the Treasury ; Lord Palmerston became Foreign
Secretary ; Lord Grey, Colonial Secretary ; and Sir George
Grey, Home Secretary. Mr. Macaulay became Paymaster-
General, with a seat in the cabinet, and the Earl of Bess-
borough went to Ireland as Lord-Lieutenant.
Immediately after the formation of the ministry, and
while the elections were going on, the court removed for a
short time to Osborne, where, on the twenty-fifth of May,
a princess was born. She was christened a couple of
months later at Buckingham Palace, by the names of
Helena Augusta Victoria, and the sponsors were the Duch-
ess of Kent, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
The new Whig party were not in an enviable position ;
for they had, immediately on assuming power, to consider
the disastrous condition of Ireland, caused by the failure of
the potato crop. It is difficult to understand why people
could not eat something else when potatoes were not to be
had ; but it becomes clear when we remember that the
Irish peasant, with his wife and children, depended entirely
on that root for subsistence. They had absolutely no other
food, and, when deprived of that, they starved, yes, liter-
ally laid down in their huts, or by the road-side, and starved
LORD JOHN RUSSELL.
*847- Victoria of England. 375
to death. Not a county in Ireland wholly escaped the
potato-rot, and with it came what was called the potato dis-
ease a peculiar form of fever that was the result of sheer
starvation, and caused the death of hundreds of people.
Of course such, terrible suffering led to scenes of crime
and violence, and the Irish hated the government that they
firmly believed would not help them. Such was not the
case ; for the government were doing the best they could,
and were at their wits' end to find a .remedy for the evil.
Subscription lists were opened in the large cities, and many
of the merchants put down their names for a thousand
pounds. The sympathy of the whole civilized world was
aroused, and relief began to pour in from different coun-
tries. The United States sent over their war-ships laden
with grain and other food, and, as they arrived, one after
another at one of the Irish seaports, the bells of the town
rang out merrily to convey the joyful tidings to the famine-
stricken inhabitants.
Starvation and disease had killed off two millions of
people by the time the famine was over. Young Ireland
became dissatisfied with a country where such misery could
exist, and might be repeated, and their attention was turned
westward. The United States had opened her arms for
the oppressed, and offered them a welcome, a home, citi-
zenship. To our hospitable shores, therefore, streamed a
tide of Irish emigration until they formed a large part of
the population of every city in the Union.
[A.D. 1847.] Tnis y ear an evidence of Prince Albert's
having gained in public esteem was shown by his being
offered the chancellorship of Cambridge University. He
accepted, and at his request William Wordsworth, then in
his seventy-seventh year, wrote the ode for the occasion,
which was set to music by Mr. Thomas Attwood Walmisley,
and proved most effective. The ceremony of installation
376
TJic Queens of England.
was very impressive, and after it was over there was a fine
banquet at Trinity Hall, followed by a reception.
[A.D. 1848.] Early in the following year the Orleans
dynasty in France was overthrown, and a republic was pro-
claimed. By the end of February King Louis Philippe, his
queen, and the various members of his family were hurry-
ing secretly and in disguise by different routes to England,
their fortunes ruined, and they themselves anxious to
escape from the fury of the revolution and the horrible
ORLEANS HOUSE.
scenes that were being enacted in their native land. This
flight of King Louis Philippe with his queen, in the depth
of a very severe winter, is a painful story. They were old,
wretched, and deserted ; and, although the king was re-
sponsible for the mistakes that brought about the revolu-
tion after a peaceful reign of eighteen years, who can fail
to pity him ?
It was but a sorry asylum he found in England, for he
had lost the good opinion of the queen and the nation, and
1848- Victoria of England. 377
he was tolerated merely as an object of compassion. In
course of time his position and that of his sons was much
improved, because they bore their adversity with so much
dignity, manliness, and amiability. Great sympathy was
excited in their behalf when Louis Napoleon, the man
whose life the king had spared, hastened to France, seized
the throne by conspiracy, and confiscated all the property
of his benefactor and the entire Orleans family.
The French revolution had begun so suddenly that all
the world looked on in astonishment. No sooner were the
particulars of it known than it found an echo in Italy, Ger-
many, and Austria ; and all three of those countries rose
in revolt, eager for improvements in their respective
governments.
Prince Metternich, the Austrian minister, was another
person of note who sought refuge in England at this period.
This great diplomatist fell, after long years of service to his
emperor, who abdicted his throne rather than fight for his
rights ; and with his wife, made his way through Germany
under a feigned name, and with a price set upon his head.
Then Louis Kossuth came forward with the determination
to free Hungary from Austrian rule.
Tumults broke out in every state and principality of
Germany, and a demand was made for freedom of the
press, trial by jury, and representation of the people in
government affairs. In small towns the peasants attacked
the castles of their feudal lords, set fire to them, and put
their owners to flight. The work of destruction was going
on everywhere.
Meanwhile in Paris business was at a standstill, the
people were without employment or food, a reign of terror
set in, and an armed mob held the provisional government
at bay.
On the thirteenth of March a grand reform meeting was
378 The Queens of England.
held at Berlin, which ended in a conflict between the mili-
tary and the populace. The promises held out by the king
would no longer be listened to, and disorder reigned in the
streets for many days. He issued a proclamation favoring
the union of the German Confederation into one Federal
State, with one flag, one army, one fleet, one ruler. Over-
joyed at this proclamation, the crowd gathered to the
square in front of the palace to cheer the king, when, by
some terrible misunderstanding or preconcerted plan on
the part of some violent politicians, shots were fired at the
cavalry drawn up beneath the windows of the palace.
They moved forward to clear the square. At that instant
two muskets of the infantry were fired ; a cry of
" Treachery ! to arms ! " arose on all sides ; and, as if by
magic, barricades were erected in the principal streets, and
then began a struggle that was carried on throughout the
night. The heavens were illuminated by the burning
houses set on fire by the mob, and the streets ran with
blood. Two hundred and sixteen people and sixteen
soldiers were killed in the fight. The king ordered the
military to cease firing in the morning, and thus his leniency
gave the revolutionary party the upper hand. But it was
his aim to become Emperor of Germany, so he took the
position of popular leader, and paraded the streets on
horseback, wearing the German colors, black, red, and
yellow, streaming from his left arm, followed by car-
riages containing the Polish prisoners that had just been
released.
The Prince of Prussia, the king's brother and the pres-
ent emperor, who did not appear to favor the progress of
the nation, had to leave the city, and his palace was only
saved from the fury of the mob by having " National Prop-
erty " placarded on it. He too sought refuge in England.
In Belgium peace remained unshaken, and the nation
l8 48- Victoria of England. 381
felt what a blessing they had in the wise administration of
King Leopold. " Belgium," wrote the queen to her uncle,
" is a bright star in the midst of dark clouds. It makes us
all very happy "
In April there was a monster meeting of the Chartists
summoned to Kensington Common. They had been pre-
paring for several weeks, and announced their intention to
assemble to the number of one hundred and fifty thousand,
and march with a petition to the houses of parliament.
The law-abiding citizens determined to crush such a move-
ment, and one hundred and seventy thousand enrolled
themselves as constables to support the regular police
force, and act in concert with the military, if it became
necessary. Prince Louis Napoleon was of their number,
as he had not yet gone to France.
Mr. Feargus O'Conner was somewhat disgusted when,
after all his boasting, not more than twenty-three thousand
of his followers assembled. Instead of storming the houses
of parliament with their petition, they were glad enough to
be permitted to send a deputation with it in a couple of
common street-cabs, and make the best of their way back
home, conscious of the ridicule they had brought about
them. And this was the end of Chartism.
On the eighteenth of March, while the court were so-
journing at Osborne, Princess Louise was born, and a
couple of months later they returned to town. The chris-
tening took place in the private chapel of Buckingham
Palace, and the princess received the names of Louise
Caroline Alberta. Some years before Prince Albert had
written a chorale, which was sung at this ceremony. A
splendid state banquet followed, and throughout the month
there was more than the ordinary number of court balls
and receptions in honor of the queen's birthday.
Immediately after proroguing parliament the queen and
382 The Queens of England,
Prince Albert, with their children, went to Balmoral, a new
country-seat in Scotland, which they had just purchased
from the Earl of Aberdeen. This became a favorite re-
treat with her majesty. Her first impression of it is thus
given in her journal : " Looking down from the hill which
overhangs the house the view is charming. To the left
you look to the beautiful hills surrounding Loch-na-Gar,
and to the right towards Ballater, to the valley, along
which the Dee winds, with beautiful wooded hills, which
reminded us very much of the Thuringian forest. It was
so calm and so solitary it did one good as one gazed around,
and the pure mountain air was most refreshing. All seemed
to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the
world and its sad turmoils. The scenery is wild and yet
not desolate ; and everything looks much more prosperous
and cultivated than at Laggan. Then the soil is delight-
fully dry. We walked beside the Dee a beautiful, rapid
stream, which is close behind the house. The view of the
hills is exceedingly fine."
In this picturesque, wild highland home the queen and
Prince Albert found great relief from the cares and anxie-
ties of London life, though they were not without intelli-
gence from the political world that sometimes marred
their perfect happiness. While there they heard of the
terrible doings in Frankfort, where a mob attacked the
national assembly, and hacked to pieces two of its mem-
bers in a most brutal manner; of the sudden death of
Lord George Bentinck, of the election of Louis Napoleon
in France, and of a rising of natives against British author-
ity in India.
At the end of September the court left Balmoral foi
London, and, after resting there one night, proceeded to
Osborne, returning in a fortnight to Windsor.
The year 1848 was one of bloodshed and misery, that
l8 49- Victoria of England. 383
will ever be remembered in Europe, and few were sorry to
see it come to an end. The death of Lord Melbourne,
which took place in November, was an event that caused
the queen sincere sorrow ; for she often said that during
the first two years and a half of her reign he was almost
the only friend she had, and we know how faithfully he
served her and the country.
[A.D. 1849.] Another attempt on the queen's life was
made in May, as she was driving down Constitution Hill
in an open carriage with her children. The prince was
riding in advance, and knew nothing of what had occurred
until he heard it from the lips of her majesty. She did
not lose her self-possession for a moment ; but motioned
her coachman to proceed, and engaged the children's at-
tention to keep them from being alarmed. The man who
fired proved to be an Irishman, named William Hamilton,
who seemed to have no motive whatever for the deed.
Had it not been for the intervention of the police he would
have been torn to pieces. On examination the pistol was
found to be charged only with powder. Hamilton was
sentenced to seven years' transportation.
The time had arrived when it was thought proper to
place the Prince of Wales under the care of a tutor, and
Mr. Birch, a young man who had taken the highest honors
at Cambridge, was selected for the office. The queen and
prince had early settled on a plan of education ; for they
never forgot Baron Stockmar's saying, that " a man's educa-
tion begins the first day of his life." "To neglect begin-
nings," says Locke, "is the fundamental error into which
most parents fall."
The royal couple had, therefore, given this important
matter much thought; and as early as 1842 Lady Lyttel-
ton had been installed as governess to the children. She
filled her post with a devotion that won the respect and
384 The Queens of England,
love of her charges, and the entire approval of their par-
ents. When she resigned it was because she thought her-
self old enough to rest, and this is what she wrote about it :
" The queen has told me I may be free about the middle
of January, and she said it with all the feeling and kindness
of which I have received such incessant and unvarying
proofs through the whole long twelve years during which
I have served her. Never by a word or look has it been
interrupted." On her last day in the palace, she writes :
" In the evening I was sent for to my last audience in the
queen's own room ; and I quite broke down, and could
hardly see or hear. I remember the prince's face, pale as
ashes, and a few words of thanks from them both ; but it
is all misty, and I had to stop on the private staircase and
have my cry out before I could go up again." This de-
parture of Lady Lyttelton's did not take place until the
princess royal was ten years old, and all the children
were able to appreciate their loss.
In August the queen and prince, with their four older
children, embarked for their first visit to Ireland. Nothing
could have been more gratifying than the enthusiastic wel-
come that greeted them on their arrival at Cork and at
every stopping-place along their route. The spot where
her majesty first set foot on Irish soil has ever since borne
the name of Queenstown. As the royal party proceeded
up the river Lee to the town of Cork crowds assembled
along the shores, and the air was filled with wild shouts and
cheers, ringing of bells, and firing of cannon. Even in
the towns that had been foremost in rebellion the enthu-
siasm was great. The queen wrote thus of one feature of
the Irish : " The beauty of the women is very remarkable,
and struck us much ; such beautiful dark eyes and hair,
and such fine teeth ; almost every third .woman was pretty,
and some remarkablv so."
i8 4 9-
Victoria of England
385
When the royal squadron steamed into the harbor of
Kingstown, the wharves were crowded and the scene was
magnificent. A salute was fired from all the men-of-war
in the harbor. " It was a sight never to be forgotten,
a sound to be recollected forever. Ladies threw aside the
old formula of waving a white handkerchief, and enthusi-
SCENE IN IRELAND.
astically cheered ; while the men, pressing in so closely as to
throng the very edges of the pavilion, waved whatever
came first to hand, hat, stick, or coat (for the day was
very hot), and rent the air with shouts of joy, which
never decreased in energy till their sovereign was out of
sight. The royal children were objects of universal atten-
386 The Queens of England.
tion and admiration. ' Oh ! queen, dear ! ' screamed a
stout old lady, ' make one of them Prince Patrick, and all
Ireland will die for you ! ' '
The same scenes of wild delight were repeated on the
road to Dublin, and the four days spent in that city were a
perfect jubilee. The most important public institutions
were visited ; a levee, attended by four thousand people,
was held ; there was a review of six thousand troops ;
addresses presented, and an exhibition of cattle and agri-
cultural implements, in which the prince was particularly
interested. All the other cities vied with Dublin in wel-
coming the royal party, and the effect of their visit on the
country was most beneficial. The Irish were charmed
with their sovereign's gracious manners, and felt their own
importance greatly increased by the consideration she had
shown them.
[A.D. 1850.] The new year found the health of Prince
Albert by no means good. His physician advised change
of air, but there were reasons why he could not leave
England just then. Parliament assembled on the thirty-
first of January, and the prince had, besides, the affairs of
the grand exhibition on his hands. A preliminary meet-
ing had been held at Buckingham Palace many months
before ; but now committees had to be organized and
communications opened with all parts of the civilized
world to get contributions. There was a building to be
erected, and for that and other purposes money had to be
raised, and distinguished men pressed into the service to
insure confidence, and to do their share of the work. The
prince felt that he had undertaken a formidable task when
at every point his guidance was sought.
On the twenty-first of February the first of the great
public meetings was held on account of the exhibition, all
the representatives from the countries that were to send
I8 5- Victoria of England. 387
contributions being present. The following month a grand
banquet was given at the Mansion House, to which the
chief officers of state, the foreign ambassadors, the royal
commissioners for the exhibition, and the chief magistrates
of more than two hundred towns were invited. This gave
Prince Albert an opportunity to make known the entire
plan and purpose of the exhibition ; and no man could have
more thoroughly explained all the details.
The speech was received with such enthusiasm that
Prince Albert felt confident of the success of his undertak.-
ing. Congratulations poured in upon him from all sides,
and the newspapers were filled with words of encouragement
and praise. Her majesty wrote King Leopold at this
time : " Albert is, indeed, looked up to and beloved as I
could wish he should be ; and the more his rare qualities
of mind and heart are known, the more will he be under-
stood and appreciated. People are much struck by his
power and energy ; by the great self-denial and constant
wish to work for others which are so striking in his charac-
ter. But this is the happiest life. Pining for what one
cannot have, and trying to run after what is pleasantest,
invariably ends in disappointment."
As soon as parliament closed in the spring the court
removed to Windsor Castle, where Prince Albert's health
improved very much. On the first of May a prince was
born, and, as he came into the world on the eighty-first
birthday of the Duke of Wellington, it was decided to
name him after that great general. Arthur William Patrick
Albert were the names bestowed on the royal infant at his
christening, the old duke and the present Emperor of
Germany being sponsors. No doubt the Patrick was added
in remembrance of the old woman's request to the queen
when she visited Cork the previous year.
During the summer of this year there was a prospect of
388 The Queens of England.
war with France on account of certain claims which Eng-
land had against Greece that had been acknowledged, but
never settled. Matters were brought to a crisis by an
English admiral, who stationed himself off the Piraeus, and
prevented a Greek vessel from leaving. France and Rus-
sia took offence at this ; but the first notice England
had of such being the case was when, at the levee given on
the queen's birthday, the ambassadors of the two countries
failed to appear.
. This event led to one of the most remarkable debates
that ever took place in the English parliament. A ques-
tion arose as to whether the Whig ministry, then in power,
were free from censure in their dealings with the Greek
government. Lord Palmerston, as Minister of Foreign
Affairs, was put upon trial, as it were, with some of the
most powerful of the representatives opposed to him. But
he was undaunted. His speech on the occasion was con-
sidered a masterpiece. He explained the whole course of
his policy, and ably defended it. The stand he took was
one that appealed to the citizenship of the nation ; for he
contended that he had been prompted in his actions by a
determination to protect the rights of even the poorest
claimant to the name of Englishman against foreign op-
pression.
He spoke for five hours without a note, a pause, or a
sign of fatigue, and held even his adversaries spell-bound
with wonder and admiration. His success was complete.
" No man," said Mr. Gladstone next day, " had listened with
greater admiration than himself, while from the dusk of one
day to the dawn of the next he defended his policy, before
a crowded House of Commons, in that gigantic, intellect-
ual, and physical effort." This, it must be remembered,
was the generous remark of an opponent. Such another
was made by Sir Robert Peel, who described Lord Palm-
l8 5- Victoria of England. 389
erston's defence as " that most able and most temperate
speech, which made us proud of the man who delivered it,
and in which he vindicated with becoming spirit, and with
an ability worthy of his name and place, that course of
conduct which he had pursued."
Loid John Russell and Mr. Disraeli followed Sir Robert
Peel in the debate, which terminated, after four nights, in
the complete triumph of the ministry.
This does not prove, however, that the laws Palmerston
had enforced were just, or even that the members of the
cabinet who defended his action thought so. In private they
condemned it ; but for reasons which it would be difficult
to explain to those not versed in diplomacy they felt bound
to stand by the ministry. However, Lord John Russell,
who defended the policy of Palmerston, declared that it
would be impossible to remain in effice with him.
It was during this memorable debate that Mr. Cockburn
came into prominence. He defended the policy of Lord
Palmerston, and his speech was remarkable for a grace
and finish that was seldom heard. It was said by one of
his hearers, " that when Mr. Cockburn concluded his speech
one-half of the treasury benches were left empty, while
honorable members ran after one another, tumbling over
each other in their haste to shake hands with the honorable
and learned member." Mr. Cockburn's reputation was
made, and he sustained it for many years.
The speech made by Sir Robert Peel in this debate
proved his last. It was daylight on Saturday morning,
June 29, when he left the house of parliament, much
fatigued. He could take only a short repose, for by twelve
he had to attend a meeting of the Royal Commissioners
of the Great Industrial Exhibition, and it was important
that he should be present, because a dispute had arisen
with regard to the site of the building. Hyde Park had
390 The Queens of England.
been selected ; but serious objections had been raised, and
Peel's influence was so great that Prince Albert depended
upon him to remove them. Therefore, though worn out
with fatigue, he had to attend the meeting ; and afterwards
he set out for a short ride in the park, thinking the fresh
air and exhilarating exercise would invigorate him. He
called at Buckingham Palace, and wrote his name in the
queen's visiting-book. As he was riding up Constitution
Hill his horse suddenly shied and threw him. Peel clung
to the bridle, and the animal fell with its knees on his
shoulders. His injuries were so great that after lingering
between delirium and consciousness for three days he
died.
Never was a statesman more sincerely mourned. When
announcing his death to the Duchess-dowager of Saxe-
Coburg, the prince wrote : " We have lost our truest friend
and trustiest counsellor, the throne its most valiant de-
fender, the country its most open-minded and greatest
statesman."
The queen wrote : " Peel is to be buried to-day. The
sorrow and grief at his death are most touching, and the
country mourns over him as over a father."
A warm tribute was paid to his memory by the Duke of
Wellington in one house of parliament, and by Mr. Glad-
stone in the other. " In all the course of my acquaintance
with Sir Robert Peel," said the aged duke, " I never knew a
man in whose truth and justice I had a more lively confi-
dence, or in whom I saw a more invariable desire to pro-
mote the public service. In the whole course of my
communications with him I never a knew an instance in
which he did not show the strongest attachment to truth ;
and I never saw, in the whole course of my life, the slightest
reason for suspecting that he stated anything which he did
not believe to be the fact."
l8 5 Victoria of England. 391
Parliament desired to show their respect for the memory
of Peel by burying his remains with public honors. This
was proposed by Lord John Russell, but it was found that
the great statesman had particularly requested in his will
that his remains should be placed beside those of his
parents at Drayton Bassett. A monument in Westminster
Abbey was therefore substituted at the public expense.
The offer of a peerage was made to Lady Peel, but she
declined, saying, " that she desired to bear no other name
than that by which Sir Robert Peel was known." At the
same time she stated that her husband's wish, recorded in
his will, had been that none of his family should ever
accept any title, distinction, or reward on account of any
service he might be supposed to have rendered his country.
Peel earnestly desired that if his sons were to bear titles
and distinctions given them by the state, they should win
them by their own services and worth, and not simply put
them on as an inheritance from their father.
On the twenty-sixth Prince Albert celebrated his birth-
day quietly at Osborne, surrounded by his family. It was,
however, a day of mourning; for just before dinner^news
was brought of the death of King Louis Philippe. Two
days later the queen and prince paid a visit to the afflicted
family, and then proceeded by rail to Edinburgh. They
were met at the station by the Duke of Buccleuch, at the
head of the Royal Archers, who formed a body-guard, and
accompanied the carriage to Holyrood Palace.- This was
the first time a queen had entered the old building since
poor Mary Stuart had left it.
" We wandered out to look at the old ruined abbey,
which adjoins the palace," says the queen's diary, " and
which you see from our windows. It is beautiful inside.
One of the aisles is still roofed in, but the others are not.
It was originally an abbey, and the very old tombstones
39 2 The Queens of England.
are those of the friars. It was afterwards the Chapel
Royal, and Queen Mary, my unfortunate ancestress,
was married to Lord Darnley at this very altar, of
which we see the remains. We saw the rooms where
Queen Mary lived, her bed, the dressing-room into which
the murderers entered who killed Rizzio, and the spot
where he fell."
The next day the prince laid the corner-stone of the
National Gallery, which is now one of the finest buildings
in the city of Edinburgh. Thousands of people attended
the ceremony, and the prince's speech was most satis-
factory.
Scarcely had the court returned to Osborne from Scot-
land when news was brought of the death of the Queen of
the Belgians. Although this sad event was not unexpected,
it was a source of deep grief to Queen Victoria, who had
loved her aunt devotedly. The two ladies were nearly
allied in age, rank, sympathy, and culture, and they had
been friends and confidants for many years.
Great excitement was occasioned in the autumn by the
pope's issue of a bull, directing the establishment in Eng-
land of bishops to bear the title of their sees. This was
offensive, because the crown had maintained the right to
bestow such titles. It was an assumption of power on the
part of the pope that produced an outburst of passion such
as has seldom been witnessed in England. The queen
was indignant, the prime minister lost his temper, and
wrote a letter that gave great offense to the Roman
Catholics. Long, fierce debates followed the opening
of parliament, and the " Ecclesiastical-Titles Bill " occu-
pied the attention of its members for many months. Lord
John Russell resigned, and was invited back to his post;
the bill was wrangled over, and caused much bitterness of
feeling, and then died a natural death. Both Catholics
lS 5 I - Victoria of England. 393
and Protestants found that they had made a mountain
out of a mole-hill, and that time and temper had been
wasted, and both blushed for their lack of dignity and
.tolerance.
[A.D. 1851.] The attention of the nation was next
turned towards the great International Exhibition, which
opened on the first of May, in Hyde Park. Similiar ex-
hibitions have taken place since, and superior ones, but
the one projected by Prince Albert was the first, therefore
the most remarkable. Two days before the opening of the
exhibition the queen made a private visit to the building.
We quote from her diary : "We remained two hours and a
half, and I came back quite beaten, and my head be-
wildered, from the myriads of beautiful and wonderful
things which now quite dazzle one's eyes ! such efforts
have been made, and our people have shown such taste
in their manufactures ! All owing to this great exhibi-
tion and to Albert, all to him / We went up into the
gallery and the sight from there, with the numerous
courts full of all sorts of objects of art and manufacture,
is quite marvellous. The noise was overpowering, for
so much was going on everywhere, and from twelve to
twenty .thousand people engaged in arranging all sorts of
things.
" MAY i. The great event has taken place, a com-
plete and beautiful triumph; a glorious and touching
sight, one that I shall ever be proud of for my beloved
Albert and my country. Yes ; it is a day which makes my
heart swell with pride and glory and thankfulness !
" The park presented a wonderful spectacle, crowds
streaming through it, carriages and troops passing, quite
like the coronation day, and for me the same anxiety
no, much greater anxiety, on account of my beloved Albert.
The day was bright, and all bustle and excitement. At
394 The Queens of England.
half-past eleven the whole procession in state carriages was
in motion. The Green Park and Hyde Park were one
densely crowded mass of human beings, in the highest
good humor, and most enthusiastic. I never saw Hyde
Park look as it did, as far as the eye could reach. A
little rain fell just as we started ; but before we came near
the Crystal Palace the sun shone and gleamed upon the
gigantic edifice, upon which the flags of all the nations
were floating. We drove up Rotten Row, and got out at
the entrance on that side.
" The glimpse of the transept through the iron gates, the
waving palms, flowers, statues, myriads of people filling the
galleries and seats around, with the flourish of trumpets as
we entered, gave us a sensation which I can never forget,
and I felt much moved. We went for a moment to a little
side-room, where we left our shawls, and where we found
mamma and Mary (Princess of Teck), and outside which
were standing the other princes.' In a few seconds we pro-
ceeded, Albert leading me, having Vicky at his hand, and
Bertie holding mine. The sight as we came to the middle,
where the steps and chair (which I did not sit on) were
placed, with the beautiful crystal fountain just in front of
it, was magical, so vast, so glorious, so touching. One
felt as so many did to whom I have since spoken -
filled with devotion, more so than by any service I have
ever heard. The tremendous cheers, the joy expressed in
every face, the immensity of the building, the mixture of
palms, flowers, trees, statues, fountains, the organ (with
two hundred instruments and six hundred voices, which
sounded like nothing), and my beloved husband, the author
of this ' Peace Festival,' which united the industry of all
nations of the earth, all this was moving indeed, and it
was and is a day to live forever. God bless my dearest
Albert, God bless my dearest country, which has shown
DUKE OF WELLINGTON.
1 8s 1 - Victoria of Englalid. 397
itself so great to-day ! The only event it in the slightest
degree reminded me of was the coronation; but this
day's festival was a thousand times superior. In fact,
it is unique, and can bear no comparison, from its peculi-
arity, beauty, and combination of such different and striking
objects.
" Albert left my side after ' God save the Queen ' had
been sung, and, at the head of the commissioners, a
curious set of political and distinguished men, read me
the report, which is a long one, and to which I read a short
answer. After which the Archbishop of Canterbury
offered up a short and appropriate prayer, followed by the
' Hallelujah Chorus,' during which a Chinese mandarin
slowly and gravely made his way around the fountain, and
made me a profound obeisance. Then the procession began.
It was beautifully arranged and of great length, the pre-
scribed order being exactly adhered to. The nave was
full, which had not been intended ; but still there was no
difficulty, and the whole long walk from one end to the
other was made in the midst of continued and deafening
cheers and waving of handkerchiefs. Every one's face was
bright and smiling, many with tears in their eyes. Many
Frenchmen called out, ' Vive la Reine!' One could, of
course, see nothing but what was near in the nave,
and nothing in the courts. The organs were but little
heard, but the military band at one end had a very fine
effect as we passed along. They played the march from
Athalie. The beautiful Amazon in bronze, by Kiss, looked
very magnificent.
" We returned to our place, and Albert told Lord Bread-
albane to declare that the exhibition was opened, which he
did in a loud voice : ' Her majesty commands me to declare
this exhibition open,' which was followed by a flourish of
trumpets, and immense cheering. All the commissioners,
398 The Queens of England.
the executive committee, etc., who worked so hard, and to
whom such immense praise is due, seemed truly happy, and
no one more so than Mr. Joseph Paxton, who planned the
building, and who rose from being a common gardener's
boy."
The exhibition was a perfect success, and all those
that have followed have certainly been a compliment to
Prince Albert's enterprise. The building itself called forth
much wonder and admiration, the beautiful structure being
entirely of glass and iron. It was afterwards removed to
Sydenham, where it now stands, and where few travellers
fail to make a visit on purpose to behold this wonderful
inspiration of Mr., now Sir Joseph, Paxton.
" I must not omit to mention an interesting episode of
this day," writes the queen ; viz. " the visit of the good old
Duke of Wellington, on this his eighty-second birthday, to
his little godson, our dear little Arthur. He came to us
at five, and I gave him a golden cup and some toys, which
he himself had chosen, and Arthur gave him a nosegay.
" We dined en famille, and then went to Covent Garden
Opera. I was rather tired ; but we were both so happy, so
full of thankfulness ! God is indeed our kind and merciful
Father ! "
Lord John Russell and Lord Palmerston were among the
first to offer congratulations to the queen on the success of
the undertaking ; and Sir George Grey was able to report
next day that, although twenty-five thousand people had
been within the building, and seven hundred thousand
along the route between Buckingham Palace and Hyde
Park, not a single accident had happened, and not a case
of bad behavior had been reported by the police.
While in Scotland the prince won the admiration of
the Highlanders by his skill in deer-stalking, and by
the energy and endurance with which he made his tramps
Victoria of England. 399
over hill and heather. He and the queen returned to Lon-
don in time to make one more visit to the exhibition,
which closed in October.
This year was memorable for a visit from Kossuth,
who sought to secure the intervention of England in the
cause of Hungarian independence. He received a warm
welcome, and his irresistible, passionate eloquence charmed
thousands of people, even though they did not sympa-
thize with him or his object. He spoke the purest Eng-
lish, and his powers of speech excited the wonder and
admiration of his hearers everywhere ; but he soon found
that the peace with Austria was not to be broken. So
the illustrious patriot came to America, where again he
was doomed to disappointment.
Before the close of the year all England, and, indeed,
the whole world, was taken by surprise by the coup
d'&tat made by Louis Napoleon, which placed him on
the throne as Emperor of the French. This remarkable
piece of intelligence reached the queen just before her
departure from Osborne, and she immediately wrote Lord
John Russell to request Lord Normanby, her ambassador
at Paris, " to remain entirely passive, and to take no part
whatever in what was passing, and to say no word that
might be misconstrued into approval of the action of
Louis Napoleon."
Lord Normanby's reply created quite a sensation. He
wrote that when he called on M. Targot, the French Min-
ister of Foreign Affairs, to tell him that no change was to
be made in England's relations with France, he was as-
tonished to hear from that gentleman that Lord Palmer-
ston had, two days before, called upon Count Walewski,
the French ambassador in London, and not only expressed
his approval of what the new emperor had done, but had
declared that he could not have acted otherwise.
400 The Queens of England.
When this was repeated to the queen she was unwilling
to believe it, considering how explicit she had been in
desiring strict neutrality on the part of her ministers.
She wrote Lord John Russell desiring an explanation,
and he at once opened a correspondence with Lord Palm-
erston on the subject. Many letters passed between the
two statesmen before complete satisfaction could be
obtained. Lord Palmerston had profound confidence in
himself, and every man who differed from him was, in his
estimation, a blockhead. He jumped at conclusions,
acted upon them quickly, cared little for the opinion of
the world, and regarded those more deliberate than him-
self as dullards. Thus had he often acted upon his own
judgment and authority in deciding matters of state, and
pledged the queen to a course of conduct of which she
did not wholly approve. This was exceedingly aggra-
vating, and her majesty chafed under it. With regard
to the coup d'etat, he wrote just as one of Louis Napo-
leon's ministers might have done in addressing a foreign
court. He did not disguise the contempt he felt for
Lord John Russell because he thought differently from
himself in the matter, and obstinately refused to under-
stand that it was not his favoring the action of Louis
Napoleon that gave offense, but his openly expressing his
approval of it in defiance of the queen's judgment and
decision.
Lord John Russell was highly indignant, and declared
that, while he admired the energy and ability of his col-
league, he could not submit to being associated with one
who was constantly creating misunderstandings and com-
mitting acts of imprudence. The consequence was that
Lord Palmerston withdrew from office, and Lord Gran-
ville took his place.
Lord Palmerston's removal caused a sensation all over
1851- Victoria of England. 401
Europe, for he had shown himself to be a man of great
ability and strong common sense ; and it was generally
believed that he had been sacrificed to government in-
trigue, though such was not the case. The cabinet met on
the twenty-second of December, and condemned Lord
Palmerston's conduct, and approved of the steps taken
by Lord John Russell.
CHAPTER XIII.
[A.D. 1852.] The year opened with considerable un-
easiness regarding the probability of a French invasion ;
and the queen drew the attention of parliament to the
necessity of increasing the number of soldiers. Without
explaining the plan of the " militia bill," which was brought
up for consideration, it is only necessary to say that the
alterations made in it by the members of the house excited
the indignation of Lord John Russell to such a degree
that he sent his resignation to her majesty. Lord Derby
took his place as minister, and Mr. Disraeli became Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer and leader of the House of Com-
mons. The scheme for providing forces to defend the
country was soon completed ; and Mr. Disraeli occasioned
no little surprise by the talent he showed for figures, in
addition to his other gifts.
The new administration was called the " Who ? Who ?
Ministry," and this is how it came by such a queer name.
The Duke of Wellington was somewhat deaf, and, like
many people so afflicted, spoke in a very loud tone. He
was so anxious to hear the names of those who were to
form the new cabinet that he stopped Lord Derby in the
House of Lords, and asked to what person each office was
to be assigned. As the prime minister mentioned the
names, the aged duke eagerly asked, " Who ? Who ? " and
the more unfamiliar fhe names the louder they had to be
402
*852- Victoria of England. 403
repeated, and the oftener and more audible became the
"Who? Who?" until the conversation was heard by all
the members. The story got abroad, and the familiar name
of the " Who ? Who ? " government was given to Lord
Derby's administration.
The well-known gray head disappeared soon after ; for
the old duke died on the fourteenth of September, at Wal-
mer Castle, in his eighty-fourth year. Never did any other
man occupy such a position in England as the Duke of
Wellington. The whole nation loved him and had the
utmost confidence in him ; and to the queen he was a loyal
subject and an affectionate friend. Strong men shed tears
when they announced his death, for he had held a warm
place in the hearts of his countrymen. " He was the pride
and good genius, as it were, of this country," wrote the
queen, " the most loyal and devoted subject, and the
staunchest supporter the crown ever had. He was to us a
true friend and most valuable adviser."
This is the order which Lord Derby issued to the army,
by her majesty's command:
" The discipline which he exacted from others, as the
main foundation of the military character, he sternly im-
posed upon himself ; and the queen desires to impress upon
the army that the greatest commander whom England ever
saw has left an example for the imitation of every soldier, in
taking as his guiding principle, in every relation of life, an
energetic and unhesitating obedience to the call of duty."
In Southey's " Peninsular War," this sentence referring
to the great duke occurs : " His campaigns were sanctified
by the cause ; they were sullied by no cruelties, no crimes ;
the chariot wheels of his triumphs have been followed by
no curses ; his laurels are entwined with the amaranths of
righteousness, and upon his deathbed he might remember
his victories among his great works."
404 The Queens of England.
The funeral was grand and imposing, and beneath the
dome of the Metropolitan Cathedral the remains of Eng-
land's greatest military hero were laid beside those of
Nelson, her greatest naval hero. " We have buried in our
greatest general," said Lord Derby, in the House of Lords
next day, " the man among us who had the greatest horror
of war."
After a short sojourn at Balmoral the court returned to
Windsor, and as soon as parliament was opened repaired
to Osborne, when her majesty was soon called upon to
make another change in her ministry.
Mr. Disraeli occupied the attention of the house for
more than five hours with a speech regarding the reduction
of certain taxes and the increase of others. He spoke
ably, and made a strong impression ; but a still stronger
one was made by Mr. Gladstone in opposition. It was
four long nights before the debate concluded, and it re-
sulted in the resignation of the ministry, which was for-
mally tendered to the queen the next morning. From
that period Disraeli and Gladstone were rivals in power
and opponents in parliament for more than twenty years.
The queen now felt the necessity for the formation of a
powerful administration, and for that purpose she called on
Lord Aberdeen, who became prime minister. Lord John
Russell took the foreign office, Lord Palmerston became
home secretary, and Mr. Gladstone chancellor of the ex-
chequer. This was a powerful organization ; but the man
who attracted the most attention was Mr. Gladstone, then
forty-three years of age. He had entered public life at a
very early age, and had often distinguished himself as a de-
bater. He was born in Liverpool, and his father was a
Scotchman. He was a free-trader, and as such early at-
tached himself to Peel. The speech which he made just
after the formation of the new ministry lasted several
LORD ABERDEEN.
l8 53- Victoria of England. 407
hours ; but it was so fine that his hearers were charmed,
and nobody wished it to come to an end. His voice was
remarkably clear and resonant, and he had the rare gift of
being able to argue, with all the fluency for which he was
noted, without the slightest preparation. He would start
to his feet at a moment's notice, and pour forth a volume
of words effective as they were eloquent. Mr. Gladstone,
besides being an orator, was a statesman, a critic, an essay-
ist, a Greek scholar, and a financier.
[A.D. 1853.] The queen was quite satisfied with her
new cabinet, and wrote King Leopold : " The success of
our excellent Aberdeen's arduous task, and the formation
of so brilliant and strong a cabinet, would, I was sure,
please you. It is the realization of the country's and our
own most ardent wishes, and it deserves success, and will,
I think, command great support."
The court prolonged their stay at Osborne until late in
the spring of this year, and during that time the Eastern
question began to attract attention. On that subject we
shall presently have more to say. Another royal visit to
Dublin must first be mentioned. It was made on the occa-
sion of the opening of a great Art and Industrial Exhibi-
tion, similar to the one of 1851 in London. The exhibition
opened in July ; but measles, which attacked the Queen,
Prince Albert, and all but the two younger royal children,
delayed them for a month.
It was on the twenty-ninth of August before the royal
party reached Dublin, where they were welcomed with the
same enthusiasm that had marked their visit four years
before. The morning of each day was devoted to the
exhibition, and the Irish poplins, laces, and pottery were
special objects of admiration.
After passing a pleasant week at Dublin the royal guests
drove to Kingstown, on the evening of September 3, where
408
The Queens of England.
an immense crowd assembled to bid them adieu. "The
evening was very beautiful," says her majesty's diary, " and
the sight a fine one, all the ships and yachts decked out
and firing salutes, and thousands on the quay cheering."
As night closed in, a magnificent aurora borealis lighted
up the northern sky, and fire-works were let off until late
into the night.
CUSTOM-HOUSE, DUBLIN.
On the sixth of September, the court reached Balmoral ;
but they could not enjoy this retreat so much as usual,
because the prospect of war with Russia was daily becom-
ing more imminent. England had been at peace with all
the world for forty years, and she was very reluctant to be
l8 53- Victoria of England. 409
drawn into any complication now; but a few words of
explanation will show how she was forced to fight.
A treaty had been made between Francis I. and the Sul-
tan, by which the holy places in Palestine and the monks
of the Latin church were placed under the protection of
France. In course of time the Greeks began to dispute
the claim of the Latin monks to guard the shrines, and
serious disputes arose. Then Russia, claiming to possess
the greatest number of Greek Catholics among her sub-
jects, thought fit to interfere. The matter was left to the
decision of the Turkish Porte, which granted keys to cer-
tain of the shrines to the Latins, and of others to the
Greeks. The French were not pleased, but agreed to
accept the decision. Not so the Russians ; they felt
that the French had the key to the most important shrines,
and had therefore obtained supremacy over them in the
East. Besides, the Russian Government was determined to
have the protectorate of the Christians in Turkey, even
though they gained it at the point of the sword. So Prince
Menschikoff was sent with a suite of naval and military
officers to Constantinople to propose a sort of convention
to enable his government to assert this protectorate over
the Greek church within the Turkish Empire. He de-
manded an immediate reply. The new foreign minister, who
had just entered upon his office, asked for five or six days
in which to consider so important a matter. This was re-
fused, whereupon the Ottoman council became indignant
and declined to have any convention at all.
Prince Menschikoff at once left Constantinople, and
Russia began 'her preparations for war. Before many days
her troops were gathering in great force along the frontier.
This aroused the patriotism of all the Turks, Moslem as
well as Christian, and Russia appeared like a big giant
ready to goble them up.
410 The Queens of England.
The czar had long before called Turkey, " the sick man "
and had invited the English ministry to form an agreement
with him, as to the distribution of the effects in case " the
sick man " should die. He desired no strife, oh no ! He
was perfectly satisfied that arrangements should be made
that would be agreeable to all parties, provided he got
possession of Constantinople.
England very properly refused to acknowledge that
Turkey was " a sick man " at all, and would not agree that
any European power should be wiped out. But she de-
sired no war, and so a conference was called at Vienna
between England, France, Austria, and Prussia, for the
purpose of patching up, if possible, a reconciliation between
Turkey and Russia. The eagerness with which Russia
consented to accept the Vienna note made the Turkish
Government suspicious that she saw something of special
advantage in it to herself. Therefore, through the advice of
the English ambassador at Constantinople, Lord Strat-
ford de Redcliffe, the Turks declined to accept the Vienna
note, unless certain changes were made. The prince con-
sort had said that the Vienna note was a trap laid by
Russia, and he was right ; it was a trap in which the West-
ern powers would have been caught, had it not been for
the shrewdness of de Redcliffe.
The czar would listen to no modification of the Vienna
note ; so Turkey declared war, and the French and English
fleet combined were sent to the Bosporus with orders to
pass into the Black Sea, if the Russian fleet came out of
Sebastopol. Turkish independence must be maintained,
and that could not be unless the Western powers granted
their assistance. Thus was war inevitably thrust upon
them.
[A.D. 1854.] The Russian ambassador left London on
the seventh of February, and on the same day the English
Victoria of England. 41 1
ambassador was recalled. Towards the close of the month
a formal declaration of war was issued. Meanwhile, regi-
ments were constantly passing through London, and em-
barking for action in the East. The queen thus describes
one in a letter to King Leopold:
" The last battalion of the Scotch Fusileers embarked
to-day. They passed through the court-yard here at seven
o'clock in the morning. We stood on the balcony to see
them. The morning fine, the sun shining over the towers
of Westminster Abbey, and an immense crowd collected
to see the fine men, and cheering them immensely, as with
difficulty they marched along. They formed line, pre-
sented arms, and then cheered us very heartily and went
off cheering. It was a touching and beautiful sight.
Many sorrowing friends were there, and we saw the
shake of many a hand. My best wishes and prayers will
be with them all."
A few days later the queen and prince visited the mag-
nificent fleet at Spithead under the command of Sir Charles
Napier. " We are just starting to see the fleet," wrote her
majesty to Lord Aberdeen, " which is to sail at once for
its important destination. It will be a solemn moment !
Many a heart will be very heavy, and many a prayer, in-
cluding our own, will be offered up for its safety and
glory."
Lord Raglan, an old pupil of the Duke of Wellington,
who had lost his right arm at Waterloo, was appointed to
command the English forces, and Marshal St. Arnaud
those of the French. Their instructions were to communi-
cate with Omar Pasha, the Turkish commander, and then
to decide whether an immediate attack upon Sebastopol,
the Crimean stronghold, was advisable. The three com-
manders did consult, and did not altogether relish the idea
of such an attack ; but it had been strongly urged by the
412 The Queens of England.
English and French governments, and, therefore, was it
undertaken.
On the fourteenth of September, twenty-seven thou-
sand English, thirty thousand French, and seven thousand
Turks landed without opposition on the shores of the
Crimea. On the nineteenth they marched towards the
river Alma, and reached its banks at noon of the
twentieth. Prince Menschikoff thought his position in-
vulnerable with his Russian batteries, his artillery, and
his dense masses of infantry covering the hills ; and when
he saw the enemy approach, he began to congratulate him-
self upon the glorious victory that he already considered
assured. He did not open fire on them as they crossed to
his side of the river ; that was not in accordance with his
plan. He had told the czar that he could easily hold his
position for three weeks ; and so he would merely play with
the allied troops until his immense reinforcements arrived,
and then it would be so easy to pounce down upon them
and crush them. So certain did he feel of the result of a
fight that some of the precautions that a less arrogant
general would have taken were entirely unheeded. The
consequence was, that after a desperate combat the allied
forces drove the Russians from the field and gained a com-
plete victor) r .
If an immediate attack had been made upon Sebastopol
in the face of this victory, it might have been taken ; but
there was no Marlborough, no Wellington, in the English
army at that time, and the flying Russian troops were not
even pursued. Thus they gained time, not only to consider
the cause of their defeat, but to increase their defences.
On the third day after the battle, the allied troops gazed
in wonder at certain movements of the Russians in the
Black Sea. " What were they about ? " was the question
that was asked on all sides. " Were they going to attack the
CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.
Victoria of England. 415
English and French ships ? " It seemed so, for seven of
their war vessels were drawn up right to the very entrance
of the harbor, and under the very noses of the enemy.
The operation was soon explained ; for slowly but surely did
the seven vessels go down, down into the water, until
nothing was to be seen of them but the tops of their masts.
Then vanished all hope of a speedy capture of Sebastopol.
Her harbor was as impassable as though huge rocks
guarded it.
Then the allied forces began a long, fatiguing march to
Balaklava, which lies south of Sebastopol, and has a port
that would enable them to keep communication between
the army and the navy intact. They reached their destina-
tion safely, stationed themselves on the heights above the
city, and with the fleet in the harbor prepared to attack
Sebastopol simultaneously by sea and land. On the seven-
teenth of October the attack began ; but the ships could not
get near enough, on account of the sunken war vessels to
do very effective work, and so it proved a failure.
On the twenty-fifth, the Russians made an attack with the
hope of getting possession of Balaklava. The assault was
bold and splendid, and with boldness and splendor was it
repulsed. It was during this battle that the charge of the
Light Brigade was made, of which Tennyson has written in
so spirited a manner :
" ' Forward, the Light Brigade! '
Was there a man dismayed ?
Not though the soldier knew
Some one had blundered :
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not the reason why,
Theirs but to do and die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred."
Some one had blundered, but exactly who has never
41 6 The Queens of England.
been entirely settled. The officer who received the order
was one of the first who fell ; and, of the six hundred and
seven men who composed the Light Brigade, only one hun-
dred and ninety-eight returned. All the world wondered
at the magnificent charge.
" When can their glory fade ? " asks the Poet Lau-
reate. Never while courage and heroism are honored.
On the fifth of November the battle* of Inkermann was
fought during a dark, heavy fog. This was the fiercest
fight of the campaign, and took place almost entirely in
the dark. It was a hand-to-hand combat, and the loss was
very heavy on all sides. It was, however, a victory to the
allies ; and the queen was so well pleased that she expressed
her admiration of Lord Raglan's generalship by conferring
upon him the baton of field-marshal.
Sir George Cathcart was one of the officers who lost his
life in this campaign, and the queen wrote a most touching
letter of sympathy to his widow. As a mark of regard to
his memory, her majesty appointed his daughter Emily one
of her maids-of-honor.
The Russians behaved, as they always do, with the great-
est barbarity. "When poor Sir George Cathcart fell,"
writes the queen, " his faithful and devoted military secre-
tary sprang from his horse, and with one arm he was
wounded in the other supported his dying chief, when
three wretches came and bayoneted him." Such scenes
were not at all uncommon ; and when the English or French
soldiers were assisting the wounded enemy that were left
on the battlefield they always took the precaution to
deprive them of their arms ; for it was not unusual for a
Russian soldier to receive a cup of water with one hand,
and stab his benefactor in the back with the other.
During the winter the suffering among the troops was
very great. Cholera had attacked them and thinned their
l8 54- Victoria of England. 417
ranks to a great extent. Men were dying by hundreds,
because the hospitals were in such a bad condition, and
even the stores of food and medicines that were sent out
could not be got at. There was a lack of system and
organization in the army, which prevented supplies from
reaching the proper places, and they were often left to
decay in the holds of vessels, or worse still, fell into the
hands of the Russians.
At last Sir Sidney Herbert remembered Miss Florence
Nightingale, and applied to her for relief. Miss Nightin-
gale was the daughter of a wealthy English country gentle-
man, who had made nursing a study. At the time of the
breaking out of the Crimean war she was engaged in
establishing an institution for training nurses after the plan
of some she had visited on the continent. To this lady,
then, Sir Sidney turned, and she consented at once to take
charge of the Scutari hospital. She went out to the
Crimea with a corps of thirty-seven ladies, and from the
moment of her arrival no further complaints were made
about hospital regulations. She restored order as by a
stroke of magic, and thousands of sick and wounded sol-
diers were comforted by the tender nursing of that corps
of brave, self-sacrificing women.
The queen, the elder princess, and all the ladies of the
court made woolen comforters, mittens, and other warm
clothing to be distributed in the army, and their example
was imitated by women in every part of the kingdom.
The ministry at home were very much blamed for the
lack of organization in the army, and changes were made.
Lord John Russell resigned, and wrote to Lord Aberdeen,
urging that Lord Palmerston should take charge of the war
department. Then the queen wrote to Lord Palmerston,
asking him " whether he could undertake to form an ad-
ministration that would command the confidence of parlia-
4i 8 The Queens of England.
ment, and properly conduct public affairs." He accepted,
and much to his surprise found himself prime minister.
Lord Panmure became minister of war.
Meanwhile negotiations for peace were begun at Vienna,
and Lord John Russell was sent there to represent Eng-
land. On the second of March the czar died very
suddenly - it was said of pneumonia ; but defeat and
blasted hopes had much to do with his fatal illness. People
outside of Russia did not seem very sorry ; and it was
ardently hoped that the new czar would be more inclined
for peace than his father, but the conference at Vienna
failed.
Then Louis Napoleon resolved to go to the Crimea him-
self, but England interposed to prevent, and he met with
discouragement at home also. His next resolution was to
make a visit to the queen, and having ascertained that it
would be welcome, he named April 16 for the day of
his arrival. The empress was to accompany him. The
notice was short, but a splendid suite of apartments was
quickly prepared at Windsor Castle for the royal guests.
The prince went down to Dover to meet them, but in
consequence of a dense fog it was noon before they
landed. An enthusiastic welcome greeted England's ally
at every point ; flags waved from the houses, and triumphal
arches had been erected, all festooned with bright banners
and flowers. Extracts from her majesty's diary will best
describe the arrival at Windsor.
[A.D. 1855.] " I advanced and embraced the emperor,
who received two salutes on either cheek from me, having
first kissed my hand. I next embraced the very gentle,
graceful, and evidently very nervous empress. We pre-
sented the children ; the emperor embraced Bertie, and
then we went up stairs, Albert leading the empress,
who, in the most engaging manner, refused to go first,
PARK OF ST. CLOUD.
l8 5S- Victoria of England. 421
but at length, with graceful reluctance, did so, the emperor
leading me, expressing his great gratification at being here
and seeing me.
" Nothing can be more civil or amiable or more well-
bred than the emperor's manner so full of tact. A long
walk after breakfast gave him and Albert an opportunity
to discuss the war. The empress was as eager as her
husband that he should go to the Crimea. She sees no
greater danger for him there than elsewhere in fact, than
in Paris. She is full of courage and spirit, and yet so
gentle, with such innocent and charming manners."
During the visit the emperor was invested with the
Order of the Garter, and on the nineteenth he and the
empress were entertained at Guildhall, by the city of Lon-
don, at a grand banquet. They returned to the palace in
the evening, charmed with the way they had been received
everywhere, and later they attended the opera.
In the evening a council was held to decide upon future
operations in the Crimea, and the next day the royal guests
took their departure.
While the emperor was in England, St. Arnaud had died
at the seat of war, and soon after news was brought of the
death of Lord Raglan. The former was succeeded by
Canrobert, who soon resigned in favor of General Pe'lissier,
and the latter by General Simpson. Sardinia had come
forward as an ally, and her troops had distinguished them-
selves for bravery and skill.
The visit of the emperor and empress had to be returned,
so the queen, Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, and the
princess royal embarked, on the eighteenth of August, on
board the "Victoria and Albert" for Boulogne. The
emperor stood on the quay with a brilliant retinue to
receive them, and conducted them to the railway station.
Arriving at St. Cloud, the royal guests were received by
422 The Queens of England.
the empress "amidst a blaze of light from lamps and
torches, the roar of cannon, music, drums, and cheers."
" The saloons are splendid," writes the queen, " the ceilings
are beautifully painted, and the walls hung with gobelins.
The saloon in which we dined was terribly hot, for the
table was covered with wax lights, which quite dazzled me.
Everything was magnificent, and all very quiet and royal."
This beautiful palace, which the queen describes in her
diary, is in ruins now, not from age, but from the storm of
revolution that has destroyed so many fine buildings in and
near Paris.
It might be tiresome to those of my readers who are not
fond of descriptions to follow the queen in her visits to all
the interesting places in Paris and its suburbs ; so we will
merely say that, after a week of feasting and sight-seeing,
she returned to Osborne with her family, having cemented
a warm friendship with the emperor and empress of the
French.
In September the glorious tidings of the fall of Sebas-
topol reached England. A simultaneous attack of the
French and English forces on the two fortresses Redan
and Malakoff had resulted in victory; and then the
Russians, finding that it would be useless to remain longer
at Sebastopol, left it a burning mass, with powder maga-
zines exploding, and flames bursting from every private
and public building in the place. And so the war came to
a close, and a treaty of peace was signed in Paris on the
thirtieth of March. Turkey preserved her independence,
and all the Russian places that had been taken by the allies
were restored.
[A.D. 1856.] Just before peace was declared, a domes-
tic event claimed the attention of the English royal family.
This was a proposal from Frederick William, Prince of
Prussia, for the hand of the princess royal. All parties inter-
l8 5 6 - Victoria of England. 425
ested were very much pleased, and Prince Albert wrote to
Baron Stockmar : " The young man laid his proposal be-
fore us this morning, with the permission of his parents
and of the king; we accepted it for ourselves, but requested
him to hold it in suspense as regards the other party until
after her confirmation. In the spring the young man
wishes to make his offer to herself, and possibly to come
to us along with his parents and his engaged sister. The
seventeenth birthday is to have elapsed before the actual
marriage is thought of, and this will, therefore, not come
off till the following spring. . . . The young man is to
leave us again in a fortnight. ... I have been much
pleased with him. His chiefly prominent qualities are
great straightforwardness, frankness, and honesty. . . . He
speaks of himself as personally greatly attracted to Vicky.
That she will have no objection to make, I regard as
probable."
The next day the queen wrote in her diary : " Our dear
Victoria was this day engaged to Prince Frederick William
of Prussia. He had already spoken to us of his wishes ;
but we were uncertain, on account of her extreme youth,
whether he should speak to her himself or wait till he came
back again. However, we felt it was better he should do
so, and during our ride this afternoon up Craig-na-Ban,
he picked a piece of white heather (the emblem of " good
luck "), which he gave to her ; and this enabled him to
make an allusion to his hopes and wishes as they rode
down Glen Girnoch, which led to this happy conclusion."
The confirmation of the princess royal took place the
following March in the private chapel of Windsor Castle.
The princess was led in by her father, and followed by the
queen, with the King of the Belgians. All the royal chil-
dren, the various members of the family, the ministers, the
great officers of state, the members of the household, and
426 The Queens of England.
many of the nobility were present. The Bishop of Oxford
and the Archbishop of Canterbury performed the cere-
mony, and everything went off extremely well.
The next domestic matter that occupied the attention of
the royal parents was a plan for the education of Prince
Alfred, who had selected the navy for his profession. In
order that he might pursue his studies without interruption,
it was decided that he should have an establishment of his
own. The Royal Lodge at Windsor Park was therefore
fitted up for him, and Lieutenant John Cow'ell, a young
officer of Engineers, who had received a fine scientific
education, was selected as tutor.
The queen had always shown regard for the care of her
wounded soldiers, and took personal interest in the hospi-
tal arrangements at home. In April she visited St. Mary's
Hospital at Chatham, where four hundred invalids were
drawn up in the barrack square to receive her. After
passing through the suffering numbers, cheering them with
kind smiles and comforting words, the queen and prince
entered the hospital, where those who were not well
enough to be in the open air were assembled. Some of
the poor fellows were frightfully crippled and disfigured ;
but all felt flattered by their sovereign's interest in them,
and many displayed, with honest pride, the medals and
other marks of honor that they had won on the battle-
field. Two days later her majesty visited Aldershot, where
a camp had been established. On a richly caparisoned
chestnut horse she rode forward to inspect the troops.
They were drawn up in two lines, fourteen thousand in
number, and reached out a mile and a half in length.
Bayonets flashed in the sunlight as the men presented
arms, and the bands of the different regiments burst forth
in strains of welcome as their sovereign advanced. Hav-
ing reached an elevated piece of ground, her majesty, sur-
l8 5 6 Victoria of England. 427
rounded by a brilliant suite, witnessed the movements of
the soldiers as they marched past her in a line. A grand
field-day followed, when the queen appeared again on
horseback, wearing the uniform of a field-marshal with the
star and ribbon of the Garter, and a dark blue riding-skin.
The sight was more splendid than before ; the troops had
mustered eighteen thousand strong this time, and their
manoeuvres under the command of General Knollys ex-
cited great admiration.
During the same month there was a review of the fleet
at Spithead. The royal yacht steamed out of the harbor
followed by private vessels, all decked with flags and
crowded with spectators, and, as they passed through the
double line of men-of-war, a royal salute was fired ; and
this, added to the cheering of the men, produced a most
exciting scene. The fleet performed various evolutions
afterwards, and then had a mimic battle, which concluded
the proceedings. Several more reviews, both of the navy
and army, took place this year, and her majesty laid the
corner-stone of a large military hospital which she had
ordered to be built near Nettey. " It is to bear my name,"
she wrote, " and is to be one of the finest in Europe.
Loving the brave army as I do, and having seen so many
of my poor sick and wounded soldiers, I shall watch over
the work with maternal anxiety."
An accident to the princess royal, in June, was the cause
of a great deal of anxiety to the queen. The young lady
was melting sealing-wax by a candle, to seal a letter, when
her sleeve caught fire and her right arm was severely
burned from the elbow to the shoulder. Had assistance
not been near, the princess might have been burned to
death ; but two ladies who were in the room acted with
praiseworthy presence of mind, and extinguished the
flame with a hearth-rug. In a few weeks the wounds were
entirely healed.
428 The Queens of England.
In the autumn the court retired to Balmoral, and one of
the most distinguished visitors presented to the queen and
prince was Miss Florence Nightingale. The prince wrote
of her : " She put before us all the defects of our present
military hospital system, and the reforms that are needed.
We are much pleased with her; she is extremely modest."
A fortnight later she became the queen's guest, and Lord
Panmure, the minister of war, was invited to meet her in
order that she might lay before him an account of all she
had seen at the Crimea, and her opinions as to the reforms
that ought to be made. Miss Nightingale was treated
with all the honors due so perfect a woman and so great a
philanthropist.
[A.D. 1857.] When parliament opened in February,
the queen gave an account in her speech of how an insult
had been offered to the British flag by the Chinese, at
Canton, which had rendered it necessary for redress to be
demanded by force of arms. The facts were these : A
Chinese-built vessel, called "The Arrow," sailing under a
British flag, had been boarded by a Chinese war-junk, and
the crew carried off as pirates. Sir John Bowring, the
English governor at Hong-Kong, had demanded satisfac-
tion, which Yeh, the Chinese commissioner, had refused.
Thereupon the English fleet, under Admiral Michael Sey-
mour, was sent to enforce reparation as well as free admis-
sion of foreigners to the city of Canton. Had Sir John
Bowring not been so determined that the port of Can-
ton should, according to a former treaty, remain open to
trade, the matter might have been settled without a fight ;
but, as it was, the Chinese were forced into a war which
cost them dear.
In a few words the cause of the Chinese war is told ; but
it would require thousands to recount the debate which
arose in parliament as to the action of the government,
l8 57- Victoria of England. 429
which Lord Derby had challenged in one house, and Mr.
Cobden in the other. The question was, whether or no the
war was to be continued, whether or no Lord Palmerston
was to resign ? " Let the noble lord, who complains that
he is the victim of a conspiracy, not only complain to the
country, let him appeal to it!" said Mr. Disraeli at the
close of a two nights' debate. The noble lord did appeal
to the country. He announced his policy to be, " to main-
tain the rights, to defend the lives and properties of British
subjects, to improve our relations with China, and in the
selection and arrangement of the means for the accom-
plishment of those objects, to perform the duty which they
owed to the country." The elections which took place
soon after showed a clear gain to the ministry, and a glo-
rious victory for Lord Palmerston.
Two visitors must be mentioned, the one an American,
the other a Frenchman, who went to England about this
time on important missions. The American was Mr.
Cyrus W. Field, who astonished the leading merchants
and scientific men, by announcing a plan which he had for
laying a telegraph line beneath the Atlantic to connect
Europe and the United States. The Frenchman was M.
de Lesseps, who explained his project for cutting a canal
across the Isthmus of Suez. Both met with opposition, and
both plans were deemed impossible ; but, as we know, both
have succeeded.
The Archduke Maximilian, brother to the Emperor of
Austria, visited the court in June. He was at that time
engaged to the Princess Charlotte of Belgium, the woman
afterwards known to all the world as "Poor Carlotta."
It was six years after this visit to London that the Arch-
duke Maximilian became Emperor of Mexico, where, by a
turn of the revolutionary wheel, he was ordered to be shot
by President Juarez, in 1867. Just before his sentence
430 The Queens of England.
was carried into execution, Maximilian took out his watch,
and, pressing a spring which concealed a portrait of his
wife, he kissed it, and gave it to a priest, saying : " Carry
this souvenir to Europe, to my dear wife ; and, if she be
ever able to understand you, say that my eyes closed with
the impression of her image, which I shall carry with me
above. Poor Carlotta ! " He had reason to believe that
his message never would be comprehended by his wife,
because, as all her bright hopes were blasted in Mexico,
her mind succumbed. When her husband was taken pris-
oner, she had gone to France, and then to Rome to plead
for help. She was refused, and insanity was the result.
One of the most important movements this year was to-
wards the establishment of schools for the poorer classes.
Prince Albert took a lively interest in this matter ; for it had
astonished and pained him to find that more than half of
the children between the ages of three and fifteen, in Eng-
land and Wales, could neither read nor write, and the re-
mainder had only two years of school life. He made a
speech urging the necessity of compulsory education, and
declared that parents must be made to see that to secure
education for their children was " not only their most
sacred duty, but also their highest privilege."
The title of Prince Consort was conferred by the queen
on her husband this year ; she also distributed " the
Victoria Cross," for the first time. This ceremony took
place at Hyde Park, and was intended as a reward for
bravery in the army and navy. These decorations had
been manufactured by the queen's order, and had inscribed
on one side, " For Valor." They were given only to men
who had served in the presence of the enemy, and had per-
formed some signal act of bravery or devotion to their
country. The list of such names had been made out with
great care, and her majesty resolved to establish the order
Victoria of England. 431
by decorating the heroes with her own hand. More than
a hundred thousand people assembled to witness the cere-
mony, and a vast semi-circle of seats had been erected to
hold about twelve thousand. Four thousand soldiers were
drawn up in a line, and between these and the royal pavil-
ion were the sixty-two brave fellows who were to be
decorated.
At ten o'clock her majesty rode into the park mounted
on a gray horse, and dressed in a scarlet jacket, with a
black skirt. She was accompanied by the prince, Prince
Frederick William of Prussia, and a brilliant suite. The
heroes were brought forward one by one, and her majesty
pinned the cross to the breast of each without leaving her
seat in the saddle. The prince saluted each man with pro-
found respect as he withdrew. It was a splendid spectacle,
and the enthusiasm of the multitude was very great.
Towards the end of June, news of the most alarming
nature came from India. It was that the native regiments
had mutinied, and massacred in cold blood the English
officers, their wives, and children. An order was immedi-
ately issued for twelve regiments of a thousand each, and
four thousand five hundred recruits, to be added to the
army already in India.
Although these reinforcements were to be sent, some
doubt existed as to whether the trouble was really so
serious as was at first represented. Before many days the
government learned by telegraph that the mutiny was
almost universal in Bengal, and that thirty thousand men
had deserted from the army. Delhi was in possession of
the mutineers, who had been driven into the city with con-
siderable loss. They still continued to make a desperate
resistance, and the city was to be assaulted immediately.
There was no longer room for doubt ; the English gov-
ernment and the whole nation shuddered at the thought of
432 The Queens of England.
what horrible deeds might be committed, should the mutiny
become general throughout the country.
The death by cholera of the commander-in-chief for
India had been announced by telegraph, and Lord Palm-
erston wrote to the queen proposing that Sir Colin Camp-
bell should be sent out to take his place. This was agreed
upon, and Sir Colin started the next day. Bad news con-
tinued to arrive from India, and Lord Canning wrote from
Calcutta, urging the increase of English troops, as the only
means of crushing anarchy and rebellion. But he knew
the necessity for immediate action, and he could not wait
for troops to come all the way from England ; he there-
fore stopped those that were on their way to China, and
pressed them into the service.
We need not detail the horrors of the Sepoy war nor the
treachery of the never-to-be-forgotten fiend in human shape,
Nana Sahib. It is enough for us to know that one post after
another succumbed to English arms and English general-
ship, and the rebellion was finally stamped out.
This was a disastrous year in the commercial world ;
failure followed failure, not only of private firms, but of
banks, and the difficulty was even greater in the United
States than in Europe. Long years of prosperity had led
to reckless speculation, which was supposed to be the chief
cause of the trouble ; but there were others besides.
[A.D. 1858.] The new year opened with preparations
for the marriage of the princess royal. The court re-
moved from Windsor to Buckingham Palace on the fif-
teenth of January, and by that time the guests who had
been invited to attend the wedding had begun to arrive.
By the nineteenth the palace was entirely filled. It con-
tained besides the English royal family, the King of the
Belgians with his sons, the Prince and Princess of Prussia,
with their suites, and several princes and princesses.
i8 5 8.
Victoria of England.
433
" Such a houseful ! " says her majesty's diary, such bus-
tle and excitement ! Between eighty and ninety sit down
to dinner at the royal table daily." On the eighteenth
many guests were invited for the evening, and the diary
says : " After dinner a party, and very gay, and pretty
dance. It was very animated, all the princes dancing.
CALCUTTA.
Albert did not waltz. Ernest (the prince consort's
brother) said it seemed like a dream to him to see Vicky
dance as a bride just as I did eighteen years ago, and I
still so he said looking very young. In 1840 poor
dear papa (the late Duke of Coburg) danced with me as
Ernest danced with Vicky."
434 The Queens of England.
The first of the festivities in which the public took part
was at her Majesty's Theatre, on the nineteenth, when
Macbeth was performed with Miss Helen Faucit and Mr.
Phelps in the leading parts. The theatre was beautifully
decorated with flowers, and the house was filled to over-
flowing with a brilliant audience. After the play, " God
save the Queen," was sung, everybody rising, while those
who could not find room in the body of the house crowded
upon the stage, and joined in the patriotic song.
The next evening a grand ball, attended by a thousand
guests, was given at the palace, and on the following
day a dinner. We now return to her majesty's diary.
" Saturday, January 23. Fine frost. Much excitement,
but I feel calm, such bustle, such questions, and Albert
torn to pieces. Latish walks in the garden with Albert
and our dear child. Albert went before one to fetch
Fritz, who had landed at half-past ten, and at half-past
one he arrived with an escort (as have all the visitors), and
all the court waiting for him below. I received him at
the bottom of the stairs very warmly ; he was pale and
nervous. At the top of the staircase Vicky received him
with Alice, and we went into the audience-room.
" January 24. Poor, dear Vicky's last unmarried day,
an eventful one, reminding me so much of mine. . . .
After breakfast, we arranged in the large drawing-room
the gifts (splendid ones) for Vicky on two tables : mam-
ma's and ours on one, Fritz's, his parents', king's and
queen's (of Prussia), uncle's, Ernest's, and Alexandrine's
(Duchess of Coburg) on the other. . . . Fritz's pearls
are the largest I ever saw, one row. On a third table
were three fine candelabra, our gift to Fritz. The
Prince and Princess of Prussia, the children, mamma,
William, all the princes, and ourselves brought in Vicky
and Fritz. She was in ecstasies, quite startled, and
I 58- Victoria of England. 435
Fritz delighted. Service at half-past eleven. The Bishop
of Oxford preached a fine sermon.
" Coming from a walk in the gardens of the palace after
luncheon, we went again to the present-room, where we
found more gifts had been placed, many from ladies, in-
cluding a quantity of fancy work. From the Duchess of
Buccleuch, a splendid case with table ornaments set with
coral. From a gentleman of the household, a beautiful
diamond and emerald bracelet. Very busy, interrupted
and disturbed every instant. Dear Vicky gave me a very
pretty brooch before church with her hair, and clasping
me in her arms, said, ' I hope to be worthy to be your
child ! ' When the duties of hospitality for the day were
over, we accompanied Vicky to her room, kissed her, and
gave her our blessing, and she was much overcome. I
pressed her in my arms, and she clung to her truly adored
papa with much tenderness.
" Monday, January 25. The second most eventful day
in my life as regards feelings. I felt as if I were being
married over again myself, only much more nervous ; for I
had not that blessed feeling which I had then, which raises
and supports one, of giving myself up for life to him
whom I loved and worshipped, then and ever. . . . Got up,
and while dressing, Vicky came to see me, looking well
and composed, and in a fine, quiet frame of mind. . . .
Gave her a pretty book, called 'The Bridal Offering.' "
Just before proceeding to the chapel royal at St. James's
Palace, the queen, the princess royal, and the prince were
daguerreotyped together. The queen says in her diary :
" I trembled so that my likeness has come out indistinct.
Then came the time to go. The sun was shining brightly;
thousands had been out since very early, shouting, bells
ringing, etc. Albert and uncle in field-marshal's uniform,
with batons. The two eldest boys went first, then the
436 The Queens of England.
three girls in pink satin trimmed with Newport lace, Alice
with a wreath, and the two others with only bouquets in
their hair of corn-flowers and marguerites ; next the four
boys in Highland dress. The hall was full. The flourish
of trumpets, and cheering of thousands, made my
heart sink within me. Vicky was in a carriage with me,
sitting opposite. ... At St. James's I took her into a dress-
ing-room prettily arranged, where were uncle, Albert,
and the eight bridesmaids, who looked charming in white
tulle, with wreaths and bouquets of pink roses, and white
heather. We went into ' the closet ' (this is a room
which on court days only the royal family are allowed to
enter), where mamma, in violet velvet trimmed with ermine
and white and violet silk, and the Cambridges were. All
the foreign princes and princesses except uncle, the
Prince of Prussia, and Prince Albert of Prussia, were
already in the chapel.
"Then the procession was formed, mamma last before
me. Then Lord Palmers ton with the sword-of-state ;
then Bertie and Alfred. I, with the two little boys on
either side, and the three girls behind. The effect was
very solemn and impressive as we passed through the
rooms, down the staircase, and across a covered court.
" The chapel, though too small, looked extremely im-
posing and well, full as it was of so many elegantly-dressed
ladies, uniforms, etc. The drums and trumpets played
marches, and the organ played others as the procession
approached and entered. There was a pause between
each, but not a very long one, and the effect was thrilling
and striking, as you heard the music gradually coming
nearer and nearer. Fritz looked pale and much agitated,
but behaved with great self-possession, bowing to us and
then kneeling down in a most devotional manner. Then
came the bride's procession, and our darling flower looked
l8 58- Victoria of England. 437
very touching and lovely, with such an innocent, confi-
dent, and serious expression, her veil hanging back over
her shoulders, walking between her beloved father and
dearest Uncle Leopold, who had been at her christening
and her confirmation.
" My last fear of being overcome vanished on seeing
Vicky's quiet, calm, and composed manner. It was beau-
tiful to see her kneeling with Fritz, their hands joined, and
the train borne by the eight young ladies, who looked like
a cloud of maidens hovering around her as they knelt
near. Dearest Albert took her by the hand and gave her
away. The music was very fine ; the archbishop very ner-
vous ; Fritz spoke very plainly ; Vicky, too.
" When the ceremony was over we both embraced Vicky
tenderly, but she shed not one tear, and then she kissed
her grandmamma, and I, Fritz. She then went up to her
new parents, the dear prince and princess of Prussia, who
were both much moved, Albert shaking hands with them,
and I kissing both, and pressing their hands with a most
happy feeling. Then the bride and bridegroom left,
hand-in-hand, followed by the supporters of the train, the
" Wedding March," Mendelssohn being played, and we all
went up to the Throne Room to sign the register. Here
general congratulations, shaking hands with all the rela-
tions, I with all the Prussian princes. The young
couple signed first, then the parents of both, and all the
princes and princesses present. I felt so moved and over-
joyed that I could have embraced everybody. I shook
hands with Lord Clarendon and Lord Palmerston. Vicky
gave very pretty lockets to her bridesmaids.
" The young couple returned to Buckingham Palace to-
gether, and we with the prince and princess of Prussia.
Tremendous crowd and cheering as we passed. The
young couple stepped out on the balcony and showed
43 8 The Queens of England,
themselves, we and the prince and princess of Prussia
standing with them."
After the wedding-breakfast the bride and bridegroom
drove away to Windsor Castle ; and in the evening a mes-
senger brought a letter from the princess to her mother
telling her that the Eton boys had dragged the carriage
from the railway station to the castle, and that they had
been welcomed by immense crowds with the greatest
enthusiasm.
Two days later (twenty-seventh), the court removed to
Windsor, where the bridegroom was invested with the
Order of the Garter.
On the thirtieth addresses were presented to the young
couple from all the large towns and cities, many of them
accompanied by rare and costly presents. Then there
was a drawing-room, which was unusually brilliant, and
lasted four hours."
On Monday, February i, the queen wrote in her
diary :
" The last day of our dear child's being with us, which
is incredible, and makes me at times quite sick at heart.
" I clasped her in my arms and blessed her, and knew not
what to say. I kissed good Fritz, and pressed his hand again
and again. He was unable to speak, and the tears were
in his eyes. I embraced them both again at the carriage
door, and Albert got into the carriage with them, and
Bertie. Alfred and George (Duke of Cambridge) in the
next ; the band struck up. I pressed the hand of General
Schreckenstein and the good Dean of Windsor, and then
went quickly up stairs.
" A dreadful moment and a dreadful day. Such sick-
ness came over me, real heartache, when I thought of our
dearest child being gone, and for so long all, all being
over ! It began to snow before Vicky went, and continued
l8 58. Victoria of England. 439
to do so without intermission all day. At times I could be
quite cheerful, but my tears began to flow afresh frequently,
and I could not go near Vicky's corridor. Everything
recalled the time now passed.
" At four my beloved Albert returned with the two boys,
very sad, and my grief again burst forth. The separation
had been dreadful. Albert seemed much impressed by it.
Nothing could exceed the loyalty, enthusiasm, and feeling
shown by the countless thousands in the city, and again at
Gravesend, where the decorations were beautiful. Young
girls with wreaths, in spite of the snow, walked on the pier
strewing flowers.
" Albert had waited to see the ships leave, what a
moment it must have been ! but Vicky did not come on
deck. The sight of the darling baby (Princess Beatrice)
even made me sad, as dear Vicky loved her so much, and
only yesterday played with her ! "
The young princess made a most favorable impression
among the Berliners ; for her manners were charming, and
she had the rare gift of being able to say the right thing at
the right time and in the right place. From the moment
when her engagement to the Prince of Prussia was thought
of, her father had given her daily instruction in the studies
that would be of the greatest service in the position she
was to fill. A prominent statesman of Germany wrote of
her a few weeks after her arrival in her new home : " She
sees more clearly and more correctly than many a man of
commanding intellect, because, while possessing an acute
mind and the purest heart, she does not know the word
' prejudice.' "
CHAPTER XIV
IN August the queen and prince consort went to Ger-
many on a visit. They arrived at Antwerp on the eleventh,
and drove at once to the railway station. At Malines they
were met by King Leopold and his second son, and at
Aix-la-Chapelle by the Prince of Prussia, who had come to
accompany them for the rest of their journey. The weather
was intensely hot, and marred much of their pleasure ; but
they were everywhere met with a hearty welcome. On the
twelfth news reached them of the sudden death of Cart,
who had been Prince Albert's valet for twenty-nine years.
" He was invaluable," writes the queen in her diary :
"Well educated, thoroughly trustworthy, devoted to the
prince, the best of nurses, superior in every sense of the
word, a proud, independent Swiss, who might be trusted
with anything. He was the only link my loved one had
about him which connected him with his childhood, the
only one with whom he could talk over old times. I can-
not think of my dear husband without Cart ! Albert felt
the loss so much that we had to choke our grief down all
day."
After breakfast the royal couple travelled to Hanover,
and were met by the king and queen, with princes and
princesses, and a guard of honor, and conducted to the
Herrenhausen, the country palace where George I. was
living when called to the English throne. After luncheon
440
SANS-SOUCI.
Victoria of England. 443
many people were presented, and at four in the afternoon
the queen and prince proceeded on their journey. It was
evening when they reached Wildpark Station, and " there
on the platform," says the queen's diary, " stood our dar-
ling child with a nosegay in her hand. She got into the
carriage, and long and warm was the embrace as she
clasped me in her arms. So much to say, and to tell, and
to ask, yet so unaltered, looking well quite the old Vicky
still ! It was a happy moment, for which I thanked God !
" Another five or six minutes brought us to the Potsdam
station, where were a band and a guard of honor of gigan-
tic guardsmen with pointed caps, and all the princes and
princesses. After a few minutes we got into open carriages
and drove up to Babelsburg. The castle was beautifully
lit up. The Princess of Prussia and Vicky took us to our
rooms, which are very comfortable. It was eleven. Many
well-known faces appeared among the servants, and I felt
quite at home. We supped with our children, and the
prince and princess, and then went up to bed, wishing our
dear child, as of old, good-night." The next morning was
passed quietly at the castle, and in the evening the royal
party drove through Potsdam to the beautiful gardens of
Sans-Souci, and visited the palace built by Frederick the
Great, in which he lived and died. The queen was charmed
with the splendid orange trees at Sans-Souci, some of them
two hundred years old, all festooned with vines, reaching
from one to another.
Several succeeding days were spent in making excursions
to the various places of interest, both in Berlin and the sur-
rounding country. State dinners were given, reviews at-
tended, as well as churches and theatres, and many men of
learning were presented. The queen mentions Von Hum-
boldt particularly, with whose conversation she was de-
lighted.
The Queens of England.
The twenty-sixth was the prince consort's birthday,
described thus in the royal diary : " Blessed day ! May
God ever bless my beloved Albert ! The band kindly
ordered by our children, and the Prince and Princess of
Prussia, played two hymns. I gave Albert all the children's
letters. They had all written. Went down to the drawing-
room to arrange the present-table, and found Fritz and
Louise (Princess of Baden) there. Vicky soon followed,
and then we went up to Albert, where we found his brother
Ernest, who arrived this morning as a surprise. We took
Albert down. My gifts were a picture of Beatrice, life-size,
in oil, by Horsley ; a complete collection of photographic
views of Gotha and the country round it, which I had had
taken by Bedford, and which particularly delighted Albert,
and a paper-weight of Balmoral granite and deer's teeth,
designed by Vicky. Vicky gave her portrait, a small oil
one, by Hartman, very like, though not flattered ; an iron
chair for the garden at Balmoral, and a drawing by herself.
The prince and princess gave two bronze statues. Albert
was pleased with all. There were two birthday cakes.
Vicky had ordered one with as many lights as Albert
numbered years, which is the Prussian custom.
" Friday, August 27. The last day. It made one very sad
to feel this. . . . Visit from Stockmar. Satisfactory con
versation with this kind friend. After luncheon Ernest
came and took leave, going back to Gotha. At half-past
five took a short drive alone with dear Vicky, alas ! for the
last time. Saw Stockmar once more in the evening ; broke
up at half-past ten, and went up to our room with dear
Vicky. Fritz joined us soon after. We stayed talking to-
gether till eleven, happy, but dreading the next day."
The leave-taking need not be described. The journey
back to England was accomplished with few delays, and the
royal party reached Dover at mid-day on the 3ist. Prince
l8 59- Victoria of England. 445
Alfred met his parents as they landed at the private pier
at Osborne, in his sailor's suit, having just passed his ex-
amination, and received his appointment as midshipman.
Shortly after their return, the queen and prince went to
Balmoral, where, surrounded by their children, they were
delighted to avail themselves of the repose offered by this
invigorating mountain retreat. The prince resumed his
favorite sport of deer-stalking without loss of time, and
records having shot his first stag of the season on the four-
teenth of September. The queen had to part with another
of her children this year, for Prince Alfred went for a two
years' cruise on the Mediterranean.
[A.D. 1859.] Queen Victoria became a grandmother at
the beginning of the new year, the princess royal had a
son born in Berlin.
Shortly after, the prince consort founded a library at
Aldershot at his own expense, and filled it with every work
of value on military history or science. This is called
"The Prince Consort's Library," and has been kept sup-
plied by the queen from her own privy purse ever since.
Thus all military officers, who desire to study their profes-
sion, are supplied with rare and costly works, which would
otherwise be beyond their reach. During the Crimean war,
the queen and prince had not forgotten to provide books
for the soldiers, which were afterwards divided between
Aldershot and Dublin. These were called the "Victoria
Soldiers' Libraries."
In May the court removed to Osborne ; but on their way
thither, stopped at Portsmouth to receive the Princess
Frederick William of Prussia, who had gone to England to
join in the family reunion on her majesty's birthday.
The queen soon had to turn her attention to state affairs,
and on the seventh of June parliament was opened by her
in person. An exciting debate, extending over three nights,
446 The Queens of England.
ensued, and resulted in the resignation of Lord Derby.
Then the queen did not know whether to call upon Lord
Palmerston or Lord John Russell to form a new ministry,
as both had claims to the appointment. She therefore
summoned Lord Granville, thinking that he would be
acceptable to their respective followers, as well as to them-
selves. But Lord Granville was comparatively a young
man, and in no hurry to become prime minister ; and Lord
John Russell declined to serve under him, while he ex-
pressed his willingness to serve under Lord Palmerston.
The matter was soon settled after that, and Lord Palmer-
ston became prime minister for life. His ministry was a
strong one. Mr. Gladstone became Chancellor of the
Exchequer ; Lord John Russell, Foreign Secretary ; Sir G.
C. Lewis, Home Secretary ; Mr. Sidney Herbert, Minister
of War ; the Duke of Newcastle took charge of the Colo-
nies ; Mr. Cardwell became Irish Secretary, and Sir Charles
Wood Secretary for India.
There were troublous times in Europe when this ministry
came into power ; for the emperor of the French had issued
a proclamation declaring his intention to rescue Italy from
oppression and misrule, and help her to declare her inde-
pendence. The combat was to be with Austria ; but, not
knowing how far it might extend, all the other states
excepting Belgium gathered together their forces and
placed them under arms, to be ready for any emergency.
England was pretty certain to remain neutral ; but the
states of the German Confederation demanded to be led to
the support of Austria. A general feeling of distrust
towards Louis Napoleon had spread all over Europe, and
he was closely watched. Prussia had not declared her
intentions; she was non-committal. The emperor of the
French particularly desired to fight Austria alone with his
ally, Sardinia ; because, should he be victorious, he could
l8 59- Victoria of England. 447
then make an attempt on the Rhine, with only the states of
the Confederation to oppose him.
Austria, once defeated, would feel so indignant at having
received no aid from Germany, that she would retaliate by
refusing to assist in defending the Rhine. If Germany
became involved in the war, Russia would have to declare
either for her or for France, and she was not then prepared
for war.
With such an unsettled state of affairs, a strong ministry
in England became of the utmost importance, and no bet-
ter or abler leader than Lord Palmerston could have been
chosen. There were those in the cabinet who were enthu-
siastic for the freedom of Italy. Mr. Gladstone was par-
ticularly so, and Lord Palmerston had not lost his confi-
dence in Louis Napoleon ; Lord John Russell, on the other
hand, was distrustful, and the Duke of Newcastle, Sir
George Lewis, and Lord Elgin were with him, while the
other members were indifferent. This diversity of opin-
ion, in a cabinet composed of so many able men, was good ;
for it enabled them to look at the question of " a strict
and impartial neutrality," to which the queen's addresses
in both houses had pledged the nation, from all points.
Meanwhile the war was going on, and the French were
victorious at every point. But their victories were dearly
bought ; more than a hundred thousand men had been
sacrificed, and Louis Napoleon longed for peace. His
ministers at home were, therefore, instructed to arrange
through England terms for an armistice ; but, as those pro-
posed by Count Persigny were not approved of in England,
Lord Palmerston wrote Lord John Russell : " If the Frence
emperor is tired of his war, and finds the job tougher than
he expected, let him make what proposals he pleases ; but
let them be made as from himself, formally and officially,
and let him not ask us to further his suggestions, and make
ourselves answerable for them "
448 The Queens of England.
The emperors of France and Austria then arranged
a meeting, which took place at Villafranca, and patched
up a peace to suit themselves, though it surprised all other
nations, and satisfied none. England knew that the terms
of the treaty were impracticable, but resolved to quietly
await further developments.
As soon as parliament was prorogued the court went to
Osborne, and some days later to the Highlands, where
a few weeks were spent with the usual country sports and
freedom from care. In October the queen and prince,
accompanied by the Princesses Alice and Helena, went to
Glasgow to attend the ceremony of the opening of the great
water-works there, which were constructed on a grander
scale than any in the kingdom.
An early and severe winter set in, and the prince consort
took such a severe cold that he was confined to his bed for
several days. Nothing hastened his cure so much as a
visit from his eldest daughter. She arrived quite unexpect-
edly at Windsor Castle with her husband on the ninth of
November, just in time to celebrate the birthday of the
Prince of Wales.
This visit, which lasted until the third of December,
gave the queen and prince consort the greatest pleasure ;
for the young couple were so happy, and the princess was
so much improved, that their presence left a most favorable
impression.
Before the close of the year, Macaulay, the poet, his-
torian, esssayist, and parliamentary orator, died in his
sixtieth year. He was one of the most prominent literary
men of his day. "There are no limits to his knowledge,"
was said of him by a contemporary ; " he is like a book in
breeches." In 1857 Macaulay had been raised to the peer-
age, but many years before he had made his reputation in
the House of Commons, where each of his speeches was
l86 - Victoria of England.
449
applauded more than the one that had preceded it. His
life was a singularly happy one, though, of course, it was
not all sunshine, and his career was one of remarkable suc-
cess. It has been truly said of him : " You might lay rib-
bons, stars, garters, wealth, title, before him in vain. He
had an honest, genuine love of his country, and the world
could not bribe him to neglect her interests."
[A.D. 1860.] " We began the year very peaceably and
happily," wrote the queen to King Leopold, "and I never
remember spending a pleasanter New Year's day, sur-
rounded by our children and dear mamma. It is really
extraordinary how much our good children did for the day
in writing, reciting, and music." It was by proofs of their
improvement in study that the royal children always
planned little surprises to celebrate the Christmas holidays,
and to evince their gratitude and affection towards their
parents. On the twentieth anniversary of the queen's
marriage, which occurred this year, they had a series of
tableaux-vivants in St. George's Hall, which were witnessed
by the royal family with a great deal of pleasure.
During the Crimean war, for which Canada had equipped
an infantry regiment, her majesty had promised that the
Prince of Wales should visit her possessions in that country.
This year the promise was to be fulfilled, and the great
railway bridge across the St. Lawrence at Montreal was to
be opened in honor of the occasion. The Duke of New-
castle, as Secretary of State for the Colonies, was to accom-
pany the prince, who would probably reach Canada by
July.
No sooner did this piece of intelligence reach the United
States than President Buchanan addressed a letter to the
queen, offering a cordial welcome at Washington to the
prince, and an assurance that he would be everywhere
greeted by Americans in a manner that could not fail to be
45 o The Queens of England.
gratifying. Mr. Dallas, our minister to England, was
instructed to inform Lord John Russell that the corporation
of New York also invited the prince to visit that city.
Accordingly, on the tenth of July, the prince and his suite
sailed from Plymouth, and, after a very stormy voyage,
landed on the twenty-fifth at St. John, Newfoundland.
Meanwhile England was shocked at the news from
Syria. Horrible massacres had taken place between -the
Druses and the Maronites, which at last extended as far as
Damascus, where the Christian quarter had been at-
tacked, and nearly two thousand human beings had been
butchered. In the mountains not less than three thou-
sand five hundred men had been cut down. The con-
sulates of France, Austria, Kussia, Holland, Belgium,
and Greece were destroyed, and the fury of the mob knew
no bounds. The famous Algerian chief, Abd-el-Kader,
was then living in Damascus, and exerted himself nobly for
the defense of the Christians, for which noble deed he
afterwards received the thanks of the British Government.
England and France at once took steps to restore order,
and were ably assisted by the other great powers of
Europe. Lord Dufferin was sent out as commissioner from
England, and performed his task with judgment and
spirit. Turkey acted promptly too, and the governor of
Damascus, as well as the commander of the Turkish
troops, with about sixty others in authority, were executed,
and peace was restored.
On the twenty-second of September the queen, the prince,
and the Princess Alice left Buckingham Palace for Graves-
end, attended by Lady Churchill, Miss Bulteel, General
Grey, Sir Charles Phipps, and Colonel Ponsonby. They
were joined at the station by Lord John Russell and Dr.
Baly, who were to accompany them to the continent. They
embarked on board the " Victoria and Albert " at half-
l86 - Victoria of England. 453
past five, and at seven dropped anchor at the Nore for the
night. The next morning at five they sailed, and arrived
in the evening at Antwerp, where they were informed of
the sad death of the Dowager-duchess of Coburg. It was
too late then to turn back, so the royal party proceeded on
their journey. We quote from the queen's diary :
" At about seven we reached Frankfort, where, to our
regret, we were received by a guard of honor and a band.
The Princess of Prussia, Fritz, and Louise of Baden were
there, having come on purpose to meet us. Arrived at the
Hotel d'Angleterre, the same where we were fifteen years
ago, we found sentries placed on the staircase, with whom
we dispensed. After dinner came Prince George of Saxony,
who brought me a kind letter from the King of Saxony,
inviting us to come to Dresden, an invitation which natu-
rally we cannot accept. We remained some little time
together, and then went to our rooms. . . . This sad, sad
news (the death of the Dowager-duchess) lay like a load
upon our otherwise bright and happy hearts.
" The next morning at nine we resumed our journey. I
felt so agitated as we approached nearer and nearer to
Coburg. At last we caught the first glimpse of the Festung,
then of the town, with the cheerful and lovely country round,
the fine evening lighting it all up so beautifully. At five
we were at the station. Of course all was private and
quiet, Ernest and Fritz standing there in deep mourning.
Many people were out ; but they showed such proper feel-
ing a ll quiet, no demonstrations of joy, though many
kind faces. Felt so moved as we drove up to the door of
the palace. Here stood Alexandrine (Duchess of Coburg)
and Vicky in the deepest German mourning long black
veils with a point surrounded by the ladies and gentle-
men : a tender embrace, and then we walked up the stair-
case. .
454 The Queens of England.
" We remained together for some little time, and then
our darling grandchild was brought. Such a little love !
He came walking at Mrs. Hobbs's (his nurse's) hand, in a
little white dress, with black bows, and was so good. He
is a fine fat child, with a beautiful soft skin; very fine
shoulders and limbs, and a very dear face, like Vicky and
Fritz. He has Fritz's eyes and Vicky's mouth, and very
fair, curly hair. We felt so happy to see him at last ! "
The next day the funeral of the Dowager-duchess of
Coburg took place ; and, after that sad ceremony was over,
a fortnight was passed in visiting the old familiar scenes in
and around Coburg, with nothing of importance to narrate
until the first of October, when the prince consort met with
an accident, of which the queen writes thus : " Our
drawings being finished, we ladies walk down to the park
gate, going along merrily, and much amused by a pretty
peasant woman, who told Vicky how dirty her dress was
getting by trailing on the ground, and advising her to take
it up, and expecting our carriage to overtake us, when we
met a two-seated carriage, with Colonel Ponsonby in it,
who said Albert had sent him to say there had been an
accident to the carriage, but that Albert was not hurt, hav-
ing only scratched his nose ; that Dr. Baly happened to
meet him, and said it was of no consequence. This pre-
vented my being startled or much frightened. That came
later, when Colonel Ponsonby explained that the horses
had run away, and that Albert had jumped out !
" Drove back in this carriage with Alice, Colonel Pon-
sonby sitting on the box beside the coachman. I went at
once to my dearest Albert's rooms, and found him lying on
his valet's bed, with a lint compress on his nose, mouth,
and chin, and poor, good, old Stockmar standing by him,
and also Dr. Baly. He was quite cheerful, and talking, and
giving an account of his fearful accident, and, as it proved,
l86 - Victoria of England. 455
merciful and providental escape. Dr. Baly said Albert
had not been the least stunned ; that there was no injury,
and the features would not suffer. I sent off many tele-
grams to England, fearing wrong messages."
Many despatches and letters were received next day con-
taining inquiries about the prince, who was so much better
by the third as to be able to take a walk.
On the evening of the fifteenth of October the queen
returned to Windsor Castle, and by that time all traces of
the prince's accident had vanished. As a memorial in
gratitude for the prince's escape, the queen invested a
little over a thousand pounds in the names of the burgo-
master and chief clergyman of Coburg, the interest to be
divided on the first of October of each year among a cer-
tain number of young men and women belonging to
the humbler ranks of life. These payments were to be
applied in enabling the young men to pursue any occupa-
tion they chose, and for the young women, it was to be a
dowry on their marriage, or an assistance towards earning
a support.
On the fifteenth of November the Prince of Wales
arrived at Windsor Castle, and his account of the honor
that had been shown him in the United States and Canada
rejoiced the hearts of his parents. Enormous crowds had
assembled at every city, from Chicago to Washington, to
greet " Baron Renfrew," as the prince was styled while
travelling, and everywhere he was so much admired, and
made himself so popular, that somebody said of him :
" He may consider himself a lucky lad if he escapes a
nomination for president before he reaches his homeward-
bound fleet." The most interesting incident of the prince's
visit at Washington was an excursion to Mount Vernon,
the home and burial-place of our first president. There
the prince, Mr. Buchanan, and the entire party stood
456 The Queens of England.
before the humble tomb of George Washington, uncovered,
and then the prince planted a chestnut beside the grave.
An ovation, such as has seldom been accorded to any
monarch, awaited the prince both in New York and
Boston ; and, after his departure, the President wrote to
Queen Victoria, expressing the gratification that he and
the whole nation had derived from her son's visit. The
letter was cordially answered by the queen herself, who
expressed the warmest friendship for the United States.
The Duke of Newcastle, to whose care the prince had
been confided, had performed his delicate task so well and
with so much discretion and tact, that he was publicly
invested with the Order of the Garter, as a mark of grati-
tude from her majesty.
In November Prince Louis of Hesse was betrothed to
the Princess Alice, and this event gave much pleasure to
the royal parents. The queen writes in her diary, Novem-
ber 30 : " After dinner, while talking to the gentlemen, I
perceived Alice and Louis talking before the fireplace more
earnestly than usual, and when I passed to go to the other
room, both came up to me, and Alice, in much agitation,
said he had proposed to her, and he begged for my blessing.
I could only squeeze his hand, and say 'certainly,' and
that we would see him later in our room. Alice came to our
room; Albert sent for Louis to his room, went first to
him, and then called Alice and me in. Louis has a warm,
noble heart. We embraced our dear Alice, and praised her
much to him. After talking a little, we parted ; a most
touching, and to me, most sacred moment."
[A.D. 1861.] Before leaving Windsor on the second of
January for a visit to Osborne, news reached the queen of
the death of the King of Prussia. His brother had long
been regent, in consequence of the king's impaired mental
powers, and he is the present Emperor of Germany. The
i86i. Victoria of England. 457
queen's daughter " Vicky " then became, and still remains,
crown princess.
Shortly after, Dr. Baly, the queen's physician, was killed
by a railway accident, and Dr. Jenner succeeded him.
This caused considerable sorrow, but it was followed by an
event that plunged the queen and her family into deep grief.
The Duchess of Kent had undergone a surgical operation
in the beginning of March, from which she did not reap
any benefit; but no alarm was felt as to her condition.
On the morning of the fifteenth the queen and prince went
to inspect the new gardens of the Royal Horticultural
Society at South Kensington, from which the queen re-
turned alone, leaving the prince to transact some business
with the committee. While there, he was suddenly sum-
moned to Buckingham Palace by Sir James Clarke, who
had come up from Frogmore to announce some alarming
symptoms that had attacked the Duchess of Kent. The
prince at once informed the queen, who, without a mo-
ment's delay, set out with him and the Princess Alice for
Windsor. Her majesty's diary tells the rest : " By eight
o'clock we were at Frogmore. Here, Lord James Murray
and the ladies received us, and, alas ! said it was just the
same ; but, still, I did not then realize what it was. Albert
went up, and when he returned with tears in his eyes, I
saw what it was that awaited me. . . . With a trembling
heart I went up the staircase and entered the bedroom,
and there on a sofa, supported by cushions, the room
much darkened, sat, leaning back, my beloved mamma,
breathing rather heavily, in her silk dressing-gown, with
her cap on, looking quite herself.
" Seeing that my presence did not disturb her, I knelt
before her, kissed her dear hand, and pressed it to my
cheek ; but, though she opened her eyes, she did not, I
think, know me. She brushed my hand off, and the dread-
45 8 The Queens of England.
ful reality was before me that for the first time she did not
know the child she had ever received with such tender
smiles. I went out to sob. ... I asked the doctors if
there was no hope. They said they feared none whatever,
for consciousness had left her. . . .
" I entered her room about eight o'clock, the window
was wide open and both doors. I sat on a footstool, hold-
ing her dear hand. Meantime her face grew paler (though,
in truth, her cheeks had that pretty, fresh color they always
had, up to within half an hour of the last), the features
longer and sharper. The breathing became easier. I fell
on my knees holding the beloved hand, which was still
warm, though heavier, in both of mine. I felt the end was
fast approaching, as Clarke went out to call Albert and
Alice, I only left gazing on that beloved face, and feeling
as if my heart would break. ... It was a solemn, sacred,
never-to-be-forgotten scene.
" Fainter and fainter grew the breathing. At last it
ceased. The clock struck half-past nine at the very mo-
ment. Convulsed with sobs, I fell upon the hand, and
covered it with kisses. Albert lifted me up and took me
into the next room, himself entirely melted into tears, which
is unusual for him, deep as his feelings are, and clasped
me in his arms. I asked if all was over ; he said, ' Yes ! '
" I went into the room again and gave one look. My
darling mother was sitting as she had done before ; but
was already white! O God! How awful! How mys-
terious ! But what a blessed end ! Her gentle spirit at
rest, her sufferings over ! But I I, wretched child,
who had lost the mother I so tenderly loved, from whom
for these forty-one years I had never been parted except
for a few weeks, what was my case ? My childhood,
everything, seemed to crowd upon me at once. I seemed
to have lived through a life, to have become old '. The
1861 Victoria of England. 461
blessed future meeting and her peace and rest must hence-
forward be my comfort.
" My beloved Albert felt it, and feels it so intensely.
He has shed so many tears ; he was so tender, and kind,
and full of loving affection, of tender consideration to spare
my feelings. Albert took me upstairs, and said it was
better to go at once into her dear sitting-room, where we
so constantly saw her. We did so ; but oh, the agony of
it! All, all unchanged, chairs, cushions, everything,
all on the tables, her very work-basket with her work, the
little canary bird, of which she was so fond, singing ! In
these two dear rooms, where we had so constantly seen her,
where everything spoke of life, we remained a little while
to weep and pray, I kneeling down at her chair."
The Prince of Wales and Princess Helena arrived from
London, and were taken by the queen to gaze upon the
grandmother to whom they were so fondly attached.
Then the relations at a distance had to be remembered,
and the queen wrote a most touching letter to King Leo-
pold, " the last of his generation."
The Duchess of Kent was mourned by every member of
her household, from the highest to the lowest. Some of
them had been in her employ for more than thirty years,
and all felt that they had lost a friend.
On hearing of her grandmother's death, the princess
royal set out for England, and reached Windsor Castle on
the eighteenth. Letters filled with expressions of the
warmest affection and sympathy were constantly delivered
to the queen, and addresses of condolence from both
houses of parliament were voted at once, in which a warm
tribute was offered to the memory of the deceased duchess.
The funeral took place on the twenty-fifth, in St. George's
Chapel, Windsor, the prince consort acting as chief-mourner,
supported by the Prince of Wales and Prince Leiningen.
462 The Queens of England.
The pall-bearers were the six ladies-in-waiting who had
been with the duchess for a long time. The scene was
very affecting, and everybody wept. The Dean of Windsor
was so affected that he almost broke down in reading the
service.
The death of the duchess greatly increased the labors of
the prince consort ; for not only was he left her sole execu-
tor, and had therefore all her affairs to settle up, but he
endeavored in every possible way to save the queen any
care, and therefore took many of her duties upon himself.
On the thirtieth of April, at a meeting of the privy
council, the queen announced the contemplated marriage
of Princess Alice with the Prince of Hesse-Darmstadt. On
the fourth of May it was communicated to parliament, and
a dowry of thirty thousand pounds, with an annuity of six
thousand pounds, was voted to the princess.
The Confederate war began about this time, and Eng-
land was immediately affected by the failure in the supply
of cotton from the Southern States for her manufacturing
districts. No account of this war will be given, and no
further reference made to it, excepting where England was
concerned.
In June King Leopold and his second son visited Eng-
land, and after their departure the crown Prince and Princess
of Prussia with their two children arrived at Buckingham
Palace. " This happy family meeting," wrote the queen
next day to her uncle, " with our children and grandchil-
dren, while our dear Alice's bridegroom is still here, makes
me long and pine for her who would have been so happy
and so proud. Dear Fritz is excellent, and the menage a
truly happy one.
" My second drawing-room is just over, and I have
nothing more to do until to-morrow, when I go to White
Lodge. On the fourth we go to Osborne."
i86i.
Victoria of England.
463
The court remained at Osborne throughout the month of
July, and received the visits of many distinguished people
while there. In August the crown prince and princess re-
turned to Berlin with their children.
Meanwhile the remains of the Duchess of Kent had been
removed to the mausoleum at Frogmore, just completed,
and the queen and prince made a visit there after parting
with their children.
AN OLD CASTLE ON THE THAMES.
The prince's birthday was celebrated while he and the
queen were making a journey through Ireland. " This,"
wrote the queen to King Leopold, " is the dearest of days,
and one which fills my heart with love and gratitude. God
bless and protect my beloved Albert, the purest and best
of human beings." The customary gifts were ready,
although the prince was far from home, and all were spread
out on a table when he came down stairs in the morning.
We quote from her majesty's diary : " Alas ! there was
wanting the usual gift from that beloved mother, which has
464 The Queens of England.
never been wanting before. When all was ready I fetched
Albert, and the four children received us, and gave him
bouquets. But I missed the little ones, above all baby,
and sadly I thought of poor dear Vicky. Albert was
much pleased with the presents, and with the girls' (the
Crown Princess and Princess Alice) pretty drawings."
On the last day of August the royal family were again at
Balmoral, where Prince Louis of Hesse soon joined them.
The circle was increased by the arrival of her majesty's
half-sister from Germany, and Lady Augusta Bruce, who
had been the Duchess of Kent's favorite lady-in-waiting for
many years. The autumn of this year was all that could
be desired, and the sojourn at Balmoral delightful in every
respect. It was at this period that the Prince of Wales
first met the lady whom he married later. The Princess
Alexandra, of Denmark, was on a visit to Germany, and it
had been arranged that the prince was to meet her there
with a view to marriage, in case they liked each other.
Every precaution was taken to keep this delicate matter
secret ; but it was soon discovered in Germany, and then
published in the English papers. It met with hearty ap-
proval everywhere. "We hear nothing but excellent ac-
counts of the Princess Alexandra," wrote the prince consort
in his diary, "and there seems no doubt that the young
people have taken a warm liking for each other."
Shortly after the court returned to Windsor Castle, the
death of the young King of Portugal was announced.
This was a sad blow to the prince consort, who loved the
king very much. The queen wrote in her diary of this
melancholy event : " Such a fearful loss ! Such an irrepar-
able loss for the country which adored him, for his and
our family, of which he was the brightest ornament, for
Europe, in short, for every one. Highly gifted, and
most pure, able, excellent, and hard-working to a degree
THE "SAN IACINTO" STOPPING THE "TRENT."
l86lt Victoria of England. 467
he was one in a thousand. My Albert was very fond of
him, loved him like a son (as I did too), while he had un-
bounded confidence in Albert, and was worthy of him. It
was like another awful dream ! Dear Pedro ! only twenty-
five ! gone from this world, in which he was certainly never
happy ! It is too, too dreadful ! "
This loss had a serious effect on the prince consort, who
had not felt well for several months, often complained of
fatigue, and suffered much from sleeplessness. He con-
tinued to travel about and attend to his varied duties, but
always complaining of pain and depression of spirits.
The last matter of public importance in which he took
an interest was the "Trent" affair, connected with our
Confederate war. On the eighth of November the English
steamer "Trent" sailed from Havana for England, having
on board Messrs. Mason and Slidell with their secretaries,
Messrs. McFarland and Eustis. These men had run the
blockade from Charleston, in the Confederate steamer
" Nashville," and were going as representatives of the South-
ern Confederacy to the courts of England and France.
The day after sailing from Havana, the " Trent " was fired
into by the " San Jacinto," and ordered to stop. She obeyed,
when Captain Wilkes, commander of the American vessel,
boarded the English one, and captured Messrs. Mason and
Slidell with their secretaries. This was a violation of inter-
national law, and England considered herself insulted.
France sided with England, and for some time there was a
prospect of our having another war on our hands, besides
the dreadful civil war. The prince consort drew up the
draft of a letter to our government, in the queen's name,
demanding, in mild though firm terms, an assurance that
Captain Wilkes had not acted under official instructions,
and that the prisoners should be released. The demand
was complied with, and the war-cloud blew away very soon.
468 The Queens of England.
The speedy settlement of the " Trent " affair was due in
great part to the careful, courteous though determined
wording of the prince consort's letter. But he was ill,
confined to his room part of every day, and felt the extra
anxiety very severely ; for he was far from desiring any
dispute with the United States.
On the night of the twenty-eighth of November the
prince had slept rather better than usual, but complained
of chilliness when he made his appearance in the morning.
He stood by the queen for twenty minutes on the south
terrace of the castle, to see the Eton College volunteers go
through their manosuvres, and pass in review before the
queen. The volunteers then marched into the conserva-
tory near by, where a luncheon was spread for them. " As
soon as they were seated," writes the queen in her diary,
" we went in and walked round the tables ; it was a very
pretty sight. Albert was well wrapped up but looked very
unwell, and could only walk very slowly. The day was
close and warm ; but although the prince was wrapped in
a coat lined with fur, he said on the ground that he felt
as if cold water was being poured down his back. His
absence would have given rise to apprehension and re-
mark, therefore he went out, though conscious that he
ought not to have gone."
This feeling of chilliness continued, and other symptoms
of disorder followed. The prince exerted himself to talk
and to be cheerful, but he ate little and slept less. On
Monday morning, December 2, at seven o'clock, Dr. Jenner
was summoned, as a low fever had set in. " I was so
anxious," says her majesty's diary, "so distressed; Albert
did not dress, but lay upon the sofa and I read to him.
. . . Sir James Clarke arrived, and found him in much the
same state, very restless and uncomfortable, sometimes
lying on the sofa in his dressing-room, and then sitting up
in an arm-chair in his sitting-room."
1861 Victoria of England. 469
The physicians assured the queen that there was no
cause for alarm, and no necessity for further medical ad-
vice, as had been suggested. On the fourth there was no
improvement. Her majesty found him "looking very
wretched and woe-begone. He could take only half a cup
of tea. He afterwards came to his sitting-room, where I
left him so wretched that I was dreadfully overcome and
alarmed. Alice was reading to him."
Sir James Clarke still felt hopeful, and the queen went
for a short walk. On her return, she found, the invalid
" very restless and haggard and suffering, though at times
he seemed better. While Alice was reading the ' Talis-
man,' in the bedroom, where he was lying on the bed, he
seemed in a very uncomfortable, panting state, which
frightened us. We sent for Dr. Jenner, and then Mr.
Brown, of Windsor, came up, and was most kind and re-
assuring, and not at all alarmed. But Dr. Jenner said that
the prince must eat ; that the illness would be tedious, and
that completely starving himself, as he had done, would
not do."
Two days passed with little change, and the doctors
pronounced the disease gastric fever. The queen was in-
formed of it, but not the patient, who had a perfect horror
of fevers. " What an awful trial this is," writes her maj-
esty, " to be deprived for so long of my guide, my support,
my all ! My heart was ready to burst ; but I cheered up, re-
membering how many people have fever. . . . Good Alice
was very courageous, and tried to comfort me."
On the eighth the prince had requested to be removed
to the "blue-room," because it was so large, bright, and
cheerful, and then he asked for some music, saying : " I
should like to hear a fine chorale, played at a distance."
A piano was drawn to the next room and the Princess
Alice played " Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott " and another
4/O The Queens of England.
hymn, while the prince listened with tears in his eyes.
Later in the day the queen read " Peveril of the Peak "
to him, and he followed the story with much interest.
When her majesty returned to him after dinner, she writes :
" He was so pleased to see me, stroked my face, and
smiled, and called me ' liebeschauchen,' precious love!"
Dr. Watson and Sir Henry Holland were now associ-
ated with the other two physicians, and for a few days the
invalid seemed to improve, though his mind wandered at
times in a m,ost distressing manner. On the eleventh a
bulletin was issued, informing the public that the prince
was seriously ill, though his case was not yet considered
dangerous. He could not bear to have the queen absent
from his bedside for an instant, and constantly spoke kind
and tender words to her. In the evening the symptoms
were not so favorable, and great anxiety was felt.
Lord Palmerston was laid up with an attack of gout ;
but he was kept informed of the prince's condition, as were
the rest of the ministers, inquiries being made regularly by
them all.
Between frequent changes from better to worse and
worse to better, two more days passed, and on the four-
teenth, Dr. Brown, who had been in attendance on the
royal family for more than twenty years, informed her
majesty that the crisis was over, and there was ground for
hope. This was good news indeed !
" I went over at seven, as I usually did," writes her
majesty. " It was a bright morning, the sun just rising,
and shining brightly. The room had the sad look of night-
watching, and the candles burnt down to their sockets, the
doctors looking anxious. I went in, and never can I for-
get how beautiful my darling looked, lying there with his
face lit up by the rising sun, his eyes unusually bright, gazing,
as it were, on unseen objects, and not taking notice of me."
l86x - Victoria of England.
It was true that the prince consort had rallied ; but he
was not really better, and the Prince of Wales, who, in
answer to a telegram, had arrived during the night, had
been informed by Sir Henry Holland of his father's state.
During the day there was little change ; the prince spoke
from time to time to the queen, called her " Gutes Frau-
chen" and recognized each of the children as they came in
and kissed his hand.
The next evening the queen was summoned from the ad-
joining room, where she had gone only a few moments be-
fore to give vent to her grief. She knew only too \\cll
what it meant. She entered, took the prince's hand, and
knelt down. On the other side of the bed was the Princess
Alice, and at the foot knelt the Prince of Wales and Prin-
cess Helena. Physicians and others stood near in different
parts of the room. Not a sound was to be heard within
that mournful chamber, the gentle spirit was passing
calmly, peacefully away. The castle clock chimed the
third quarter after ten. Two or three long but gentle
breaths were drawn, the beloved features settled into a
sweet repose, and all was over.
After what has appeared in these pages concerning the
prince's character, and his qualities as a husband, a father,
a friend, it is unnecessary to comment upon the loss those
nearest and dearest to him had sustained. But his death
took the nation by surprise ; for they had not realized the
seriousness of his illness, and there was not a home in the
kingdom that was not saddened by it. The queen was and
is dearly beloved, and her sorrow was shared by her people.
On the morning of Monday, December 23, the remains
of the prince consort were removed in grand state from
Windsor Castle, and temporarily deposited in the entrance
to the royal vault in St. George's Chapel, where they were
to remain until the completion of a mausoleum to be erected
afterwards.
47 2 The Queens of England.
On the eighteenth of December, her majesty, accompanied
by the Princess Alice, drove to the gardens of Frogmore,
where the Prince of Wales, Prince Louis of Hesse, Sir
Charles Phipps, and Sir James Clarke awaited her. A spot
was selected for the mausoleum, which was to contain the
remains of the prince consort ; and the following year, the
work having been completed, they were removed to their
final resting-place.
[A.D. 1862.] At the time of his death the prince con-
sort was making arrangements for another International
Exhibition, which opened May i of the ensuing year.
But the public did not enter into the spirit of the enter-
prise, as they had done eleven years before ; the novelty
and charm had worn off, and neither the building nor the
site on which it was erected were to be compared with the
former one for taste or beauty. Besides, the United States
were still in the midst of civil war, and the continent of
Europe had not yet recovered from the effects of several
conflicts.
The queen retired as much as possible from public life ;
for she was plunged in the deepest grief, from which she
could not rouse herself. She did not open parliament
again until 1866 ; then Lord John Russell was prime min-
ister, having replaced Lord Palmerston, who had died dur-
ing the previous year. It is unnecessary to record the
events of the political world, because they would fail to in-
terest young readers, for whom this work is intended.
Besides, it has been our object to avoid details as much as
possible, and some events that have been of the utmost im-
portance in their bearing have had only slight mention.
Everybody, young and old, is interested in literature and
science, however. We will, therefore, devote a little space
to the consideration of their progress during this reign.
In the early part of the century, travel by land and
QUEEN VICTORIA.
l862 - Victoria of England. 475
water was greatly facilitated by the utilization of steam ;
and voyages across the Atlantic, which had hitherto taken
months, now began to be accomplished in a fortnight, and
have since been reduced to ten days or a week. Great
railroads have been built, embracing thousands and thou-
sands of miles, and intersecting every acre of the civilized
world. Telegraph wires have been stretched from end to
end of the earth, and even beneath the ocean, facilitating
the interchange of messages, and many minor improve-
ments akin to these have been made. The nineteenth
century is remarkable for other inventions besides, of
which we daily feel the benefit. Of the rapid strides that
science has made, we cannot be more entirely conscious
than by contemplating the labors of such men as Faraday,
Sir Charles Lyell, Sir John Herschel, Richard Owen, Hugh
Miller, Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall, and others. To this list
the name of Mary Somerville must be added, for she is the
one woman who takes her place in the foremost rank of
scientific scholars.
This is an age of great reforms, too. In Queen Victoria's
reign constitutional and parliamentary government has been
firmly established, and the system of social science inaugu-
rated, and the penal laws have been modified in England.
In literature, a bright galaxy of names comes to our mind.
Among the philosophers are John Stuart Mill, Herbert
Spencer, George Henry Lewis, Buckle, and Lecky ; while
Carlyle, Macaulay, Grote, Froude, Ruskin, and Miss Mar-
tineau represent some of the historians and essayists.
Scott, Byron, Coleridge, and Keats were dead when
Queen Victoria ascended the throne ; but there still lived
such poets as Wordsworth, Southey, Moore, and Landor,
and later there came into prominence Robert Browning
and his wife, Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, Philip James
Bailey, Alexander Smith, Swinburne, Morris, Jean Inge-
low, Dante Rossetti, and Christina Rossetti.
4/6 The Queens of England.
Punch, the world-renowned paper, was founded in this
reign, and drew together some clever young writers, while
among its illustrators were such famous artists as Doyle,
Leech, and Tenniel.
Then we come to the novelists. Who has not heard of
Dickens and Thackeray, and enjoyed their works time
and time again ? Perhaps these two are the most familiar,
to young people, of the English novelists of the present
century ; but we must mention besides Charles Reade,
Anthony Trollope, Charlotte Bronte, Bulwer, Charles
Kingsley, Black, Charles Lever, Miss Mulock, and Hardy.
This very incomplete list of names, that suggest the
various branches of literature, will serve to show that no
century has produced so many men and women whose
names deserve to be handed down to posterity as the
present one.
Thus far, and no further, are we permitted to inquire into
her majesty's private life. Whatever we have written has
been furnished from the royal diary, extracts of which have
been made from Mr. Theodore Martin's " Life of the Prince
Consort." Whatever else we might add would not be based
upon authentic documents, and would degenerate into
gossip. It is left for others, who, after her majesty's death,
may have access to her private papers, to chronicle such
events of importance and interest as may have centred
around her. Let us only express a sincere hope that it
may be many years before opportunity offers.
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