1818.] Memoir of her Majesty Queen Charlotte. King declared his resolution to an extraordinary council, by whom the same was published in a Gazette the same evening. Shortly afterwards Lord Harcourt was sent over by the way of Harwich to espouse the Princess, while Lord Anson, with the royal yacht and a squadron, hastened to Cuxhaven to convey the royal bride to England. While Lord Harcourt was on his route the Duchess-Dowager of Mecklenburg died, which retarded the ceremonial for some days; but on the 15th of August the marriage contract was duly signed, and two days afterwards her Serene Highness, accompanied by the reigning Duke, her youngest brother, and sister, left Strelitz, amidst the tears and blessings of the people, who erected a triumphal arch on the occasion. At Mirow the sisters parted; and the scene was described by those who saw it as remarkably affecting. After resting two days at the electoral seat of Ghorde, the bride elect entered Stade on the 22d, and remained there till the 24th, when she proceeded down the Elbe, and embarked on board the Royal Charlotte yacht, where she was received by Admiral Lord Anson, and the Duchesses of Ancaster and Hamilton, who attempting to kneel, she raised them up and saluted them most affectionately, saying, she hoped friendship would take place of ceremony." On the 28th the squadron left the Elbe; and after a tempestuous voyage of ten days, during which the Princess was not sick more than half an hour, the royal yacht entered Harwich road, September the 6th; but as no preparations had been made there for her reception, she remained on board till the next day, when she set foot on English ground in the presence of thousands of spectators, who hailed her arrival with loud acclamations. Having rested a little, and received the compliments of the corporation, she proceeded on her journey through Colchester to Witham, the seat of Lord Abercorn, where she was elegantly entertained and slept that night. At noon on the following day she came to Rumford, where the King's coach and other carriages were in waiting. Having taken some refreshment, she entered the coach with the two Duchesses, and about five o'clock came to St. James's, where she was handed out at the garden gate by the Duke of York, who led her to his brother, then in the garden. On approaching his Majesty she was about to make her obeisance, when he caught her NEW MONTHLY MAG.--No. 59. 441 in his arms, gave her a salute, and led her up the steps into the palace, where she received the congratulations of the Princess-dowager and all the royal family. At nine the same evening the marriage ceremony was performed in the great council-chamber, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Duke of Cumberland, his Majesty's uncle, giving away the bride. The coronation, which took place on the 22d, was more splendid than had hitherto been witnessed in England. Such was the eagerness of public curiosity to witness this interesting spéctacle, that people of all ranks poured into the metropolis from every part of the British islands. Temporary erections were placed along the line of procession, capable of holding many hundreds of spectators, some of whom paid ten guineas for a single sitting. In the houses the prices were equally exorbitant; and one gentleman gave no less than one hundred and forty guineas for the use of a front room to accommodate his family. On the ninth of November their Majesties visited the Lord Mayor, Sir Samuel Fludyer, at Guildhall; and previous to the arrival of the procession from Westminster, they and their suite remained at the house of Mr. David Barclay, opposite Bow church. As that family was of the society of Quakers, their Majesties dispensed with all the formality of a court, and received those who were introduced to them truly as friends, without the ceremony of kneeling. Nothing, indeed, could be more engaging than their entire behaviour on that day; and every person was charmed with the condescending manners and cheerfulness of the Queen. In the same month Parliament settled upon her Majesty the same dowry as had been granted to the late Queennamely, one hundred thousand a year, with Richmond Park and Somerset House, though it is remarkable enough that neither lived to enjoy the legislative provision. The same year, indeed, his Majesty purchased of Sir Charles Sheffield, the house in St. James's park, which had been built by his father, the late Duke of Buckingham; and this mansion was afterwards settled upon the Queen, in exchange for her claims to Somerset House. On the 12th of August the following year, the heir-apparent of these realms was born-an event that diffused universal joy throuhgout the nation, and was rendered remarkable by its happening on the very day when the VOL. X. 3 L 442 Memoir of her Majesty Queen Charlotte. House of Brunswick ascended the British throne. Great expectations had been formed among the nobility of seeing under the new reign a lively court, full of gaiety and splendour; but though her Majesty partook of the public diversions, and appeared gratified with the pleasure which her presence afforded, she delighted more in the tranquil enjoyment of domestic society. She went through however the formal ceremonies of the court days with blended dignity and sweetness, softening the sense of her high station by the most condescending gracefulness of manner, and pleasantness of conversation, and though every one admitted to her presence felt the impression made by the appearance of royalty, none departed without being charmed with an admiration of her goodness. Their Majesties for many years after their marriage resided chiefly at Kew, the gardens of which palace were greatly improved under the personal direction of the Queen, who had a fine taste for botany, and natural history in general. In this delightful spot, which was enlarged by enclosing Kew lane and taking in Richmond garden, were collected nuInerous exotics from all parts of the globe; from the newly-found isles of the Southern Ocean, to Japan, from thence to the western skirts of America, and to the very icy plants of Greenland. Here the Queen had a cottage erected from a design of her own, which she furnished in a style of simplicity, and adorned it with the best English prints that were then published. The hours of the Queen were economized with the greatest regularity; the forenoon was devoted to reading with Dr. Majendie, who was her instructor in the English tongue; and in this employment his Majesty cheerfully assisted; so that in a short time the royal pupil was not only enabled to discourse fluently, but to write the language correctly, and even with elegance. Some of her compositions, both in prose and verse, we have reason to believe have appeared anonymously in print; and others, it is hoped,will be communicated to the public. In the morning after studving and working at her needle, her Majesty generally accompanied the King in a ride, or in walking round the gardens, till dinner; after which, if there was no company, the Queen played on the harpsichord, to which, also, she sang in a very agreeable and scientific manner. In the evening there was commonly a select party at cards; though frequently the night closed [Dec.1, with a ball, for the Queen was at this time extremely fond of dancing. Thus glided away the early years of the royal couple, full of harmony, but not without trouble; for the King lost two brothers and a sister in the prime of life, by consumption and fever; the severest trial of all, however, was the melancholy fate of his sister Caroline Matilda,who, in an evil hour, had been espoused, for political considerations, to the imbecile Christian, the seventh King of Denmark. A revolution ensued in that country, through the wickedness of the Queen-mother; and the unhappy Matilda would have been a victim to her ambitious revenge, if she had not been rescued by the spirit of her brother. We have alluded to this tragic story, by way of shewing the contrast which appeared in our own country at this time; where, though faction raged furiously against the King, not a reproachful word was uttered to the disparagement of the Queen, who, by steering clear of all parties, and preserving a steady deportment in private life, secured universal esteem and admiration. The King cherished for her the fondest affection, and his mother placed in her unbounded confidence. A numerous family blessed the nuptial bed, and cemented the ties of love. The virtues of the Queen expanded with her cares; and in maternal attention, as well as in conjugal attachment, she shone a bright example in an evil age. Her children were not left solely to attendants and tutors. She had them continually under her own inspection; and even in the hours of relaxation from study, they were hardly ever out of her sight. She was their first instructor; nor when they were advancing in their studies under their respective teachers did the Queen neglect to examine into their progress in learning, or intermit her own prelections, whenever she found an opportunity and occasion for them. The first and greatest trial which her Majesty was called to endure, after her settlement in this country, was in the year 1788, when the functions of government became suspended by the mental malady that afflicted her royal consort. Never, perhaps, was there a more criti cal period; for the event being without an example, no legislative provisions could be found for the exigency of the case. In this anomalous state of things, party, as usual, became not only active, but furious. A new principle was set up, and the inherent right of the Prince to take upon himself the exercise of the 1818.] Momoir of her Majesty Queen Charlotte. regal power, was zealously maintained by the very men who had uniformly resisted all claims on the part of the crown, that did not emanate from Parliament. The struggle was singular and violent; for it exhibited the ministers with the Queen on the side of the people;-and the constitutional Whigs, as they called then selves, contending for the jus divinum of the heir-apparent. The part taken by her Majesty in this conflict was imposed upon her by the necessity of the circumstances in which she was placed; and had she acted any otherwise than she did, her name would not have passed down in history without reflections on the versatility of the human mind. Time has set an immutable stamp upon her conduct; and though the servile worshipping of the rising sun endeavoured to justify their own inconsistency and apostacy at her expense, we know that the principle on which she proceeded has long since been regarded with admiration in that very quarter where faction essayed to create mistrust and perpetuate coldness. The recovery of his Majesty diffused joy throughout the British empire; and while the Queen participated in the universal feeling, she had the exquisite pleasure to find that the course adopted by her, under the severe visitation which tried her fortitude, was acknowledged with gratitude by the voice of the people. Subsequently to this important crisis, the life of the Queen moved on in an unvaried current, marked by no particular incidents to excite public attention, till the marriage of the Prince of Wales with his cousin, Caroline of Brunswick; and the consequent birth of the Princess Charlotte produced a beam of joy which soon disappeared. Into the causes of the mysterious extinguishment of national hope we shall not presume to enter; nor even were we sufficiently qualified to develope the secret of that fatal separation, would the sense of duty permit us to gratify needless curiosity. Suffice it to say, that, in spite of all surmises and evil reports, the conduct of the Queen was no other than that which became her relative situation, both as a wife and a mother. During the long space of thirty-five years that she had resided in this country, the slightest whisper was never breathed to the disadvantage of her character, but chaste as the icicle That's curdled by the frost from purest snow And hangs on Dian's temple, she preserved her own reputation free from suspicion; and therefore, sensible 443 that she had a public duty to discharge, it was her constant care to discountenance every deviation from virtuous propriety in others. Hence no female, once marked as having o'erstepped the limit of chastity, could ever obtain admission to the Queen's presence; of which a notable instance occurred in the dignified rebuke given to a Countess who requested that her sister, after having been divorced, might be allowed to come to the drawing-room. To this her Majesty made no reply. The application, however, was renewed and evaded; but the Countess, unappalled, said at last, May I be permitted to know what answer I shall return to the solicitation I have repeatedly preferred to your Majesty?""Say," replied the Queen, "that you did not dare to ask me such a favour." To the education of the Princess Charlotte her Majesty paid unremitted attention; and it was at her request that Mrs. Hannah More drew up that most excellent book of systematic instruction, entituled," Hints for the Education of a young Princess." Thus much, also, we can peremptorily assert, that the graces and qualifications which rendered the loss of this blooming hope of the nation so keenly and generally felt, were principally the effect of her Majesty's sedulous and parental care. The latter years of the Queen afforded a striking proof of the instability of sublunary happiness. After losing a beloved daughter in the prime of life, she saw, with painful apprehension, the decay of her august partner's mental powers, as well as of his visual faculties. The latter, indeed, might have been easily borne with; but the eclipse of that understanding which had afforded a daily interchange of sentiment for so long a period, must have been distressing beyond measure, because it was a privation of a blessing that, in the nature of things, could neither be restored nor supplied. The principles of re ligion alone could have supported the Queen under these heavy trials that were aggravated by other circumstances, of which the world had no knowledge. When the Regency Act passed, indeed, she had a satisfaction in finding that it produced no difference between her and the Prince, who, having emancipated himself from the entanglements of party, was enabled to follow the bent of his own generous inclination. Her Majesty, however, saw with pain the stirrings of faction to disturb the government of her son, resembling very much 444 Memoir of her Majesty Queen Charlotte. those which she had witnessed, with The affectionate attentions of the Prince, and the dutiful conduct of her other children, were, it is true, consoling amidst these sore visitations; but they could not altogether heal the wound that had been inflicted. At length, it was too manifest to the medical attendants most in confidence with her Majesty, that an incipient hepatic complaint had commenced. The symptoms increased, and she went to Bath, that last resource for bilious disorders, as they are called; and while there the deadly blow was given in the sudden tidings of the death of the Princess Charlotte and her infant. The Queen's feelings were agitated beyond conception; and the more so, because from her own experience, and the youth of her grand-daughter, no such result could have been dreaded. The Queen hastened to Windsor; but after some time she was obliged to return to Bath, where she seemed to enjoy a little relief from the medicinal springs; and she came back rather enlivened in spirits, than benefited by the waters. It was not long however before the disorder began to wear all the formidable aspect of the hydrops pectoris, which indicated a general breaking up of the system. The first attack of the disease, was on a journey to Windsor, when the convulsions were so severe, that it was deemed unsafe for the Royal party to proceed further than Kew. From this, however, she gradually recovered, and hopes were entertained that it would be overcome. The next attack was at the Duke and Duchess of York's entertainment, given in June last; and her Majesty from that period was unable to walk. The immediate cause of this, is ascribed to the agitation arising in her Majesty's mind, from the manner in [Dec. 1, which she was received in her transit through the city, on a visit to the Lord Mayor, with a view to patronize the national schools of the metropolis. It appears that her Majesty went to the Mansion House in what is termed half state; and though her visit was anticipated, no preparations were made for her reception on her entering the city con none of the officers of the Lord Mayor were in readiness to escort her; and in consequence, the high constable of Westminster, who preceded the royal carriage on horseback, contrary to all precedent and etiquette, was strained to continue his attendance till her Majesty alighted at the Lord Mayor's private door. Even here there was none of that attention which the approach of such an illustrious visitor demanded. As her Majesty passed through the Poultry, she was surrounded by a crowd, who were guilty of acts of rudeness of the most terrific description. To prevent these indignities, there was not a city officer present. It is unnecessary to remark, when the weak state of her Majesty's frame at that time is considered, that such a scene was calculated to produce the most serious consequences. Her Majesty was very much alarmed, and on quitting her carriage, was observed to tremble exceedingly; and although she exerted the energies of her mind to overcome her fright, she was yet greatly affected. Whether this want of respect arose from any private direction of the Queen we are not aware; but to what happened in the morning has been attributed the indisposition by which she was assailed in the evening. Her Majesty, after a partial recovery from this attack, experienced a relapse on the 7th, and again on the 18th of July. At this time she resided at her palace at Buckingham-gate: but the physicians, conceiving that a change of air would produce some benefit to their Royal patient, advised her removal. She was accordingly taken to Kew Palace in an easy carriage, accompanied by the Princess Augusta and the Duchess of Gloucester. Here she remained till her death. Her Majesty had expressed an ardent wish to be at Windsor, which was but natural, when her attachment for her afflicted consort is considered; and we are persuaded, that her principal motive for desiring to go thither was to spend the remainder of her days under the same roof with him. During her Majesty's melancholy vacillation between life and death, numerous |