Volume I Part 15 (1/2)

It was during this affecting interview that her royal highness committed some letters of importance to the care of her n.o.ble-minded daughter; and, as it appeared impossible for any _private_ conversation to pa.s.s between them, a letter accompanied the others, addressed to the Princess Charlotte by her afflicted mother, of which the following is a transcript:

”_Copy of a letter to my dear Charlotte, Princess of Wales._

”_1814, June 7th._

”MY DEAREST CHILD,

”I deposit to your keeping a small parcel, of letters for my much-esteemed friend, Lady *******. I well know her generous disposition will cause her to endure a vast load of sorrow on my account, and, from these doc.u.ments, the nation may one day _be bold_. I must tell you, my dearest child, that in conformity to my father and mother's opinion, I became the wife (so called) of your father. Well do I remember the time when my dear father, the Duke of Brunswick, entered my library, (holding in his hand a letter) saying, 'Caroline, my love, I desire you will give your attention to the request of your most excellent uncle, the King of England, and, without any demur, engage to marry your cousin George. He is undoubtedly the most _elegant man_ and the most ACCOMPLISHED GENTLEMAN in Europe. Very unfortunately, this prince has been captivated by the many beautiful ladies surrounding the court; but although he may have committed himself in _formal engagements_, yet the prince is the most ready, desirous, and expectant supplicant for your hand!' I started, and exclaimed, 'What, my dear sire?' The sequel, however, is sufficient. I came to England. I was received heroically by the people, flatteringly by the persons deputed to attend me, and sarcastically by the queen, my aunt; but most pleasantly by the king, my uncle, and the prince, my destined husband. After my marriage with the prince, your father, I soon had occasion to regret my change of situation. However, I strove to conceal my disappointment and chagrin, and appeared as lively as if I had no cause for regret. Speedily after my marriage, I was informed that the prince was not my _legal_ husband; that, some time previous to our marriage, he had been united to Mrs. Fitzherbert, and therefore our engagement was null and void! I opened the sorrows of my heart to the good king. 'Ah! Ah!' said his majesty, 'I will befriend you, but my family will prove my ruin. They care not for any thing beside their own ease, and they, sooner or later, will _lose the crown_ by such improper conduct. The disposition of my son George is _unrelenting_; but I will tell you, my dear niece, that you may subdue his public injurious mention of your character, if you make use of proper means. My son is so lascivious, that if you would attempt to hide his defects, they would speedily become more apparent.' In the course of conversation, his majesty informed me of the untimely end of his BROTHER EDWARD, and also of the MARRIAGE and ISSUE of that brother, who, he stated, had been educated for the _church_; and also, that he had frequently seen him during his residence at Eton with no small degree of affection and regret, and had even appointed interviews with the individual under whose care he was placed, to adopt plans for his welfare. I confess, my dear Charlotte, I was quite unprepared for this exposition, and I answered with much warmth, 'Does your majesty mean to say, that his royal highness left issue which has never been acknowledged?' 'I do, indeed,' replied the king, 'and though the affair has been hitherto kept from the public, yet I fancy it will, one day or another, be made known.' My dear Charlotte will conceive how much I felt upon these singular explanations. I long to tell you more upon the subject, but as our confidential messenger is waiting, I must conclude by subscribing myself

”Your very affectionate mother, ”CAROLINE.”

The persecuted wife of the heir-apparent now prepared to leave England.

Her royal highness went to Worthing on the 2nd of August, and on the 9th embarked for the Continent, with a heart heavily charged with the most poignant feelings.

The evening of her departure was spent in rioting and drunkenness by the inhabitants of Carlton House, as they had now attained a portion of their dishonourable object, and, in a great measure, relied upon final success. The entertainments given at this period by the ”unparalleled prince” were of the most dazzling and costly description. The ma.s.sive services of richly-chased gold, and the viands served upon them, in addition to every luxurious appendage, were daily superseded by others, still more rare and expensive than the preceding ones. Hundreds of thousands were thus lavished on useless pomp, while, perhaps, a poor tradesman, who had received _the honour_ of an order by command of the prince, and had borrowed the larger portion of the means to enable him to execute it, solicited, in the most humble manner, a portion of his debt; but, alas! solicited in vain; and, after daring to press his dest.i.tute and ruined condition several times, is probably forbidden ever to ask for the settlement again, but to wait the royal pleasure. His impatient creditors, in the interim, arrest him; he is carried to a prison, and, in the agony of his soul, commits suicide. Many a wife and family of children have thus been reduced to a workhouse, and the greater number of them afterwards thrown upon the town! But--these are some of the privileges of royalty!

The reminiscences of the queen were sometimes rather painful; and, shortly after she had driven her daughter-in-law from the country, symptoms of melancholy were observed. Her physicians, therefore, recommended a change of air; and, in order to amuse her majesty, it was proposed that she should repair to Brighton for a short time, accompanied by the princesses.

The Princess Charlotte, after the departure of her much-beloved mother, appeared very unhappy, and, from that time, saw her father and grandmother as seldom as possible. They well knew she was favourable to her mother's cause, in opposition to their's, not only from the very great affection which she naturally felt for her mother, but also from the numberless proofs she had observed of the honourable motives by which the conduct of the Princess of Wales had been influenced. To these might be added the opinion of the virtuous part of the nation upon the subject, and the very great respect at all times paid to her royal highness by those persons who were _independent_ of the royal family and the government.

Upon her majesty's return to Windsor, she found the king something improved in natural spirits, but desirous not to be troubled with unnecessary visiters. This slight improvement was, however, but of short duration; for, in a few days afterwards, this distressingly-afflicted sovereign relapsed into insensibility, and frequently became very boisterous in his conduct.

The amount required for this year's service was upwards of one hundred and sixteen millions, twenty-seven of which were raised by loans.

The year

1815

commenced under numerous public and private difficulties. The regent found himself in a very unpleasant situation, being under a necessity of increasing the number of the various orders of knighthood, in order to preserve himself a sufficiency of adherents. A strange concatenation of events had also placed the rest of the royal family in an uneasy position. The Duke of Kent, some considerable time before, entered into a positive engagement with a foreign princess, by solemnly promising her marriage; yet, upon requesting his mother's approbation of the choice he had made, how great was his surprise and indignation to find that she would not listen to it! But, hastily s.n.a.t.c.hing up the letter a second time, she said, ”It is impossible such things can be permitted; we need money too much in our own family to squander it upon these miserably-poor connexions.” This indignant lady quite forgot, or did not wish to remember, her own origin, and the _great wealth_ she had brought to this country. Ere this self-important personage had said so much, she should have called to mind the many _n.o.ble_ acts by which she had been distinguished above all other royal ladies, and ought to have reflected, how many thousands had suffered privations and want to permit her royal self and family to live in splendour, and how many had been privately disposed of to satisfy her inordinate ambition and insatiable thirst for power!

Her majesty had also another mortification to endure in the marriage of her hopeful son, the Duke of c.u.mberland, with the Princess of Salms.

Lord Castlereagh, always happy to take from the people, had the audacity to propose an additional grant to the Duke of c.u.mberland upon his alliance with a lady so congenial to the taste and talents of his royal highness! The House of Commons, however, opposed this grant, and several members made the most severe, though _just_, remarks upon the character of Ernest Augustus on this occasion.

”Mr. R. GORDON rose, and declared that he could not reconcile it to his sense of duty to allow this motion to pa.s.s with a silent vote against it. He was astonished at the observation of the n.o.ble lord (Castlereagh) who brought forward this motion last night, that he did not apprehend any opposition, while he agreed with the n.o.ble lord that it must be painful to hear any reflections upon the character of the individual referred to, or any comments whatever at all likely to depreciate the consequence of the ill.u.s.trious family to whom that individual belonged. But ministers alone were to blame in _dragging_ the Duke of c.u.mberland before that House. If any reflections were thrown out against that individual, it was the fault of ministers in _forcing_ him upon the consideration of that House. _After what had_ NOTORIOUSLY Pa.s.sED WITH RESPECT TO THIS INDIVIDUAL, _and his connexions,--after the_ RUMOURS _that were afloat upon the subject,--he could not, by any means, concur with the n.o.ble lord, that this was not to be regarded as a_ PERSONAL _question!_”

”Mr. BENNET said, the Duke of c.u.mberland, of all the branches of the royal family, was the _only one_ who could come to that House, and make an application for money, which he should feel _compelled to oppose_! He appealed to every person in the committee, whether they did not hear, out of that House, _every individual in the country express_ ONE UNIFORM FEELING _with respect to that personage,--a feeling decidedly averse from any disposition to concur in such a grant as was now proposed_. It was impossible even to go to what was called _fas.h.i.+onable_ society, without hearing the _same feeling of disrespect expressed_!!!”

”Lord NUGENT disapproved of the grant proposed, with reference to the time in which, to the manner in which, and to the _person_ for whom, the grant was proposed. He differed with his honourable friend who spoke first in the debate, not in his vote, but in that he did not admit public rumour to influence his vote. For his own part, he voted mainly on evidence which could come before the House only by public rumour,--public rumour uncontradicted and unencountered!!!”

”Lord A. HAMILTON thought the House was called upon to consider the _merits of the individual_ before it a.s.sented to this proposition, unless it were a.s.sumed that, upon the marriage of any branch of the royal family, the House was bound to grant an additional allowance, without any consideration of the nature of the marriage, which was a proposition too preposterous to be maintained! The intimation, too, which he understood to be authentic, that it was the intention of the Duke of c.u.mberland not to reside in this country, furnished another argument against the present measure; nay, it was stated that the grant was brought forward upon the _settled condition that his royal highness should fix his residence_ ELSEWHERE!”

”Mr. METHUEN contended that the House ought to shew, by its vote that night, that it was not inattentive to the _morals_ of the country, and that therefore he should oppose the grant, not from the slightest personal motives, but merely in the conscientious discharge of what he conceived to be his duty.”

”Sir H. MONTGOMERY said, that when the present bill was first brought into the House, he voted for it, because he thought the proposed sum was no more than what was necessary; but, from what he had heard since, he almost fancied he had done something very wrong! In the present case, however, he really saw nothing which would warrant the House in putting such a _stigma_ upon his royal highness as _would be conveyed by refusing the grant_!”

The House of Commons DID REFUSE THE GRANT, though only by a small majority. But this majority was sufficient, according to Sir H.

Montgomery, one of his royal highness' _admirers_, to cast a STIGMA on the Duke of c.u.mberland!