THE HOUSEHOLD.

Almost immediately after his majesty's accession to the throne, he suspected that impositions were practised in his household; he therefore caused strict enquiries to be made in every department, and by this means, it is said, occasioned a saving of no less than £100,000 per annum. On examining into an immoderate charge for fruit, his majesty asked how the produce of the royal garden was disposed of? It was answered, that the fruit was not yet come to maturity; and that when it was, it had been usual to distribute it in presents. "Let me not see any more then at my table," said the king, "till my own gardens will produce it in perfection; and then let me have the privilege which every gentleman in the kingdom enjoys, of partaking of my own, instead of buying from others."

MARRIAGE.

The king had not been long seated on the throne, before he began to look for a consort, to share his honours and his happiness. His mother, the Princess of Wales, whose aversion to the Prussian family has been noticed, sent Colonel Græme to Mecklenburg, to ascertain some particulars respecting the daughters of that house. The report was favourable with regard to the whole family; and all Europe was then ringing with the praises of one of the young princesses, Sophia Charlotte, on account of a letter she had written to Frederick the Great on the following occasion.

During the seven years' war, the territories of the Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz had been much injured by the depredations of the contending parties; nor were the Prussians by any means remarkable for their moderation. On one farm alone these ravagers levied a contribution of four thousand crowns, besides what they took as plunder and forage. Yet all this was moderation, when compared with what the poor villagers endured, whose entire stock of provisions was taken away; their furniture converted into fuel, or wantonly destroyed; and themselves, with their children, left to perish in the depth of winter. As long as the means afforded, charity was liberally distributed among the suffering poor; but at length the visitation became so general, that all the exertions of benevolence were inadequate to relieve even a small portion of the misery that bounded.

Things remained in this state until the close of the year 1760; when on a victory gained by the King of Prussia over Marshal Daun, the young princess took the resolution to write an expostulatory letter to him, which was remarkable for the patriotism and talents it displayed. The following is a translation:

" MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY,

"I AM at a loss whether I shall congratulate or condole with you, on your late victory; since the same success that has covered you with laurels, has overspread the country of Mecklenburg with desolation. I know, sire, that it seems unbecoming in my sex, in this age of vicious refinement, to feel for one's country, to lament the horrors of war, or wish for the return of peace. I know you may think it

more properly my province to study the art of pleasing, or to turn my thoughts to subjects of a more domestic nature; but however unbecoming it may be in me, I cannot resist the desire of interceding for this unhappy people.

"It was but a very few years ago that this territory wore the 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 description, nor can my fancy add any horror to the picture; but sure, even conquerors themselves would weep at the hideous prospect now before me. The whole country, my dear country, lies one frightful waste, presenting only objects to excite terror, pity, and despair. The business of the husbandman and the shepherd are quite discontinued; the husbandman and shepherd are become soldiers themselves, and help to ravage the soil they formerly occupied. The towns are inhabited by old men, women, and children; perhaps here and there a warrior, by wounds or loss of limbs rendered unfit for service, left at his door; 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. It is impossible to express the confusion even those who call themselves our friends create. Even those from whom we might expect redress, oppress us with new calamities. From your justice it is therefore that we hope relief; to you even children and women may complain, whose humanity stoops to the meanest

petition, and whose power is capable of repressing the greatest injustice.

"I am, Sire," &c.

What impression this letter had on Frederick, is not certain; but from a letter which he wrote to his general, De Zieten, soon after, it would appear to have been successful, for he says, "I am determined that henceforth all violent expedients, all exactions, all arbitrary supplies, shall cease. I shall require the whole army to pay due respect to the laws of discipline, and shall cause every transgression of those laws to be severely punished."

It is said, that when the letter of the Princess of Mecklenburg came into the hands of the young King of England, he at once, without making any observations upon the personal attractions of the writer, concluded that he had found the object calculated to promote his felicity. "This," said he to Lord Harcourt," is the lady whom I shall secure for my consort. If the disposition of the princess but equals her refined sense, I shall be the happiest man, as I hope, with my people's concurrence, to be the happiest monarch, in Europe."

The king was not long in carrying his determination into effect; for in a council held on Wednesday, July 8, 1761, he declared, that after the fullest information and mature deliberation, he was come to a resolution to demand in marriage the Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg Strelitz, "a princess distinguished by every eminent virtue and amiable endowment, whose illustrious line had constantly shown the firmest zeal for the Protestant religion, and a particular attachment to his family."

The Earl of Harcourt was accordingly appointed to make the demand of her serene highness, accompanied by the Duchesses of Ancastar and Hamilton, and the Countess of Effingham, to take care of her person; whilst the command of a gallant fleet to convey her over to the English shore, was entrusted to Lord Anson.

HOUSE OF MECKLENBURG.

In the midst of an entertainment at which Dr. Nugent, the ingenious traveller, was present, at Weimar, one of the company, Dr. Barmeister, a learned antiquary, took an opportunity of congratulating the Duchy of Mecklenburg on its happy connexion with England, by means of his majesty's auspicious nuptials. He then expatiated in praise of the queen, and called on the company to drink prosperity to Great Britain and Mecklenburg. He further observed, that it was natural for the two nations to have a regard for each other, since the Angli, from whom the English are descended, came originally from this part of Germany. This proposition raised the attention of the company; and the doctor, continuing the argument, attempted to prove that the Angli were a people who inhabited this part of the Baltic, and were afterwards invited over to Britain. Tacitus is the first that mentions them by name; post Albini supra Cuimbros, Reudigni, Aviones, Angli, Varini. As the Angli were joined in their expedition by the Saxons, they must have bordered on the latter, whom Ptolemy places upon the neck of the Chersonesu Cimbrica. This fixes the situation of the Varini and the Angli,