sponsors were, the king, the queen, and the duch- • Propitious Heaven has o'er thy head “ A bud its silken folds displays, “ That crown thy owu ambrosial May; It having Addresses of congratulation, on the birth of the princess Charlotte, were voted by both houses of parliament, and presented to their majesties; those to their royal highnesses the prince and princess of Wales, were received in a private manner. Numerous addresses came from all parts of the country, but the City of London, as usual, was early in their congratulatory compliments. been intimated, however, to the lord mayor, by lord Cholmondeley, “that the prince of Wales being under the necessity of reducing his establishment, was precluded from receiving the addresses in a manner suitable to his situation, and it hava ing been requested that copies of the addresses might be sent to him, it was moved by Mr. deputy way than “That his royal highness the prince of Wales having stated that the inadequacy of his establishment precluded him from receiving the compliments of congratulation voted to be presented to their royal highnesses in a way suitable to his situation, this court are of opinion that they cannot, consistently with their own dignity, suffer the said compliments to be presented in any other the customary form.” After some conversation this motion was agreed to, and the remembrancer was ordered to convey a copy thereof to his royal highness. At the next court of common-council, the lord mayor rose to state to the court the conference he had had with the prince of Wales, on the subject of not receiving the congratulatory address of the city in the usual form, observing, that in a matter of so delicate a nature, he had thought it his duty to commit the purport of his conversation in writing, which, with the leave of the court, he would wish to read. The communication was as follows. “In consequence of a letter from lord Cholmondeley, dated, January 31, 1796, stating, that his royal highness the Prince of Wales, wished to speak to me at Carlton house, and to give me a private audience on Tuesday, (but which appointment was afterwards, by a second letter, fixed for Monday, at one o'clock) I had the honor of wait a ing on his royal highness, who addressed me by saying, that he had seen with concern in the public papers a statement of what had passed in the court of common council on Thursday, respecting a letter written by lord Cholmondeley, at the command of his royal highness, and sent to the city remembrancer, conveying his sentiments on the intended address of congratulation to their royal highnesses, which sentiments he conceived had been mistaken or misunderstood, or at least a very different construction had been given to them than he meant, or was intended to be conveyed by that letter. His royal highness said, that he thought it incumbent upon him to preserve a consistent character; that as his establishment, for certain reasons, had been reduced, and that the necessary state appendages attached to the rank and character of the Prince of Wales did not in consequence exist, his royal highness conceived that he could not receive an address in state, and particularly from the corporation of the city of London, for which he entertained the highest veneration and respect. His royal highness, therefore, thought it would appear disrespectful to the first body corporate in the kingdom, to receive the members of it inconsistently with his own character and dignity.” A writer of the day highly censured this refusal of his royal highness the Prince of Wales, to re ceive the address of the city of London in its corporate capacity, which he represented as proceeding from, spleen and ill-humour. There is no doubt but the prince acted from a just senge of decoruny and etiquette, but many were, notwithstanding, dissatisfied. Heç royal highness at this time was perfectly recovered, and soon became acquainted with the circumstance. It has been said that she expressed . a regret that her royal consort had not dispensed with the rigid rules of ceremony, and it has been also suspected that her free observations were, with many. aggravations, reported to the prince. Her sentiments arose from maternal feelings~-the birth of a princess was joy to the mother, and on such a happy occasion, she was ready and willing to receive the congratulations of all. This “amiable woman,” as she had been styled in the house of peers, by her royal brother-in-law, the duke of Clarence, was by no means averse to a reduction of expences and superfluities; for, being of a placid disposition, she could make herself happy in retirement: consequently, the embarrassments of the prince never extorted a single complaint from the princess. It would therefore be unjust to think that any domestic cavils arose on this account. No-long before the birth of the royal infant the prince found, that the princess's disposition was dissimilar to his own, and though his royal highness had been so attentive to her during her H accouchement, and was even present at the birth of the princess Charlotte, he suddenly quitted Carlton house, and made Windsor his temporary residence. Indeed the affability of the royal subject of these impartial memoirs did not admit, of delicate punctilios, being unaccustomed to those nice ceremonies at the court of Brunswick. |