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employments 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 here and there a warrior, by wounds or loss of limbs rendered 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 campaign. 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 meanest petition, and whose power is capable of repressing the greatest wrong."

It is scarcely necessary to add, that such a remonstrance had the desired effect.

The good feeling and noble sentiments contained in this letter made so deep an impression on the mind of King George, that he immediately caused strict inquiries to be set on foot respecting the disposition and character of this lady, and the result was a proposal for the hand of this princess. When thus selected as the future consort of the English monarch, the Princess Charlotte is described as being distinguished by every eminent virtue and amiable endowment.

The Earl of Harcourt was dismissed to Strelitz to conclude the treaty of marriage, and accompany the princess to England. Some delay was occasioned in the settlement of the contract, owing to the sudden death of the duchess-dowager, her mother, which occurred before the arrival of the British ambassador. At length the Princess Charlotte quitted her native land amidst many tears and regrets; for she was generally beloved amongst her own countrymen, who, at her departure, invented several pleasing devices to testify their attachment to her.

She was graciously received by the English people on her landing at Harwich, and on her way to London, and was united to King George the Third on the 8th of September, 1761, at the Chapel Royal, the ceremony being performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The marriage was followed by the congratulatory addresses of the various classes of her subjects.

King George the Third had selected his consort more on account of her mental qualifications than for her personal attractions. She was found to be remarkably amiable and courteous.

At the age of eighteen, Queen Charlotte has been described as small in stature, having auburn hair, light blue eyes, expressive of sweetness, a nose a little flattened and retroussé, rather a large mouth, and fine teeth. Although it could not be said she had a fine countenance, the expression of her features was most agreeable.

The coronation took place on the 22nd of September, 1761. The dower assigned to Queen Charlotte was the same as that bestowed upon her predecessor, Queen Caroline, being 100,000l. per annum, with Richmond Old Park and Somerset House. This last was afterwards converted into public offices, and in lieu thereof the queen was presented with Buckingham House, by the king, who purchased it of Sir Charles Herbert Sheffield for the sum of 21,000l.

The queen applied herself with great assiduity to the study of the English language, in which pleasing occupation she passed many hours, assisted by the king, who read with her from the best English authors, in order to perfect her in the language.

Queen Charlotte was prudent, well-informed, and very charitable. She loved domestic pleasures, nor did the splendour of a court at any period alienate her from them; and we readily pardon her, when we learn, as it is said, that "she was fonder of diamonds than the Queen of France, and of snuff than the King of Prussia." She had nine sons and six daughters; two of them only died in infancy. One of the most admirable points in Queen Charlotte's character was her personal devotion to the education of her young family. A lady of high rank having one day said to her, "My children must be doing well, for they have plenty of servants to attend to them," the queen exclaimed, "What, do you leave them entirely to attendants? I dare not do so; for it is impossible that servants however good can have the feelings of a parent!" The lady attempted an excuse, but the queen interrupted her by saying, "There can be no apology for the neglect of our first duties it is enough that you are a mother and converse with one; and I should be sorry to suppose you indifferent where your sensibilities ought to be most acute."

The death of his beloved daughter, the Princess Amelia, in 1810, so deeply affected the king, that from that time he became subject to those distressing aberrations of mind, which caused his estrangement from his family, and terminated only in his death, on the 29th of January, 1820.

Queen Charlotte, who preceded her consort to the grave, died at Kew, on the 17th of November, 1818, and was interred in the chapel of St. George's at Windsor, on the 2nd of December following.

CAROLINE OF BRUNSWICK,

QUEEN OF GEORGE THE FOURTH.

Or all the royal women in ancient or modern history there can scarcely be found one who has greater claims on the sympathy of her own sex than the ill-fated Caroline, consort of George the Fourth. Not that she was herself faultless or merely an injured woman, but because her situation as a wife and as a mother was more trying than any other which has been put on record.

Caroline was the second daughter of Charles William Ferdinand, hereditary Prince of Brunswick, who succeeded to that dukedom when she was in the second year of her age. Her mother was the beautiful and accomplished Princess Augusta, sister of George the Third, King of Great Britain. The birth of Caroline took place at Brunswick, May 16th, 1768. As a child her extraordinary health and robust constitution led her mother to make the remark, " Caroline is born for adversity, nothing would destroy her." Lady de Bode and Baroness von Munster were successively governesses to the royal child, who passed much of her time in the company of her parents, with whom she always dined, so that at quite an early age she was introduced into the society of the court. The attainments of Caroline when quite young were remarkable ; she acquired a great proficiency in geography, astronomy, and history, in which last study she especially delighted, and spoke with ease the German, English, French and Italian languages. She was a good painter in water-colours, and to the delight of her father, with whom she was a favourite child, arrived at great proficiency in music, of which he was remarkably fond. Thus endowed with the power of pleasing, it is no wonder that the princess should have afterwards cultivated the society of literary people. Yet she was not distinguished by her mental qualities only; the goodness of her heart was testified by several charitable foundations, visits to public buildings, and personal attendances on the indigent and distressed. The children of

the poor would often follow her footsteps in her walks amid the palace gardens, being sure of a kind and affectionate welcome. The peculiar love of the princess for children afterwards was painfully injurious to her.

When seventeen years of age, a mutual attachment is said to have been formed between Caroline and a German prince of much reputation and merit, which, however, for reasons of state, and from motives of family pride, was discountenanced as soon as discovered by the Duke of Brunswick, who in this matter was influenced by his consort. The young prince afterwards fell in battle, and the princess, whose heart had been much affected by the intervention of the parental authority, was irretrievably wounded by the loss of the object of her attachment. The King of Prussia afterwards made overtures for her hand, and received a positive refusal; so that at the time Caroline reached her twentysixth year, she was yet unmarried. To the great joy of the Duchess of Brunswick, in the year 1794, the duke, her husband, received a formal proposal from George the Third, for the hand of her daughter Caroline: the news, however, was heard by the young princess with a composure amounting to indifference. Not that she was insensible to the honour conferred on her, in being selected as the bride of the heir apparent of the English throne; but she was already acquainted in part with some of the features of the character of her future royal lord. She had doubtless learnt that interest and ambition were the motives which induced him to seek her alliance. Was there not reason to despise an alliance with a man overwhelmed with debt, who sought only an increase of income, and whose associations with Mrs. Fitzherbert, the Countess of Jersey, and others, had been sufficiently notorious to reach the ears of his future consort? Add to this, the circumstance that Caroline had buried her own affections in an early tomb. If, however, the faults of the prince were known to Caroline, she had heard, too, of his many accomplishments, and accordingly yielded her consent to become the wife of the most finished gentleman in Europe.

Caroline quitted Brunswick, December 30th, 1794, accompanied by her mother and a numerous train, and followed many miles on her route by the acclamations of the populace, and the prayers of the poor, that a blessing from above might attend her union. After Osnaburg she visited Hanover, where she passed some weeks at the Bishop's palace, which had been fitted up for her reception.

In this interval she studied the English tongue, and made herself as familiarly acquainted as possible with the habits, manners, and

customs of the people, amongst whom she was destined to reside. On March 28th, 1795, the princess embarked in the Jupiter, at Cuxhaven, attended by Commodore Payne, Mrs. Harcourt, and Lord Malmsbury, as well as by Mrs. Ashton, and Mrs. St. Leger, who had been sent by the Prince of Wales to meet her: Lady Jersey was to have been one of the deputation of ladies, but had returned from Rochester under pretence of illness. Such an appointment, on such an occasion, has a parallel only in the introduction of Lady Castlemaine at court by Charles the Second, on his marriage to Queen Catherine of Portugal. After some few days' delay, owing to dense fogs, the princess passed up the Thames as far as Gravesend. That night was spent on board the vessel, but next day she landed at Greenwich Hospital, where she was received by the governor, Sir H. Palliser, and other officers; and about an hour after, Lady Jersey arrived from town, with a dress for the princess, which was adopted in exchange for that which she wore on her arrival. Shortly after the princess and all her party, of whom, however, two German female servants alone had remained of those who quitted her own country with her, set off in three royal carriages, with a military escort, for St. James's Palace. Immediately on her arrival there, Caroline was introduced to her future husband, who not only received her with affability and kindness, but paid her many compliments. The king, queen, and other branches of the royal family dined with the prince and princess, when much attention was shown by his Majesty to his future daughter-in-law, but the queen seems to have evinced an opposite feeling towards her royal guest.

It is said that the attention shown by the prince at this first interview with Caroline, had awakened the jealousy of Lady Jersey, who, the following day, informed the bridegroom elect that the princess had confessed to her a former attachment to a German prince. Moreover, she so artfully contrived to poison his mind against his intended wife, that on the very next meeting, his manner was cool and reserved, and his conduct exceedingly altered.

The day appointed for the solemnisation of their nuptials was April 8th, 1795, when the ceremony was performed with the utmost magnificence, at the Chapel Royal, St. James's Palace, the bride being led in the procession by the Duke of Clarence, afterwards William the Fourth. It was indeed this prince's flattering encomiums on Caroline, whom he had seen during his frequent visits to Brunswick, that first induced George the Fourth to seek her as his wife. He was told she was strikingly like his favourite sister Mary, which was in his opinion

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