THE DUKE OF YORK'S DUEL.

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induce the duke to give Colonel Lennox an explanation of his words; but this he doggedly refused, and even declined to repeat the usual phrase, that he believed his antagonist to be a man of honour and courage. He had not fired, he said, nor was it his intention to fire; but the colonel might repeat his fire, if he chose. This was, of course, out of the question. They therefore left the common, and this duel, which ended in this unsatisfactory manner, had the effect of lowering the royal duke in the eyes of his friends and the people generally.

When the duel was over, the gallant duke returned to Carlton House, where he found the prince walking about the yard in great agitation, impatiently waiting news of the result.

It is all over,' the duke said, coming up to him coolly, and all is quite well; but I have not time to tell you the particulars; for I must go to the tennis-court.' The prince expressed his desire that the tennis-court might go to regions uncomfortably warm, and wished to hear the full details. When he received these, he set off for Kew, where the king was, and

sent up a message to say he wished to see His Majesty alone. Very well, very well,' said the monarch; but I want just to go up to the queen first.'

When he received the prince, not only Her Majesty, but the princesses, were present. The prince said he had something particular to say, and begged that the princesses might retire. He then fully related the occurrence which had led to the duel, and turning to the queen, said, Madame, you know I acquainted you with these circumstances a week ago;' which he had, in order that the duel might be stopped by authority. The king said, 'Ah, indeed! I never heard a word of it before.' When he described the duke's escape, she calmly, and without the slightest discomposure, looked out of the window.

The affair soon got spoken of, and caused much sensation in town; but neither Colonel Lennox nor his second received any censure from the Court. Lord Winchelsea was continued in his place as lord of the bed-chamber, and Colonel Lennox was received by the queen next day with every mark of graciousness and

KISSED HER FAN TO HIM.

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favour.' To further indicate her approbation of his conduct, she invited him, soon after the duel, to a Court ball, where she publicly showed him marked attention, and kissed her fan to him two or three times, though half the length of the room lay between them.' This had the effect on the princes which was desired; so indignant did the Prince of Wales become, that he made it a subject of complaint to the king.

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Your Majesty is my witness,' he wrote, 'that during the whole relation the queen did not utter a syllable either of alarm at the imminent danger which had threatened the life of my brother but an hour before, of joy and satisfaction at his safety, or of general tenderness and affection towards him, which might appear natural in moments thus afflicting. Nor were these the only testimonies of indifference that I was obliged to observe. For Your Majesty must well remember that the first word the queen pronounced, and the whole tenor of the only conversation she afterwards held, was a defence of Mr. Lennox's conduct, strongly implying a censure on that of my brother.'

VOL. IV.

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CHAPTER II.

The Royal Princes-The Duke of Clarence at the Queen's Lodge-Mrs. Jordan at Richmond-The Wicked Duke of Queensbury-Mrs. Jordan at Bushy Park-Colonel FitzClarence and the Lieutenant-The Duke of York and his Duchess-Trial before the House of Commons -The Duchess of York and her Dogs-The Duke of Sussex and Lady Augusta Murray-The Duke of Cumberland--The Sellis Scandal-The Duke and Lady Graves-The Duke's Marriage-The Queen and the New Duchess.

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ITHIN the next few years, some of the

royal princes came into prominent notice. Amongst them was the king's third son, William, created Duke of Clarence in 1789, who afterwards came to the throne as William IV. When he had finished his education in Germany, he had been sent into the navy, and made commander of the Pegase, but during his father's illness, believing that he would be soon rid of all further governance, he suddenly returned to

town. For the early glimpses we get of him, we are indebted to Miss Burney's faithful and facile pen. When that lady and one of the queen's German attendants, Mrs. Schwellenberg, were one evening seated in a parlour in the queen's lodge at Windsor, the door was opened, and Prince William was announced, entered, drew a chair for himself, and settled down for a chat. The prince was by no means a good figure; in his appearance he resembled the queen's elegant plainness,' but in manner he was open and free, and talked volubly, with a thick utterance for which all the royal brothers were alike remarkable.

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Mrs. Schwellenberg pitied him from the bottom of her German heart, for the grief he must have felt at the king's illness. The prince responded that he was sorry for His Majesty—no man loved the king better; of that they might feel assured-but all sailors loved their king; he was sorry for the queen, too-he was, faith; and agitated when he saw the king first-he could hardly stand.' After these confessions, the princely youth turned to Miss Burney. Ma'am,' cried he, you have a brother in the service?'