The labour of the princess was commenced under extreme debility; and, at an early period, it

[[281]]appeared very probable that surgical assistance would be finally requisite; yet no provision was made for such assistance! The bulletin of Wednesday morning, eight o'clock, signed by the attending practitioners, was rather doubtfully expressed. The second bulletin, at ten in the evening, was confidently affirmative of the well-doing of the royal patient. Dr. Sims affixed his signature to these bulletins, but he had not seen her royal highness since the first pang she had experienced. How this gentleman could allow his name to be thus affixed to a declaration, of the truth of which he was totally ignorant, we know not; but it was said, by the time-serving press, "that Dr. Sims being unknown to the princess, his appearance in her chamber might have alarmed her." The folly of this excuse is best exposed by supposing that if, at this trying moment, Dr. Croft had been ill, and unfit to attend the princess, would she have been left to perish for lack of assistance? We think not; for this would have given too plain an idea of the expectations of certain parties. The public papers announced that the letter summoning Dr. Sims to Claremont was written on Tuesday morning, yet he did not arrive until Wednesday morning at three o'clock. It was further stated, that the nurse discovered the dreadful change in her royal highness by the difficulty manifested in swallowing her gruel, and that she was so alarmed by this appearance of spasm, that she immediately called the faculty out of their beds, as well as Prince Leopold. Another journalist stated a contrary case. But we know that,

[[282]]although some beverage was administered to the princess, it was NOT GRUEL; for her royal highness had a great aversion to gruel, and could never be prevailed on to take it. Soon after her royal highness took the liquid, she was afflicted in a most unusual way, though only for a short time. The low state of muscular strength, to which the princess had gradually been reduced, certainly required greater nourishment than was given to her; and in this professional treatment, therefore, the accoucheur acted unwisely as well as unskilfully, to say the least of it. That most eminent practitioner, Dr. Thynne, made it an invariable rule, after a protracted birth, to revive the mother, by giving a tea-spoonful of egg, beat up with wine, from time to time. The symptoms of not being able to swallow, and the convulsive action of the body, were plainly indicative of a dying patient; but the real cause of the patient's dying was then a mystery, except to two or three individuals.

The public journals of the day called loudly upon the gentlemen who attended the Princess Charlotte, as her accoucheurs, to give all facility for an investigation of their whole mode of treatment, adding, that "if they be conscious that they have acquitted themselves well, they will have no objection to an investigation of their conduct, and cannot consider themselves placed in a worse situation than the captain of a king's ship, who, in the event of the loss of his vessel, is obliged to undergo a trial by court martial." To this and similar appeals, the ministers promptly

[[283]]replied, "that it was impossible, after the prince regent had been pleased to express his approbation and award his thanks, as it would seem to reflect upon the prince, who alone was endowed with the sovereign power to act in the case." This royal cant-phraseology, however, failed to lull suspicion; for the attending circumstances were of a nature too horrible to be buried in oblivion! If all had been correct, why refuse inquiry, particularly when it was solicited by nine-tenths of the nation?

The queen left Bath on Saturday, the 8th of November, and arrived at Windsor in the evening. The next day, the prince regent went from Carlton House to Windsor to see the queen; but the privacy of the visit did not permit it to be of long duration. We are able to give the particulars of this interview.

Her majesty's mind had been disturbed by the receipt of a letter, from a medical gentleman, upon the subject of the untimely death of the Princess Charlotte. No time was to be lost. The prince was requested immediately to see his royal mother; and, on his arrival, her majesty presented him with the letter, the contents of which proved, beyond doubt, that the writer had been an eye-witness to some particular events connected with the dissolution of the much-lamented and tenderly-beloved princess.

The letter commenced with the most respectful dedication to royalty, and prayed for an extra extension of candour and patience by her majesty, while the facts of which it was composed were examined and duly considered. The writer then proceeded,—"I

[[284]]am perfectly satisfied your majesty could not be personally aware of the case, because of the distance your majesty then was from Claremont; but I submit it to your majesty's good feeling and judgment, if the particulars attendant upon this most lamentable loss ought not immediately to be most strictly inquired into. Refusal to do this, or to permit it being done, will only aggravate the matter, instead of setting the question at rest for ever. The public well know that all was not as it ought to have been,—that something had been neglected or imprudently attempted, that ought to have received a widely-different attention. As a proof that I do not intrude my remarks and remonstrances improperly, or without information upon the nicest points of the case, I will give reasons for my dissatisfaction. From the first moment Sir Richard Croft was placed in attendance upon her royal highness, there was no reason to anticipate or fear any unhappy results. The natural appearances were unequivocally satisfactory. Previous to the delivery, the infant was not supposed to be dead. It was quite unnecessary and unnatural to inform the princess that the child was still-born; such a communication is very seldom made to any female at such a moment. Camphor julaps are very seldom administered to a healthy patient, or where the stomach is sound, immediately after delivery, as the effect would generally be to produce irritation, sickness, and convulsion. Dr. Croft ought not to have retired to bed, presuming that her royal highness was so indisposed as to cause her incessant moaning,

[[285]]which was really the case. More than this, your majesty, about noon of the Wednesday, Dr. Croft said, 'I believe the princess might very quickly be delivered by having recourse to an operation; but I dare not perform it without the presence and sanction of her royal father, the prince regent.' I hope (continued the writer) that your majesty will see this plain statement in its own character, and that you will save all future disclosures of an unpleasant nature, by your timely recommendation of the subject to the prince regent, your son. Your majesty may believe I am induced by vindictive motives to offer these remarks; but that would prove an incorrect opinion; and unless your majesty causes a very prompt inquiry to be permitted upon the facts of this case, I fear yourself and family will finally have cause to regret the delay."