The reminiscences of the queen were sometimes rather painful; and, shortly after she had driven her daughter-in-law from the country, symptoms of melancholy were observed. Her physicians, therefore, recommended a change of air; and, in order to amuse her majesty, it was proposed that she should repair to Brighton for a short time, accompanied by the princesses.

The Princess Charlotte, after the departure of her much-beloved mother, appeared very unhappy, and, from that time, saw her father and grandmother as seldom as possible. They well knew she was favourable to her mother's cause, in opposition to their's,

[[251]]not only from the very great affection which she naturally felt for her mother, but also from the numberless proofs she had observed of the honourable motives by which the conduct of the Princess of Wales had been influenced. To these might be added the opinion of the virtuous part of the nation upon the subject, and the very great respect at all times paid to her royal highness by those persons who were independent of the royal family and the government.

Upon her majesty's return to Windsor, she found the king something improved in natural spirits, but desirous not to be troubled with unnecessary visiters. This slight improvement was, however, but of short duration; for, in a few days afterwards, this distressingly-afflicted sovereign relapsed into insensibility, and frequently became very boisterous in his conduct.

The amount required for this year's service was upwards of one hundred and sixteen millions, twenty-seven of which were raised by loans.

The year

1815

commenced under numerous public and private difficulties. The regent found himself in a very unpleasant situation, being under a necessity of increasing the number of the various orders of knighthood, in order to preserve himself a sufficiency of adherents. A strange concatenation of events had

[[252]]also placed the rest of the royal family in an uneasy position. The Duke of Kent, some considerable time before, entered into a positive engagement with a foreign princess, by solemnly promising her marriage; yet, upon requesting his mother's approbation of the choice he had made, how great was his surprise and indignation to find that she would not listen to it! But, hastily snatching up the letter a second time, she said, "It is impossible such things can be permitted; we need money too much in our own family to squander it upon these miserably-poor connexions." This indignant lady quite forgot, or did not wish to remember, her own origin, and the great wealth she had brought to this country. Ere this self-important personage had said so much, she should have called to mind the many noble acts by which she had been distinguished above all other royal ladies, and ought to have reflected, how many thousands had suffered privations and want to permit her royal self and family to live in splendour, and how many had been privately disposed of to satisfy her inordinate ambition and insatiable thirst for power!

Her majesty had also another mortification to endure in the marriage of her hopeful son, the Duke of Cumberland, with the Princess of Salms. Lord Castlereagh, always happy to take from the people, had the audacity to propose an additional grant to the Duke of Cumberland upon his alliance with a lady so congenial to the taste and talents of his royal highness! The House of Commons, however, opposed this grant, and several members made the