the apartments; but imagine every thing that is elegant and delightful, and you will do more justice to the place and entertainment, than I can by my description. They all returned to the great drawing placed in the middle of the room for the king and queen. The king placed the duchess dowager of Portland in his chair, and walked about admiring the beauties of the place. Breakfast was offered-all prepared in a long gallery that runs the length of the great apart plan of the house, that I might lead you through | (severely tried by his enemies at home, as well as abroad). The three princesses were all in frocks; the king and all the men were in an uniform, blue and gold. They walked through the great apartments, which are in a line, and "The royal family (ten in all) came at twelve attentively observed every thing, the pictures o'clock. The king drove the queen in an open in particular. I kept back in the drawing-room, chaise, with a pair of white horses. The prince and took that opportunity of sitting down; of Wales and prince Frederick rode on horse- when princess royal returned to me, and said back, all with proper attendants, but no guards; the queen missed me in the train: I immeprincess royal and lady Weymouth, in a post-diately obeyed the summons with my best chaise; princess Augusta, princess Elizabeth, alacrity. Her majesty met me half-way, and prince Adolphus (about seven years old,) and seeing me hasten my steps, called out to me, lady Charlotte Finch, in a coach; prince Wil- Though I desired you to come, I did not desire liam, prince Edward, duke of Montague, and you to run and fatigue yourself.' bishop of Lichfield, in a coach; another coach, full of attendant gentlemen; amongst the num-room, where there were only two armed chairs ber, Mr. Smelt, whose character sets him above most men, and does great honour to the king, who calls him his friend, and has drawn him out of his solitude (the life he had chosen) to enjoy his conversation every leisure moment. These, with all their attendants in rank and file, made a splendid figure as they drovements (a suit of eight rooms and three closets.) through the park, and round the court, up to the house. The day was as brilliant as could be wished, the 12th of August, the prince of Wales's birth-day. The queen was in a hat, and an Italian night-gown of purple lustring, trimmed with silver gauze. She is graceful and genteel: the dignity and sweetness of her manner, the perfect propriety of every thing she says, or does, satisfies every body she honours with her distinction so much, that beauty is by no means wanting to make her perfectly agreeable; and though age and long retirement from court made me feel timid on my being called to make my appearance, I soon found myself perfectly at ease; for the king's condescension and good humour took off all awe, but what one must have for so respectable a character The king and all his royal children, and the rest of the train, chose to go to the gallery, where the well-furnished tables were set: one with tea, coffee, and chocolate; another with their proper accompaniments of eatables, rolls, cakes, &c.; another table with fruits and ices. in the utmost perfection; which with a magical touch had succeeded a cold repast. The queen remained in the drawing-room: I stood at the back of her chair, which happening to be one of my working, gave the queen an opportunity of saying many flattering and obliging things. The duchess dowager of Portland brought her majesty a dish of tea on a waiter, with biscuits, which was what she choose; after she had drank her tea, she would not return the cup to the duchess, but got up and would carry it into the gallery herself, and was much pleased to see with what elegance every thing was prepared; no servants but those out of livery made their appearance. The gay and pleasant appearance they all made, and the satisfaction all expressed, rewarded the attention and politeness of the duchess of Portland, who is never so happy as when she gratifies those she esteems worthy of her attention and favours. The young royals seemed quite happy, from the eldest to the youngest, and to inherit the gracious manners of their parents. I cannot enter upon their particular address to me, which not only did me honour, but showed their humane and benevolent respect for old age. "The king desired me to show the queen one of my books of plants: she seated herself in the gallery; a table and the book laid before her. I kept my distance till she called me to ask some questions about the mosaic paper work; and as I stood before her majesty, the king set a chair behind me. I turned with some confusion and hesitation, on receiving so great an honour, when the queen said, Mrs. Delany, sit down, sit down: it is not every lady that has a chair brought her by a king;' so I obeyed. Amongst many gracious things, the queen asked me why I was not with the duchess when she came; for I might be sure she would ask for me?' I was flattered, though I knew to whom I was obliged for the distinction, (and doubly flattered by that.) I acknowledged it in as few words as possible, and said I was particularly happy at that time to pay my duty to her majesty, as it gave me an opportunity of seeing so many of the royal family, which age and obscurity had deprived me of. Oh, but,' says her majesty you have not seen all my children yet;" upon which " talking about? which was repeated, and the king replied to the queen, you may put Mrs. Delany into the way of doing that, by naming a day for her to drink tea at Windsor-castle.' The duchess of Portland was consulted, and the next day fixed upon, as the duchess had appointed the end of the week for going to Weymouth. "We went at the hour appointed, seven o'clock, and were received in the lower private apartment at the castle: went through a large room with great bay windows, where were all the princesses and youngest princes, with their attendant ladies and gentlemen. We passed on to the bedchamber, where the queen stood in the middle of the room, with lady Weymouth and lady Charlotte Finch. (The king and the eldest princes had walked out.) When the queen took her seat, and the ladies their places, she ordered a chair to be set for me opposite to where she sat, and asked me if I felt any wind from the door or window?-It was indeed a sultry day. "At eight, the king, &c., came into the room, with so much cheerfulness and good humour, that it was impossible to feel any painful restriction. It was the hour of the king and queen and eleven of the princes and princesses' walking on the terrace. They apologised for going, but said the crowd expected them; but they left lady Weymouth and the bishop of Lichfield to entertain us in their absence: we sat in the bay-window, well pleased with our companions, and the brilliant show on the terrace, on which we looked; the band of music playing all the time under the window.— When they returned we were summoned into the next room to tea, and the royals began a ball, and danced two country dances, to the music of French horns, bassoons, and hautboys, which said he was sure, when he considered how great an effort it must be to play that kind of music so long a time together, that he would not continue their dancing there, but that the queen and the rest of the company were going to the queen's house, and they should renew their dancing there, and have proper music." king came up to the prince of Wales and indicative of the correctness of his majesty's ear. Garrick found it necessary to dismount, when his horse escaped from his hold and ran off; throwing himself immediately into his professional attitude, he cried out, as if in Bosworth-field, "A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!" This exclamation, and the accompanying attitude, excited great amazement amongst the surrounding spectators, who knew him not; but it could not escape his majesty's hearing, he immediately said, "Those must be the tones of Garrick; see if he is not on the ground." The theatrical and dismounted monarch was immediately brought to his majesty, who not only condoled with him most good humouredly on his misfortune, but flatteringly On Monday the 28th of September, their majesties set out on their western tour, at one in the afternoon, from Windsor-castle, and ar-quick apprehension: for, it being within his rived at Winchester about half-past five in the afternoon, and alighted at Mr. Penton's house, where they were waited on by the mayor and corporation, who addressed the king in a loyal speech, as did the master and fellows of the college, and received most gracious answers. Their majesties supped and slept at East-added, gate-house during their stay. Her majesty held her levees there, and the king at St. John's house. The next morning his majesty reviewed the troops, and after the review ended, the king went to the tent prepared for his reception, where he afterwards dined, as did the queen in another tent prepared for her majesty. During the review a whimsical incident happened to Garrick, and at the same time it was strongly That his delivery of Shakespeare could never pass undiscovered." On the 30th, their majesties were pleased to take a view of the cathedral, its antiquities, architecture, &c., and afterwards to visit the college, where their majesties were addressed in a Latin speech by Mr. Chamberlayne, son of William Chamberlayne, Esq., solicitor of the treasury, the senior scholar on the foundation, and fellow elect of New College, Oxford; and in English by the earl of Shaftesburyt. As soon * Mr. Chamberlayne's speech. 'Regum antiquorum (Rex augustissime) morem revocas, qui literatorum sodalitiis interesse, oculisque et aspectu doctrinarum studia comprobare non indignum putabant amplitudine sua. Et profecto, complures regios hospites, Henricos, Edvardos, Carolos, olim excepit vetus hoc inclytumque Musarum domicilium: nullum, qui bonas literas te (Pater illustrissime) vel magis amaverit, vel auxerit, vel ornaverit. Quin et animum tuum propensamque in literas voluntatem vel hoc abunde testari possit, quod vicina castra tot tantisque procerum Britannicorum pro patria militantium præsidiis instructissima bellicis spectaculis te non penitus occupatum tenuere, quo minus ut togatam juventutem respiceres, et ex armorum strepitu remissionem quandam literati hujus otii captares. Ut diu vivas et valeas, in utriusque Minervæ perennem gloriam, tibi fausta et felicia comprecantur omnia, voventque Wiccamici tui.” + Lord Shaftesbury's verses. "Forgive th' officious Muse, that with weak voice, On Wickham's sons; the gentler arts of peace as they returned, they set off instantly for Salisbury. They ordered sums of money to be left for the poor, at the disposal of the mayor; for the three senior boys on the foundation, for the debtors in the prisons, and for other charitable purposes. their majesties, attended by their suites, and the earl and countess of Pembroke, left Wiltonhouse on their way to Stonehenge, which their majesties examined very attentively. Their majesties arrived at the duke of Queensberry's house at Ambresbury at eleven o'clock, where They arrived at Salisbury a quarter before they staid a little more than an hour, and then three in the afternoon. They were here ad-proceeded on their return to Windsor, where dressed by the bishop and clergy, by the dean their majesties arrived at six o'clock in the and chapter, and by the mayor and commonalty evening. of the city of New Sarum. On the 6th of October, about a quarter past When the king went to look at Salisbury seven o'clock, their majesties set out from St. cathedral, the tower of which was at that time James's, to stand sponsors to the new-born under repair, he was without attendants, and daughter of the duke and duchess of Chandos. his person, at first, not recognized. Looking Her majesty was dressed in white silk, flounced over the book of Subscribers, he desired to be with silver, and a superb diamond stomacher. put down for 1,000l. "What name shall I The countess of Hertford, as lady of the bedwrite, sir?" said the person present. "Oh!-chamber in waiting, attended on the occasion, a gentleman of Berkshire," replied the king; as did the maids of honour, all dressed in white. thus, by a noble simplicity, identifying himself with his subjects. A draft was then given for the money. Their majesties stopped a short time at the Deanery-house, and continued their route to Wilton-house, where they were received by the earl and countess of Pembroke, and addressed by the mayor, recorder, and burgesses of the borough of Wilton. On Thursday, their majesties left lord Pembroke's house a little before nine in the morning, and the review ended about two in the afternoon. His majesty was pleased to express his entire approbation of the appearance, discipline, and good order of the regiments, and about four returned with the to Wilton-house. queen His majesty was attended by lord Hertford and the earl of Winchelsea. The princess-royal did not go from St. James's, as expected. The canopy, gold fringe and tassels, and illumination of lamps in the hall, at the entrance of the house of his grace the duke of Chandos, for the reception of their majesties and the princess royal, the rich canopy under which they sat, the new chairs and cushions for the christening of his grace's new-born daughter, with the chandelier and other decorations, are said to have cost upwards of 3,000l., besides the apparel of the child during the ceremony, being of the richest laces, to the amount of 7001. A grand review being appointed to take At half-past nine o'clock on Friday morning, place on Warley-common, a spectacle in which Heroes and virtuous Kings: the generous youths, And with true loyalty inflam'd t' adorn his majesty took great delight, on Monday | the Queen's-house, where their majesties arrived the 19th of October, their majesties set out at a quarter past five. from the Queen's-house, and arrived at Thornden-place, in Essex, the seat of the right honourable the lord Petre, at three o'clock in the afternoon. On Tuesday morning, at three quarters past nine o'clock, his majesty on horseback, attended by his suite, and also by general lord Amherst, reviewed the troops. He beheld the whole from a stand erected by lord Petre in the centre of the scene. The several manœuvres being over a little before three o'clock, the king went towards the stand, where a circle being formed by the horse and grenadier guards, the several officers of the regiments were introduced regimentally to his majesty, and had the honour of kissing his majesty's hand. The king was graciously pleased to express great satisfaction at the appearance, discipline, and good order of the several regiments, and the royal artillery; and likewise his approbation of the manœuvres which were performed: and mounting his horse again, a royal salute was fired on his majesty's leaving the field. The king returned to lord Petre's house, where his majesty, and likewise the queen, arrived a little after four o'clock. After ten o'clock on Wednesday morning, the avenue from lord Petre's park, and the road and streets of Brentwood being lined by the light infantry, the 6th and Liverpool regiments of foot, the North Gloucester and North Lincolnshire regiments of militia, under the command of major-general Hall, their majesties attended by their suites, and lord and lady Petre, left Thornden-place, on their way to Navestock, the seat of the earl Waldegrave, where their majesties arrived a little before eleven; and having continued there till near three, their majesties set out on their return to In proof of his majesty's great preference of old English hospitality and manners to those of preparation, show, and ceremony, during the encampment at Warley-common, a nobleman of much weight and importance made great arrangements for the reception of the king, but who, instead of gratifying his vanity and ostentation, preferred the more humble but hospitable table and entertainment of his old friend lord Peters, who resided in the neighbourhood: when on their majesties return home, the queen happening to mention the disappointment of the nobleman, herself, and the young princesses her daughters, and that a prejudicial report had gone abroad that his majesty was a Roman Catholic; the king answered, "Poo! poo! I value not such idle reports; your majesty and the ladies might have gone to satisfy your curiosity and indulge his vanity, but as for myself, I have more respect for true British fare, and a hearty welcome, such as Peters's, than all such costly show and preparation; and, as to being a Roman Catholic, I wish all my men were brave. Romans, and myself a good Catholic." On the same occasion, one morning as his majesty was going on a visit to general Grant, in the same vicinity, in company with some officers of distinction, he was struck by the sight of a file of soldiers who were conducting a poor legless sailor, seated on a half-starved ass, to Brentwood, to go before a magistrate; when his majesty inquiring into the cause and nature of the offence of which he had been guilty, and being answered that he had been detected selling blue ointment among the men of the Hertfordshire militia, when lord Salisbury instantly ordered him to be taken up as a vagrant: the king cried, "Shame! shame! |