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whom therefore the fuccefs of the whole undertaking in a great measure depended.

"The feventeenth day of the year 1772 was fixed for the execution of this dreadful plan-a plan by which the confort and the friends of an unhappy monarch were violently torn from him; by which he was irrevocably confined under the rigour of a much more cruel guardianship than that to which he had hitherto fubmitted; by which his whole power was transferred into the hands of his step-brother, a prince whom both his heart and head rendered wholly unworthy of the charge-a plan by which a young and amiable princefs, who deferved a better fate, was for ever deprived of the pleasures of a queen, a wife, and a mother; which polluted the Danish foil with the blood of an innocent man, and destroyed the peace of many worthy citizens- a plan which furnished the Danish nation, hitherto unacquainted with difloyalty and rebellion, the most horrid example of thefe crimes; and dishonoured the annals of the country, by recording the moft shocking inftance of implacable revenge to be met with in hiftory.

"The regiment commanded by colonel Köller, the moft zealous and the boldeft of the confpirators, was, on the 16th of January, ordered to be upon guard in and about the palace; and on the fame evening a grand ball was given at court. In the whole garrifon of Copenhagen, this was the only regiment from which the queen dowager and her adherents could expect fupport to her defigns; and the ball gave her the most favourable opportunity to prepare every thing for their execution. Juliana faw, at one view, every advantage to be derived from fo fortunate a concurrence of circumstances, and determined not to lose one of them: fhe therefore previously concerted every measure with the confpirators; and awaited, with the most anxious impatience, the decifive moment of action. To her ardour the day feemed to pass heavily; the hour of complete revenge was in profpect; but, fhould her measures mifcarry, the faw nothing but the most inevitable ruin before her eyes. The mean and timid character of her fon, the unruly zeal of colonel Köller, the levity of

count Ranzau, and the doubtful courage of colonel Eichstädt, filled her mind with anxiety and apprehenfion. Night at laft approached, and the ball commenced. It was afterwards obferved, as fomething very extraordinary, that not one of the foreign minifters, except the British ambaffador, was prefent. Queen Matilda indulged, with the moft unfufpecting and carelets gaiety, her paffion for lively amufement; and, at one o'clock in the morning, the clofed the ball, by dancing with prince Frederic: and the principal leaders of her party had the honour of playing with the king. Thefe were the last joys of the devoted victims! The ball was concluded, and every one betook himself to reft. In the mean time, fuch preparations were made, as foon roufed them to unexpected horrors.

"The clock ftruck three-the dreadful hour fixed upon by the confpirators for the execution of their defigns. A dead filence reigned throughout the palace. Colonel Köller then went round to the different pofts, collected his principal officers, and carried them to the guard-room. He there declared to them, that, by exprefs orders of the king, he demanded their affiftance in taking the reigning queen, and all her adherents, into cuftody; and commanded them to follow him to the queen dowager. The horrid importance of this business, the dreaded authority of the colonel, the affected dignity and well-fimulated coolnefs with which he pronounced his short harangue, so stunned the officers, that not one dared to ask him to produce his orders to them. Had but one of them had fufficient courage and prefence of mind to-have made fo natural a demand, the daring colonel would have appeared before his officers, not as an obedient and loyal fubject, but as a nefarious confpirator, convicted of the most impudent falfehood; they would, as their duty required, have fecured his perfon; and the whole plot must have mifcarried. But Köller was no lefs fortunate than he was bold. They followed him to the queen dowager, where count Ranzau at the fame time arrived, accompanied by one Guldberg, formerly a fchoolmafter, who had been employed in drawing up the plan of the confpiracy,

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and in writing out the neceffary orders. In the mean time, colonel Eichstädt had armed his dragoons, and furrounded the palace, in order to prevent the entrance of any perfon, and to receive the prifoners. The different parts were foon distributed among the confpirators. Ranzau was appointed to arrest the queen, Köller to fecure count Struenfee; and the reft of the officers were ordered to take count Brandt, and the other principal leaders of the party, into cuftody. Köller immediately haftened to the apartments of the first minifter; the officers difperfed to their different pofts; and queen Juliana, count Ranzau, and Guldberg, who carried a candle before them, went to the chamber of the king. To their great difappointment they found the door locked, and not one of the keys and picklocks, with which they were provided, would open it. The lofs of a moment was of confequence to the undertaking. Ranzau flew to the apartment of the page, who was in waiting, entered the room with great noife, pretended to be in the utmost confternation, and ordered him to repair immediately to the chamber of the king. The frightened page haftened to affift his mafter, and met queen Juliana, prince Frederic, and Kanzau at the door, who ordered him to open it immediately. The unufual hour of the night, the known characters of the perfons he faw, and the anxious impatience he perceived in them, raifed his fufpicions, and he refused to comply. The queen was in inexpreffible confternation; the prince trembled; and Ranzau, and Guldberg, whofe candle fell from his fhaking hands, did not venture to take the keys from the page by force: he was ftrong and refolute, and they wished to make no noife. Ranzau therefore endeavour ed to effect that by fear, which he could not by perfuafion he told him that the whole town was up in arms; that the rebels were ready to penetrate into the palace; that the guards could not withftand their fury; and that no time was to be loft, if they wished to fave the life of the monarch. The queen and her fon joined in affecting the utmost folicitude for the fafety of the king. The page was first moved, then alarmed; the promife of a confiderable re

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ward completely overturned his refolution; he yielded, and led the queen and her fuite into the chamber of the deep ing monarch. The curtains of his bed were furiously torn open; he awoke fuddenly, and started! no time was left him to recover from his fright. Ranzau denounced ruin and death; placed every image of terror before the eyes of the monarch; and his fruitful brain fupplied him with new images of unreal horror: he painted the rage of a rebellious nation, confpired to thake off the yoke to which the queen and Struenfee had fubjected them, crying aloud for juftice, and determined to be fatisfied with nothing lefs than the death of the victims they demanded. What a dreadful misfortune! whither fhall I flee?' cried the king, half dead with fear; help me, advise me, tell me what I fhall do.'—' Sign thefe orders,' returned Ranzau, with double fury;

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this alone can fave the king, his royal palace, and his people.' The papers lay ready upon the table, and the queen held the pen, the inftrument of the destruction of the king's best friends, and of her complete revenge. The king took it with trembling hand; but the moment he efpied, upon the first paper, the name of his queen, Matilda, he threw it away with vehemence: it was as if this name, which had fo long feemed wholly indifferent to him, at once roused the dormant powers of his mind. He endeavoured forcibly to rise, but was as forcibly prevented; another torrent of menaces and terrors was poured out upon him. Ranzau accumulated the most horrid falfehoods:

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The people,' cried he, are at the gates of the palace, fire and fword in their hands, and direful vengeance in their hearts: escape will foon be in vain; the palace will foon be in flames, and the monarch the first victim of their fury. The king's courage could not repel this fecond attack; fear overpowered him, tears ran down his cheeks, his hand trembled, he guided the pen without knowing it, figned the orders, and Ranzau hurried to see them executed.

"Colonel Köller had, in the mean time, proceeded to the apartment of Struenfee, without waiting the king's orders to arrest him. Having left the

officers

officers who accompanied him, in an adjoining room, he entered the chamber alone in which the minifter lay. Struenfee was roufed by the noife with which the colonel approached; he knew him immediately; and, equally frightened and aftonished, he asked him, by whofe authority he dared to enter his chamber at fo improper an hour?' I will tell you that immediately,' cried Köller; rife this inftant.' He then feized him by the throat, and fhook him fo long and fo violently, that refiftance was in vain: the courage of Struenfee was foon overpowered; he furrendered, and was carried to the prifon ready prepared for him in the citadel. Had this unfortunate minifter poffeffed fufficient prefence of mind, by the least resistance, to have detained his

daring enemy; to have called in the affistance of the officers that accompanied him; and to have required him, in their prefence, to produce the royal orders, Köller would not have had the fame fuccefs then, which crowned his effrontery in the guard-room, and would probably have been the victim of his own temerity. The eldest brother of the minifter, count Brandt, general Göhler and his lady, colonel Falkenfehiold, the royal phyfician Berger, general Gude, governor of Copenhagen, baron Bülow, the fecretary of state Zöga, and many other friends of Struenfee, were then apprehended, and quietly carried to different prifons.

But the most dreadful fcene of all was still to be acted.

[To be concluded in our next.]

REMARKABLE DOMESTIC EVENTS. FOR FEBRUARY, 1790.

PRINCE OF WALES'S LEVEE.

TH

HE 8th, there was a levee, for the first time, at Carleton-houfe, by order of his royal highness the prince of Wales. The company began to affemble foon after one o'clock, but the levee did not open till two. The perfons of diftinction prefent were, their royal highneffes the dukes of York, Clarence, and Cumberland; the duke of Orleans, the other foreign nobility, and all the foreign ambaffadors and envoys; the archbishop of York; speaker of the House of Commons; mafter of the Rolls; attorney general; bishops of London, Winchester, Down, Kilmore, Peterborough, Salisbury, Gloucester, Bangor, Llandaff, &c. all his majefty's cabinet minifters, many of the officers, lords of the king's and queen's houfholds, a most numerous appearance of members of both houfes of parliament, the lord mayor, recorder, and several aldermen of London, and a number of naval and military officers. The duke of Cumberland went in ftate, as did the speaker of the House of Commons. The prince was in great fpirits and good humour during the whole of the time, and paid equal attention to all his visitors.

This was one of the moft fplendid levees which this country has feen for years. The tafte and magnificence of the heir apparent, the royal dignity which he maintains on occafions of ftate, compared with the focial affability which recommends his private manners, have been long the praise of Europe. Every foreigner has borne teftimony to his polished deportment, and given him the diftinction of the best bred man in Europe; and this courtday manifefted the love and opinion of the world. Both houfes of parliament adjourned over the day to do honour to his first resumed levee; and Carleton-houfe prefented an affemblage of all that is illuftrious among the ancient families, as well as of all that is favoured among the prefent race; for both the oppofition and the ministry crouded to the circle.

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the refpect and admiration of all Eu- iffue, between a Mr. Harding and a

rope.

MUSICAL PHENOMENON.

An infant, little more than four years old, is just brought up from War wickshire, whofe mutical talents exceed every thing that has hitherto been known. Till about nine months ago, the boy was fo difpleased with all notes of melody, that he constantly burst into tears when either his father or mother played upon any inftrument, or fung. But, in May last, all on a sudden, he became as paffionately enamoured of thofe founds to which he had before invariably fhewn fuch figns of averfion. He already plays on the piano forte and organ, in perfect time, and fine taste, feveral of Handel's and Corelli's dif ficult fugues, and that with a difcriminative touch, and expreffion of countenance, which strongly mark his fingular genius. He is already grounded by his father in all the principles of the keys, concords, difcords, &c. and is allowed by Clementi, and the other profeffors who have heard him, to be the most extraordinary mufical prodigy they ever beheld. The father's name is Appleton; he is a maltfter, not far diftant from Birmingham, and is come to London for the exprefs purpofe of procuring the ableft matters for his little Warwickshire Apollo. Their majefties have expreffed a defire to hear him fome evening at Buckingham-houfe.

LAW.

The queftion," Whether a payment made in bank-notes can legally be deemed a payment made in money?" was, on the 5th, argued and determined in the court of King's Bench.

Mr. Beamish, both ftudents of the College of Phyficians at Edinburgh, Mr. Beamish was unfortunately thot through the body, and died the fame morning about ten o'clock. He received his mortal wound from the first fire of his antagonist, and fell without difcharging his piftol. Mr. Harding and his fecond hurried immediately off the ground, and are fupposed to have failed for the continent. The coach which bore them to the place carried back the expiring Mr. Beamish, with his friend,

SUICIDES.

The roth, at half past nine o'clock, a young woman, of the name of Finch, niece to Mr. Finch, tobacconist, at No. 268, Wapping, took the fatal refolution of putting an end to her life, by swalprocured of a chemist in the neighbourlowing a quantity of arfenic, which the hood. What renders this more remarkable, is, her prevailing on the fervant maid of Mr. Huddy, a pastry. cook clofe adjoining, to accompany her in the fatal refolution: they took two ounces between them; in confequence of which Mifs Grace Finch struggled in violent convulfions till twelve o'clock fervant of Mr. Huddy continued in at night, and then expired. The maid

a moft miferable state till eleven on maid fervant of Mr. Finch finding fome Tuesday, when the alfo expired. The of the dregs in the glafs, which was mixt with brandy, unluckily drank it up; but it is fuppofed the will recover.

A young gentleman of the west of England, who would have inherited, at his father's death, a very confiderable family eftate, fhot himself lately through the head. This rafh action was occafioned by the lofs of a confiderable fum of money, a few days preceding, at pafs dice, in a certain notorious gam

The court faid, that the judges had not yet gone to the extent of deciding that the tender of a debt in bank notes was a good tender, unless the party accepted them as caf. A payment, how-bling-houfe in Piccadilly. ever, made in bank notes might certainly be deemed a payment made in money, and might be fo ftiled in a deed or other inftrument by which any fum is ftated to be given or paid. Bank notes were unquestionably called money, and fo confidered by the world..

QUELLING.

A point of honour was lately terminated, near Dublin, by a melancholy

Mr. Blanket, fecond mate of the Swallow packet, in the fervice of the Eaft India Company, and nephew to captain Blanket, of his majesty's navy, lately difpatched himself with a pistol. What could have driven him to this dreadful act, no one can tell. He had company to dine with him on Monday, and ap peared, as ufual, cheerful and eaty. But the company had not been long

gone,

Blanket had put the piftol into his mouth, but had not pointed it in fuch a manner as to make the hot produce instantaneous death. He lived for about a quarter of an hour in most excruciating agony, and then died.

MURDER.

The 7th, at a public house in Thames-ftreet, a porter to a cheese monger, rather intoxicated, ftabbed the landlord, dangerously in the belly; then walked out, and wounded two watchmen before he could be fecured. The inftrument ufed was a fmall pen knife. He was committed to WoodAtreet Compter.

DEPRAVITY.

As a degrading improvement upon the fale of wives, a child of four years of age was this month played for at cards, at a public houfe in Bow, five hillings against the infant. It was won by a perfon who had cohabited with the mother, for fome months past, and whom he had purchased of her husband, in the fashionable manner, for half that fum.

JEALOUSY.

A man of the name of John Williams, who courted a girl of Dewlifh, in Devonshire, having obferved her in company with another man, was feized with so horrid a fit of jealoufy, that he allured her into the fields, when he frangled the unfortunate girl with his handkerchief. He afterwards conveyed the body to a cow-houfe, and concealed it under fome ftraw; but being difcovered the following morning, he was apprehended; fince which, he has confelfed the fact.

MATRIMONY!

Lately was married, at Prefbury,

Peter Hackerley 20ed feventy-three to

to a

ley, for di

fum of two fhillings, deducting the price of the halter, in which the woman was delivered, in the way which has been lately practifed. After entering the tranfaction in the toll-book, the parties returned home, feemingly well fatisfied.

Wives are now transferable like bank ftock. A purchase of this kind was lately made at Charley-Wood, Herts, by the clerk of an eminent brewer. The Pi ice was a guinea; and the lady, with her child into the bargain, was immediately taken poffeffion of, and conveyed to the habitation of her new gallant.

A young couple, fome fhort time fince, went to be married at Afhtonunder-Line: when the ceremony was about to commence, the lady walked out of the church; the gentleman, with much apparent eagerness, followed her, and in the moft tender manner intreated her to return and make him happy, to which the at length confented. When again in the church, and at the altar, the intended bridegroom, whom nothing but lex talionis would content, made a moft obfequious bow, withed his fair one a good day, and marched cavalierly off.

INSANITY.

tone at his majefty's carriage, as menFrith, the poor maniac, who threw a tioned in our laft, continues calin and ferene in general; but occasionally fhews the strongest marks of infanity, and particularly after having been feen by any of the perfons attending the gaol of Newgate. A phyfician has been ordered to attend him daily, and to make his regular report of what he may obferve.

PUGILISM.

As in our laft Number, we reluctantly gave the articles of agreement for a new contest between Humphries and Mendoza we here with pleasure fav.

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