MEMOIR OF QUEEN ADELAIDE.

vii

fete succeeded fête, and holiday was kept for about a month. The Royal Duke, too, by his kind and condescending manners, and devoted attention to his amiable consort, soon won the hearts of the good people of Meiningen, and became as popular as one of their own princes. After a residence of six weeks in the castle, the court removed to Lubenstein, a retired residence, and of singular beauty, where there are celebrated mineral springs: here, in the course of the summer, the Duchess recovered her health.

The Duke of Clarence now became anxious to return to England, to his favourite retreat at Bushy, and the Duchess, who had been charmed with the beauties of this retirement during her short stay there, seconded the wish of her consort. Towards the end of October, 1819, the royal pair left Meiningen on their return to England. The Duchess was again pregnant, but the hurry and fatigue of a long journey was too much for her delicate frame, and at Dunkirk she suffered a miscarriage. This again affected her health. They landed at Dover; and a residence on the sea-coast being reckoned advisable, Lord Liverpool, then Warden of the Cinque Ports, kindly offered the Duke the use of Walmer Castle, near Deal, where the Duke and Duchess took up their residence, and remained there six weeks.

The Duchess being now perfectly recovered, they removed to St. James's, (Bushy House being under repair,) and spent the winter of that year in London. Again the Duchess was declared enceinte, and hope again revived. Considerably before the natural period, however, her Royal Highness was taken in labour, and after some suffering was delivered of a fine healthy princess. The child grew, and increased in strength daily, to the great joy of its illustrious parents, and of the nation at large. By special desire of the late King, she was christened Elizabeth-a name dear to Englishmen; but when about three months old, she was seized with a fatal illness, an intro-susception of the bowels, which carried her off in a few hours. The calm resignation of the bereaved parents at this moment of severe trial, and their humble submission to the divine will, is described as one of those scenes that give dignity to rank, and impress deeply upon the mind the truth and value of our Christian faith. Indeed, the effect of this second calamitous loss on the royal parents has been touchingly narrated by their biographers. The Duchess, unable to sustain the sudden shock, fainted, and remained for some time insensible in the arms of her mourning consort. The Duke became much alarmed, but at length fervently blessed God, on witnessing returning life in the countenance of the partner of his bosom. The Duke prayed earnestly that he might be sustained by Providence against the calamity, and to assuage the grief of his consort; whilst the Duchess with a calmly regulated, and truly virtuous mind, looked up to the same source of infinite goodness, and deriving all that consolation which it is in the power of true religious feeling to bestow, she became resigned to that will which orders every thing for the best; thus both derived consolation from the same never-failing source of good aided by their mutual affection and attachment to each other. Her Royal Highness, within six months from this period, had another miscarriage, and has not since been in the family way. It is of course generally known, though perhaps it should be formally mentioned, that the Duchess became Queen Consort, on the 26th of June, 1830, when the Duke of Clarence succeeded to the throne, by the title of William IV.

The excellent and amiable qualities of the Queen have been daily evinced, during the period which has elapsed since her Majesty was placed in her present exalted station; in the regular and economical arrangements of the royal household, with a view to benevolent purposes, and in giving notice to various charitable institutions, that that aid should be continued, which her Majesty had contributed to them as Duchess of Clarence. In all her arrangements her Majesty has shown that well regulated and considerate mind, which has invariably dictated to her the best mode of conduct; and the same kind, benevolent, and amiable feelings which constantly actuated the Duchess of Cla

rence, are to the high and greatly increasing satisfaction of the people found to influence even in a still more kind and condescending manner, the Queen Consort of the British dominions, and, happily, with a much wider sphere for their beneficial operation.

There cannot be a more striking proof of the tender sympathy and amiable feeling of the Queen, than an incident which occurred during last summer, at a review in Hyde Park, and which was mentioned in some of the journals of the next day. A female who was afraid of being trampled upon by the horses of the Life Guards, ran much terrified towards the royal carriage for safety; there she was effectually protected, but what was her surprise, on recovering from her momentary panic, to find her protectress to be no other than the Queen, who had personally taken hold of her, and shielded her from harm. Her majesty was, of course, soon relieved from her charge; but let it be recorded, that it was through the gracious condescension of the King, who witnessing the occurrence, sent Colonel Fitzclarence to take charge and care of the female alluded to; and at the same time his Majesty gave orders to the Life Guards to use great caution in their movements, in order to save the people, especially females, from being hurt.

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Her Majesty's affectionate attention to her consort, has long been the theme of panegyric on the part of the different branches of the royal family and the royal attendants, repaid back as they have been, by an equal regard on the part of the King. The domestic virtues of the Queen will, we are convinced, have the best influence upon the community; and we thus hail with the greatest satisfaction, her Majesty's exaltation to that high station, in which their example may best operate... Long may our excellent sovereign and his truly illustrious consort live, in the enjoyment of connubial happiness, and we hope in the enjoyment of those blessings which they are most anxiously disposed to aid, in bestowing upon the people.

Such are the principal biographical facts of her Majesty's Life; for the assemblage and comparison of which we only claim consideration from the reader. We add a few particulars from more special observation.

The Queen, in figure, is rather tall, of slender form, and easy, graceful carriage. Her features, we should say, express considerable intelligence, without any of the hauteur which not unfrequently disfigures, rather than adorns, the graces of female rank. Her hands are extremely delicate, and her feet are also of finely diminutive proportion.

Her Majesty is fond of occasional retirement, and is, to speak familiarly, of more domesticated habits than females are generally in her exalted station. Affability of manners, condescension, and unostentatious neatness, form her "rule and conduct;" and her attention to the regulation and comfort of the Royal household has already become the subject of universal admiration among all classes of her subjects. We need not add how much it would benefit society, if the Queen's example were more closely imitated throughout high life.

The Queen's sensible preference of domestic enjoyment to the splendour of court life is incidentally known to the public. The story of her Majesty's pointed objection to the housemaids of Windsor Castle wearing silk gowns is, however, a somewhat exaggerated version of a judicious, but moderate rebuke. The fact is, her Majesty seeing some of the late King's household in Windsor Castle, dressed in modish style, intimated to one of her Ladies, the propriety of all her domestics regulating their dress by her Majesty's servants at Bushy.

(Copy of the London Gazette, announcing the Death of GEORGE THE FOURTH.)

SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 1830.

Whitehall, June 26, 1830.

A BULLETIN, of which the following is a Copy, has
been this morning received by Secretary Sir Robert
Peel, one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State:

Windsor Castle, June 26, 1830.

IT has pleased Almighty God to take from this World,
the King's Most Excellent Majesty.

His Majesty expired at a quarter past Three o'Clock
this Morning, without pain.

(Signed) HENRY HALFORD.

MATTHEW JOHN TIERNEY.

Printed and Published at the Office, in Cannon-Row, Parliament-Street, by
ROBERT GEORGE CLARK.

[ Price Seven-Pence. ]

LAST MOMENTS OF GEORGE
THE FOURTH.

(With an Engraving of the Royal Bed-
chamber, in Windsor Castle.)

THIS is a melancholy commencement of
our new volume; yet, as the reader will
readily imagine, not altogether unanti-
cipated.

THE ROYAL BEDCHAMBER. (See the annexed Engraving.) This was the favourite apartment of the late King. Here His Majesty passed the whole of his painful illness, only leaving the room for an occasional airing in the adjoining corridor-and within these walls died George IV.

The chamber is a cheerful room on the eastern side, and is in the new portion of the Castle. Its dimensions are 30 by 17 feet, and 16 in height. From a fine embayed window, the eye enjoys Garden, Orangery, and Fountain (all rea most enchanting view of the Flower cent improvements in the royal domain,)

and Windsor Great Park and the River Thames in the distance. The late King breakfasted in this room at twelve or one o'clock, and seldom ever, when in good health, occupied any other apartment. Perhaps its fine prospect pleasantly

alternated with the cares of State, made somewhat lighter also by the retired habits of his Majesty. The associations remind us of the beautiful soliloquy of one of Shakspeare's English monarchs:

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THE KING IS DEAD! - These are
words of solemn import, and the fast
hold which they take on public sympathy
will explain our motive for occupying so
great a portion of the present sheet of
The Mirror with the details of the la-
mentable event which they announce.
We intend to do more than is now be-
fore the reader. Part of a MEMOIR of
GEORGE IV. is published with this No.
the remainder will appear almost imme-
diately. How much further we may
enlarge upon the mournful subject, time
and circumstance must prescribe. We
may state generally, that it will be our
aim to place in the hands of our readers
a plain narrative of the Life and Reign,
-Methinks it were a happy life
the Illness, Last Moments, Death, and To be no better than a homely swain!
Interment of HIS LATE MAJESTY;
to speak of some points of his charac-
ter, and graphically illustrate some por-
tions of his domestic life. Of the in-
terest and value which these details will
doubtless contribute to The Mirror, we
need not speak in terms of commenda-
tion. Every sensitive reader will justly
appreciate them. We hope to make
truth their characteristic, since the days
of mealy-winged loyalty are passed, or,
if not entirely so, we do not wish to soar
in such an element. Still, wherever
plain truth is disadvantageous to the
interests of morality, it shall be deli-
cately spoken; since we have no ambi-
tion to gratify any but laudable curiosity
respecting the personal habits of our
lamented sovereign. It need scarcely
be added, that our information will be
collected from the best sources, by col-
lating and comparing conflicting state-
ments, and, to save the time of the
reader, by abridging all materials as
far as may be consistent with perspicuity.
Of our exclusive sources we do not
boast; they will speak for themselves;
still, we must express our melancholy
satisfaction in being the first to present
the public with a view of the identical
Chamber in which His Majesty died;
and we are sure that our contemporaries
will give us credit for no ordinary zeal in
possessing ourselves of what appears to
us, a spot of extreme interest.

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Ah! what a life were this! How sweet '-how

lovely!

Gives not the hawthorn bush a sweeter shade
To shepherds looking on their silly sheep,
Than doth a rich embroidered canopy to kings.

The interior of the chamber is of an elegant description. The ceiling is divided by rich gilt mouldings into three square compartments, with scroll enrichments in the angles and centre. All the ornaments are gold, upon a French white ground; the ceiling is surrounded by a cornice of beautiful foliage. The walls are hung with crimson silk damask, with a yellow flower, in burnished gold frames, and divided into compartments by pilasters with carved enrichments. Over the chimney-piece, which is of white marble, and or-molu inlaid, is a large mirror, in a splendid frame emblazoned with the national emblems. The window hangings are of crimson damask silk, with bullion fringe. The chairs, sofas, &c. are of burnished gold and crimson silk. The cabinets and tables are mostly of Amboyna wood, beautifully inlaid with or-molu. The King's bed is of the couch form, without hangings, and is richly carved and gilt. The mattresses and bed are of white satin, edged with crimson. Several time-pieces, of foreign and British manufacture, are placed in various parts of the room, and produced a pleasing effect by their variety