tue and amiable endowment, whose illustrious line has constantly shown the firmest zeal for the protestant religion, and a particular attachment to my family. I have judged proper to communicate to you these my intentions, in order that you may be fully apprized of a matter so highly important to me, and to my kingdom-and which, I persuade myself, will be most acceptable to all my loving subjects.'

It will be remembered, that, at this period, the king was little more than twenty-three years of age, and the princess, whom he had chosen for a consort, was but a few months past seventeen. Immediately after the notification to the privy council, his majesty gave directions for demanding and bringing over the princess in a manner suitable to his own dignity, and the respect due to her serene highness.

Lord Harcourt was named to make the demand of her serene highness: the duchesses of Ancaster and Hamilton (the two finest women of the British court,) and the countess of Effingham, to take care of her person; and lord Ansen to command a fleet that was to convoy her over to the English shore.

The fleet put to sea on the 8th of August, and, on the 14th, lord Harcourt, and the other lords and ladies sent on this important embassy, arrived at Strelitz. The next morning, at eleven o'clock, the earl of Harcourt performed the ceremony of asking in form her serene highness in marriage for the king his master. The moment the contract of marriage was signed, the cannon fired. Her royal highness was afterwards complimented by the states of the country, and the deputies of the towns.

On the 17th, her highness, accompanied by the reigning duke, her brother, set out for Mirow, amidst the tears and prayers of all ranks of people, the poor in particular, whose zealous patroness she had always shown herself. The 18th she arrived at Perleberg, where she was complimented by the count de Gotter, in the name of his Prussian majesty.

On the 19th, her most serene highness continued her journey, by Leutzen, for Ghorde, where she dined twice in public, and walked in the afternoon in the park. On the 22d, at seven o'clock in the evening, she arrived at Stade, under a general discharge of the cannon of that place, and amidst the acclamations of a vast number of people, both citizens and foreigners. The burgesses of Stade were assembled under arms, and lined the streets through which her most serene highness passed. Some of the principal ladies of the town presented her with yerses, on her majesty's approaching nuptials, on velvet cushions. At nine o'clock the whole town was illuminated, and several triumphal arches were erected in the principal streets; on which were placed many small lamps and inscriptions, analogous to the feast. The same night their marks of public joy were reiterated. Next morning she set out for Cuxhaven; and about ten, her most serene highness embarked on board the yacht, amidst the acclamations of the people, accom

panied by the duchesses of Ancaster and Hamilton, the earl of Harcourt and lord Anson. She was saluted by the whole squadron destined to convoy her to England. They were ranged on each side of the yacht. The moment she entered her cabin she saluted the officers of the different ships, who had crowded the decks in order to have the pleasure of seeing her, and were all charmed with her affable and polite behaviour.

On the 28th, the fleet, having on board her most serene highness, put to sea, but as no despatches were received from it from that time till its arrival at Harwich, the court was in some concern lest the tediousness of her voyage might affect her health; besides, the day fixed for the coronation of his majesty, by a proclamation issued from the said council, in which his majesty had declared his intentions to demand her serene highness in marriage, was drawing near, his majesty was desirous that the ceremony of the nuptials might precede that of the coronation, so that fresh instructions, it is said, were despatched to the admiral to sail at all events, and to land his charge at any of the ports of Great Britain, where it could be done with safety. At length, after three different storms, and being often in sight of the English coast, and often in danger of being driven on that of Norway, the fleet, with her most serene highness on board, arrived at Harwich, September 6th. Her most serene highness, during her tedious passage, continued in very good health and spirits, often diverting herself with playing on the harpsicord, practising English tunes, and endearing herself to those who were honoured with the care of her person.

As it was night when the fleet arrived at Harwich, her most serene highness slept on board, and continued there till three in the afternoon the next day, during which time her route had been settled, and instructions received as to the manner of her proceeding to St. James's. At her landing, she was received by the mayor and aldermen of Harwich, in their usual formalities. About five o'clock she came to Colchester, and stopped at the house of Mr. Enew, where she was received and waited upon by Mrs. Enew and Mrs. Rebow; but captain Best attended her with coffee, and lieutenant John Seabear with tea. Being thus refreshed, she proceeded to Witham, where she arrived at a quarter past seven, and stopped at lord Abercorn's, and his lordship provided as elegant an entertainment for her as the time would admit. During supper, the door of the room was ordered to stand open, that every body might have the pleasure of seeing her most serene highness; and on each side of her chair stood the lords Harcourt and Anson. She slept that night at his lordship's house: and a little after twelve o'clock next day, her highness came to Rumford, where the king's coach and servants met her; and after stopping to drink coffee at Mr. Dutton's, where the king's servants waited on her, she entered the king's coach. The attendants of her highness were in three other coaches. In the first were some

ladies of Mecklenburgh, and in the last was her serene highness, who sat forward, and the duchesses of Ancaster and Hamilton, backwards.

On the road she was extremely courteous to an incredible number of spectators on horse and foot, gathered on this occasion, showing herself, and bowing to all who seemed desirous of seeing her, and ordering the coach to go extremely slow through the town and villages as she passed, that as many as would might have a full view of her.

Thus they proceeded, at a tolerable pace, to Stratford-le-Bow and Mile-end, where they turned up Dog-row, and prosecuted heir journey to Hackney turnpike, then by Shoreditch church, and up Old-street to the City-road, across Islington, along the New-road into Hyde-park, down Constitution-hill into St. James's Park, and then to the garden-gate of the palace, where she was received by all the royal family. She was handed out of the coach by the duke of York, and met in the garden by his majesty, who, in a very affectionate manner, raised her up, and saluted her, as she was going to pay her obeisance, and then led her into the palace, where she dined with his majesty, the princess dowager, and the rest of the royal family, except the two youngest. After dinner, her highness was pleased to show herself with his majesty in the gallery and other apartments fronting the park About eight o'clock in the evening, the procession to the chapel took place.

The bride, in her nuptial habit, was supported by their royal highnesses the duke of York and prince William; her train borne by ten unmarried daughters of dukes and earls, viz.-lady Sarah Lennox, lady Ann Hamilton, lady Harriet Bentinck, lady Elizabeth Keppel, lady Elizabeth Harcourt, lady Caroline Russel, lady Elizabeth Ker, lady C. Montagu, lady L. Grenville, lady S. Strangways.

The marriage ceremony was performed by the lord archbishop of Canterbury. The duke of Cumberland gave her hand to his majesty, and immediately on the joining their hands, the Park and Tower guns were fired.

Their majesties, after the ceremony, sat on one side of the altar on two state chairs under a canopy: her royal highness the princess dowager of Wales sat facing them on a chair of state on the other, all the rest of the royal family on stools, and all the peers, peeresses, bishops, and foreign ministers (including M. Bussy,) on benches. There was afterwards a public drawingroom, but no persons presented. The houses in the cities of London and Westminster were illuminated, and the evening concluded with the utmost demonstrations of joy.

Her majesty's figure was very pleasing, but her countenance, though not without attraction when she smiled, could not boast any claim to beauty. It was, however, a well known fact, that the king declared himself satisfied with his connubial fortune. She

entered at once upon the royal offices of the drawing-room, with a most becoming grace and easy dignity. It was a singular occurrence, that the first play she saw was the Rehearsal, in which Mr. Garrick, in his inimitable representation of the character of Bayes, kept the king, the courtiers, and the audience in a continual roar: but which, from the construction of the piece, it was not possible to explain to her majesty.

She was popular when lord Bute's administration had rendered the king very much the reverse. She gave beautiful children to the country. She interested the people of England as a fruitful mother; and was considered with general regard as a domestic woman; so much so, that colonel Barre, then a violent opposition speaker, delivered a very splendid eulogium on her 'mild, tender, and unassuming virtues."

ART. VIII.-Letter from Switzerland.

(From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine.)

LAUSANNE, August 25, 1817.

YOU ask me to speak of Madame de Stael. On what other subject could I write to you? During a period of twenty-five years her friendship was the charm of my existence; my opinions and my feelings indeed grew up with her's. Regret for her loss is now all I can offer to her memory, and I have no other consolation but in my recollection of her who is departed.

Madame de Stael was distinguished, even in her childhood, by the brilliancy of her imagination, and the liveliness of her repartees. She learnt or guessed every thing. It was even necessary to restrain her application, which injured her health. Idleness was prescribed for her, but nothing could arrest the progress of a mind like her's, which fed upon itself, and which was even more affected by solitude than by society.

The temper of Madame de Stael was in all respects the opposite of that of her mother; of course there never was much confidence between them. This was unfortunate, as both had greatness of mind enough to comprehend and appreciate each other.

To make up for this, however, Madame de Stael was the delight of her father, who indeed was much more alive than could have been supposed to the influence of natural affection and gracefulness of mind. He delighted in the enthusiastic affection shown him by his daughter; and with her alone he let down the gravity of his manners to bring himself more into unison with her. I have never seen any thing so charming as their intimacy. She was witty, affectionate, and endearing. Years only added to their mutual affection, and death, which alone could separate, has again.

united them.

Mr. Necker was especially delighted at seeing his daughter unite so much goodness with so much wit; for from infancy she had shown herself noble and distinguished in every thing. To this

even her enemies have borne testimony. While yet in early youth, she was never intimidated by deference to established reputation, from engaging in what she conceived to be the defence of justice or innocence. Thus at the age of eighteen she wrote the Letters on Rousseau, because Rousseau was in his grave, and could no longer defend himself.

Nobody ever resented oppression and bad faith with more indignation than Madame de Stael. So pure indeed was her character, that even experience could never habituate her to tolerate the slightest act of injustice. On this account she was generally disposed to range herself on the side opposed to authority, because the abuse of power is more generally on the side of authority than on the other.

She never submitted to bad faith, but when she herself was made the object of it, apparently because the part of the oppressed was not disagreeable to her; neither did she ever notice the satirical effusions to which her works were exposed. This did not proceed from affected disdain (for she was neither insensible to praise nor to censure,) but from a sense of her own dignity.

Her talent for discriminating truth was the most powerful trait in the genius of Madame de Stael. She discerned it, as it were instinctively, with incredible quickness, and it was almost impossible to deceive her. I never saw a man succeed for five minutes in passing himself off before her for a person of greater wit or sensibility than nature had made him. On this account, the best manner to adopt before her was that of truth and nature.

From society she carried this tact into the studies and into the analysis of our age. Indeed to it she owed her success, genius being in reality nothing more than the intuitive perception of truth.

The first time I saw Madame de Stael was in Switzerland, in the year 1793. She had just quitted France, all her friends having abandoned that unfortunate country, or perished in it. She beheld with despair the bloody march of the revolution-of that revolution which she had loved, because it had appeared to be in unison with her character, but the nature of which she had not foreseen: because nobody had been gifted with such extraordinary foresight. She called to remembrance the time when she had seen the revolution commence with such noble enthusiasm, and the day in which the people conducted her father in triumph from Paris to Versailles. Could she be otherwise than seduced by this triumph, the more glorious because not in unison with our customs? Could she see any thing in it but the presage of a happy future for France, since it was her father whom France had charged with its destiny? We must recal these days and these scenes which so many others have effaced, in order to perceive all the interest which Madame de Stael felt for the events of our age.

Soon, however, neither liberty nor triumph were thought of. Life and death were alone the subject of question. Nobody