; good looks, and saying, I was as lively and turns returned home. In about a fortnight espiegle as ever; said, that I had such sharp we received a note, the Princess requesting eyes, I found her out in every thing, adding, neither Sir John or I to go to Montague House, "Oh! she found me out one day in such a as her servants were afraid some of the childthing when I was at luncheon, and gave me a ren she had taken had the measles, and if any look which was so expressive, that I was sure infection remained about the house, we might she knew." This speech, understood by carry it to our child. We wrote a note expresherself and me, was algebra to the party. Isive of our thanks for her obliging precaudid not know what to do, but I saw the secret tions, and that we would not go to Montague cost her dear to keep, and she was ready to House matil we had the honour of receiving betray it to any one she met, by the strange her Royal Highness's commands. The Princess things she said and did: I laughed and said, never sent for us, and when I left my card "if my eyes have been too observing I am before I went to pass Christmas in Gloucessorry, I never intended them to be; I cannot tershire, I was not admitted, so that I never be quite so polite as to say, if my sight of saw her after the 30th of October; but I heard fends I will put it out,' because I think with the report of her having adopted an infant, Sheridan, that the prejudice is strongly in fa- and Miss Fitzgerald told it me as she rode vour of two; but depend upon it, at all fu- past my house, but would not come in, for fear ture luncheons I will do nothing but eat." She she should bring the measles. Upon my return was in great spirits, staid until two o'clock in to Blackheath in January, I called to pay my the morning, and then, attended by Miss duty. I found her packing a small black box, Cholmondely and the Fitzgeralds, went home and an infant sleeping on the sofa, with a Her Royal Highness's civilities continued; piece of scarlet cloth thrown over it. She she desired me constantly to bring my child- appeared confused, and hesitated whether she ren to Montague House, and also the infant; should be rude or kind, but recovering herself, and when I would have retired to suckle it, chose to be the latter; said, she was happy to she would not suffer me, but commanded me see me; and then taking me by the hand led to do it in the drawing room where she was me to the sofa, and uncovering the child, said and she came with her ladies visiting me both "Here is the little boy, I had him two days mornings and evenings, and nursing little after I saw you last; is not it a nice little Caroline for hours together. I saw now the child? the upper part of his face is very fine.” Princess had told Mrs. Sander, who, I believe, She was going to have said more, when Mrs. was a very quiet good kind of woman, and her Fitzgerald opened the door and came in. The countenance was full of concern and anxiety. Princess consulted what I had better have, She appeared desirous of speaking to me, and what would be good for me. I declined any was unusually obsequious; but the Princess thing, but she insisted upon it I should have always watched us both close; if Sander came some soup, and said, "My dear Fitzgerald, pray into a room, and I went towards her, the go out and order some nice brown soup to be Princess came close, or sent one or another brought here for Lady Douglas." I saw from away, so that I could never speak to her. The this the Princess wished to have spoken to Princess had now quarrelled with Sir Sidney me more fully, and Mrs. Fitzgerald saw it Smith, to whom she had been so partial, and likewise, for instead of obeying, she rúng the to every part of whose family she had been so bell for the soup, and then sat down to tell me kind, telling us constantly that she liked them the whole fable of the child having been all, because old Mr. Smith had saved the Duke brought by a poor woman from Deptford, of Brunswick's life. As Sir John was Sir whose husband had left her; that Mr. StikeSidney's friend, she therefore was shy of us all, man, the page, had the honour of bringing it and we saw little of her-but on the 30th of in; that it was a poor little ill-looking thing October I went to call upon her before I left when first brought, but now, with such great Blackheath, and met her Royal Highness just care, was growing very pretty; and that as returned from church, walking before her own her Royal Highness was so good, and had tahouse with Mrs. Fitzgerald and her daughter, ken the twins (whose father would not let dressed in a long Span.sh velvet cloak and an them remain) and had taken this, all the enormous muff, but which together could not poor people would be bringing children.→ conceal the state she was in, for I saw directly The Princess now took the child up, and I she was very near her time, and think I must was entertained the whole morning by seeing have seen it if I had not known her situation. it fed, and every service of every kind performed. She appeared morose, and talked a little, but for it by her Royal Highness the Princess of did not ask me to go in, and after taking a few | Wales. Mrs. Fitzgerald aired the napkins, and the Princess put them on; and from this time the drawing-rooms at Montague-House were literally in the style of a common nursery. The tables were covered with spoons, plates, feeding boats, and clothes, round the fire; napkins were hung to air, and the marble hearths were strewed with napkins which were taken from the child; for, very extraordinary to relate, this was a part of the ceremony her Royal Highness was particularly tenacious of always performing herself, let the company be who they might. At first the child slept with her, she told me, but it made her uervous, and therefore a nurse was hired to assist in taking charge of it, and for him to sleep with. The Princess said one day to me as she was nursing him," he had a little milk for two or three days, but it did not do, so we bring him up by hand with all kinds of nourishing things, and you see how well he thrives," so that I really always supposed she had attempted to suckle it. Another time she shewed me his hand, which has a pink mark upon it, and said, "it was very singular both our children should be marked, and she thought her child's came from her having some wine thrown on her hand, for she did not look much at little Caroline's mark." The Princess now adopted a new mode of inviting us to see her. She would invite either Sir John or I, but never both together as formerly. I concluded from this, that as she found it so difficult to keep even her own secret, she could ill imagine I had been able to keep hers, and therefore, under the impression that by that time I must have told Sir John, did not like to meet both our eyes; and if she saw Sir John without me, could better judge by his looks and manuer whether I had divulged or not. I conclude she was at length satisfied that I had not; for we were one morning both invited again in the former manner, to a breakfast, and as it was a very curiously arranged party, I will put down the names, for to the person who is to peruse this detail, it will confirm the idea that her Royal Highness cannot always know correctly what she is about. When we entered, the Princess was sitting upon the sofa, elegantly dressed in a white and silver drapery, which covered her head and fell all over her person, and she had her little boy upon her knee elegantly dressed likewise. The guests were, her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Wales, with Miss Hunt, her Governess, Captain Manby, of the Navy, Mr. Spencer Smith, the Fitzgeralds, and ourselves. She got up and nursed the child, and carrying it to Sir John, said, "Here, Sir Jobn, this is the Deptford boy, I suppose you have heard I have taken a little child?" Sir John only said, "Yes, he had, and it seemed a fine baby." She seemed pleased and satisfied that I had not told him, and then sat down to table, putting a chair for Princess Charlotte on her right hand, taking me by the hand and putting me on her left hand, told Captain Manby to sit at the top, and Mr. Spencer Smith at the bottom, and Sir John and the Fitzgeralds faced us. Princess Charlotte had a plain dinner prepared for her in another room, according to custom, and came in when our desert was placed, when we all sat down again as we were sitting, except Miss Hunt, who was never ordered to sit, but stood a few yards from Princess Charlotte. About five o'clock her Royal Highness rose from table, the little boy was brought in again, Princess Charlotte played with it, and the Princess of Wales wished all of us a good morning, and we broke up, totally at a loss to conceive what amusement it could be to collect us together. This breakfast was a kind of finale. We had very little intercourse. Her Royal Highness would walk past our house, for the express purpose of shewing she did not mean to come in, and when we did see her, she always abused Sir Sidney Smith. Often said, she wondered I liked to live at such a dull place as Blackheath, and in short gave us hints we could not misunderstand, that she wanted us away. At this time Sir John received a letter from his division, expressive of the General's wish that he would go to Plymouth, and therefore (without an Admiralty order) he determined to go to emancipate ourselves from the Princess of Wales, and as soon as we could dispose of the furniture, I followed him, leaving the house empty, which was ours three months after I quitted it. The day Sir John was to set off, the Princess walked to our house, and though his trunks were in the room, and he was occupied, would have bim sit down and talk to her, overpowering him and myself now with kindness, and said, she could eat something. She did so, staid four hours in the house, and at parting, took Sir John by both hands, wished him every good wish, and begged him always to recollect how happy she would be to see him again, and that she would be very kind to me in his absence; however, after he was gone, she never came near me, or offered me any kind of civility whatsoever. When I was upon the eve of departure, I called upon her and took her god. daughter and my other little girl with me. She was almost uncivil, and paid little or no attention if I spoke. I said the children were with me, but she did not answer, and after spending four or five hours very unpleasantly, When morning, and went away. Doctor Burnaby spoke to me as I passed him, and, looking back, I saw her Royal Highness's head; she was looking out after me, to see if she had fairly got rid of me, and laughing immoderately at Dr. Burnaby in his gown. I quitted her house, resolved never to re-enter it but for form's sake, and wrote her word, that as I had long been treated rudely, and my children, whom she courted to her house, were now insulted there, I felt a dislike to accepting a present thrown at me, as it were, under such unpleasant circumstances; that I had not untied the box, and requested she would permit me to return it; and that as I was an English gentlewoman, and defied her to say she had ever seen a single impropriety in my conduct, I would never suffer myself to be ill-used without a clear explanation. The Princess wrote back a most haughty imperious reply, desiring me to keep the box, styled herself Princess of Wales in almost every line, and insulted me to such a degree that I returned an answer insisting upon her explaining herself. This she returned me unopened, saying, she would not open my second letter, and had therefore sent it to me to put in the fire, and that she was ready to put the matter in obli suffering all the unpleasant feeling of being where I had been courted and idolized, I begged permission at last to go away. I went out, to my surprize, I found the children had been kept in the passage near the front door, with the door open to Blackheath, in a December day, with four opposite doors opened and shut upon them, instead of being taken to the housekeeper's room, as they always had been. My maid had at length begged the footman to go to a fire, as the children cried dreadfully and were very cold. I under. stand the man was a footman, of the name of Gaskin, I, think, and his answer was, if the children are cold, you can put them back into the carriage and warm them. I took them home immediately, and was inclined to return and ask why they had been thus all of a sudden treated with this brutality and impertinence, and which was doubly cruel in Sir John's absence: but I deferred going until I meant to take my final leave, which I did on the following Sunday. Doctor Burnaby was standing in the hall with every thing prepared for the Princess to receive the sacrament. I was ushered through notwithstanding, and the footmen seemed to go to and fro as much at their ease as if no such thing was preparing. She was standing in the drawing-vion, as she desired me to do; wished me and room, and received me with Ms. Lisle and Mrs. Fitzgerald. I said I should have been gone before, had it been in my power, and in compliance with her commands, had come to take my leave. She did not ask me to sit down, but said "God bless you; good bye." I then said I was much concerned I had brought my little girls a few days past, and that I should never have done so, but from her Royal Highness's repeated desire. She said, she was sorry; and asked, who used them When we resided in Devonshire, seeing by $0. I told her, one of her livery servants, and the papers that her Royal Highness was ill, Sir John would not like to hear of it. Her we sent a note of enquiry to the lady in waiting, Royal Highness said, "stop a moment;" flew which was answered very politely, and even in past me through the hall where Doctor Bur. a friendly manner, by her Royal Highness's naby stood waiting for her, up to her own orders. Upon the arrival of the Duke of room, and returned with a white paper box, Sussex from abroad, Sir John returned to town pushing it into my hand-" Gød bless you, my to attend him, and when we drove to Blackdear Lady Douglas." I said I wished to de- heath to see our friends, I left my card for cline taking any thing; that my object in her Royal Highness, who was visiting Mr. coming there was to offer her my duty, and Canning; the moment she returned home she tell her how ill my children had been used. I commanded Mrs. Vernon to send me word 'could not conceive how any footman could use never to repeat my visits to Blackheath. I the freedom of treating Sir John's children so, gave Sir John the note, and must confess, unless he had been desired. She only an- accustomed as I had been to her haughty swered, "Ob! no, indeed; good bye." I overbearing caprice, yet this exceeded my attempted to put the box into her hands, belief of what she was capable of, being so insaying, I had rather not have it; but she consistent with her two last letters; but the dropped her hands and turned away. I therefact was, she thought we were gone above 200 fore wished Mrs. Lisle and Miss Fitzgerald good miles from her, and should be there for many my dear little children well, and should at all times be glad to see her former neighbour. I did as she desired, and went away at Christmas without ever seeing or hearing more of her Royal Highness, aud found in the paper box a gold necklace, with a medallion suspended from it of a mock. Thus ended my intercourse, for the present, with the Princess of Wales, and the year 1803. years, and she never calculated upon the return of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, having very often told me his Royal Highness would never live in England, in his Majesty's life-time; that she was certain of that, and had reasons for knowing it; and Sir John would never have him here. I suppose she had taken this into her head because she wished it; and, therefore, the return of his Royal Highness was a mortal death-blow to all her hopes on this score; and when she found that his Royal Highness was not only returned, but that Sir John was in attendance, and that his Royal Highness was in Carlton House, where Sir John might sce, and have the honour of being made known to the Prince of Wales, her fear and rage got the better of every prulent consideration, and she commanded Mrs. Vernon to dismiss me as I have mentioned. Had the Princess of Wales written to me herself, and told me, in a civil manner, that she would thank me to keep away, I should have acquainted her that I wished and desired to do so, and had only called for the sake of appearances, and there the matter would have ended; unless I had ever been called upon (as I am now) by his Majesty, or the Heir Apparent. In that case, as in this, 1 should have made it my sacred duty to have answered, as upon my oath; but the circumstance of being driven out of her house by the hands of the Lady in Waiting, as if I had deserved it, and as if I were a culprit, was wounding one with a poisoned arrow, which left the wound to fester after it had torn and stabbed me; it was a refinement in insult, for the Princess had always been in the habit of writing to me herself, and bad commanded me never to hold intercourse with her through her ladies, but always directly to herself; and so particular were her directions and permission upon this head, that she told me never to put my letters under cover, but always direct them to herself. I felt so miserable, that Mrs. Vernon, to whom I was known, and for whom Sir John and myself had an esteem, should think ill of me; and I therefore wrote to the Princess, saying, "From the moment she judged proper to come into my family, I had always conducted myself towards her Royal Highness with the respect her high station demanded; and that when she forced her secrets upon me, I had (whatsoever my sentiments were) kept them most honourably for her, never yet having even told Sir John, although I gave him my full confidence in all other things; nor had I even, under my present aggravation, imparted it, or meant;that after such generous conduct on my part, I was at a loss to conceive what she proposed to herself by persecuting me; that I was afflicted at being so placed in the opinion of a good woman, like Mrs. Vernon, and who was free to say what she pleased upon the subject every where; that it was half as bad to be thought ill of as to deserve it; and that I would wait upon Mrs. Vernon, and detail to her a circumstantial account of every thing which had occurred since I had known her Royal Highness; and I would acquaint my husband and family with the same, and leave them, and the circle of my friends, to judge betwixt her Royal Highness and myself; that I would not lie under an imputation of having done wrong; and I took my leave of her Royal Highness for ever, only first regretting I had ever known her, and thankful to be emanci pated from Montague-House, and that she owed it to me to have, at least, dismissed me in a civil manner, by her own hands." This letter her Royal Highness returned unopened; but, from its appearance, I had strong reason to believe she had read it. I was resolved, however, if she had not, she should be taught better, as she might not treat any other person so ill as she had me, and my mind was bent upon speaking to Mrs. Veruon; I was nearly certain, if I wrote to Mrs. Vernon, the Princess would make her send my letter baek, and therefore I wrote Mrs. Fitzgerald nearly a copy of what I sent her Royal Highness, and called upon her, as she had been always present, to say, if she ever saw any thing in my behaviour to justify any rudeness towards me: that I was precisely what the Princess found me when the Princess walked up to her knees in snow to seek my acquaintance, and precisely the same individual whom she had thought worthy of the strongest proofs of her friendship, and whose lying-in she had attended in so particular a manner, and had thought worthy of shedding tears over; that her Royal Highness had thought proper to confide in me a secret, of very serious importance to herself; and I would not, after acting in the most honourable manner to her, be dismissed by a Lady in Waiting; and I meant to be at MontagueHouse, and have a satisfactory conversation with Mrs. Vernon; and therefore she would be so good as to acquaint her Royal Highness with the contents of my letter, or lay it before her Royal Highness. Mrs. Fitzgerald sent back a confused note, saying, she could not shew the Princess my letter, unless she was called upon; and when she opened it her disappointment was great, for she expected to have found respectful inquiries after her Royal Highness's finger (which was hurt when she Sir John thinks my conduct authorizes her to tell him off, and that she is my only true and integer friend. Such is the spirit of this foreigner, which would have disgraced a house-maid to have written, and it encloses a fabricated anonymous letter, which she pretends to have received, and upon which she built her doubts and disapprobation of me, as it advises her not to trust me, for that I am indiscreet, and tell every body that the child she took from Deptford, was her own. went to see Mr. Canning), and that I might, tunity of * freely with his Majesty, and she make my mind easy, as Ladies in Waiting never repeated any thing; and she was astonished I had thrown out such a hint. A day or two after, a note was sent to Sir John, as if nothing had happened, requesting him so go to Montague-House. The servant who brought it drove Mrs. Vernon from Blackheath home to her own house in town, and I have no doubt it will be found (if inquiry is made) that Mrs. Vernon was put prematurely out of her waiting, lest I should explain with her. Sir John obeyed her Royal Highness's summons, and she received him in the most gracious pleasant manuer, taking as much pains to please and flatter him now as she had formerly done by me, and began a conversation with him rela-ing. tive to a General Innes, of the Marines, whom the Admiralty thought proper, with many others, to put upon the retired list; she expressed an ardent desire to get that officer reinstated, and consulted Sir John, as belonging to the same corps, how she could accomplish such an undertaking. listened to her attentively, and made her short and very polite answers, acquainting her no such thing was ever done. She said she must speak to Lord Melville about it, as it was a hard case. The luncheon was then announced, and she ordered Sir John to attend herself and the ladies. Sir John found Mrs. Vernon was sent off, and a lady was there whom he did not know, but thought was Lady Carnarvon. When they were all seated Sir Johu remained on his legs, and she looked anxiously at him, and said, "My dear Sir John, sit dowu and eat." He bowed, with a distant respect, and said, he could not eat; that he was desirous of returning to town; and if her Royal Highness had no further business with him, he would beg leave to go. The Princess looked quite disconcerted, and said, "What, not eat any thing, not sit down; pray take a glass of wine then." He bowed again as before, and repeated that he could neither eat nor drink. "Well then," she said, “come again soon, my dear Sir John; always glad to see you." Sir John made no reply, bowed, and left the room. I now received, by the twopenny post, a long anonymous letter, written by this restless mischievous person, the Princess of Wales, in which, in language which any one who had ever heard her speak would have known to be hers, she called me all kind of names, impudent, silly, wretched, ungrate ful, and illiteral (meaning illiterate), she tells me to take that, and it will mend my ill temper, &c. &c. &c. and says, she is a person high in this government, and has often an oppor The whole construction of both these epistles, from beginning to end, are evidently that of a foreigner, and a very ignorant one, and the vulgarity of it is altogether quite shockIn one part she exclaims that she did not think I should have had the impudence to come on her door again, and tells me 'tis for my being indiscreet, and not having allowed her to call me a liar, that she treats me thus, and that I should do well to remember the story of Henry the Eighth's Queen, and Lady Douglas. I was instantly satisfied it was from her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, and that Mrs. Fitzgerald had shewn her my letter, and this was her answer to it. I immediately carried it to Sir John Douglas, who said he was sure it came from the Prin cess, and he shewed it to Sir Sidney Smith, who said, "every word and expression in it were those which the Princess of Wales constantly used.” Sir John desired me now to give him a full explanation of what her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales had confided to me, and whether I had ever mentioned it. I gave him my solemn word of honour it had never passed my lips, and I was now only going to utter it at his positive desire. That her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales told me she was with child,, and that it came to life at Lady Willoughby's; that if she was discovered, she would give the Prince of Wales the credit, for she slept at Carlton House twice the year she was pregnant; that she often spoke of her situation, compared herself and me to Mary and Elizabeth, and told me when she shewed me the child, that it was the little boy she had two days after I last saw her, that was the 30th of October; therefore her son was born upon the 1st of November, and I took a retrospect view of things after I knew the day of his birth, and her Royal Highness must have gone down stairs and dined with all the Chancellors about the fourth day after she was delivered, with the intention, if she * So in the authenticated copy; some word seems omitted. |