CHAP. XXI.

Reflections on an intended Marriage between Frederick Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

AMONG the Reminiscences of Mr. Horace Walpole, he takes notice of a plan, which had been formed by Frederick Prince of Wales to marry Lady Diana Spencer, the grand-daughter of the old Duchess of Marlborough, who was to have given him £100,000 with her as a dowry; and that his father, Sir Robert Walpole, had prevented the design from being carried into effect. If this marriage had taken place, would it have been beneficial or injurious to Great Britain?

I have already taken notice of the mischiefs, which have ensued from Frederick Prince of Wales having married a Princess of Saxe Gotha. It was natural, that this German Princess should wish that her husband should possess the same sort of

sovereignty as she had seen exercised by her father in Germany. But sovereignty of this character is inconsistent with the principles of the English Constitution. Had the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer, he would have had a wife not actuated by these sentiments. It may be said, that had the Prince of Wales married this lady, he would have degraded himself by thus forming an inferior connection; but this is rather a German than an English notion. Lady Diana Spencer was of a family eminently noble: it is true, she was not of a princely house, and, therefore, by the laws of Germany the marriage would have been a mésalliance, and the children would not have been entitled to succeed to the Electorate of Hanover. But would not this have been a benefit to Great Britain? We have derived many advantages from the Brunswick family having been placed on the throne of Great Britain; but the possession of German dominions by that family has been a considerable drawback. From the accession of George I. the interests of Great Britain have been too frequently

sacrificed to the interests of the Elector of Hanover.

Of the six wives of Henry VIII., four were the daughters of his English subjects; yet he was never thought degraded. by those marriages. King Edward VI., Queen Elizabeth, King James I., Queen Mary, and Queen Anne, were the children of subjects; yet they were never thought of with less respect on that account. They were related by blood to many of their subjects; but this circumstance never occasioned any prejudice to the country. The House of Brunswick. has possessed the crown of Great Britain more than one hundred years; but it still remains a German family. Of the King's seven sons, five have been educated in Germany; and with the exception of the Duke of Sussex, whose health rendered such an education impracticable, they have been educated in the same manner as the younger sons of other German Princes; that is to say, as German military. But this is an education not likely to produce those sentiments, which are

suited to an English Prince. Let me suppose that Frederick Prince of Wales had had as many children by an English wife, as he had afterwards by his marriage with the Princess of Saxe Gotha, and that he had given his daughters in marriage to British Nobles, and married his sons to British Heiresses. Would this have been a prejudice to the country? I think the contrary. I think it would have been highly beneficial. He would have surrounded the throne with nobles interested to guard its rights: his sons would not have been viewed as men drawing maintenance from the public purse; as unnecessary, but expensive appendages. They would have been ingrafted in the common stock; and while solicitous to guard the prerogatives of royalty, they would have been interested to defend the principles of the Constitution. View the difference which at this time exists between a younger son of the King, and a nobleman of large landed estate, with a power of placing half a score members in the House of Commons. Is such a difference of situation beneficial to the country? King

Henry IV. is said to have been related by blood to every Earl in the Kingdom; and that the usage of the King's addressing Earls by the title of Cousin has arisen from this consanguinity. Long may the dynasty of Brunswick remain: but let it be a British family. I am aware, that there are men, who might profess to fear this influence of the crown over great families from consanguinity. Let it, however, be remembered, that it would be an influence perfectly consistent with the principles of our Constitution. I think it would be advantageous to the country, that a great family should be connected with the crown by the means which I have mentioned, rather than by the possession of great sinecure employments. Under the Plantagenet dynasty, many of our noble families were allied to the crown. tween sixty and seventy members of that family are said to have perished during the contest between the houses of York and Lancaster. This sufficiently shows how much the alliances of the royal family were extended; and it does not appear,

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