of false keys, and it was by a very fortunate concurrence of circumstances that the plot was discovered. Her royal highness took the precaution of dismissing Crede, under the veil of an amorous intrigue in which he had been detected with Annette, a German, one of her waiting women. In hopes of regaining his place he revealed the whole affair. The following is the declaration which he made in writing, and which he sent in the form of a letter to the Chevalier Tamassia, to whose good offices he recommended himself to be re-admitted into the princess's favour: པ་ MONSIEUR LE CHEVALIER, "I address myself to you, Sir, to obtain the greatest of favours, for which I shall be eternally grateful. I was yesterday dismissed from the service of her royal highness the princess of Wales, for having intrigued with her waiting-woman, Annette. This event, which has thrown me into the utmost consernation, has awakened in my heart a remorse which had agitated me for some time, and which I feel a necessity of imparting to you, in the hope that you may interest yourself for me, and get me to be received again into her royal highness's service. "I must then confess that I merit my disgrace, since I suffered myself to be seduced by a certain A baron, M. d'Ompteda, to betray the best of mistresses, and the most generous of princesses. "It is about a year ago, or about a month before the departure of the princess, that this baron was to take all possible steps, through the intervention of a certain Ambrose Cesati, who came to Como to scover the place where my mistress slept, and to endeavour to procure false' keys of her apartment. I persisted for some time in refusing to have any concern in this plot, but at length the baron's threats, who told me I was a ruined man if I did not listen to him, together with the money he offered me from time to time, corrupted me, and I was weak enough to accept the commission, although fully persuaded that there was no foundation whatever for the baron's infamous suspicions. "I must say nevertheless, with the utmost sincerity, that the guilt of my conduct went no far ther than answering the questions put to me by. d'Ompteda in the conferences I had with him, in which he interrogated me closely upon the situation of the different apartments in the palace, as well as concerning the persons who were about the princess. 66 A This, sir, is my confession; in making it mys heart is eased of a weight by which it was oppres sed. I address myself to a man already estimable... for his virtues, and who ought to feel commiseration for human weakness; whom I therefore sup plicate to obtain my pardon from the princess, and not to forsake me at this moment of calamity. "Have pity, sir, upon an unfortunaté man, who, knowing his fault, seeks to repair it by repentance, hoping thus to be enabled, through your aid, to return to the path of honor. On you, sir, I place tny whole reliance. my "I am, sir, your very humble servant, "Como, November 3d, 1816." Her royal highness judged it proper to inform the governor, count Saurau, of what had passed, who immediately banished the baron d'Ompteda from the states of his majesty the emperor. The brave English officer, Mr. Hannam, private secretary to the princess, shocked at the baron's baseness, challenged him to a duel; but the latter by different pretences, and delays, like a coward, evaded the challenge, and could never be found. This sad event justified but too much the system of circumspection which her royal highness thought proper to adopt with respect to the English, the Germans, and others who might be about her. Under such circumstances, prudence demanded that she did not allow any English or foreigners, Vor but those who were known to her, access to her house. Was it not, besides, a great indignity that they should seek thus to watch the actions of a L 27 princess, through the base medium of the most infamous spyism? Her conduct, frank and without mystery, was above all reproach; of this those who had the honor of being about her were the faithful witnesses. After such danger, her royal highness could not but suspect every one who was unknown to her of being a traitor, and her mind, naturally so frank and confiding, suffered extremely by such circumspection; she did not, however, deny access to any body, but she avoided being the object of those scandalous stories, of that calumny, and of the spyism, of which she had already been the victim. The events which had taken place gave her reason to apprehend even darker conduct towards her than being surrounded by spies. The eagerness of the baron Ompteda to know the situation of her chamber, and to procure false keys, furnished ground for suspicions yet more terrible. A fact which took place at Genoa bears all the impression of an intent to murder rather than merely to rob. Some individuals armed introduced themselves during the night into the princess's house, and even penetrated so far as to her bedchamber. The noise they made awoke her faithful servant Theodore Majocchi, who fired at and endeavoured to seize them; it remains still unknown who these people might be, or what might be their intention. At this time a pamphlet intitled "Letters of the 1 ! Princess of Wales," which had been published in *London some years before, found its way to Italy. This was an impudent libel on her royal highness, fabricated by a needy and malignant scribbler, who had been confined in the king's bench for a libel which he published against the marquis of Lansdown. Upon the Continent the title of a work gives it currency; when an author's name appears to it they believe that he is really the author. Thus, because these letters were stated to have been written by the princess, it was considered as the truth. A Her royal highness had been hitherto the sport of the most absurd rumours; indifferent, however, as to all that could be put forth with regard to her, she scarcely ever bestowed a thought upon them. To be convinced to what a point malignity and inconsistency can be carried, we shall here mention that in Italy it was reported she was about to turn Roman catholic. The attentions shewn her by the pope, and those which she paid him in return, with the wish she expressed of remaining some time at Rome, was a sufficient foundation on which to graft such an absurdity, and make it pass as a truth. Perhaps the authors of the tale had the intention of preventing her going to Rome, the reason for which it would be difficult to discover. The late duke of Gloucester, brother to the late king of England, resided for several years at Rome, |