and not, in the first instance, from him, which he conceived himself every way entitled to expect, but more especially from that footing of confidence on which he had ever treated him through life; but that being fully satisfied his explanation of the matter would prove that he was not wrong in the opinion he had formed of the honorable motives that had actuated his Royal Highness, in observing a silence with regard to him upon the subject; he then was anxiously waiting for him to proceed with a narrative, his wish to hear which, he was sure he had only to express, to ensure his immediate acquiescence with it. The prince then gave him his hand, assuring him he did not feel the smallest degree of displeasure towards him, and proceeded to introduce the subject upon which he required information; when, feeling it a duty he owed him, to withhold from his knowledge no part of the circumstances connected with it that he could bring back to his recollection; the Duke of Kent related the facts to him in the following words:

"About a twelvemonth since, or thereabouts, (for I cannot speak positively to the exact date,) 1 received a note from the princess of Wales, by which she requested me to come over to Blackheath, in order to assist her in arranging a disagreeable matter between her, sir Sidney Smith,

and sir John and lady Douglas, the particulars of which she would relate to me when I should call, I, in consequence waited upon her, agreeable to her desire, a day or two after, when she commenced the conversation, by telling me that she supposed I knew she had at she had at one time lived with lady Douglas on a footing of intimacy, but she had reason afterwards to repent of having made her her acquaintance, and was therefore rejoiced when she left Blackheath for Plymouth, as she conceived that circumstance would break off all further communication between her and that lady; that however, contrary to her expectation, upon the return of sir John and her from Plymouth to London, lady Douglas had called and left her name twice or three times, notwithstanding she must have seen that admission was refused her; that having been confirmed in the opinion she had before had occasion to form of her ladyship, by an anonymous letter she had received, in which she was very strongly cautioned against renewing her acquaintance with her, both as being unworthy of her confidence, from the liberties she had allowed herself to take with the princess's name, and the lightness of her character, she had felt herself obliged, as lady Douglas would not take the hint that her visits were not wished for, to order Miss Vernon to write her a note, specifi

cally telling her that they would in future be dis

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pensed with; that the consequence of this had been an application, through one of her ladies, in the joint names of sir sidney Smith, Sir John and lady Douglas, for an audience to require an explanation of this, which they considered as an affront; and that being determined not to grant it, or to suffer any unpleasant discussion upon the subject, she entreated me to take whatever steps I might judge best to put an end to the matter, and rid her of all further trouble about it. I stated in reply, that I had no knowledge of either sir John or lady Douglas, and therefore could not, in the first instance, address myself to them, but that I had some acquaintance with sir Sidney Smith, and if the princess was not averse to that channel, I would try what I could in that way effect. This being assented to by the princess, I took my leave, and immediately on my return home, wrote a note to sir Sidney, requesting him to call upon me as soon as he conveniently could, as I had some business to speak to him upon. Sir Sidney, in consequence, called on me (I think) the next day, when I related to him the conversation, as above stated, that I had had with the princess. After hearing all I had to say, he observed, that the princess in stating to me, that her prohibition to lady Douglas to repeat her visits at Blackheath, had led to the application for an audience of her royal highness,

had kept from me the real cause why he, as well as sir John and lady Douglas, had maae it, as it originated in a most scandalous anonymous letter, of a nature calculated to set on sir John and him to cut each other's throats, which, from the hand-writing and style, they were both fully convinced was the production of the princess herself. I naturally expressed my sentiments upon such conduct on the part of the princess, in terms of the strongest animadversion; but nevertheless anxious to avoid the shameful eclat which the publication of such a fact to the world must produce; the effect which its coming to the king's knowledge would probably have on his health, from the delicate state of his nerves, and all the additional misunderstandings between his majesty and the prince, which I foresaw would inevitably follow, were this fact, which would give the prince so powerful a handle to express his feelings upon the countenance shewn by the king to the princess, at a time when I knew him to be severely wounded by his majesty's visits to Blackheath, on the one hand, and the reports he had received of the princess's conduct on the other, to be brought to light; I felt it my bounden duty, as an honest man, to urge all these arguments with sir Sidney Smith, in the most forcible manner I was master of; adding also, as a further object, worthy of the most serious consideration,

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tne danger of any appearance of ill-blood in the family at such an eventful crisis, and to press upon his mind the necessity of his using his best endeavours with sir John Douglas, notwithstanding all the provocation that had been given them, to induce him to let the matter drop, and pursue it no farther. Sir Sidney observed to me, that sir John Douglas was a man whom, when once he had taken a line, from a principal of honour, it was very difficult to persuade to depart from it; however, as he thought, that if any man could prevail upon him, he might flatter himself with being the most likely to persuade him, from the weight he had with him, he would immediately try how far he could gain upon him, by making use of those arguments I had brought forward to induce him to drop the matter altogether About four or five days after this, sir Sidney called upon me again, and informed me, that upon making use with sir John of those reasons, which I had authorized his stating to be those by which I was actuated in making the request, that he would not press the business further, he had not been able to resist their force; but that the whole extent of promise he had been able to obtain of him, amounted to no more, than that he would under existing circumstances, remain quiet, if left unmolested; for that he would not pledge himself not to bring