her breast, and over which the influence of others could not be supposed to possess any preponderating weight. The cause of the rejection lay in her own feelings, excited by a strong sense of filial duty; and she acted from the pure impulse of those feelings, unbiassed by the judgment of others. As far, therefore, as rational calculations can extend, the dismissal of the establishment of the Princess Charlotte could not be considered as being connected with the rejection of the Prince of Orange, and, consequently, some other cause must be sought for. In all families, and particularly in those of exalted rank, there are those individuals, who, for the promotion of their private interests, will secretly perform any private service by which the heads of those families can obtain the accomplishment of their views. That the Princess Charlotte had, by her kindness, and by her affable manners, gained herself some friends in her establishment, cannot be doubted; and that she contrived sometimes, by the aid of those friends, to obtain intelligence of her mother, and even to see her, is put beyond all doubt, by the circumstance of the Princess of Wales being once at Warwick-House, a short time previously to the final rejection of the Prince of Orange, without the slightest suspicion, or even the cognizance of her establishment, with the exception of one individual, and the Princess Charlotte herself. That the establishment of her Royal Highness, one person only excepted, were, from

information which cannot be doubted, the strong and vociferous advocates of her mother's cause, is most certain; and, therefore, in the opinion of the opposite party, such servants were not proper persons to be continually about the person of the Princess Charlotte. The actual cause of the dismissal of her establishment has, however, to this time, remained a secret. It cannot be supposed, that such an important step would have been undertaken upon vague and uncertain grounds, nor without that mature consideration, which the strong necessity of the case demanded.

On the 12th July, the Prince repaired to Warwick-House, and informed the Princess Charlotte that he was come to dismiss Miss Knight, and all her household, as well as all the servants attending upon her Royal Highness; and that her Royal Highness must forthwith take up her temporary residence in Carlton-House, and from thence go to Cranbourn-Lodge; and that the Countess Dowager of Rosslyn, the Countess of Ilchester, the two Miss Coates, and Mrs. Campbell, were actually in the next room, in readiness to wait upon her. Some strong expostulation ensued on the part of the Princess Charlotte; but the Prince Regent was most firm and resolute, and his admonitions appeared to have their due weight on the mind of his illustrious daughter. On his Royal Highness proposing, therefore, to introduce to the Princess Charlotte, Ladies Rosslyn, and Ilchester, and Mrs. Campbell, her Royal Highness pleaded a

wish to retire for a few moments to compose herself before the introduction took place.

Her Royal Highness retired; and, whilst the Prince was engaged in close conversation with Miss Knight, the Princess Charlotte, in an agony of despair, privately left Warwick-House, and, throwing herself into a hackney-coach, in Cockspur-street, drove to Connaught-House, the residence of her mother.

On the arrival of the Princess Charlotte at Connaught-House, whither she had been driven with great rapidity, in consequence of the bribe which she offered to the coachman, she found the Princess of Wales absent; but Mr. Sicard, the steward, instantly despatched a messenger to her, who met her on the road from Blackheath, and delivered the Princess Charlotte's note, acquainting her with the event. The Princess of Wales immediately drove to the Parliament-House, and eagerly inquired for Mr. Whitbread, who was absent. She then inquired for Earl Grey, who had left town several days before. She then went on to her own house in Connaught-Place, where her daughter communicated the particulars of this extraordinary transaction. Mr. Brougham, who had been sent for to Mr. Michael Angelo Taylor's, had arrived in the mean time.

As soon as the discovery of the flight of the Princess Charlotte was made known to the Prince Regent, he sent for his ministers, to consult them upon the measures proper to be adopted. A

council was held at the Foreign Office, and also at Carlton-House. Notice of it was also sent to the Queen, who had a card party, which she instantly left.

In the mean time, the first step taken by the Prince was to send the Bishop of Salisbury to the Princess Charlotte, to remonstrate with her; and the Duke of York was soon afterwards sent with a written message from the Prince, which stated her father's commands to bring her to Carlton-House. Mr. Brougham had previously acquainted her Royal Highness, that, by the laws of the land, she must obey her father's command; and, when the Duke of York gave her an assurance that she should not be immured, nor treated with the severity which had been threatened, she consented to return with him; and accordingly, at a little past three o'clock on Wednesday morning, her Royal Highness was conveyed to CarltonHouse. All the persons, by whom she had been served, were removed from the attendance on her person, with the exception of Mrs. Lewis, who had followed her to Connaught-House, with her nightclothes, and who was permitted to return with her in the carriage, along with the Duke of York.

That this extraordinary circumstance became the general topic of conversation throughout the nation may be easily imagined; and, as the British people are, by their generous nature, enthusiastically alive to the protection of innocence, laboring under either supposed or positive in

jury, the most violent reflections were cast upon those, who were supposed to be the principal cause of having driven the Princess Charlotte to the commission of so extraordinary an act. Rumours, set afloat by party-spirit, aggravated the evil, and the whole case was gladly seized upon to degrade an exalted personage in the estimation of the people. It was strongly contended, that the conduct of the Prince Regent was an usurpation and a stretch of parental power, unsanctioned and unauthorized by the laws of nature or of man; and it was farther alleged, that as the Princess Charlotte was of age, she became the property of the nation, and to the authorities of the nation was she solely amenable for her actions. These violent discussions, however, ended as they generally do, in leaving the matter in question unchanged in its general complexion, with no positive benefit resulting to the party concerned.

In the mean time some very heavy restrictions were placed upon the conduct of the Princess Charlotte; her letters and communications were stopped, and she was only allowed to see those persons immediately connected with the Regent's party.

Amongst the other exalted characters, who called at Carlton-House to pay their respects to the Princess Charlotte, and who were refused admittance to her, was the Duke of Sussex; he, therefore, without hesitation, repaired to the House of Lords, on the 19th of July, and addressed the House as follows: