Saalfeld, than they have in announcing her Grace the Duchess of Dorset and Lord Whitworth.

England will ever be proud of the reigning family, and will uphold them in their illustrious station, and be generously tenacious that neither disrespect abroad, nor the loss of distinction at home, should ever level the sense it entertains and cherishes of the tribute which is justly due to all of them, at the same time duly appreciating the high character of the Prince, who has been chosen as the husband of the Princess Charlotte. It would not have afforded that entire satisfaction which the nuptials ought to have created, if the Princess had, in any of the greater or the minuter arrangements, been taken one step from the exalted station which she filled, and which she was most eminently calculated to adorn.

But there is another observation which naturally arose from the intended title, and which is well worthy of consideration. The town of Kendal, in Westmorland, which takes its name from a small river called the Can or Ken, has neither size nor population, nor extent of opulence, to recommend it so highly as to become the designation of this illustrious marriage. Prince Leopold, having become a naturalized subject of the United Kingdom, would, soon after his creation, take his seat in the House of Lords, and would, no doubt, be introduced there by two of the dukes of the blood royal; but they are all dukes of large and important counties in England, which have been hitherto

reserved for such high-born men. The husband of the presumptive heiress to the throne must, therefore, have either taken his seat below them, unless, by the recent act of naturalization, it were provided, that he should occupy a place either above, or even with, or next to them; in all of which cases he would be allowed a station superior to his rank as Duke of Kendal; and, therefore, inconsistent with a due course of legal and also of heraldic precedency. The King having no brothers nor uncles, nor their wives living, his grand-daughter takes her station next after the Duchess of Cumberland, her grace following the Duchess of York, who are the only wives of the King's sons. But the title of Kendal, which has been for some years extinct, has a history attached to it, which would be deemed rather ill-suited for a gift to a new subject of high birth, and to a daughter upon her marriage. The mistress of George I., and the object of his partiality, was sent for very soon after he was called to the throne of these realms, and, upon her arrival, was created Duchess of Kendal. She was Evengart Melusina, Duchess of Munster; and, on the 1st of May, 1715, was created a baroness, countess, and Duchess of Great Britain, by the titles of Baroness of Glastonbury, Countess of Feversham, and Duchess of Kendal; and those titles became extinct by her death in 1743. Whatever may have been her conduct in such a station of high favor, this fact does not seem to a plain thinking

Englishman, as the proper and most delicate offering at the shrine of innocence and virtue, just opening to the blushing honors of life, of dignity, and of marriage.

It is certain that these objections to the assumption of Prince Leopold of the title of the Duke of Kendal, were at that time urged with all due force, and it was reported, that it was finally relinquished at the particular desire of the Princess Charlotte; but, granting that her wishes may have co-operated in bringing about the decision which was then formed, it is certain that there were so many political objections to it, that the grant of the title would not have taken place, had her influence been wholly dormant.

In the mean time the leisure hours of Prince Leopold were not spent in frivolous pursuits; the greater portion of the day being devoted to the study of the English language, its history, laws, customs, and manners. He was generally attended in his studies by the Rev. J. S. Clarke; and although his Highness was not able to surmount the difficulty attending the acquirement of the pronunciation of the language, he, nevertheless, soon obtained that proficiency in the construction of it, which enabled him to relish the beauties of our best prose writers; and he expressed his determination not to desist from the study of the language, until he was enabled to peruse the works of Milton and of Shakespeare.

The mind of Prince Leopold had not been spoiled in the lap of indolence nor inactivity. During his travels he had frequent opportunities of tracing the

progress of the arts, of contrasting the various manners of the people amongst whom he resided, and of becoming intimately acquainted with the internal policy, and political institutions of the majority of the European states. The governing should often place themselves amongst the governed; and this is only to be effected by a temporary residence in foreign countries, where, becoming amenable to their respective laws, their weakness or their strength, their excellencies or their injustice become individually felt; and a discriminating mind will, on a selection of their respective excellencies, erect a political constitution, by which a proper degree of power is given to the governing, at the same time that the rights of the governed are protected and supported.

Prince Leopold brought with him to this country a well-grounded knowledge of the political constitutions of the continental states, in which the high aristocratical principles are predominant, and in which despotism holds its sovereign sway, without any wholesome counteraction to the decrees of the executive power. Of the injustice of such a government Prince Leopold had openly avowed his sentiments, considering it to be incompatible with that freedom to mankind which is the birthright of their nature; and from which alone the glory or the prosperity of a country can originate. In the study of the British constitution he saw a model of human ingenuity, and of political excellence, which he had never previously observed; and it excited a dignified pride in him, to have been selected as the husband of that illustrious female, who, under the force of

such a constitution, was born to administer its blessings

to the country.

Prince Leopold was not only a great admirer of the fine arts, but possessed such a degree of skill, as would do honor to a professional artist. His sketches, of views of the Rhine and of Germany, display the work of a master, and are mentioned in high terms of commendation, for accuracy, spirit, and elegance.

On the 4th of April the Queen held a drawingroom, at which it was rumoured that Prince Leopold was to be introduced to her Majesty, and that the Princess Charlotte was to be present. The concourse of persons, assembled to view the illustrious pair, was beyond all former example; but disappointment ensued, for it was announced, that the indisposition of Prince Leopold prevented his attendance. This, however, was subsequently discovered not to be the real cause for the accounts from Brighton, on the following day, represented his Highness as enjoying a ride in good health with Colonel Addenbroke; and, therefore, as some other cause must be immediately assigned, it was most gravely stated, that his Serene Highness was so deeply immersed in the study of the English language, that his attendance at the drawing-room would necessarily create a chasm in his studies, which he was at that time prosecuting with uncommon vigour. A person in the dark may by chance stumble upon the object of which he is in search, but the chances are one hundred to one against him that he stumbles upon twenty objects which he does not want, before he falls upon that which is the