satisfaction, but even wipe away the tear from the eye of misery, and blunt the keenest edge of sorrow; I should suspect either the weakness of my intellect, or the badness of my heart, had I felt for a moment inclined to treat with levity such sacred prejudices."

The mind, from which these sentiments could flow, must have been of no common stamp, and induces the melancholy reflection of what importance the actions of that individual would have been, had it pleased Heaven to have prolonged her sojourn amongst us. To those, who view her in the light of a religious princess, the following passage will be perused with no common interest, as it is her own composition, and the high quarter from which it has been so handsomely and graciously transmitted, leaves no doubt of its being the genuine composition of her Royal Highness, and the poetry which accompanies it, gives a new feature to her character. It bears the date of August 10th, 1816.

"It is a comfort to every honest mind, to reflect "that God sits at the helm of this floating universe; " and directs all its motions to their proper ends, by "the unerring compass of his eternal mind. Under all "his dispensations, we may satisfy ourselves with this

assurance, that the Judge of all the earth can do "nothing but what is right. Let me not canvass the ways of infinite Wisdom with too great arrogance, nor

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arraign his justice, if I see the guilty triumph, whilst the 'righteous beg their bread. Though at present we are "lost in a maze of difficulties, and cannot reconcile the

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appearance of things, though we see rewards and "punishments distributed with an unequal hand, yet at "last, when our intellectual faculties shall be enlarged,

we shall see that all things were conducted by an infi"nitely wise and just Being; and find one regular uni"form series of events, where before we saw nothing. "but a chaos, a scene of confusion.

"Human reason, weak as it is, can trace out the "Creator in his works, and from the things which

are seen, infer the invisible glory and power of Him "who gave life and being unto all things; but still "his ways are by us unsearchable, and his thoughts past finding out.

"This is my notion of a particular Providence; and "taken in its genuine uncorrupted sense, I am sure it " is capable of promoting the interest of religion, and "of establishing a sure foundation for piety and "virtue.

"Hail, sacred Source of bliss!-Hail, heavenly Sire! "Eternal, uncreate, almighty Lord!

"Disposer of my being, hail!-and, still indulgent,
Accept for mercies infinite, and boundless blessings,

"The pure effusions of a thankful heart,

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Impress'd with warmest gratitude and awe

"Of the divine omnipotence, for benefits
"By such a lib'ral hand profusely giv'n;
"Not merited-bounteously dispensed
"Out of thy mercy and unwearied kindness.
"Man's utmost thanks are miserably faint
"For any, e'en the smallest of thy gifts;

"What tongue can speak-what language can afford
"A flow of words, to thank thee for our being !
"The care and preservation which attend it
"Each day and night succeeding-nay, ourselves
"Are glorious proofs of thy protecting love.
"What joy should animate our raptur'd hearts!
"What humble, grateful, large acknowledgments
"For the rich blessings which attend thy grace!
"But, above all, in these our happy times,
"The free enjoyment of our Christian faith.
"Now superstition and mistaken zeal,
"In a mistaken cause, fly swift before
"The radiant beams of truth and pure religion.
"Father of Mercy! incomprehensible and just!

"Who, from the worst of causes, changing the effect,
"Can work out good, instruct me to rejoice
"And praise thy goodness, which has cast my lot
"In these far happier days, than heretofore,
"When blind enthusiasm vex'd mankind,

"And for religion, broke religion's laws.”

At the bottom of these lines was written the following quotation from the tragedy of Cato :

"The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate,
"Puzzled in mazes, and perplex'd with error;
"The human understanding traces them in vain,
"Lost and bewilder'd in the fruitless search;
"Nor sees with how much art the windings run,
"Nor where the regular confusion ends."

The happiness of the early years of the Princess Charlotte had been imbittered by the unfortunate dissensions of her parents; and she was doomed to hear the jarring string of discord to the latest hours of

her life. The Quixotic expeditions of the Princess of Wales on the coasts of the Mediterranean, and in the Ottoman empire, are stamped with too great a notoriety to be here commented upon. That they were calculated to draw down upon her the suspicious glances of her enemies, and to expose her to the rudest blasts of calumny, which were ever vented against the character of a female, cannot admit of the smallest doubt; that their impropriety was great, not to call it by a harsher epithet, was unquestionable; and had she adhered to the advice, so often and so wisely given to her by her friends in England, she would have thwarted the designs of her enemies, by the adoption of a life of dignified retirement; and thereby have preserved herself from even the suspicion of infidelity, and have saved her beloved daughter many a painful tear, which flowed at the continual reports which were industriously conveyed to her of the aberrations of her mother from the established dictates of propriety, decorum, and virtue.

It was in the middle of August, 1816, that some reports, very injurious to the character of the Princess of Wales, began to be circulated, and which had an evident tendency to revive the long dormant question of a divorce.

That the serious charge, on which these reports were founded, could be either authenticated or substantiated, never for a moment obtained the slightest belief in the mind of the Princess Charlotte; but they certainly tended, in no small degree, to retard her convalescence, as they inflicted the severest wound upon her filial

feelings, which could not be healed by the skill of her physician, and the pain of which was increased, because she was obliged to endure it in secret.

One day, when her Royal Highness was conversing with one of the members of the Royal Family on this important subject, some severe expressions of censure were used, and some very appropriate passages from Scripture were introduced. Her Royal Highness listened for a time with great attention, and then with much mildness, and, at the same time, with much point, said to her royal relative,-" I may say to you what Queen Elizabeth said to her prelate, who was censuring her for some part of her conduct respecting the Earl of Essex, and who, to enforce his arguments, made use of many passages from Scripture, I see,' said her Majesty, 'that you are tolerably well versed in the Bible, but I question much whether you ever read the Book of Kings. "

The insolence and the affront which had been offered to the English flag by the pirates of Algiers, called for the vengeance, of the country; and the chastisement which they received from the fleet of Lord Exmouth, will hold a conspicuous station in the annals of our naval achievements.

On the return of the fleet to this country, it was rumoured that some important intelligence had been communicated to the Prince Regent, by Lord Exmouth himself, respecting the conduct of an illustrious female, and which, for the honor of the British crown, required immediate investigation.—That Lord Exmouth, a nobleman of the most upright and honorable prin