From Blackwood's Magazine. venture to determine.

And we may be

degrees. Few people have had so extensive an acquaintance as Miss Knight; and when we say that her reminiscences extend over a line of European worthies, beginning with Oliver Goldsmith and ending with Benjamin Disraeli, no one will question that the most attractive book which such a person can write, is a plain record of her personal experiences.

MEMOIRS OF A TORY GENTLEWOMAN. well content to leave the inquiry alone. PeoMANY of our readers who are now enter-ple do read Rasselas now-a-days in mature ing, or who have already entered, upon the age, we believe; some as a pleasure, more grand-paternal state, or its coeval period of as a duty. But Dinarbas has slipped out of bachelor-life, may remember that in the its honorable companionship, and, except days of their early youth, when George III. in old worn copies, is not to be found supwas king, they possessed a little volume, the plementing the Johnsonian classic. Miss gift, perhaps, of a venerable godmother, or Knight outlived her reputation as an authe prize of successful industry, or reward thoress. But she did not outlive the esteem of moral conduct at school, on the back of in which she was held by a very large circle which were inscribed the words RASSELAS of friends, including kings and princes, and AND DINARBAS. That these two worthies the honorable of the earth of all ranks and had, somehow or other, been associated together in life, was long our profound conviction. We classed them, in our boyish imagination, with Damon and Pythias, Pylades and Orestes, and other similar exemplars of antique friendship. But there was such a classical flavor about the namesthey were altogether so redolent of Lemprière's Dictionary, that it was long before we ventured to make acquaintance with any part of the volume beyond the binding and the frontispiece, which latter, we remember well, was rather of the Oriental than of the classical type; but this might have been the taste of the artist. Driven, however, at last, to closer investigation by a long continuance of wet weather, we discovered that Rasselas and Dinarbas were not of common parentage, united on a single title-page; but that their connection was principally such as an enterprising publisher had been pleased to assign to them; that they were, in fact, two works by two different writers. It is no secret even to the present generation that Rasselas is a moral tale, written by the great Dr. Samuel Johnson; but it is not equally well known that Dinarbas was written by Miss Ellis Cornelia Knight, whose Memoirs are now before us.'

Whether any one of those young people, for whose especial benefit it was considered in my younger days that these moral tales were written, ever made his way through the whole of Rasselas, so as to come upon Dinarbas at all, or to what extent, having accomplished that first victory, he may have succeeded in overcoming the second difficulty, is more than, after a confession of our own stumblings at the first stage, we can

The Autobiography of Miss Cornelia Knight, Lady-Companion to the Princess Charlotte; with Extracts from her Journals and Anecdote-Books. 2 vols. W. H. Allen & Co., London. 1861.

And such a record we have now before us, in the shape of an unfinished autobiography, supplemented by the writer's journals from which the memoir was compiled. It is a trite remark, that any person of ordinary intelligence, with average social opportunities, writing down his experiences from day to day, can hardly fail to make, without meaning it, an interesting book. But Miss Knight's intelligence was not of an ordinary character, and her opportunities were unquestionably great. It may be briefly stated what they were. In her early youth she was noticed by Johnson, Goldsmith, Burke, Reynolds, and other members of the same literary circle. When she was about eighteen, she went abroad with her mother, and resided principally at Naples and Rome, mixing on terms of intimacy with the chief people of those cities. In 1798 she made the acquaintance of Nelson at Naples, and in the following year accompanied him and the Hamiltons to England. In 1806 she became a member of Queen Charlotte's family, and resided at Windsor, attached to the court, for six or seven years. She then, at the request of the prince regent, transferred herself to the establishment which he had formed for his daughter at Warwick House, and thus became " Lady-Companion" to the Princess Charlotte. When the princess ran away to her mother's house, Miss Knight was involved in the common disgrace which

overtook all the household, and was dis-ness." Of the mixture of vanity and simmissed. From that time she flitted about plicity, which was one of his most peculiar from place to place, taking up her residence characteristics, Miss Knight gives an amusfirst in one European capital, then in an- ing proof, which we believe has escaped the other; paying visits to her friends, and al- biographers. On a certain occasion, being ways being in intimate relations with the told that he must wear a silk coat, he purfirst people of the cities she frequented. chased one secondhand, which had belonged And so she went on up to the close of the to a nobleman, and wore it in public, not year 1837, seeing a great number of dis- perceiving that there was clearly marked on tinguished persons, and jotting down in her the breast the place where the late owner's journals and anecdote-books something or decoration had been worn. The mark of other that she had learnt about them, until the star told plainly enough the history of she passed her eightieth year, when, with the purchase, and Noll's vanity was sorely very little warning, she gently passed away vexed. from the scene, leaving behind her a boxful of papers, from which the volumes before us are compiled.

If such opportunities as these had been turned to good literary account, one of the most attractive works ever published might have been the result. But Miss Knight had more of the delicacy of the gentlewoman than the tact of the litterateur. Though it would appear that her autobiography had been written for publication, it is not seasoned as Madame d'Arblay or Lady Charlotte Campbell would have seasoned it. It is a plain recital of fact, modestly and unambitiously written, with a view rather to the information than the excitement of the reader. It is interesting principally by reason of its simplicity and directness of purpose; and, above all, by the unmistakable fidelity of the narrative. It is impossible to doubt, much more to disbelieve, the writer. If the lady's character were not an ample guarantee for the truth of her book, its style would be a sufficient voucher.

There is a better story than this, one of Samuel Johnson, and which, as we may say with tolerable confidence, has not been told before. We give it in Miss Knight's own words :

"He was very curious to see the manner of living and the discipline on board a ship of war, and when my father was appointed to the command of the Ramilies, of seventyfour guns, and to sail with the command of a squadron for Gibraltar, at the time when went to Portsmouth, and passed a week on a war with Spain was expected, Johnson board with my father. He inquired into every thing, made himself very agreeable to the officers, and was much pleased with his visit.

"When he was conveyed on shore, the young officer whom my father had sent to accompany him asked if he had any further commands. Sir,' said Johnson have the goodness to thank the commodore and all the officers for their kindness to me, and tell Mr-(the first-lieutenant) that I beg he will leave off the practice of swearing.'

"The young man, willing, if possible, to justify, or at least excuse, his superior, replied that, unfortunately, there was no making the sailors do their duty without using strong language, and that his majesty's service required it. Then, pray, sir,' answered Johnson, tell Mr- that I beseech him not to use one oath more than is absolutely required for the service of his majesty."

Cornelia Knight was but. a child when her intercourse with celebrated persons commenced; but, verging close upon octogenarianism, she still vividly remembered her first experiences of literary society. "I recollect," she says in 1835, "being delighted with the conversation of Mr. Burke, amused by the buffoonery of Goldsmith, and dis- The late Mr. Croker would have given a gusted with the satirical madness of manner good deal for this story, coming from so auof Baretti." "Of all these personages," she thentic a source. That very diligent editor says, a little further on, "the one whom I appears to have had a notion that Johnson liked best was Mr. Burke, perhaps because visited a man-of-war off Plymouth, and that he condescended to notice me." Goldsmith, he was much disgusted by the bad language she says, was very good-natured; his behav- he heard. But here we have the story in iour easy and natural, removed from vul- proper shape, from the daughter of the man garity no less than from affectation. "His whose ship the great moralist visited, and buffoonery was a sort of childish playful. very characteristic it is. It may be added,

that when Miss Knight first went abroad, Dr. Johnson gave her his blessing, and exhorted her not to become a Roman Catholic adding that, if she extended her belief, she might in time become a Turk.

ed in the conquest of Naples during the war between Spain and Austria, lived in a house adjoining our hotel, and there was a door of He had communication between them. been very attentive to us, and we met excellent society at his table, for he delighted We may pass over the earlier years of in giving dinner-parties. We knew his Miss Knight's residence, Both in the auto- anxiety to receive the earliest accounts of biography, and in the extracts from the the meeting of the two fleets, and my mothjournals and anecdote-books, there is a good er desired me to give him the first intellideal of interesting information illustrative gence. I ran to the door, and the servant of the state of society in Rome towards the who opened it, and to whom I delivered my close of the last century, with many por- were heard in the dining-room, where the message, uttered exclamations of joy, which traits of the most celebrated personages of general was entertaining a large party of the times. As far as possible, we shall con- officers. The secretary was instantly sent fine our notice to those who are distinguished to me, and I was obliged to go in and tell in the annals of our own country; and my story. Never shall I forget the shouts, we may fitly begin the catalogue with Ho- the bursts of applause, the toasts drunk, the ratio Nelson. Miss Knight was at Naples glasses broken one after another by the secwhen news arrived of the victory of the Nile. al, laughing heartily, stopped him by saying retary in token of exultation, till the generTheir situation at that place had long been that he should not have a glass left to one of extreme danger, and, week after drink Nelson's health in on his arrival." week, month after month, had the eyes of the residents been turned towards the sea, in the hope of catching sight of a white spot on the horizon that might prove to them that succor was at hand. They knew that an engagement between the two fleets was imminent, but they looked in vain for tidings of the result. At last, one morning, Miss Knight discerned through her glass a sloopof-war in the offing, with a blue ensign hoisted, and presently a boat put off from the beach and pulled alongside the vessel, and two British officers dropped down her

side, and were rowed to shore. "We clearly distinguished,” she writes, "a gold epaulet on the shoulder, and this was quite sufficient to convince us that one was the com

versal, and the impatience for the arrival of "The joy," says Miss Knight, "was unithe victors daily increased in intensity. Two ships of the line at length appeared in sight." These were the Culloden and the Ball. The royalty of Naples went out to Alexander, commanded by Troubridge and

meet them.

William Hamilton, and his beautiful wife, The English minister, Sir went out also, in another barge, taking Miss with spectators, who rent the air with joyKnight with them. "The shore was lined ous acclamations, while the bands played God save the King' and 'Rule Britannia."" The king of Naples did not go on board

but saluted the British officers from his mander of the sloop, and the other a captain pointed him out to the seamen, saying, barge; and when Sir William Hamilton going home with dispatches. News of a "There, lads, is the king whom you have victory, no doubt." The two officers were Hoste and Capel-afterwards admirals and saved, with his family and his kingdom,” Jack characteristically answered, "Very K.C.B's-and the news they brought was glad of it, sir-very glad of it!" not perthat of the victory of the Nile. Never was any news more welcome since the world be- haps, without some mental reservation enAll classes were roused to the high-gendered of a belief as to his being a “Moun

gan.
est pitch of enthusiasm, and the excitement
everywhere was boundless. One
scene, in
which Miss Knight herself had a part, may
be given here as an illustration of the gen-
eral joy with which these glad tidings were
received:-

“Old General di Pietra, one of the few survivors of the gallant band who had assist

seer."

A few days afterwards—that is, on the peared. We give the account of his recep22d September, 1798-Nelson himself aption in Miss Knight's own words. It is interesting for more reasons than one :

"Two or three days later (September 22) the Vanguard, with the flag of Sir Horatio Nelson, came in sight; and this time the