of English society, and that Nelson, when modern languages, her varied accomplishhe found Lady Hamilton's character assailed, clung to her all the more openly, for the purpose of supporting her. We may as well give the explanation in Miss Knight's own words :

ments, her rectitude of conduct, and her agreeable manners, seemed especially to qualify her for such a task. But instead of being attached to the person of a young princess, she was attached to that of an old queen. In 1805, Queen Charlotte gave her a situation at court; but it does not very clearly appear from these volumes what that situation was. Whatever may have been its precise designation, it brought her into constant proximity to the queen, to whom she read such works as Thomson's Seasons, Cowper's Task, Cicero's Epistles, and others, generally of a somewhat fatiguing kind. The journals kept by Miss Knight at this time, except when they record the progress of the poor old king's malady, are not of a very interesting character, and the extracts given are but few. It was probably the dreariest period of Miss Knight's life. And yet she subsequently declared her belief that she had acted unwisely in quitting her situation at the queen's court for another, which, if it had greater charms, had greater dangers attendant upon it too. It is not only in money matters that high interest is bad security; in the respectable Three-per-cents of Queen Charlotte's court, Miss Knight had a safe investment, and it was not prudent to sell out and speculate in such a hazardous lottery as that of the court of the Prince of Wales. But the temptation was very great. The good old queen was certainly a less interesting personage than her granddaughter; and we are not surprised that Miss Knight deserted the former to become lady-companion to the Princess Charlotte.

"I dined one day with Sir William and Lady Hamilton in Grosvenor Square. Lord and Lady Nelson were of the party, and the Duke of Sussex and Lady Augusta Murray came in the evening. Lord Nelson was to make his appearance at the theatre next day, but I declined to go with the party. I afterwards heard that Lady Nelson fainted in the box. Most of my friends were very urgent with me to drop the acquaintance, but, circumstanced as I had been, I feared the charge of ingratitude, though greatly embarrassed as to what to do, for things became very unpleasant. So much was said about the attachment of Lord Nelson to Lady Hamilton, that it made the matter still worse. He felt irritated, and took it up in an unfortunate manner, by devoting himself more and more to her, for the purpose of what he called supporting her. Mischief was made on all sides, till at last, when he was appointed to the command of the squadron in the Downs, which was to sail for Copenhagen-his brother and sister-in-law, with Sir William and Lady Hamilton, being with him at Deal-he wrote to Lady Nelson, giv ing her credit for perfectly moral conduct, but announcing his intention of not living with her any more. This was certainly not in his thoughts before he returned to England, for I remember his saying, while we were at Leghorn, that he hoped Lady Nelson and himself would be much with Sir William and Lady Hamilton, and that they would all very often dine together, and that, when the latter couple went to their musical parties, he and Lady Nelson would go to bed. The queen was much hurt, and very anEven at Hamburg, just before we embarked, gry; and she never looked with complacency he purchased a magnificent lace trimming upon the deserter again. But this was hard for a court dress for Lady Nelson, and a upon Miss Knight, who appears to have black lace cloak for another lady, who, he acted in a manner distinguished by loyalty said, had been very attentive to his wife during his absence." and gratitude towards the queen. She admits that she had grown very weary of the teWe hear no more of Lord Nelson and the dium and monotony of her life at Windsor. Hamiltons after this. Indeed, the record of "I could not find it in my heart," she said, the next four or five years is extremely slight." to devote myself till death to the queen's Miss Knight remained in England, mixed service, sacrificing the pleasing idea of renlargely in society, and attracted the attention, among others, of Mr. Pitt, who had a high opinion of her understanding, and desired to see her appointed to superintend the education of the young Princess Charlotte. Her intimate acquaintance with ancient and

dering happy the life of a persecuted young creature, whose talents and dispositions appeared to me to be worthy of a better lot than had as yet fallen to her share. Perhaps, also, my pride had been somewhat hurt by the queen not always, as I thought, feel

ing properly my situation; and I will not say | princess, who was already a woman in years; that I had not some wish for more active and and still more so in character, any longer as more important employment than that which a child. She was at the most critical period I held at Windsor-dull, uninteresting, and of her life-the very turning-point, for good monotonous-every year more and more con- or evil, of her career-and she required most fined, and even, from the kindness of the judicious treatment. Miss Knight describes royal family, condemned to listen to all their her as "a noble young creature," "capable complaints and private quarrels. I certainly of becoming a blessing to her country, or the hoped to get honorably out of it, but I did reverse." She was, "in understanding, penfeel attachment for the queen." And as a etration, and stature, a woman, desirous to proof of this, when the formal invitation came acquire more knowledge of public affairs and to her to enter the princess' service, she had general society, alive to every thing, and cadeclined it; but the prince regent had re- pable of forming a judgment for herself." newed his request, and had at last persuaded Miss Knight gives an account of a converher to consent, on the plea that her majesty sation which she had with Lord Moira on had withdrawn all her objections, and was in the subject of the princess' education. "Talreality desirous of the arrangement. The ents and genius must be encouraged," urged fact is, that the queen was afraid of her son. the lady, "to become useful. If endeavors are She very much wished Miss Knight to re- made to lower or extinguish them, what must main in her service, but she did not like be the result?" "I saw the tears," adds to take upon herself the responsibility of the narrator, "roll down the cheeks of Lord thwarting the prince's plans. She hoped Moira, and he said, 'This is what I felt for that Miss Knight would take the responsi- her father; he was every thing that was bility upon herself, so as to relieve her maj- amiable, and still I cannot help loving him.' esty of all odium in the transaction. But The editor adds to this in a note, on the auMiss Knight was disposed to do any thing thority of Mr. Raikes, a tribute paid to the but this, and hence the queen's undying re- regent by the Duke of Wellington, who sentment. "The last thing I did before I said that the prince was the most extraordileft my old lodging," says Miss Knight, "to nary medley of opposite qualities, "with a enter on my new duties, was to write a re- great preponderance of good," that he had spectful letter to the queen, expressive of the ever seen in his life. deepest regret, and of the sincerest attachment. This letter was never answered." For better or for worse, Miss Knight had now taken her line. She was the servant of the prince regent. The prince called her his "dear chevalier," and for a time every thing went well. The Princess Charlotte was domiciled at Warwick House, which was a sort of supplement or appendix to Carlton House, the prince's residence, and which, Miss Knight says, was then " 'miserably out of repair, and almost falling into ruins." Nothing of it now remains. It was a dreary sort of place, "perfectly resembling a convent;" but such as it was, it was "a seat of happiness to Princess Charlotte, compared with the Lower Lodge at Windsor," where she had before resided, and which was, indeed, still to be considered the cheflieu; the idea of the princess having an establishment of her own being one which it was not, at that time, the policy of the court to encourage.

Nothing could have more surely saved a young princess, surrounded by so many adverse influences, than a good marriage; and, once recognized as a woman, the consideration of this important question could not be much longer deferred. The hereditary Prince of Orange was the first person fixed upon as the future husband of the presumptive heir to the throne of England. Of the Orange match and of its rupture a full account is given in these volumes, which will doubtless be accepted as legitimate history in supercession of all others. If the Princess Charlotte had followed her own inclination she would have married the Duke of Gloucester. But the regent set his face steadfastly against this match. But he said, at the same time, that he would never force the inclinations of his daughter. Miss Knight's account of his conduct in this matter is very creditable to the prince :—

"The prince came, and to the Lower Lodge; Princess Charlotte was desirous that It was impossible, however, to treat the I should see him first, and I met him on the

POETRY.-Year after Year, 130. Night Showeth Knowledge, 130. The Despot's Heir, 130.

SHORT ARTICLES.-Treatment of Poisoning, 143. Plague Cross, 147. Man of Feeling, 151. Archbishop Talbot, 151. Gen. Marion's Last Words, 151. Political Audacity, 155. Titular Wisdom, 178. Dr. Motley, 181. American Compromises, 181. Screaming Fishes, 186. A Curious Collection, 192. Hieroglyphical Picture of Charles the Martyr, 192. Improvements in Paris, 192.

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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.

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 a war with Spain was expected, Johnson went to Portsmouth, and passed a week on board with my father. He inquired into every thing, made himself very agreeable to the officers, and was much pleased with his visit.

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 pur-young officer whom my father had sent to pose; 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.

"When he was conveyed on shore, the

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,