but the minor Council, who were all in the same strain of flattery, talking of the magnanimity and fortitude with which his Royal Highness received this shock. Lord Baltimore (the Queen told me) had compared his Royal Highness's bravery and resolution to that of Charles the Twelfth of Sweden; but where he found a particular similitude in their characters I know not. All the letters that passed this year and the last between the King or Queen and the Prince or Princess are copied in these memoirs from the originals, which Lord Hervey had many days in his possession, given him by the Queen to range them in order; and whoever hereafter sees the originals will find them all docketed in his hand-writing, assisted by the King in some parts, where he had forgotten by whom some particular papers were sent; and those names which are not in his hand-writing, though mixed with it, are written by the King himself. The originals Lord Hervey had orders to give to Sir Robert Walpole; and when he obeyed those orders, Sir Robert Walpole told him, "When the Duke of Newcastle sees these letters indorsed by the King and you in conjunction, it will put him out of humour for a week at least; he'll say you are Closet Secretary to the King, whilst he is only Office Secretary." CHAPTER XXXVI. The Prince consults the heads of the Opposition-Further Correspondence -Walpole jealous of Carteret-Remonstrates with the Queen-Thinks her too easily swayed-Conduct of different Members of the Cabinet— The Chancellor and Duke of Newcastle-Duke of Grafton and Lord Pembroke Character of these-Walpole dissatisfied with NewcastleReasons for not breaking with him-Sir C. H. Williams-Correspondence continued-Lord Hervey advises to stop it-The Queen's short answer-The Prince denies his own statements-City Address-The Correspondence printed-Walpole resolved never to act with Carteret. ON Monday, September 12, the Prince and Princess and their whole family removed from St. James's to Kew; and Lord Carteret, Sir William Windham, and Mr. Pulteney having been sent for by expresses from the Prince as soon as he had received the King's message, they all immediately repaired to Kew. When Lord Hervey, who had met some of these people upon the road going to Kew, told his Majesty of it, the King's remark was that he believed they would all soon be tired of the puppy; "for, besides his being a scoundrel, he is such a fool," said the King, "that he will talk more fiddle-faddle nonsense to them in a day than any old woman talks in a week." On Tuesday, in the evening, Lord Baltimore wrote to Lord Grantham to let him know he had a letter from the Prince to the Queen, and desired to know, since by the King's late orders he was forbid waiting on his Lordship at Hampton Court, how he should get it conveyed to him for his Lordship to deliver to the Queen : Copy of Lord Baltimore's Letter to Lord Grantham. "My Lord, "London, Sept. 13, 1737. "I have in my hands a letter from his Royal Highness to the Queen, which I am commanded to give or transmit to your Lordship; and as I am afraid it might be improper for me to wait on you at Hampton Court, I must beg you will be so good as to let me know how and in what manner I may deliver or send it to you. If I may presume to judge of my royal master's sentiments, he does not conceive himself precluded by the King's message from taking this, the only means, of endeavouring as far as he is able to remove his Majesty's displeasure. "I am "Your Lordship's very humble servant, A great consultation was held whether the Queen should receive or refuse this letter. She was inclined to refuse it, and Sir Robert said he thought it right she should do so, as the making her the mediatrix on this occasion could do her no service, and might furnish matter for drawing her into difficulties. It was therefore resolved that Lord Grantham should copy the following letter, drawn by Sir Robert Walpole, to Lord Baltimore: My Lord, Lord Grantham to Lord Baltimore. 66 'Hampton Court, Sept. 15, 1737. "I have laid your Lordship's letter before the Queen, who has commanded me to return your Lordship the following answer: "The Queen is very sorry that the Prince's behaviour has given the King such just cause of offence, but thinks herself restrained by the King's last message to the Prince from receiving any application from the Prince on that subject.' After the copy of this letter was seen and approved, the Queen sent Lord Hervey to Sir Robert Walpole to bid him be sure to send somebody to watch and instruct Lord Grantham whilst he was copying it; to tell him an o was to be made like a full moon, a c like a half-moon, an m with three legs, and an n with two, with other writing-master's maxims, or that Grantham's production would never be legible. Lord Hervey said he believed the caution was very necessary, and that as this was the first example, and he believed would be the last, of Grantham's literary correspondence that would ever appear in history and be transmitted to posterity, it would be pity not to have it perfect. Before this answer was returned, Sir William Irby, Vice-Chamberlain to the Princess, brought Lord Pembroke a letter from her Royal Highness for the King, which Lord Pembroke gave the King on the 15th of September: the letter had no date, and was in substance to assure his Majesty nothing but the fear of offending should have prevented her coming to Hampton Court and returning these thanks at his feet by word of mouth. She then went on and said how sorry she was that the Prince's tenderness for her had made her the innocent cause of a division in the family; and how particularly unfortunate it was that this should happen on an occasion otherwise so happy for her, and so agreeable to the public. She added too, that she doubted not, could she see the King, but that she could explain the Prince's conduct in a manner that would satisfy his Majesty. Copy of the Princess's Letter to the King, delivered by Lord Pembroke, Sept. 15, 1737. "Sire, "C'est avec tout le respect possible que je prens la liberté de remercier très-humblement votre Majesté de l'honneur qu'elle a bien voulu me faire d'être parrain de ma fille. Je n'aurois pas manqué de venir moi-même vous rendre mes devoirs à Hampton Court pour vous en remercier de bouche ; mais, comme j'ai le malheur d'être privée de cet honneur à présent, j'espère que votre Majesté ne trouverez pas mauvais que je prenne la liberté de le faire par écrit. Ma douleur est d'autant plus grande que par la tendresse du Prince je me vois la cause innocente de sa disgrace; et je me flatte que si j'avois eu la permission de me mettre aux pieds de votre Majesté, j'aurois pû expliquer la démarche du Prince d'une manière à adoucir le ressentiment de votre Majesté. Que je suis à plaindre, Sire, quand une circonstance si flatteuse pour moi, et en même temps si agréable au publique, est malheureusement devenue le triste sujet d'une division dans la famille ! Je n'importunerai pas davantage votre Majesté que pour vous assurer que, comme je vous dois tout mon bonheur, je me flatte que je vous devrai aussi bientôt le repos de ma vie. Je suis, avec tout le respect imaginable, "Sire, de votre Majesté, "La très-humble et très-obéissante fille, "sujette, et servante, "AUGUSTE." In this letter, not the least mention being made of thanks to the Queen for having stood godmother, nor |