IMAGINARY ADDRESS OF THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE Farewell to thee, child-silent fruit of my anguish, I must weep for thee, Babe-nor shall my single sorrow For o'er thy hapless fate, ere the night of to-morrow, Had a mother's exulting alone been inwoven I saw the long vista of bliss and of glory, Resign'd for myself was I selfish, still grateful But be still my lament-lovely Babe, soon I join thee, Then be merciful, Death, from my anguish release me, I come to thee, Child, now in glory resplendent, November 10th, 1817-To the original of these verses was appended the following letter: "My dear; I have done myself the pleasure of inclosing the lines you appeared to approve. I was not allowed the liberty of giving a copy, but my acquaintance with the author's mind is such that I felt no hesitation in offering them, being assured he would have been highly gratified by your acceptance of them. They will not bear the severe eye of criticism, but to a feeling heart they must be touching. I conceive they may be improved by compression, but they were written on the spur of the moment, so I send them as I received them, &c." I went to Lady -'s the day that the news reached Rome, and I found there congregated all the English residing at this place, who had come to tell and to hear whatever they had heard from England on the sad occasion. Some maintained that the Regent had not evinced any grief. Impossible! But one circumstance I believe to be true, from the quarter from which it came; it is, that no official notice of the event was forwarded to the Princess of Wales, and that she learnt it through the medium of a common newspaper! Truly one's heart revolts at the idea of a mother being so treated-not to mention a princess; for in such a case as this, all remembrance of the observances of etiquette sink into insignificance, compared with the want of common humanity of feeling, shown in this respect for so near a relative of the departed Princess. But this act of cruel negligence accords with the treatment almost invariably shown towards the Princess of Wales: for certainly, however much she may have been in the wrong, the Prince is fully as much to blame as she is; and however greatly the Princess of Wales deserves censure, she deserves fully as much pity. She has a great claim on the English nation's kindness and forbearance, and I only wish to heaven she had never forsaken the shelter of that protection. But partially as this cause has been spoken and written of in the present day by eye-witnesses, future historians will be more partial still; and in future ages the faults and follies of the Prince and the Princess of Wales will be exaggerated or diminished, until there will be no truth told of either party. All history is false, and it is difficult to avoid its being so; for even those who dwell perpetually at courts are deceived. No one who has not lived in such a sphere can have an idea of the du plicity and double dealings which are carried on by all countries and all parties. To return to the actual news of the day: there are whispered (and I think totally false) rumours afloat, of the late Princess Charlotte having been neglected during her confinement; and all sorts of marvellous stories are spread, which I wonder at any person of common sense listening to for a moment. It is strange how eagerly people always receive marvellous histories on any subject. But in such a case as this they should not be allowed to disseminate such idle gossip, which, if the lowest orders of people were to become acquainted with, might be a pretext for them to cause some serious disturbance. Another, and, I fear, a more truc report is afloat, namely, that the Princess of Wales is watched by mean and paid hirelings, who will not scruple to tell lies, so long as they receive a sufficient price to tempt them to sell this poor woman. I do not know one of her Royal Highness's attendants, even by name; so I have ventured again to trouble her with a letter of inquiry about her health, which I have requested her to employ any person to answer she thinks fit to appoint, as I am truly anxious to hear she has not suffered in health from her late bereavement. I should hope and believe this inquiry will not offend, as it is truly and kindly meant. But she is a strange person, and in general, on other occasions of supposed sorrow to her, she has been offended at expressions of condolence; not liking it to be imagined that any grief could affect her strength, either of body or mind. I have always regarded that feeling as a foolish boast, and on the present occasion I think even she will not be ashamed to confess that she is in deep affliction. The Regent did not attend his daughter's funeral. I am told it was not etiquette for him to do so; but I own my feelings would have inclined me, on so uncommon an occasion of public sorrow, as well as from the private affliction of a parent at the loss of a child, to waive the usages of ceremony, and to have seen her laid in the grave. Her husband is very miserable, and I believe his grief to be sincere, as much for his young and pretty bride, as for the loss of his future queen. It always struck me that Princess Charlotte's personal advantages were not so highly esteemed as they deserved to be; for certainly her figure and deportment were truly beautiful; her limbs all faultless, and her general appearance very dignified and royal looking. But every thing and every person that concerned the Princess of Wales seems destined to have been despised, and to meet with an unkindly fate. In her own person (I speak of the time of her youth) her face and figure were both very pleasing, her features delicate and regular, and it was strange they did not then, at least, win the admiration of the Prince; for he was a great judge of female charms. Truly, when, one reflects on the manner in which she was treated from the first moment of her arrival in England, one feels inclined to be very lenient to all her subsequent faults and follies. If we only consider her as a young, pretty, and slighted bride in private life, we must pity her, when she found herself so contemptuously treated by her lord. That was the portion of her life in which the Princess of Wales was a real heroine, and that bitter portion of her existence alone gives her a strong right to national sympathy, and ought to preserve for her in future generations a kindly feeling of compassion, and I feel sure it will do so. December 10th.-I received the following strange reply to-day from the Princess of Wales. -, your "Thank you a thousand times, my dear kind inquiries after my health, which has suffered as little as I could expect from my late misfortune. I cannot at dis moment inform you where I shall go to; my plan depends on letters from England, about dat vile money, who do always annoy me. As to my household, I hear people are meddling wid it, and saying it is improper. In de first place what would they have me do? All de fine English folk leave me. I not send them away, though, by-the-by, some of dem not behave as civil as I could like. No matter-I wud have had patience wid them, but dey choose to go, so I not prevent them; but I must have some one to attend me, and I make my choice of some very agreeable persons, in every way fit to be my attendants; though de jealous English beggars, such as Miss, and one or two more of our acquaintance, dear, wud have liked to have had the situation which La Comtesse Oldi now fills, to her and my great satisfaction. Her brother also is a very intelligent and gentlemanlike person. Dey are of a decayed nobleman's family, much better born and bred than William Bl. But I know people are very ill-natured, and choose to abuse me for the choice I have made in my household. No matter, I not carefrom henceforth I will do just as I please, that I will. Since de English neither give me de great honour of being a Princesse de Galle, 1 will be Caroline-a happy merry soul; but, simplement, what do you tink, my dear ? just before I and Lady parted, I hope never to meet again, I gave her a very pretty cast of an antique. I should have been proud of it in my room. Well, a day or two after she broke it, purposely I know, and had de impudence to come and say to me, 'Oh! ma'am, dat figure your Royal Highness bought for a bronze is only plaster;' to which I reply, I knew that, Lady -, very well, when I gave it to you. Dat is so like de English people; dey always ask, when one make them a souvenir, how much is cost? how much is worth? You are a true English, my dear Lady --, there can be no mistake.' "She laughed, but I saw she looked ashamed of herself. I cannot say I regret any one of my old household. I have been disappointed in dem all, and am much happier now I have no longer des espions about me, such as Lady A. H., watching me into every place where it is possible for a human being to set foot. I must conclude, my dear, wishing you well, and remain ever your sincere friend, "C. P." 66 "P. S. When you have any amusing news from Eng. land, I should like to hear it if you will favour me wid some." Truly, did I not know the Princess of Wales, I should |