her intention to visit-and to visit without a respectable English retinue. "Poor Princess! I fear she will come to no good end; and there is so much good in her, it is doubly to be regretted there should not be one grain of prudence to guide her aright. "Never was there a greater piece of folly committed by any one than that of Her Royal Highness leaving England at such a moment; it was so bad a compliment to her daughter. In short, she played the Regent's game; and he is in high spirits, it is said, on account of his wife's voluntary exile from this country. "I cannot believe that good man, Mr. Whitbread, ever advised the Princess to leave England; but if he did, it can only be accounted for by the malady which ultimately deprived him of life. "The Princess has only written once to within the last six months, and Her Royal Highness's letter was evidently written in very bad spirits. I am very, very sorry for her; she is certainly used most cruelly, most unfairly. Whatever may be alleged against her, there is much to allege against those who drive her to extremities. "The generality of people condemn her, and praise the Rt, on account of the turn po litics have taken; which he and his ministers have just about as much to do with as I have. The great captain is the main spring upon which England's glory rests; and if he brings about a peace, the poor Princess will be forgotten. 'Poor Lord ! I believe he feels as much for his family losses as those who make greater show of grief; but in this last loss he must have had a double regret; for she never recovered having been forsaken, and sorrow soon hastened her death. "Is Princess Charlotte, think you, really going to marry the Prince of Orange? It will be a merry court whenever she does marry, at least for the rising generation; but she does not seem to incline to take the person she is ordered, but to choose for herself. "As to myself, all I can tell you is, I am obliged to go picking up attachments here and there, and of course I am generally disappointed in them. "Write quickly to me, and tell me if you know any thing of the Princess. How does she like the thoughts of her daughter's marrying the Prince of Orange? If I were Princess Charlotte I would marry to obtain my liberty, for she is not well-treated, etc. Yours." Saturday 27th.-I went to the Danish Ambassador's, Monsieur de Blacas; a brilliant assembly; there was present a Danish Princess of Holstein, a descendant I believe of the unhappy Princess Matilda, who paid her life, it is said, for her crime-her liberty certainly (which was as bad.) This Danish Princess is sister to the Princess of Holstein, whom I knew in England. She is fair in a particular way-nay, very handsome ;-a fresh countenance, but the cheeks too heavy and large. She wore a very simple muslin dress; her hair arranged like one of Sir Peter Lely's pictures. The Prince her husband is a heavy looking man, but with rather an agreeable expression of countenance. They are both in manner much like all royalties I ever saw, courteous, but evidently prudent and cautious, saying one thing, and looking about at the same time, thinking of another. They afforded me too the same amusement as I ever had, in observing the crowd press around them, to catch a gleam of favour from their smiles. So much for rank and station! it is the same every where, and always will be. What a strange thing power is how it transmutes the basest things into high estimation, and vice versa. But let one pride themselves on being exempt no -- from its influence. Those who think themselves least liable to being swayed by it, are generally most so. * It is one thing to be within the dazzling influence of high station and command, and another to consider it at a distance. I like Monsieur de Blacas personally; he is quite one of the obsoletes; a decided member of the Vieille Cour, imbued with all its ancient prejudices. But then he is sincere, and a complete character in his way; a violent Tory of course in his politics, but on other subjects he converses with liberal feelings and information,-especially on those of taste and virtue. Madame de Blacas is insignificant in personal appearance, although not inelegant. I feel a dislike to her from her conduct to the Princess of Wales. When Madame de Blacas, during the height of the French revolution, was obliged to seek shelter for her life at the court of Brunswick, and was so reduced in her circumstances as to be compelled to gain her livelihood by washing fine linen, the then reigning Duke of Brunswick and the Princess of Wales discovered her distress and assisted her; yet when * A professed radical, for instance-how he thaws in the atmosphere of royalty. . the Princess, in her hour of distress, passed subsequently through France, the French Ambassadress refused to show her the common civilities due to her station; and Monsieur de Blacas, in conjunction with the Duchess of D. showed Her Royal Highness every indignity. What a return for all her past kindness to Madame de Blacas. I own this trait of character gives me a prejudice against her. , Monday 29th.--Went to see Madame and heard her sing, which is always a pleasure; the style is the true old Italian, full of pathos and passion. In the evening, I went to a great ball at Torlonia's, given to the Prince and Princess of Denmark. The banker's new abode is magnificent from its space, its marbles and its lights; but it was deadly cold in the galleries where the dancing took place. There are some statues and pictures which appeared to me worth looking at, but a crowded assembly suits but little to the examination of such things. I heard to-day from Sir William Gell. What an inexhaustible store he has of droll goodhumoured fun. LETTER FROM SIR WILLIAM GELL. "Your much too amiable letter gave me the greatest pleasure, and in some degree acted as |