HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF SUSSEX, K. G. &c. &c. "Learn this And thou shalt prove a shelter to thy friends; A hoop of gold, to bind thy brothers in; That the united vessel of their blood, Mingled with venom of suggestion, (As, force perforce, the age will pour it in) Henry IV. Part 2. THIS beautiful passage from our immortal bard will bring to our recollection a most important scene; and, while it inculcates a moral lesson, shew in a very amiable light the excellent Prince to whom it was addressed. Without meaning further to advert to the play of which we have been speaking, and which is a drama truly English, let us observe, that we have, this week, the bonour to present our readers with the portrait of a PRINCE, equally amiable in his manners, equally benovolent in his heart; and in his talents, classical learning, and attic eloquence, greatly superior. His Royal Highness AUGUSTUS FREDERICK, the sixth son of our late venerable Sovereign, was born at the Queen's Palace, on Wednesday, January 27, 1773, and baptized by the Archbishop of Canterbury on Thursday, the 25th of February following. It certainly is not for us to inquire, why the illustrious subject of this article should alone have been neglected by ministers in the distribution of employments or emoluments, civil or military; but that it appears to us a peculiar hardship we shall shew, by stating that the same law which annulled his Royal Highness's marriage, bound him to the maintenance of his espoused lady, and to the payment of her debts; which we have heard, out of the national allowance of £18,000 per annum, is a clear deduction of £4,000. That his Royal Highness possesses strength and decision of mind, and is not deficient in talents that might adorn public life, may be fairly inferred, from the circumstance of his having, on certain great occasions, highly distinguished himself as a parliamentary speaker; more particularly in two orations delivered by his Royal Highness in the House of Lords, on the Regency Ques tion, December 27th 1810, and January 28th 1811; which excited much attention throughout the country, as strongly demonstrative of the sound constitutional knowledge of this illustrious member of the house of Brunswick. In 1812, in the case of the Catholics, his Royal Highness took a part no less decided. He seconded the Earl of Donoughmore's motion, for referring the petitions of the Catholics to a Committee; and enforced his opinion in a speech which evinced such a profound acquaintance with the subject, such a depth of reading in the decrees of the various councils in different ages of the world, as much astonish persons who may have been led to suppose, because the Duke of Sussex has no public or specific employment, that, therefore, his life is spent in ease and apathy. The truth is, that his Royal Highness is of a studious turn; to which, perhaps, he may be particularly induced by the misfortune of a most distressing asthmatic habit, to which he thus alluded in the speech last mentioned : "These sentiments are the consequence of long and serious inquiries, and have been greatly influenced by deep and religious meditations. Since the last time I ventured to intrude myself upon the attention of this House, domestic calamities and serious indisposition have almost constantly visited me: it is in such moments as those, my Lords, when it appears as if a few instants would separate me for ever from this mortal life, and the hopes of a better console me in the hour of anguish and sorrow, that all prejudices cease, and that man views human events, anbiassed by prepossessions, in their true light, inspired with Christian charity, and calmed by a confident reliance on the mercy of the Omnipotent : at those times, when one may be said almost to stand face to face with one's Creator, I have frequently asked myself, what preference I could urge in my favour to my Redeemer, over my fellow-creatures, in whose sight all well-intentioned and well-inclined men have an equal claim to his mercy. The answer of my conscience always was-follow the directions of your Divine Master, love one another, and do not to others what you would not have them do unto you. And upon this doctrine I am acting. The present life cannot be the boundary of our destination. It is but the first stage: the infancy of our existence it is a minority, during which we are to prepare for more noble occupations; and the more faithfully we discharge our duties here below, the more exalted will be the degree of protection and felicity that we may hope to attain hereafter. How should I feel, if I were excluded from those civil rights which are denied my fellow-creatures? This is a question that, in my opinion, can be answered but in one way; especially, convinced as I am, that civil immunities, guarded by mild and secure boundaries, cannot endanger either Church or State." His Royal Highness was some years since elected to, and graciously accepted, the command of a volunteer corps, called the Loyal North Britons. His Royal Highness, while at Berlin, formed a valuable connexion between the Royal York Lodge, in that city, and the Grand Lodge of England; and, upon every Occasion, used his utmost exertions in promoting and diffusing the benefits of that truly benevolent association. During his stay at Lisbon, the Grand Lodge of Paris had sent several deputies, officers of the frigate La Topaze, to assemble the Portuguese Free Masons in Lisbon, and grant them warrants to form Lodges. The Duke of Sussex, however, advised them, rather than do that, to form Lodges of themselves, and send a representative to the Grand Lodge of England, to be acknowledged by that body; in which case, the political independence of the country could not be biassed by the masonic connexion of the Portuguese Lodges with the Grand Lodge of France. The sedulous attention paid by the Royal Duke to the character and interests, the honour and happiness of the Free and Accepted Masons, is very apparent in the pre-eminent station which he now holds in the Fraternity. Nor did his Royal Highness's well-known zeal and ability, as a mason, escape the notice of his Royal Brother, when Prince Regent; who, on the demise of the venerable Admiral Sir Peter Parker, appointed the Duke of Sussex, DEPUTY GRAND MASTER OF ENGLAND. NAPOLEON BUONAPARTE. "They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoins." Isaiah, xiv. 16, A Chronological Account of the principal events of his life. 1769, Aug. 15-Napoleon Buonaparte, son of 1793. Charles, born at Ajac cio, Corsica. He was sent at an -An Officer of Artillery at the siege of 1794. Oct. 4.-Commands the Conventional Troops, 1796.: and defeats the Parisians. -Appointed to the command of the army of Italy, May 10.-Battle of Lodi. Aug. 3.-Battle of Castiglione. Nov. 16.-Battle of Arcola. 1797. Feb. 2.-Surrender of Mantna. Mar. 23.-Trieste surrenders. April18.-Preliminaries with Austria signed at Leoben. May 16.-French take possession of Venice. -- |