took place just as the King was about to alight; which proved too plainly the murderous designs of the ferocious rabble; but providentially they were frustrated in their object, which disappointment enraged them so much, that they attacked the coach with stones, and did it considerable injury; continuing this species of mischief all the way along Pall-mall to the Mews. Notwithstanding these dreadful appearances, the King ordered his private carriage to be brought up, and in a few minutes entered it to go to the Queen's-house, though surrounded by a tumultuary and infuriated horde, every one of whom seemed bent upon assassination. There being now no guards to intimidate them, the mob rushed upon the carriage with savage fury, and one miscreant attempted to burst open the door. This attack was made by sixteen or seventeen wretches, who issued forth from the great mass; and then it was that the person of the sovereign was in the most imminent danger. Mr. Bedingfield, a gentleman of the Navy Pay-Office, who stood by at the time, put his hand into his pocket, and cocked a brace of pistols which he had with him, when seeing the life-guards at a distance, it immediately occurred to him that their assistance would be more effectual than his own; he accordingly ran with the utmost speed, and brought them up to the rescue of their master; but fortunately his Majesty's coachman had already succeeded in extricating the carriage from the mob; and the ruffians having already mingled with the crowd, it was impossible to mark any of them. One of the guards, however, on coming up, perceiving a fellow, as he thought, forward in assailing the King, lifted up his sword, and would have cut him down, had he not been prevented from doing so by the gracious interposition of his Majesty.

The Earl of Onslow wrote the following account of this transaction, dated October 29, 1795, twelve at night.

"Soon after two this day, his Majesty, attended by the Earl of Westmoreland and myself, set out from St. James's in his state-coach, to open the session of parliament. The multitude of people in the Park was prodigious. A sullen silence, I observed to myself, prevailed

through the whole, very few individuals excepted. No hats, or at least very few, were pulled off; little or no huzzaing, and frequently a cry of "Give us bread !"—" No war!" and once or twice, "No King!" with hissing and groaning. My grandson Cranley, who was upon the King's guard, had told me, just before we set out from St. James's, that the Park was full of people, who seemed discontented and tumultuotis, and that he apprehended insult would be offered to the King. Nothing material however happened, till we got to the narrowest part of the street called St. Margaret's, between the two Palace-yards, when, the moment we had passed the Office of Ordnance, and were just opposite the parlour window of the house adjoining it, a small ball, either of lead or marble, passed through the window glass on the King's right hand, and perforated it, leaving a small hole, the bigness of the top of my little finger, (which I instantly put through it, to mark the size), and passed through the coach out of the other door, the glass of which was down. We all instantly exclaimed, "This is a shot!" The King shewed, and I am persuaded felt, no alarm; much less did he fear, to which indeed he is insensible. We proceeded to the House of Lords, when, on getting out of the coach, I first, and the King immediately afterwards, said to the Lord Chancellor, who was in waiting at the bottom of the stairs robed, " My Lord, we have been shot at;" and then, perfectly free from the smallest agitation, read his speech with peculiar correctness, and even less hesitation than usual. At his unrobing afterwards, when the event got more known (I having told it to the Duke of York's ear as I passed him and the throne, and to others who stood near us), it was, as might be supposed, the only topic of conversation, in which the King joined with much less agitation than any body else. And afterwards, on getting into the coach, the first words he said were, "Well, my Lords, one person is proposing this, and another is supposing that, forgetting that there is One above us all, who disposes of every thing, and on whom alone we depend." The magnanimity, piety, and good sense of this struck me most forcibly, and I shall never forget the words."

The situation of the Queen and Princesses during these commotions, some knowledge of which could not be kept from them, may easily be conceived; and yet it is a fact, that his Majesty related the occurrences to them with as much calmness as if his life had not been any way endangered; nay, more; confident in the attachment of his people, and the protection of Providence, he went with her Majesty and three of the Princesses the very next day to Covent-garden theatre. At the entrance of the Royal Visitors, the house, which was thronged in every part, resounded with "God save the King," and this loyal song was called for three times during the evening.

Mr. Bedingfield, who, by his courage and strength,

opened a passage for his Majesty through the moh, has been stated to be an Irishman, and in all probability was the means of saving the Sovereign's life. The King, grateful for the service, desired the late Lord Melville, then Mr. Dundas, to give the gentleman an appointment of some profit. On the gentleman being asked by Mr. Dundas what he could do for him, he answered, with the characteristic humour of his country, "The best thing, Sir, you can do for me, is to make me a Scotchman;' a witty but unfortunate allusion, which so much offended Mr. Dundas, that he dismissed the gentleman as he came. The royal gratitude, however, was not to be obstructed. The King having repeatedly enquired of Mr. Dundas what he had done for the brave Irishman, and always receiving for answer, that no vacant situation had turned up for the gentleman, his Majesty said at length very tartly, "Then, Sir, you must make a situation for him." In fact, the minister did as desired, and a new office was created in favour of the King's deliverer, with a salary of 650l. per annum.

Between the hours of one and four in the morning of the 6th of November, a hurricane raged with a degree of violence that perhaps was never exceeded in England, unless in the great storm of the year 1704. Their Majesties, who were at Buckingham-house, arose from their beds, as did many hundreds of families in and about town; for such was the fury and pressure of the elemental strife, that scarcely any fabric seemed capable of resisting its force.

SECTION XVIII.

Birth of the Princess Charlotte-Disagreement between her Royal Mother and the Prince of Wales-Kyd Wake-Assault upon their Majesties-New Taxes-Proceedings in the East and West Indies-Victories of Buonaparte-Death of the Empress of Russia-Lodi-Famous Retreat of Moreau-His Ma

jesty's Speech-Lord Malmesbury sent as a Negociator to Paris -United Irishmen.-1797. The Spaniards declare WarStoppage of Payment in Specie-French landed on the Welsh Coast Victory of Sir John Jervis-Account of Earl St. Vincent-Capture of Trinidad-Marriage of the Princess RoyalMutiny at the Nore-Sir Horatio Nelson-Progress of Buonaparte in Italy-Lord Malmesbury at Lisle-Duncan's Victory over the Dutch-Admiral Duncan-Peace between France and Germany Dissentions in Paris Cayenne-Mr. AdamsDeath of the King of Prussia-Horace Walpole -Mr. Edmund Burke-The celebrated John Wilkes.

1796.-ON the 7th of January the birth of a Princess to the Heir-Apparent, tended in some degree to dissipate the gloom which the "stern alarms" of war had spread over the nation. Earl Mansfield, in the House of Lords, moved an address of congratulation upon the happy event-the safe delivery of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, which passed unanimously, and was ordered to be presented to the King by the Lords with white staves. A similar address to the Queen was ordered to be presented by the Lord President of the Council, and a third to the Prince and Princess of Wales, by the Lord Privy Seal and the Duke of Portland. Mr. Pitt at the same time moved in the House of Commons, "That a congratulatory address be presented to his Majesty on the increase of the Royal Family, by the birth of a Princess, and also that congratulatory messages be sent on the same occasion to her Majesty, and to their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, which were agreed

to nem con.

On the 11th of February, the baptismal ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of their Majesties, who stood sponsors, with the Princess Royal as the representative of the Duchess of Brunswick. The Queen made the responses, and gave the name of Charlotte Caroline-Augusta to the royal infant. But the birth of this Princess, instead of producing union, appeared to have the contrary effect. A coolness between her royal parents, till then only suspected, had now ripened into a disagreement that could no longer be concealed. Soon after the christening, a

negociation was carried on through the medium of Lord Cholmondeley, for an amicable separation of the parents, and which before the end of April, was adjusted without clamour or publicity. However, when the affair came to be agitated in the public papers, the contradictions of calumny tended to multiply reports of so many complexions, as totally to baffle any inferences made by persons not in the secrets of royalty. Not ever her Majesty could escape common slander on this occasion; and such are the difficulties which presented themselves on the face of the disputes connected with this circumstance, that an ordinary volume would be insufficient for an impartial discussion of their various claims to authenticity.

Notwithstanding several persons had been apprehended on suspicion of having thrown stones at the King when going to the House of Peers, one of whom, Kyd Wake, was sentenced to five years imprisonment, &c.; whilst their Majesties were returning from DruryLane theatre on the evening of the 1st of February, they sustained another rude insult. When the carriages had reached the end of John-street, Pall-mall, a stone was flung with such force as to break one of the glass pannels of the coach, in which were their Majesties and a lady in waiting. This, after striking the Queen on the cheek, fell into Lady Harrington's lap. A reward of 1000l. was offered for the discovery of the offender.

This year commenced with an imposition of a number of new taxes, for the purpose of invigorating a continuation of hostilities. Upwards of twenty-seven millions and a half had been already voted, and a loan of eighteen millions constituted a part of the ways and means. The supply was increased 37,588,000l. and to complete the new demand, seven millions and a half were borrowed. The colonial forces were augmented to 77,000 men; the guards and garrisons reduced to 49,000 men, and the sailors and marines increased to 110,000; additional imposts on wine, tobacco, salt, sugar, on horses and dogs; also a new duty on hats, on legacies to collateral relatives; and all who were liable