:

"Oh, that you had been at her ball the other night! History could never describe it, and keep its countenance. The Queen's real birth-day, you know, is not kept this maid of honour kept it-nay, while the court is in mourning, expected people to be out of mourning the Queen's family really was so; Lady Northumberland having desired leave for them. A scaffold was erected in Hyde Park for fire-works. To show the illuminations. without to more advantage, the company were received in an apartment totally dark, where they remained for two hours. The fire-works were fine, and succeeded well. On each side of the court were two large scaffolds for the virgin's tradespeople. When the fire-works ceased, a large scene was lighted in the court, representing their Majesties, on each side of which were six obelisks, painted with emblems, and illuminated; mottoes beneath in Latin and English. First, for the Prince of Wales, a ship, Multorum Spes. Second, for the Princess Dowager, a bird of Paradise, and two little ones, Meos ad sidera tollo. Third, Duke of York, a temple, Virtuti et honori. Fourth, Princess Augusta, a bird of Paradise, Non habet parem. Fifth, the three younger princes, an orange tree, Promittat et dat. Sixth, the two younger princesses, the flower crown imperial. I forget the Latin ; the translation was silly enough, Bashful in youth, graceful in age.' The lady of the house made many apologies for the poorness of the performance, which she said was only oil-paper, painted by one of her servants; but it really was fine and pretty. Behind the house was

a cenotaph for the Princess Elizabeth, a kind of illuminated cradle the motto, 'All the honours the dead can receive.' This burying ground was a strange codicil to a festival; and what was still more strange, about one in the morning this sarcophagus burst out into crackers. and guns. The Margrave of Anspach began the ball with the virgin. The supper was most sumptuous."

Another of the queen's maids of honour was Miss Vernon, who became indirectly associated with a strange story. Her femme de chambre was a girl named Sarah Wilson, who broke open one of the royal cabinets, which she rifled of some valuable jewels. She was detected, tried, and sentenced to death. By the humane interposition of the queen she was "pardoned," as it was called—that is, sent to Maryland and sold as a slave to one Mr. Devall. She, however, contrived to escape,

1 As all the proceedings of this extraordinary lady had something grotesque or odd, we find Mason, the poet, writing to Lord Harcourt, that at court in 1759 she stooped down to try and pick up a piece of dirty paper; but it was noticed could not succeed in stooping sufficiently owing to her stoutness. A certain doctor, who saw her difficulty, attempted to pick it up, but he also proved too fat, and could get no lower than his knees, to the general hilarity of the pages and officers on guard.

The

It was not till the year 1775 that Buckingham House was settled on the queen as her dower house; a committee of the House of Commons resolving that it should be so settled in lieu of Somerset House, and that after her demise it should revert to the Crown. palace of Somerset House, which had been originally settled on her, was taken back again, "for the purpose of erecting and establishing certain public offices." Hence Sir W. Chambers' stately pile, which is one of the few classical buildings of the metropolis, but which the embankment has robbed of much of its effect as a riverside palace.

and found her way to Charlestown. She then gave out that she was sister of the Queen of England, the Princess Susanna Caroline Matilda, and the clothes she wore, with some of the stolen ornaments, seemed to support her story. She had fled, she said, to avoid a hateful marriage. This tale imposed on many, and as she had picked up stories of the court and could tell much about the king and queen, she was received into many families and treated with profound respect. Some she admitted to the honour of kissing her hand. contributions, which were to be repaid many fold when she "got her rights." Suspicions, however, were presently aroused, and her former master, hearing of her doings, had her arrested and brought back.

She of course levied

Miss Vernon's mother, Lady Harriet, was one of Princess Amelia's ladies; her other daughter, Lady Grosvenor, figured in a notorious scandal. Miss Vernon herself later became the heroine of a wild adventure.

But a sort of ill-luck seemed to pursue the early household appointments of the new queen. Lord Pembroke, one of her suite, was married to a lovely woman, whom he abruptly deserted, resigning all his appointments at the court and in the army to fly to the continent with a young girl. The failure of these selections was not

1 The deserted lady survived till the year 1831, when she died at the age of 93. The odd eccentric humours of the fashionable folk were well illustrated by one of the freaks of the Duchess of Grafton, who had been divorced and remarried about the same time. On the day before the divorce she wrote letters signed "Anne Grafton; on the day after,

owing to the queen, they had been made for her. When she came to have a free hand, nothing could be better than her choice.

Before the visit to the city, just described, the king, on the meeting of Parliament, took occasion to pay a public compliment to his bride, who he declared was "eminently distinguished by every virtue and amiable endowment," and afforded him "all possible domestic enjoyment." He appealed to the House, in his "affectionate regard for her," to make a suitable provision for her. The Commons responded with alacrity, and the handsome jointure of £100,000 a year with two palaces were settled upon her. A further provision, the usual one of £100,000 a year, was made for her in case of the king's demise. The place of residence, or jointure house, had been the old Somerset House, not yet replaced by Chambers' handsome structure. At the end of the Mall there stood a fine old brick mansion which had been built by Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, in 1703. It was of the style and character of Marlborough House, and was joined by semicircular colonnades to two pavilions. This the king purchased for the moderate sum of £21,000, and fitted up as a dower house for the queen. It henceforth becomes very familiar to us through the reign as "The Queen's House," and many interesting transactions occurred there. When the regent came to the throne, growing tired of Carlton House, he levelled the Queen's House and erected others signed "Anne Liddell," her maiden name; and on the next day, others signed "Anne Ossory," her new one.

a substantial portion of the present Buckingham Palace. About this time also the house at Kew was purchased which had belonged to a private gentleman-Mr. G. Molyneux-who had been secretary to George II. when Prince of Wales. Here were beautiful gardens, 120 acres in extent; while additions and improvements were made by Kent the architect. At Kew, much that was dramatic as well as disastrous was to occur. Further on there was the old palace at Richmond, then habitable, to which the royal family, always fond of changing residence, used occasionally to repair. The old Somerset House before the end of the year was handed over to the State, and Sir C. Sheffield was employed to alter Buckingham House. An additional wing was added on the garden side, and on that facing Pimlico "a most elegant building for a library." This was to be the royal family's town palace; but all "Public Days" and Festas were to be held at St. James's Palace, close by. By June, 1763, the alterations had been completed and the royal pair "moved in." On the occasion they gave a regular house-warming, when most elegant entertainment was planned," a concert, a ball, the garden to be illuminated, all under the direction of a German, Mr. Kuffe.

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At this time indeed, as was to be expected, there was a perfect round of gaieties. Parties were regularly given at St. James's Palace twice a week, when two and three hundred guests were invited. The music was a marked feature, the king's private band performing,

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