The National Register. — London, England, 1818-11-23 00:00:00

ribt No. 563.—V0L. XI. DEATH OF THE QUEEN. ft is at length our duty to announce this melancho -1,,, though not unlooked-for, termination of a course of I•a:man suffering uncommonly protracted and severe.— That Her Majesty should not have sunk before, under tae complicated maladies which assailed her at so ad vanced an age, is, we are taught to believe, more sur prising to her medical attendants, than that she has ultimately yielded to their violence. The Queen was born on the 19th of May, 1741; having from nature a sound and vigorous fraiae. Until within these two years, Her Majesty enjoyed an almost uninterrupted state of health; and, as is sometimes the case with those whose habits are regular, and whose various bo dily powers, are thence exposed to a pretty equal pres sure, the first very serious attack of disease was that which indicated a general breaking up of het constitu tion. The water which accumulated in her limbs and on her chest was an unequiuocal symptom of the deadly ,Stage which Her Majesty's sufferings bad arrived at. — This source of distress and immediate alarm was, how ever, acted upon, from time to time, both by medicines and surgical operations, which were productive of par tial, though gradually diminishing, relief, until " the potent poison quite o'crgrew' the antidotes applied to it by professional science. Each interval of repose he• came shorter than the preceding one—each succeeding paroxysm more acute—each struggle more nearly mor tal. The Queen expired at Kew, about one o'clock on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1813, in the 75th year of her age. The bulletin issued on Tuesday morning was of a more than usually alarming tendency, and served to prepare the public for the event which was afterwards aniaounced. It was as follows: " Kew Palace, Nov. 17. " The Queen's state 14.,t night was one of great and imminent dan ger. lier I,ijeaty continues very ill this morning. •• F..IIiI.I.MA N. " 11. IIALFORD." It is asserted, that the first alarming change in the state of the Queen was on Monday afternoon, and was of s , ach a nature as to induce Sir Henry Haltlinl to write to the Prince Regent to hasten his departure from London; and the Regent immediately sent for the Duke of York to accompany him to Kew Palace.— T.ieir Royal Highnesses remained at Kew till near one o'clock, when Her Majesty having recovered from her serious attach in the afternoon, and there being no im mediate appearance of danger, they left their afflicted parent for the might. The Queen passed a disturbed night, but only similar to what she had frequently done for some time past : and the physicians hail sent off an account to the Regent a little *fire eight o'clock to that effect. In two hours afterwards a serious change fur the worse took place, and Sir Henry Halford sent off an express, which arrived soon after eleven o'clock at Carlton I louse, and the statement was so alarming, that the Prince scut instantly for the Doke of York to accompany him to Kew. Their Royal Highnesses arrived at Ke•.v Palace before half past twelve, and re paired to the chamber of their expiring parent, who, we are happy to sily, was perfectly sensible of their presence. The scene was truly distressing, and the Prince Regent had the trying task of supporting his mother in her last brew hings—a fit though melancholy close of his incessant attendance day and night, and of his anxious contrivance of' every expedient that could administer relief and comfort to his parent, in her long and afflicting illness of six months. Ilia Royal High ness was assisted by the Duke of York and their Royal Sisters. The expiring scene—the heart-rending feel ings of the Regent, and all present, it nil be equa lly impossible and unbecoming to attempt to describe. The brothers and sisters were supported with much difficul ty to a private room, where the Regent continued so vend hours, and then left for town. The first. communication which arrived in town of atiow I rt itittr+ Our /Otto, Comititution attb 31 abi.6• MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1818. the melancholy tidings, was about half•past tw), at Carlton House, by communication sealed with black, to Viscount Sidmouth, as Secretary of State for the Home Department; together kith a letter to Sir Hen ry Torrens, from the Duke of York, to postpone his Royal Highness's levee. The intelligence was soon circulated, and inquiries were marle very numerously at Carlton House ; and at three o'clock the following notification was issued:— " Carlton House, Nov. 17. " Her Majesty expired at one o'clock this day, without a pain." Shortly after, the following letter, sent by Lord Sidmouth to the Lord Mayor, was placarded at the Mansion House : " Whitehall, Nov. 17. "My Lord,—lt is my Painful duty to inform you of the death of tier Majesty the Queer.. This melancholy event took place at Kew Palace, at one o'clock this day. " I have the honour to be " Your Lordship's moat obedient " To the Rt. lion. the Lord Mayor." " SIDNIOUTH." The bulletin of the morning continued to be shown at the Queen's Palace till past four o'clock, no official account of the decease of Her Majesty having been re ceived there, till it was sent from Carlton House when the Palace was closed. In the evening, and before the post hour, a special Gazette was published, fur the ex press and sole purpose of announcing Her Majesty's decease, in the following words:— " Whitehall, Nov. 17. This day. at one o'clock. the Queen departed this life, to the inexpressible grief of the Royal Family, aft a tedious illness, wbicit tier Majesty bore with the most pious fortitude and resignation.— The many great and exemplary virtues which so eminently distin guished Iler Majesty throughout her long life. were the object of universal esteem and admiration amongst all classes of His Majesty's subjects, and render the death of this illustrious and most excelkut Princess an unspeakable loss to the whole nation." Her late Majesty, whose maiden name was Charlotte Sophia, of Mecklenburg) Strclitz, was born May 19, 1744. She was the youngest daughter of Charles Lewis, brother to Frederick, the third Duke of Meek lenburgh. Her father, however, though in the imme diate line of inheritance, as his brother, the Reigning Duke, bad no issue, and was unmarried, did not suc ceed to the principality, as be died bethre his brother ; and thus, upon the death of Frederick, the succession devolved upon his nephew, Adolphus Frederick IV. brother to her late Majesty. In respect of her Ma jesty's union with our beloved and afflicted Sovereign, we are told by the public records of the times, that a suitable marriage for his Majesty was an urgent object of state policy, immediately on his coming to the Crown ; but his known and ardent attachment to Lady Sarah Lenox, sister to the Duke of Richmond, with some mareeuvres of Mr. Fox, afterwards Lord Hol land, set on foot to foment that youthful passion. Lis tened the designs of the Princess Dowager of %Vales and of the Earl of Bute to bring about the royal marriage. The Princess is said to have had in view a niece of her own, at least some Princess of the Saxe Gotha Family ; but as that House was supposed to be afflicted with a constitutional disease, that wish was over-ruled by the Cabinet. Lord Bute then sent a confidential depen dent, a Scotch Officer, reported to be Colonel Greetne, to visit the inferior German Courts, and to select from amongst them a future Queen for England. The in structions were said to be, that she should be perfect in her than, ofa pure blood, and healthy constitution, posses-el of elegant accomplishments, particularly am sic, to which the King was very much attached, and of a mild and obli4ing disposition. colonel Cintina found the Princess Apparent of Strelitz taking the mi.' . tern of Pyrtnont, accompanier) by ;ter two daughters. with little or no appearance cf parade; and where from the freedom of commie :ration meal at those places, and the ready means of was no difficult matter to heroine fully ::c(putilitel vit_l( their characters mid daily habits. Their Serene Highnesses. frtquented the rooms, the walks, and partook of the ainusementa, without any distinction that should pre vent Colonel Gneire from being an unsuspected attend ant on their parties. Here, it seems, he fixed on the younger Princess, as best according with his matrimo nial instructions. In short, after all due inquiries, &c. the Princess Charlotte of Strelitz was chosen to be the consort Of George 111. Ilis Majesty had not long filled the throne before he acquainted his Council, in a meeting convened for the express purpose, " that having nailing so much at heart as the welfare cud happiness of t his people, and PRICE 9 !d. that to render the same stable anti perch lent to being the first object of his rei g n, he had, c:t.r since his accession to the throne, turned his thoughts :o the choice of a Princess, with whom be might•fimi tl.e solace of matrimony, and the comforts of domestic lie had to announce to them, therefore, with great satisfaction, that after the most mature reflection and fullest information, he had come to a resolution to de mand in marriage thc P.-incess Charlotte of Nlceklin burgh Strclitz, a - Princess distinguished by every amiable virtue and elegant endowment, whose illustrious line had constantly shown the firmest zeal in the Protestant , t and a particalar attachment to his Majesty's fatareligi°n) Su - ch were the terms in which his Majesty announced his Royal intention to his Council on the Bth of .lul, 1761. The negociation commenced at Strelitz, and the Earl of Harcourt, his Majesty's Ambassador Ex. traordinary and Plenipotentiary, concluded the treaty of marriage on the 15th of August following. Pre parations were immediately made for the reception of the Royal Bride in England• She left Mecklenburgh on the 22d of August, and arrived, after a tedious voyage of ten dcys, at Harwich, on the 6th of the following month. Her Majesty rested one night, that of her arrival, upon her journey, at the house of t h e Earl of Abercorn, at Witham in Essex, from whence she ret out early next morning, and arrived at the Palace of St. James, where she was received by his Majesty and the rest of the Royal Family. At nine in the same evening the marriage ceremony was solem nised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Royal Chapel, under circumstances of appropriate splendour and respect. The meal congratulatory addresses were presented to their Majesties from both Houses of Par. liament, the two Universities, and all counties, cities, and corporations in the kingdom. The Grand Assem bly of the nation prepared likewise a testimony of their duty and munificence. On being lingually acquainted with the marriage of the King, they prowhled for the support of her Majesty, agreeably to the Sovereign's wishes, a jointure of 100,0001. per annum, which was settled upon her by an Act of the Legislature, together with the Palace of Richmond and Somerset-11mm., which when the latter edifice was palled :;own for the purpose of erecting Government (aces, was exchani.7l , l for Buckingham Howe. In the following year the .y of the nation was increased by the birth : of an !.:eir.to the throne. Her Majesty's figure wise very pleasing, bat her countennee, though not without attraction: when s'ee smiled, Ainhi not boast any claim to boatity. It was, I however, a well-known fact, that the Kieg dense ti himself satisfied with his connuhial Jimmie. She aviie popular when Lord Bute's administration had rendered the King the reverse. She gave beautiful children to the country. She interested the people of England VA a fruitful mother; and was eonsidered with geeteal regard as a domestic woman ; so much so, that Cele eel Barre, then a violent opposition speaker, &N.:en - A a very splendid eulogium on her' mild, tender, assenting virtues.' With a truly royal foresight, she adopted, an cetrieg to the Throne, and with tittle:Cele tireaness she c.i.c afterwards maintained, that system or discriminatien ia regard to those who Averc honourel by her notice, f!.ts imsis of which was a delicate regard for female hae,o,,e. Hence it has happened that the manners of the Eng ''-t Court have become so conspicuous throughout Lan.ee for their purity; and hen;:e, too, although vices ( f a certain class can never be eradicated from human com munities, yet they have in our country been deprived of that great support which arises freers the pub:ie countenance of rank and fashion. An Englishworrevr, of high birth, not received at Court, is, in fact, aeciail. ea from the society of her equals, and even Icokei down upon, with contempt, by the lowest female of unimpeached character. It is not to be calculated hove great a good has been derived to English merals ne.e4 this single sourec, in the course of the last halreeei..:y —a period unharrily marked by the re:Asa:tie:l ei . tj many other moral te.s. About the eventful period or the meditated Regenry, in rSp. the Queen was accused of having eltaniecc: la a great degree the whole eompleaion and purpose of her lire ; and of having become 311 active and zealous movcr of the springs of party. But it must be rememberej, that Her Alikiest , " was then taught to believe the war port of the Aliuister necessary to her own defence, and even to that of the interests and independence o: ix.: afflicted husband. '1;, t I f 0 ' ^ .4. ' 4 k • •• 41 , ' ••••• /1 0 ,. 4 5 . 4 4. •