The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-07-17 00:00:00

Queen, Charlotte, who, probably, a woman of narrow
mind, particularly as that was measured in comparison
with some of her predecessors, was, nevertheless, finely
imbued with many of the womanly feelings and truly
feminine virtues to which they were strangers. From
the moment she figures in the pages of this book, the
reader becomes familiar with an improved tone in the
morals and a purer air in the narrative. That both
George 111. and his Queen were of simple and unos-
tentatious habits, is too well known to require authen-
tication ; and it is also known that both of them
evinced considerable partiality for the sect of Quakers,
whose simplicity of manners seemed akin to their own;
but it may not be so extensively familiar to our readers
that, among the first visits of the youthful Queen
Charlotte, accompanied by her royal husband, on their
visits to London, was one to the house of a Quaker ;
nevertheless, so it was. After passing, as Dr. Doran
graphically delineates them, the various city formalities
at Temple Bar and St. Paul's Churchyard, the royal
pair proceeded, not to Guildhall, but to the house of
Robert Barclay, patent medicine vendor, ancestor to the
head of the firm of Barclay, Perkins, and Co. Robert,
who was in his eightieth year; was the only surviving
son of that Robert Barclay who wrote the celebrated
" Apology for the Quakers," and who was also a pro-
genitor of the famous Captain Barclay, the noted pe-
destrian and zealous patron of athletic sports. The
occasion of the royal visit to the city was a "Lord
lifayor;slpa,P,:: and- the -prefercnce apcorded to-- the
.Qtt,akers,Transion appears haie been higklappre-
ciaed"by' "'the hearty old man," -who had keviously
enterlained.both- the preceding Georges, and also' by
his family. Of this. fact Dr. Doran gives interesting
testimony in the following

ACCOUNT OF A ROYAL VISIT, BIC A QUAKERR3B.

Queen Charlotte and George 111, were the last of our sove-
reigns who thus honoured a Lord Mayor's show. And as it
was the last oceasion, and that the young Queen Charlotte was
the heroine of the day, the opportunity may be profited by to
show how the royal lady looked and bore herself in the estima-
tion of one of the Miss Barclays, whose letter descriptive of
the scene appeared about forty-seven years subiequently, in
1803. The following extracts are very much to our purpose
:
"About one o'clock papa and mama, with sister Western, to
attend them, took their stand at 'the street-door, where my
two brothers had long been to receive the nobility, more
than a hundred •of whom were then waiting in the ware-
house. As the royal family came, they were conducted into
one of the counting-houses, which was transformed into a very
pretty parlour. At half-past two their majesties came, which
was two hours later than they had intended. On the second
pair of stairs was placed our own company, about forty. in
number, the chief of whom were of the Puritan order, and all
in their orthodox habits. Next to the drawing-room doors
were placed our own selves, I mean papa's children, none else,
to the great mortification of visitors, being allowed to enter :-
for as kissing the- king's hand without' kneeling was an un-
exampled honour, the king confined that privilege to our own
family, as a retiirn'for, the trouble we had been-at. After the
royal pair had shown themselves at the balcony, we were all
introduced, and you may believe, at that juncture, we felt 'no
small palpitations. The king met us at the danr, (a condel-
cension I did not eipect,) at which place he saluted us with
great politeness. Advancing to the upper -end of the room,
we kissed the queen's hand, at the sight of whom we were all
in raptures, not only front the brilliancy of her appearance,
Which was pleasing beyond description, but being througheut
her whole person possessed of that inexpressible something
that is beyond a set of features, and equally claims our atten-
tion. To be sure, she has not a fine face, but a most agreeable
countenance, and is vastly genteel, with an air, notwithstanding
her being a little woman, truly majestic; and I really think,
by her manner is expressed. that complacency of disposition
which is truly amiable ; and though I could, never perceive
that she deviated from that dignity which belongs to a crowned
head, yet on the most trifling occasions she displayed all that
easy behaviour that negligence can bestow.l Her hair, which
is of alight colour, hung in what is called coronation-ringlets,
encircled in a band of diamonds, so beautiful in themselves, and
so prettily disposed, as will admit of no description. Her
clothes, which were as rich as gold, silver, and silk could make
them, was a suit from which fell a train supported by a little
page in scarlet and silver. The lustre of her stomacher was
inconceivable. The king I think a very personable man. All
the princes followed the king's example in complimenting each
of us with a kiss. The queen was up stairs three times, and