The National Register.
London, England, 1820-07-23 00:00:00

THE QUEEN.

During her Majesty's long and wearisome travels
in foreign countries, her conduct was such as to
excite the respect and veneration of the nations
which she visited, in some of which she lent lasting
soArts of her benevolent spirit. At Agosto, in
Sicily, she distributed with her own hand, or caused
to be distributed, large sums of money to the poor.
At Tunis she obtained the liberty of several siaves'
among whom were two females, one the daughter
of the Governor of St. Pierre, the other a Genoese
Lady. This was before the arrival of Lord Ex-
mouth. Several Roman slaves were also released on

the application of her Royal Highness. She gave
• to the New Academy at Athens 500 pieces (colon-
tats), and authorised the Governors to draw annu-
ally on the banker Scaramanza, at Constantinople,
for two hundred more. She also released all the
prisoners for debt at Athens, and deposited in the
hands of the Governor 700 pieces, to be applied to
a similar purpose atter her departure. To a poor
Roman Catholic family, whom she found in the
same place, she gave 200 pieces. At Constantino-
ple her benefactions were still more numerous. To
the conventical fathers at Jerusalem she gave 500
pieces; in fact, at every place where she stopped,
her benevolence was on the alert to seek and relieve
the distresses of her fellow-creatures. Her Majesty,

on her return to Europe, took up her residence at an
agreeable villa, on the shore of Lake Como, at a
small distance from that town. The situation of
this house, which she purchased of the Countess
Pino, was particularly beautiful, surrounded on all
sides by the must enchanting and romantic scenery.
Her Majesty here sought amusement rather in the
resources of her own mind and among a limited
number of friends, than from an indiscriminate in-
tercourse with the inhabitants of Como; but still
she was always hospitable as well as affable to those
by whom she was visited. Her hours were passed
in a series of innocent pleasures: principally derived
from conversations with learned persons; music,
private plays, in a small theatre built under her
own direction ; excursions on horseback, in her car-
liege, or in her gondola on the bosom of the lake.
To these were added the repeated exercise of her
charitable disposition, in supplying the wants and
alleviating the misfortunes of the poor persons in
her neighbourhood. One act of this sort will suf-
fice as a sample of the many of a similar kind which
could be mentioned. A fire broke out at Como, by
whish several persons in an humble situation of life
were greatly distressed. The moment the circum-
' stance was mentioned to her Majesty, she sent 1200
livres for the relief of the sufferers.
When her Majesty returned to Milan, in 1816,
she received instructions that she was surrounded by
spies in her own house. Endeavours had been made
during her absence to corrupt her servants, and to
engage them in plots destructive of the honour and
-teputation of their mistress.
Several of her Italian domestics resisted the temp-
tations which was held out to estrange them from
duty. One man, however, a German, of the name
of Maurice Credi, was not equally virtuous. He
suffered himself to be seduced, and for weighty con-
siderations, agreed to introduce the Baron d'Omp-
teda to the apartments of her Majesty by false
keys. Fortunately this happy contrivance was frus-
trated. Credi was discharged, without suspicion of
his fidelity, for some love intrigue with a country-
woman of his, named Annette, who was chamber-
maid to her Majesty; and, in order to obtain re-
admittance to her Majesty's favour, he confessed
the infamous scheme in which he had been engaged,
and his confession was made in the form of a letter
to the Chevalier Towassia, an intimate friend of
.her Majesty, and Prefect of Como.
Her Majesty, upon the communication of this
declaration, of course felt extremely indignant, and
her prieste secretary, Lieutenant Hannan], sent a
peteeletehallenge to the Barron. The Baron, how-
ever, with a baseness, too much in accordance with
the character he had assumed, declined the combat,•
and rendered himself still more contemptible by'
attempting to treat the serious call which had been
made upon-him, as a man, of honour, with ridicule—
sometimes proposing to meet his antagonist in Africa,
at other times in Asia, and again in America. He
was at length removed from the seat of his own de-
gradation by the Governor, Count Sauran, to whom
her Majesty communicated the discovery site had
made.

Other persons equally well qualified with the
Baron d'Omptetla, were found to succeed him, and
it was pretty well understood that every motion of
her Majesty was narrowly watched, and reported
with such colouring as best suited the interests of the
persons who were employed. The agents of this
system of espionnage cared not from what class they
selected their evidence, and thus they took the de-
' positions of, and retained in their employment, the
very dregs of society. Boatmen, lacqueya, mechanics,
mei the busublast domestics, were all received with
rivotir,• add rewarded for every stag