The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-01
= sreIeton in Yictoria,s CLOSED.

We recently noticed the revival of
the claims of Mrs Lavinia RyVes, In
the English courts, to the privileges of
a princess Of the blood royal The case
came up in February, but was post
poned until May. Mrs. Ryves, it will
be remembered, asserts that the Duke
of Cumberland, brother of George III,
married Olive Wilmot, daughter of the
Rev. james Wiimet, from which union
she Is descended The marriage was a
private one, but in all respects legal
The Duke afterwards committed biga-
my, by marrying Lady Anne Horton
while his first wife was alive Mrs
RyYes has large number of docu-
n1ents which, If genuine, undoubtedly
substantiate her claim. Her case has
already been before Parliament and
the courts more than once, but It was
injudiciously managed, and the infu-
eBee- OF thelroys al family was used, it is
asserted, TO prevent q tull and satisfac-
Experimentation. Her opponents will
of course attempt to prove that the pa
pers on which she relies are fergeries-
If they ere such, they are very skill
fully executed, for many prominent
persons fully believe in the Justice of
her cause. The London Star, of the
9th OF April, adds the following inter
estiug Etatement:
Besides the deeply. interesting details
which We have briefly noticed, anothe r,
and yet more extraordinary question, will,
itls gfsvely7 affirmed, be brought into dis
cuss.on in correction with the case 1t is
only vaguely. Indicated in the statement
published on behalf OF the pelu3ner, and
its improbable character Is, we feel bound
to say, calculated to throw grave suspicion
upon She who eclaim. We shall, therefore,
only say that this collateral question, raised
by Mrs. RYYess touches the legitimacy of
ali George HIPS children. Her statement
. is briefly this: Thst George lII's marriage
with Queen Charlotte was an sc5 Of bfgaI,4 ,
his former, and lawful wife, Hannah Light
foot, being stIh alive Upon this astound-
ing sssettien We nee&. not comment; but,
from ell the circumstances OF the case, we
anticipate that the trial will prove sn in
tcresung and curious addition 70 our coffee
tiOns of causes ceie5rcS.
This stoFy respecting Hannah Light
foot has been often repeated. She was
a beautiful Quskeress, with whom
George III fell in love when quite
young, and finding her thoroughly vir-
tuous, secretly married her. One &C
count has it that the night before his
royal bride Charlotte, of Mecklenberg
Strelitz, arrived, he was sent for By
Hannah who had been made fearfnIly
i'll by her agony at his deseTtion a
very affecting .scene ensued, and the
royal bigamist rushed half distracted
from her bedside. He was married,
howevef,a day or two after to Charlotte,
and Hannah soon died of a broken
heart A few years ago a story was
circulated IN the American papers that
the descendants of Georges first and
lawful marriage was h7ingin this eouny
try, their ancestors having been sent
over here. For its truth we do not pre-
tend TO vouch II is pretty well estab-
lished, however, that not long after his
marriage to Charlotte, George had a fit
of insanity, not dissimilar to the more
pIotracted attacks from which he suf-
fered later in life The fact was kept
quite private, though the mystery at
tached to his illness excited comment
at the time This visitation has
been attributed by some writer's
to his remOrse for his perfidV
toward the woman he really loved,
and of whom he was noreallyj the
husband. We do not give these state
ments as veritable history, abut as the
substance of the gossip which has circu-
lated for hundred ears past. There
is no reason TO believe that Victoria
ami her family will be declared illegiti-
mate, but it is to be hoped that the rev.
Citations of the approaching trial will
throw much light upon a dark and ro-
mantle history.