National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-07-25
A KINGS IMAGINARY HONEYMOON.
"rHn TRUE STORY" OF KEW COTTAGE AND
RE ROYAL MASTER, oEoRoE III.

IhI IhUE bTOhI OF XIV OoTTAoE AND
rTs ROYAL MASTER, GEORGE III.
Last week there was very readable
article in the Daily Netos about the
queens cottage at Kew, which was built
by George Ill. The writer thought that
romantic and now deserted habitation
must have had a history, but could not
tell what it was. He suggested that per-
haps IL had been built for picnic pur-
poses. The true story about IL is that
when Kew house was used as an asylum
for George Ill the cottage was built at
the suggestion of his specialist doctor.
Why, you shall presently understand.
George III, when O bachelor, was sue
cessiyely smitten by fair member of
the Fox family, whom he saw looking
over the hedge of her fathers park as he
was riding to Windsor, and by Hannah
Lghtfoot, the Quakeress, whom he is
supposed to have privately married.
They were both charming, and the
aristocratic belle developed into q woman
of intellect and firm character. But the
king was persuaded that If he married an
English subject she would not be recog-
nized as electress of Hanover in Ger
many, and that the sovereignty of that
state would therefore go out of his family
or be the object of dispute, in which
the Duke of Brunswick would get Prussia
to support him against England. His
majesty, therefore, married by proxy the
plainest aud most generally unattractive
woman in Europe, Queen Charlotte, who
had for her factotum the amiable Nine.
Schwellenberg, and who used to count
the pins in her pin cushions lest her
dressers might steal them.
Poor George III was Mortified at the
unsightliness of his Mecklenburg bride.
But, as he was tied TO her by procuration,
he had 10 put up with her. "a bakers
dozen of young royalties" made the outer
public suppose that he was satisfied with
his bargain. When his mental illness
came upon him, his first impression of
Charlotte was revived, and perhaps his
recollection of his VOWS to Hannah
Lghtfoot came back to him with more
force than at any previous time Of his
married life. He refused to admit that
his queen from Mecklenburg was either
his wife or his affinity, and his neurosis
took the form of q passionate longing for
some gentle shepherdess whom he could
WOO and wed incognito.
The royal cottage was built at Kew
for the king to spend in it imaginary
honeymoons His doctor thought his
majesty's motion" that he was still free to
offer his heart and hand to some country
girl should be winked ct and opportunity
be given him to win and WOO for, 80 far as
the king imagined, le bon motif. Is it
possible to conceive anything more sad
haf t,,ot nj ya ,ot thn
long effort that he had made to appear
devoted to Queen Charlotte and to set o
good example to his household? George,
however, soon dropped and forgot each
successive Creme de 10 main gauche,"
who, when he began to neglect her, was
dismissed, unknown to him, with sum of
money.
How do know this part of the secret
history of his reign ? From traditional
sources. A neighbor of mine is the grand
son of an Indian nabob who owned Gun
nersbury house before the Rothschilds,
and who, through Warren Hastings, was
almost personal friend of Queen Char
lotte when she was at Kew. She used to
take him into her confidence about the
idylls of the king and, as he had oriental
ideas, he used to advise her to lend her
self to the deception which the doctor
wanted to practice by employing false
chaplain. The nabob told his wife, who,
in her old age, repeated what she had
heard from him to her grandchildren.
Again, the late Sir Robert Clifton had in
his employment many queer characters,
one Of whom was certain Capt"
Macheath.
The captain was sort of irregular
butler for cricket match parties and pic
MICS, and the son of the son of q Kew
shepherdess,' whom Sir Roberts uncle,
Sir Augustus, had motive for patron
izing. The late owner of Clifton Hall
tolo me that Macheath's face, which was
as Guelph as it could be, was not the
only proof he could adduce of an illus.
trious descent. A daughter of the cap
tain" was employed as bookkeeper in an
English butchery in Paris, and often
chatted with her when she was engaged
in that capacity. She was we'll educated,
pleasing, really dignifed without affect
ing dignity, and the image of the por-
trait at Versailles of the late Duchess of
Gloucester. The "captain" had always
bee in his bonnet, and went out of his
mind during the commune. His mother
was q dancer in London theater when
she consented to act the part of bride at
a mock marriage. -Labouchere in London
| Truth.
Eon draining 900 600 Yards plain black goods of