38

Taste in the Arts.

have been the feelings of Mrs. Chalon in receiving, within two hours, a note written by the hand of this most excellent Princess, thanking her, in the most obliging terms, for the trouble she had taken, and at the same time offering an apology in saying, that she did not know that Mr. Chalon was absent from home.*

Among those artists at a later period of her life, who have been patronised and distinguished by her Royal Highness, and who have experienced similar instances of her elegant condescension, and individually acknowledge themselves obliged for the hints and perceptive improvement which her Royal Highness most graciously commanded, and which they did not fail practically to improve from, are Mr. Chalon, R. A. a distinguished miniature painter, but no relative to the foregoing artist; Mr. Hayter, a young painter of promising talents; and Mr. Dawe, R. A. who, since the Princess's marriage, has been honoured with a great share of her patronage, and painted a very fine whole length cabinet picture of herself, and of the Prince of Saxe Coburg. Mr. Heaphy, too, distinguished for his inimitable drawings in water colours, was much encouraged by her Royal Highness; and

It is necessary to add, that Mr. Chalon has no idea of the publicity of this anecdote, here introduced to mark her Highness's good humour and condescension.

Restricted Patronage.

39

Sir Thomas Lawrence, happily for her family and for the lovers of the most exalted class of portrait painting, had just completed a whole length of this excellent Princess, in which he has so far outstepped his former elegant works, as fully to afford to posterity the power of judging of her personal charms.

This love for literature and the fine arts could not fail to be known, and, of course, to excite high hopes of patronage in various quarters: but her inclinations in that respect were placed under some degree of restraint; a circumstance sometimes loudly animadverted on. But it ought to be recolleeted, that self-restraint, even in the gratification of the most amiable propensities, is a lesson that cannot be too early learnt-a lesson which is taught by circumstances to persons in humbler life, but from which her high rank would, in some degree, have precluded her, had it not been for the judicious conduct of the ladies entrusted with the details and superintendance of her education. The kindness of a youthful heart will always prompt to patronage; and, therefore, though sovereigns are often accused of not rewarding merit, it is particularly necessary by restriction, to teach the propriety of just selection, even though well-deserving individuals should sometimes feel a little disappointed. The sentiments, the feelings, and the actions of a sovereign, in this free

country, are the property of the people, a word that comprehends in its vortex the prince and the peasant: and individual wishes must often yield to the public weal.

This restriction did not, however, prevent the dedication of several publications to her Royal Highness; particularly a poetical version of the "Death of Abel," with a few engravings, and some music, for which permission was graciously granted, after the perusal of specimens. We have seen a whimsical account of her surprise when a specimen of the "Death of Abel," by Mr. Oulton, was left for her perusal by Delpini of the Opera House, to whom she very naturally exclaimed-" Good heaven! Delpini, surely you never wrote this!"

The Princess, now past sixteen, may be considered as advancing to womanhood; accordingly we find, that she was frequently invited to dinnerparties at Carlton House, where she sometimes had opportunities of observing, if not of mixing in, the politics of the day. In March, 1812, the public were much occupied with the events connected with the formation of the first Regency Administration, and an interesting anecdote was handed about, respecting the very marked feeling displayed by the Princess at an important and most extraordinary conversation, if that anecdote may be considered as authentic.

The purport of this statement was, that "nothing

Opposition Anecdote.

41

has been talked of for the last week but the fracas, as it is called, which occurred at Carlton House on Saturday the 22d ult. On that day the Prince Regent had a large party at dinner, among whom were the Princess Charlotte, the Dutchess of York, and their female attendants; the Dukes of York and Cambridge; Lords Moira, Erskine, and Lauderdale; Messrs. Adam, Sheridan, &c. The conversation soon turned on the late attempt to form an united Administration; and the Prince is said to have expressed himself in warm terms of disapprobation of the joint letter of Lords Grey and Grenville, in answer to the letter from the Prince to the Duke of York, relative to the important business. These expressions of disapprobation were not, however, unmixed with complaints of being deserted by his early friends. The Prince having repeated more than once his surprise and mortification at the conduct of Lords Grey and Grenville, and characterised it in terins which such emotions would naturally suggest, Lord Lauderdale, who considered himself as personally addressed on the occasion, entered into a justification of his friends; and declared in a tone of firmness, that the letter which returned the answer of his two Noble Friends, did not simply speak the individual sentiments of those two Noble Lords, but that it had the approbation of the

42

Entrance into Public Life.

principal persons who held the same political principles and opinions; and that, for himself, he was ready to say, that he was present at, and assisted in, the drawing up of that answer; and that not only every sentence, but every word in it, had his most cordial assent. Here, as might be expected, the conversation became more warm, and the Prince appeared to be deeply affected by Lord Lauderdale's reply; so much so indeed, that the Princess Charlotte, who was still present, observ¬ ing his agitation, burst into tears; upon which the Prince turned round, and begged the female part of the company to withdraw; but the Noblemen and Gentlemen remained with the Prince Regent till a late hour. Mr. Adam is said to have entered, at the request of his Royal Highness, into a friendly explanation of what had passed with Lord Lauderdale; and his Royal Highness afterwards came up to his Lordship, and shaking him by the hand, expressed his wish that there should be no difference between them. Here the matter ended for that night; but, on the following day, Lord Lauderdale, fearful of misunderstanding or misrepresentation, reduced what he had said to writing, and sent it in a letter to the Prince."

The Princess began also to mix more in public; and, on the 3d of October of the same year, she accompanied the Prince Regent, the Queen, and