was, it has been seen, an object of sedulous anxiety with their father, till they attained the age to have regular preceptors. The first governor of the Prince of Wales was the Earl of Holderness, a nobleman of high talents and integrity. Dr. Dodd was strenuously recommended to the office by Lord Chesterfield; the King, however, did not approve of the Doctor's morality; but his Majesty next selected Mons. de Salzes, at the recommendation of the brother of M'Clain, the celebrated highwayman, who was afterwards executed at Newgate. Lord Holderness is said to have found his royal pupil attached to reading books calculated to encourage arbitrary principles of government, and despotic habits; but the after-life proved that the Prince read such works with the effect of avoidance rather than imitation. Lord Holderness, conscientiously enough, was averse to the Prince's choice in vain he represented the affair to the King and Queen, when, still finding such political poison poured into the ears of his royal pupil, his lordship resigned his office, and was succeeded by Lord Bruce. The Earl of Holderness and Mons. de Salzes were, doubtless, excellent in their respective offices. Stories are told of the Prince's correcting Lord Bruce's Greek epigrams; but, probably, they are to be received only as the "flattering unction" to which few minds, royal or lowly, are insensible. Certain it is, that his lordship retained the office but for a month; though court whispers rumoured that the appointment had been intended only as a ground of bestowing a pension upon the tutor, at the solicitation of the Marquess of Bute, for the King had already fallen into what was called the Scotch interest.

The Prince's next tutor was Dr. Markham, afterwards Archbishop of York, and the Sub-preceptor was Mr. Cyril Jackson; both of whom continued office till the year 1776, when Dr. Hurd and Mr. Arnald succeeded. Dr. Markham and Mr. Jackson possessed the affections of the Prince, and he was easily guided by them. Their successors neither possessed equal abilities nor influence, and the education of the royal pupil was understood to be terminated. In Jeffer son's Memoirs an account is given, on the authority of an unnamed individual (for whose authority the writer vouches), that, at an after period, the Prince, with good natural abilities, was extremely ignorant of all useful knowledge. The unfortunate change of his preceptor at so critical an age, and the peculiar no

tions of his father with respect to another important point, must indeed have had a very disadvantageous effect upon the Prince's studies. We are, however, disposed to believe that his education was careful, if not extensive. His knowledge of French is said to have been perfect, and his English singularly pure and elegant. For studies purely classical, the amusements of his youth left him little leisure. His knowledge of classical authors was, however, accurate, if not profound. This part of his education must, therefore, have been attained in his early years, or in his pupilage. Ease and elegance of manners developed themselves in later years; for, as it has been well observed, no man ever turned a compliment better, or gave more grace to a good act, by the mode of announcing it. With the works of modern literature, too, his Majesty is said to have been as intimately conversant as most men of exalted rank-more so than most kings. When a boy, he is described as having been "subject to violent and sudden impressions of a warm temper, but generous and friendly.' We can only thus glance at the Prince's education, of which, indeed, little is known. The rigid discipline in which his early years were passed, may be better stated. His father was a man of ascetic character and limited education, and was in habits the very reverse of what the Prince proved in after-life. The Princess Dowager of Wales had, under pretence of preserving the morals of George the Third, kept him utterly secluded from society;-a virtuous youth, a happy union, and venerable old age, were the consequences. The King, having imbibed the Princess' scheme of morality, determined that the Prince should live the same life of seclusion that he had done. In how different a manner this principle of education influenced the welfare of the Prince will be seen in the sequel. The anxious parent mistook this rigour for philosophy, whereas

The rule and conduct of all social life Is her great promise. This could only be obtained by intercourse with the world. Burke, speaking of the education of princes, has an excellent observation on this point. He thinks it "of very great importance (provided the thing is not overdone) to contrive such an establishment as must, almost whether a prince will or will not, bring into daily and hourly offices about his person a great number of his first nobility." The Prince had not these advantages; and from a pupilage, of

comparative solitude, in the vigour of youth, with an eminently handsome person, many companionable qualities, and a complete command of fortune, he plunged into the felicities of life, and soon involved himself in the network of pleasure; while, "vicious flatterers those vultures, whose prey is the heart of princes-lay in wait for the adventurer as he quitted the parental roof, and launched his young bark upon the world."

The turf first attracted the patronage of the young Prince. He was a warm friend to the prize-ring, which, like the magic circle of German horror, destroys every one within its pale. The Prince too encouraged the coarse-minded cruelties of bull and bear-baiting, which, in the cant of the day, have been numbered among the "good old English sports. In his patronage of stagefighting, he was kept in countenance by his uncles, particularly the Duke of Cumberland, who was the companion of Broughton until he sold his fight to Slack, when his Royal Highness retired from the ring in disgust. Horse-racing next became an absolute passion with the young Prince; and a love of play soon begat habitual improvidence, and indifference to the royal resources which proved as exhaustible as those of the meanest subject.

INTIMACY WITH MRS. ROBINSON.

The Prince at a very early period of his life, gave evidence of his fondness for female society, a predilection, which in its strictest and purest sense, will elevate and refine the mind and heart, but which, not unfrequently brings with its indulgence a degree of censure that the colder and darker vices of a disposition inherently evil do not provoke. The Prince's first amour was with a beautiful and accomplished actress, the wife of an attorney, named Robinson. The whole intrigue was of the most romantic character; but the lovely victim soon fell into poverty and premature death by dropsy, induced by irregular habits. We do not quote the incidents of this intrigue, as they have already appeared in The Mirror.* One night, after Mrs. Robinson had played the part of Perdita, in the Winter's Tale, she received from the Prince of Wales, (who had witnessed the performance from a stage box,) by the hands of Lord Malden, a lock of His Royal Highness' hair enclosed in a billet with these words:" To the ever adorable Perdita."-FLORIZEL; to be re*See No. 261, a Memoir of the Late King

with a PORTRAIT.

deemed, in her own hand. The lock of hair and billet are now in the possession of Sir Richard Phillips, who purchased them with Mrs. Robinson's papers at her death. The interest of the whole amour was very attractive. Mrs. Robinson, to her fascinating personal beauty, added the most sparkling genius. Her attachments were all of a romantic cast; for on the return of the celebrated trooper, Col. Tarleton, from his Guerilla warfare in the back woods of America, she fell desperately in love with him, and they lived many years together.

The Prince quitted the company of Mrs. Robinson in an abrupt, and, if her narrative be believed, a harsh manner. The connexion, either from the incautiousness of his Royal Highness, the officiousness of false friends, or from some causes never well explained, produced much scandal about the court, great uneasiness to the royal family— brought much pain to the lover, and, as we have stated, led to the early death of the mistress. Nothing could be more disastrous than the whole affair.

MRS. FITZHERBERT.

The Prince's next and more permanent attachment was to the celebrated "Lass of Richmond Hill,"-the widow of Colonel Fitzherbert, for whom a magnificent establishment was furnished. The Prince's presents of jewellery to this lady were said even to exceed the stores of diamonds possessed by the Queen, avowedly the greatest collection of diamonds in Europe, and to whom the King had given on one occasion alone, a case of diamonds which cost £50,000. We adopt the observations of a contemporary on this affair. "We hesitate whether we should condemn this his strongest and his purest affection. That any ceremony of marriage was ever performed, was expressly denied by Mr. Fox on the authority of the Prince; but that all the decencies of demeanour, and all the constancy of kindness that marriage has a claim to, existed between Mrs. Fitzherbert and her royal friend, there is no doubt; and we deem it creditable to the sovereign, that long after the delirium of passion had for ever subsided, he remained on terms of endearing intimacy with this his early and most respectable friend. Where the laws of men interfere to fetter and control the inclinations of any class of society, for the supposed good of the rest, we must not be too severe in blaming consequences that flow from our own regulations."*

* Spectator Newspaper, June 26, 1830.

About this time, also, the Prince received into favour, the celebrated Countess of Jersey, a lady about twelve years older than himself, and the beautiful daughter of an Irish bishop. To which the Prince was most attached, subsequent events amply proved: both connexions were fraught with ruin: the latter was doubtless the means of embittering much of the Prince's after life; while the unbounded extravagance of the former lady led to evils which neither secrecy nor shades of opinion could counteract.

OF AGE.

In August 12, 1783, his Royal Highness attained his majority-an event which was celebrated with great rejoicing. On the same day he obtained his Colonelcy of the 10th Light Dragoons, which he retained to the last; this being the only military rank the King would ever allow him to hold. On this occasion, the King officially announced to the House of Commons that, to obviate the necessity of laying any additional burthens on the people, he had determined to provide out of the civil list, for the establishment of his son, to the amount of 50,000l. per annum. All therefore that he asked from the House was the sum of 60,000l. to assist to equip the Heir Apparent on his outset in life. In the course of the debate, Mr. Fox, then in the administration, spoke in terms of the highest praise of the Prince; saying, "he was in the fullest manner entitled to the most affectionate regard of that House and of the whole country, not only for his many great and shining virtues, but also for the ready and dutiful obedience he had on this, as on every other occasion, shown to his Majesty, whom he was bound to obey in common with every other subject of the realm." Parliament liberally granted 100,000l. and the regulation was apparently much approved

of.

PROVISION.

The fixing of the Prince's establishment at 50,000l. per annum did not evince much foresight on the part of the King. It was said to have been dictated by a maxim, that to keep princes out of vice, they should be kept poor, than which nothing ever proved more erroneous. This allowance to the Prince was exactly one half of what had been allowed to his grandfather, when money was of much greater value; and was, of course, insufficient for the support of the royal establishment. "This," ob

serves a recent Reminiscent, "occasioned him to contract debts; and when it became necessary that these debts should be discharged, very little care was shown to protect the Prince's character from disgrace. There was another circumstance also, which ought not to be overlooked. The Duchy of Cornwall was the Prince's property from the hour of his birth. When he came of age, the Prince was put in possession of the revenues of the Duchy. But the Prince obtained no part of that revenue which had been received from the Duchy during his minority."'* Part of the sum so unjustly withheld from the Prince, was aftewards repaid; but this did little towards appeasing the sense of the wrong. The Coalition ministry, then in power, had made the greatest exertions to procure for the prince a yearly settlement of 100,000l.; but this measure was strongly opposed by the King; both parties were obstinate, and "a change was threatened, when the Prince himself interposed, and insisted, with a spirit that did him infinite honour, that the amount of the grant should be left entirely to the discretion of his royal parent.

IN PARLIAMENT.

At the opening of Parliament, Nov. 11, 1783, the Prince was introduced into the House of Peers, supported by his uncle the Duke of Cumberland, and the Dukes of Richmond and Portland, and Lord Lewisham; when he took the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and made and subscribed the declaration, as well as the oath of abjuration. Many efforts were made by the King to induce the Prince to countenance the high Tory politics; but the latter attached himself to the splendid men that then led the Whig party-Fox, Sheridan, Burke, the Duke of Bedford, the Earl of Moira, &c.

However, a general profession of loyalty in the House of Peers by the son of the King was very distinct from a pledge of party politics, and even this profession of loyalty might be made subservient to an avowal of the free constitutional principles in which the Whigs delighted. His Royal Highness was therefore induced to address the Peers from the Ministerial Benches, or rather from between them and the Woolsack. This was upon the motion of the Marquess of Abercorn, for an Amendment to the Address of the Commons upon his Majesty's Proclamation for preventing seditious meetings and writings; Nicholls's Recollections of the Reign o George III.

and in a manly, eloquent, and, we may add, persuasive manner, he delivered his sentiments. He said that, on a question of such magnitude he should be deficient in his duty as a Member of Parliament, unmindful of the respect he owed to the Constitution, and inattentive to the welfare, the peace, and the happiness of the people, if he did not state to the world what was his opinion on the present question. He was educated in the principles, and he should ever preserve them, of a reverence for the constitutional liberties of the people; and, as on those constitutional principles the happiness of that people depended, he was determined, as far as his interest could have any force, to support them. The matter in issue was, in fact, whether the Constitution was or was not to be maintained; whether the_wild_ideas of theory were to conquer the wholesome maxims of established practice; and whether those laws under which we had flourished for such a series of years, were to be subverted by a Reform unsanctioned by the people? As a person nearly and dearly interested in the welfare, and, he should emphatically add, the happiness and comfort of the people, it would be treason to the principles of his mind if he did not come forward and declare his disapprobation of those seditious publications which had occasioned the motion now before their Lordships; and his interest was connected with the interest of the people; they were so inseparable, that, unless both parties concurred, happiness could not exist. On this great on this solid basis, he grounded the vote which he meant to give, and that vote should unequivocally be for a concurrence with the Commons in the Address they had resolved upon. His Royal Highness spoke in a manner that called not only for the attention, but the admiration of the House; and these words were remarkably energetic: "I exist by the love-the friendship and the benevolence of the people; and their cause I will never forsake as long

as I live." The Prince then concluded

by distinctly saying, "I give my most hearty assent to the Motion for concurring in this wise and salutary Address. This speech was said to have been composed by the Duke of Portland.

THE WHIGS.

The Whigs were, however, ultimately deceived in the political interference of the Prince, and with this effort his Royal Highness withdrew. Mr. Moore, in his Life of Sheridan, speaks thus of the above period: "the Whigs, who had

now every reason to be convinced of the aversion with which they were regarded at court, had lately been, in some degree, compensated for this misfortune by the accession to their party of the Heir Apparent. That a young Prince, fond of pleasure and impatient of restraint, should have thrown himself into the arms of those who were most likely to be indulgent to his errors, is nothing surprising, either in politics or ethics. But that mature and enlightened statesmen, with the lessons of all history before their eyes, should have been equally ready to embrace such a rash alliance, or should count upon it as uny more than a temporary instrument of faction, is, to say the least of it, one of those self-delusions of the wise, which show how vainly the voice of the past may speak amid the loud appeals of the present. The last Prince of Wales, it is true, by whom the popular cause was espoused, had left the lesson imperfect, by dying before he came to the throne. But this deficiency has since been amply made up; and future Whigs, who may be placed in similar circumstances, will have, at least, one historical warning before their eyes, which ought to be enough to satisfy the most unreflecting and credulous."*

With the effort in Parliament, to which we have alluded, the Prince relinquished his political interference, although he continued the constant associate of the Whig leaders in their social hours.

CARLTON HOUSE.

Carlton House had been presented to sidence. The old building being out of the Prince by his father, for his town rerepair, it was judged proper by Parliament to erect another mansion in its stead. brilliant were the flashes of festive wit This became a focus of conviviality, and which enlivened the royal board. Burke, Fox, and Sheridan, the master-spirits of their age, were frequent guests, and enjoyed the sunshine of royal companionship. The Beefsteak Club was increased from twenty-four to twenty-five members, to admit his Royal Highness, there being no vacancy; and here the Prince was accustomed to meet the late Duke of Norfolk, Charles Morris,† and

Upon the question of Mr. Fox's India Bill, the Prince voted with the Whies in the first division: but finding that the King was hostile to

the measure, the Prince, (with Mr. Fox's concurrence) absented himself from the second dis

cussion, when the bill was defeated.

A copy of the 24th edition of Captain Morris's Songs, Political and Convivial," is on our table: one of the Songs in the collection is "sung by the Prince of Wales to a certain lady," and is a parody on" There's a difference

SHERIDAN.

Of the Prince's intimacy with Sheridan, many pleasant, and we regret to add, painful, anecdotes are related. One or two will illustrate their familiarity The Prince became a member of Brookes's Club to have more frequent intercourse with Mr. Fox: his Royal Highness was the only person who was ever admitted without a ballot; and, on his first appearance, every member rose and welcomed him by acclamation. When Fox first became acquainted with Sheridan, he was so delighted with his company and brilliant conversation, that he became exceedingly anxious to get him admitted as a member of Brookes's Club, which he frequented every night. Sheridan was frequently proposed, but as often had one black ball in the ballot, which disqualified him. At length, the balls being marked, the hostile ball was traced to old George Selwyn, a stickler for aristocracy. Sheridan was apprized of this, and desired that his name might be put up again, and that the further conduct of the matter might be left to himself. Accordingly, on the evening

when he was to be balloted for, Sheridan arrived at Brookes's arm-in-arm with the

Prince of Wales, just ten minutes before the balloting began. Being shown into the candidates' waiting room, the waiter was ordered to tell Mr. Selwyn that the Prince desired to speak with him below immediately. Selwyn obeyed the summons without delay, and Sheridan, to whom he had no personal dislike, en*tertained him for half an hour with a political story, which interested him very much, but which, of course, had no foundation in truth. During Selwyn's absence, the balloting went on, and Sheridan was chosen ; which circumstance was announced to himself and the Prince by the waiter, with the preconcerted signal of stroking his chin with his hand. Sheridan immediately got up, and apologizing for an absence of a few minutes, told Mr. Selwyn, "that the Prince would finish the narrative, the catasbetween a Beggar and a Queen." The spirit of some of Morris's songs is rich and glowing as fine Burgundy. What a table companion must bave been the man who wrote

in Town let me live, and in Town let me die ; For in truth I can't relish the country, not I. If one must have a villa in the summer to dwell, O give me the sweet shady side of Pall Mall.

We last remember Capt. Morris snugly seated in an elegant little villa in Surrey, notwithstanding all he had sung in praise of town. As a gentleman and scholar he is entitled to our respect, and ranks among the finest lyrical poets of his day.

Sheridan now went up stairs, was introduced to, and welcomed by, the club, and was soon in his glory. The Prince, in the meantime was left in no enviable situation; for he had not the least idea of being left to conclude a story, the thread of which, (if it had a thread,) he had entirely forgotten; or which, perhaps, his eagerness to serve Sheritening to, with sufficient attention, to dan's cause, prevented him from lisStill, by means of his auditor's occatake up where Sheridan had dropped it. sional assistance, he got on pretty well for a few minutes, when a question from Selwyn, as to the flat contradiction of a part of his Royal Highness' story to that of Sheridan, completely pozed him, and he stuck fast. much floundering to set himself right, and finding all was in vain, the Prince burst into a loud laugh, and exclaimed

After

"D-the fellow! to leave me to finish this infernal story, of which I know as much as the child unborn! But never mind Selwyn, as Sherry does not seem inclined to come back, let us

go up stairs, and I dare say Fox, or some of them will be able to tell you all about it." They adjourned to the the manoeuvre. Sheridan rose, made him club-room, and Selwyn now detected a low bow, and said, "'Pon my honour, Mr. Selwyn, I beg pardon for being absent so long; but the fact is, I happened to drop into devilish good company; they have just been making me a member, without even one black ball, and here I am."-"The devil they have!" themselves," replied Sheridan," and exclaimed Selwyn.-" Facts speak for tion, accept my grateful thanks, (presas I know you are very glad of my elecsing his hand on his breast, and bowing very low) for your friendly suffrage. And now, if you'll sit down by me, I'll finish my story; for I dare say his Royal Highness has found considerable difficulty in doing justice to its merits." -"Your story! it's all a lie from beginning to end," screamed out Selwyn, amidst immoderate fits of laughter from all parts of the room.

A sparkling piece of table-wit is likewise related of Burke dining at Carlton House, with a three-dozen party, among whom were the Dukes of York and Cumberland, Portland, and Devonshire, Earl Fitzwilliam, Fox, Sheridan, &c. The party was right convivial, to which the engaging manners of the Prince not a little contributed. On the company's rising, his Royal Highness insisted on