AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MISS KNIGHT.* SECOND NOTICE.

Tim third period of Miss Knight's life begins with her return to England in 1800. Fresh from the stirring scenes of her Neapolitan and Sicilian sojourn, and accustomed to hear England spoken of as the most flourishing and powerful country in Europe,-she was sur- prised, on her arrival at home, to hear nothing but complaints of poverty and embarrassment, and wishes for peace. Moral as well as physical sunshine seemed to be left behind in the bright Italian skies, and to have little in common with the gloomy, though cordial, hos- pitalities of an English winter, in which the kindness of friends could scarcely make up for the sense of recent bereavement, or do away with the strangeness among familiar scenes naturally felt by one who had lived from the age of eighteen to that of forty-two in foreign lands. Two years passed away, during which Miss Knight lived in the best London society, but no longer with the friends whom she had accom- panied to England, for the attachment of Nelson to Lady Hamilton was fast becoming notorious, and his estrangement from Lady Nelson' increasing. He was soon to be employed again, for on the renewal of war after the Peace of Amiens came the rumours of a threatened, invasion, and nothing but this topic was talked about by all classes. Miss Knight's friends in the great world did not, however, take the matter so philosophically as the heroine of the following story : "A gentleman, who was fishing in a sequestered spot not far from London, was accosted by an old woman of the neighbourhood, who entered into conversa- tion with him on various matters. After a little he asked her if she were not alarmed about Bonaparte's landing on the island. 'Oh dear no!' she answered. ' I am up to all that. He was expected here when I was a young woman, and he nearly came. At that time they called him the Pretender, and now they call him Bonaparte.'"

Miss Knight had been presented at Court, and graciously received by Queen Charlotte in 1802, and, it is to be supposed, had become more particularly known to the royal family before 1805, in which year she was made a member of the Queen's household. Placed in a separate house with a salary of 3001., her duties were, to besent at evening parties, when invited, also on Sundays and red letter days, and to be ready to attend on the Queen in the mornings. Nothing could be more domestic than the royal circle at Windsor. In the forenoon the Queen would call for Miss Knight on her way to Frogmore, where she liked to spend the early part of the day. There the former read aloud, while her companion worked, from a well- selected library of which Miss Knight was allowed to have a key and the privilege of borrowing what she liked. Sometimes they walked in the garden, while two of the Princesses rode with the King; or this quiet life would be diversified by a ffite at the cottage of Princess Elizabeth at Old Windsor, or by the celebration of one of the very numerous birthdays. In the evening the whole party generally assembled at dinner, and the King, who dined early, appeared at dessert. In such a life there was but little to record, and the auto- biography is nearly a blank till 1810. In that year occurred the attempt by a valet to assassinate the Duke of Cumberland, and Miss Knight tells us it was the fashion for people to go and see the Duke's apartments and feast their eyes upon the stains of blood still remaining on the walls. Soon after came the melancholy death of the Princess Amelia, and Miss Knight was one of those who took her turn of watching at night with the corpse till its interment. This event was the last blow to the King's shattered mind, for though he recovered sufficiently to give directions about the funeral, the im- provement in his health was only temporary, and in 1812 the Re- gency was fully established. The Princess Charlotte attained her seventeenth year in 1813 ; she occasionally visited at Windsor, and was allowed to go to Kensington

• Aotcbicprsphy of Miss Cornelia Knight, Lady Companion to the Princess Char- lotte of Washes With Extracts from her Journals and Anecdote Books. Two vols. W. H. ellen.

Palace once a fortnight to see her mother, with whom, however, she was not suffered to be left alone for a moment. On the resignation of one of her governesses, she wrote to Lord Liverpool expressing a wish that no other might be appointed, but that she might have an establishment of her own, and ladies in waiting. The application made her father violently angry ; he took down Lord Eldon to Wind- sor to explain to her the illegality of her demand, who told her that " if she had been his daughter, he would have locked her up "—a speech she bore in silence, but which made her burst into tears of rage and grief, that she should have been so addressed "by the son of a coalheaver." To soften matters, it was conceded that the Princess should have only one governess and two "ladies com- panions;" and she, as well as the Regent, desired that Miss Knight should be one of the latter, an arrangement which the Queen opposed in an underhand way, desirous that Miss Knight should not quit her service, but should appear to decline the proposal of her own accord. Biased on the one side by her gratitude to, the Queen, on the other by her attachment to the Princess, afraid of offending her benefae- tress, but horribly tired of the monotonous life of Windsor, Miss Knight endured a great deal of unpleasant correspondence and nego- tiation; but in the end the Regent forced the Queen to give way, and the new "lady companion" immediately entered upon her duties. The Princess was placed in Warwick House, which for- merly stood between the end of what is now Warwick-street (behind Cockspur-street) and Carlton House, with which latter it communi- cated. Here her life was a trifle less dull than at Windsor, but the plan of education which the King had marked out, and which was to have been that of a schoolboy, was exchanged by the Regent for a sort of mere nursery instruction. Her father found himself aged by the appearance of a grown-up daughter, and kept her a child as long as he could. Her balls were children's parties, and her companions were to be considered " governesses." Everything she did or at- tempted to do was vexatiously interfered with by her father ; but in this process Miss Knight was not so pliable an instrument as the latter expected, and usually took the Princess Charlotte's part. This was not what was wanted, and „means were found to prejudice the Princess's mind against her. She was annoyed by a series of petty slights and affronts, which sometimes moved her to hysterics, some- times to dignified and forcible remonstrance, but she obtained no redress. Generally the Prince treated her with coldness ; but even when in good humour, he did not forget to say, "Remember, my dear Chevalier, that Charlotte must lay aside the idle nonsense of thinking she has a will of her own ; while I live she must be subject to me as she is at present, if she were thirty, or forty, or five-and- forty." The same system of interference was exercised over all she did. After being bored in the morning by the prelections of the Bishop of Salisbury, her preceptor, "on the danger of Popery and Whig principles," and going through the English lessons of Dr. Short and the French ones of Mr. Starkey, she might drive (per- haps) "in the park, or, when that was objected to, on the road," and return to listen to the accounts given by the few young ladies she was allowed to see of amusements in which she was not allowed to partake. It might have been a violation of etiquette to attend the parties of her father's subjects ; but she sometimes had to witness in her own circle what, in any other sense, was much more derogatory :

"The Prince Regent's birthday, 12th August, was kept at the new Military College at Sandhurst, where the Queen was to present new colours to the Cadet

Battalion When the Queen was about to depart, the Prince Regent was not to be found, and we afterwards learned that he, with the Duke of York, Prince of Orange (the father, afterwards first King of the Netherlands), and many others were under the table. The Duke of York hurt Kish ead very seri- ously against a wine cellaret. In short it was a sad business. We went home very quietly in an open carriage by the lovely moonlight."

It was not very unnatural that the Princess should wish to escape from such restraint, or such licence, by the only mode open to her, that of marriage, and great part of Miss Knight's diary is occupied with the abortive negotiations which took place on this subject. The Duke of Devonshire was supposed to be attached to her ; and, to counteract any such influence which might exist, a marriage with the Prince of Orange was suggested ; a scheme which the Princess herself opposed most strongly in favour of one with the Duke of Gloucester. Miss Knight carefully chronicles the fluctuations of the former project, which the Princess was ultimately teazed into accepting, but of which she entirely repented when it appeared that she would be expected to leave England. Her father and his ad- visers did their utmost to conquer her opposition and pacify her with promises, but she would not yield without the insertion of a distinct clause on the subject in the settlement. King George's "schoolboy instruction" in the laws of England had not been entirely lost upon her; the studied Burnet's account of the nego- tiations between Philip and Mary on a similar point ; and, to the bitter discomfiture of the Regent and his satellites, she took upon herself at last to give her unwelcome suitor his dismissal. The next person who appeared as a candidate was Prince Leopold, and his attentions were, by those interested in misrepresenting her con- duct, stated to have gone so far that he was received at the Princess's domestic tea-table. The Regent, although he had received full explanations on the point, chose to make this a.pretext for what he had probably long meditated; and Miss Knight, in common with the rest of the household, found herself one morning dismissed at a mo- ment's notice. The Princess Charlotte's impatient spirit found this a little too much to bear, and being left to herself a few minutes, she put on her bonnet and fled to her mother's residence in Connaught- place. The scene is minutely and no doubt truthfully described by Miss Knight, whose account of the Regent's demeanour is worth recording : " The Prince was very cool, and seemed rather pleased, saying he was glad that everybody would now see what she was, and that it would be known on the Continent, and that no one would ma rry her.", The Princess of Wales was absent at Bladkheath when her daughter arrived, but soon returned, taking Lord Brougham with her, by whose persuasion the young Princess was induced again to submit to her father's authority. The following passage is quoted by the editors from a paper by Lord Brougham [?] in the Law Re- view, which shows that the young lady's motive to submission was not that of affection for her father:

"After a great deal of discussion, the Princess Charlotte asked Mr. Brougham what he, on the whole, would advise her to do. He said, 'Return to Warwick House, or to Carlton House, and on no account pass a night out of it.' She was exceedingly affected,-even to tears, and asked if he too refused to stand by her. The day was beginning to break; a Westminster election to reinstate Lord Cochrane (after the sentence on him which abolished the pillory, and secured his re-election) was to be held that day at ten o'clock. Mr. Brougham led the young Princess to the window, andsaid, ' I have but to show you to the multitude which in a few hours will fill these streets and that park—and possibly Carlton House will be pulled down—but in an hour after the soldiers will be called out, blood will tow, and if your Royal Highness lives a hundred years it will never be forgotten that your running away from home and your father was the cause of the mischief; and you may depend upon it the English people so hate blood that you will never get over it.' She at once perceived the truth of this statement, and, withcut any kind of hesitation, agreed to see her uncle below, and accompany him home."

The Princess was ultimately removed to Cranbourne Lodge, in Windsor Forest, where she was kept a close prisoner, and we hear little more of her in the Autobiography till her marriage in 1816 with Prince Leopold, regarding which event Miss Knight gives many particulars, but is not very clear as to the manner in which it was really brought about. At a later period she noted down some obser- vations on the Princess's career, and character, from which it appears that she was conscious of having fulfilled her duties as she conceived them at the time, but afterwards felt that her conception of them had been inadequate, through a romantic wish to leave her charge more uncontrolled than so young a girl ought to have been. Here the Autobiography comes to an end, and the fourth period of Miss Knight's career is made known to us only by extracts from her Diary. She left England in May, 1816, for a short visit to Paris, where she thoroughly enjoyed the society of the Restoration, and, from this time, appears to have passed her life in travelling alter- nately in England and on the Continent. Her pages are filled with the names of distinguished personiges, but, though pleasant enough to turn over, there is nothing sufficiently continuous to enable us to construct a narrative of her progress. A few extracts will show the quality of the information she has to give. On June 16, 1828, she writes :

" In the evening at Princess Sophia's. Sir J. C. came in, and gave a droll account of the magnificent breakfast given to-day by the Duchess of St. Albans, at her villa near town. Almost all the best musical performers of our nation were there, besides the Tyrolese singers and others. A silver bread-basket of vast dimensions was handed about, and an inscription on it was read aloud, an- nouncing the happiness of the Duke and Duchess in this, the first year of their married life, and their intention of claiming the flitch of bacon at Dunmow six years hence: for which purpose they had prepared this basket The Dukes of Cumberland and Sussex, and Prince Leopold, were there."

The editors' care has made us so exacting, that we desiderate a note to inform us whether the flitch was ever claimed by this distinguished couple.

After this there is little of interest till we come to 1830, the events of which year were, of course, viewed by Miss Knight with much ,disgust, as is shown by her gloomy retrospect written at its close. She must have felt some satisfaction in recording the following story, which, though new to us, is of a piece with much that has appeared on the same subject: "A stranger happening to be in Paris soon after the revolution of July, 1830, was stopped by a young chimney-sweeper, who asked him if he had seen the King of the French. The other replied in the negative. Would you like to see him?' continued the chimney-sweeper. Only give me a piece of five francs and you shall see him.' The stranger agreed to do so, and they went away together to the Palais Royal. As soon as they were in sight of the balcony the boy began to call out, Louis Philippe! Louis Philippe!' in which cry he was joined by the rabble near him. The King of the French came out to make his obeisance, and the gentleman gave a five-franc piece to the sweeper. Now, said the boy, if you have a mind to hear him sing, only promise me five more, and you shall be satisfied.' The stranger assented, and his Majesty, at the command of the mob, joined in the Marseillaise Hymn, with all the appropriate grimaces. At the time when Louis Philippe was shaking hands with everybody in the street, he held out his hand to a man, who said, Stop a little.' Thrusting both hands in the mud he offered them to the King, saying, Now they are fit for you."

In an appendix the editors give a selection of anecdotes, some of which are worth quotation. The following stories make a good per:

"An old woman, who died a few years ago in Ireland, hada nephew, a lawyer, to whom she left by will all she possessed. She happened to have a favourite cat, who never left her, and even remained by the corpse after her death. After the will was read in the adjoining room, on opening the door the cat sprang at the lawyer' seized him by the throat, and was with difficulty prevented from strangling him. This man died about eighteen months after this scene, and on his death-bed confessed that he had murdered his aunt to get possession of her money." "A celebrated surgeon, named Livois, who was in the French army, took com- passion on a dog whose leg had been fractured by a shot during the siege of some place or another. He set the bones, and cured him. Some time afterwards he found waiting at his door the same dog, with a companion who had a broken leg, and whom he evidently wished to introduce to him. The surgeon cured this second dog also, and mentioned the circumstance to the Countess du C., who repeated it to me."

The following anecdotes belong to Miss Knight's residence in Italy in 1781-3 :

"The Pope having lately found an obelisk, has had it removed to Monte Cavallo, where it is to be placed between the two statues. The expense and trouble were no slight matter. The other day the following inscription was placed on it: ' Fac ut lapides isti panes fiant.' Infinite pains were taken to dis- cover the author and have him punished, and on the following morning was written beneath the other: The author is St. Luke, chap. iv. 3." "The Prince of Solms was exceedingly pleased with a young lady:who was in the year of her novitiate and about to become a nun. He fancied that his atten- tions were beginning to shake her resolution, and though the day of profession was near at hand, he fancied that she would prefer him to a cloister. One day, after he bad paid her a long visit at the grate, and had no great reason to com- plain of her cruelty, she begged of him, as a particular favour, a lock of his hair. fhe Prince, confirmed in his flattering illusions by this request, immediately cat one off for her. At his next visit he found her particularly lively and agreeable. May I presume,' he said, 'to hope that you have given up all idea of a convent life, and have cast a favourable look upon myself?' So great is my affection for you,' replied the lady, ' that I have just finished making a wig for the Infant Jesus out of your hair, and if you come to my profession to-morrow you will see it on the altar.' "

" I remember a young officer of the French Navy saying one day: should like to be an English Peer until I reached thirty-five. I would then be a Marshal of France till fifty, and afterwards come to Rome, be a Cardinal, and never die.' The same officer, looking at the fine picture of the Magdalen, by Guido, ex- claimed: ' Oh, what a lovely picture! I have always liked Magdalena in every stage of their existence.' " "Signor Balbi was surprised to find that there was no Burgundy left in his cellar, when he wanted to place somo before a party of friends who were dining with him at his country villa. ' Ah !' said he, it mast have beep that English- man, Lord ForVose, who has been staying here some days with my wife, that has drunk it. Ah! I never thought of my wine.' "

For the novelty of the two next we will not vouch, but they are short and not bad :

"Sir Edward Sngden, a celebrated lawyer who has lately come into Parlia- ment, having heard that he had been turned into ridicule for being the son of a hairdresser, made answer: So I am, and I am come into the House to give a dressing to the Whigs."

" I forget who told me the following anecdote of the Marquis of Wellesley, when Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. He was at table with a party of Irish gentle- men who were chiefly Orangemen, and in the dining-room hung a painting of the battle of the Boyne, which in that country is usually called the Victory of Boyne Waters. The company wishing him to pronounce an opinion, invited him to change his seat. Surely, my Lord,' said one, you would not turn your back on Boyne Waters?' Lord Wellesley answered, pointing to a bottle of claret that stood before him: Oh, I never look at water when I can get wine."

Miss Knight's death took place at Paris on the 17th of December, 1837, in the 81st year of her age, and she seems to have kept up her diary almost to the last, though its latter part does not contain many entries of importance. Considering the prudence and reserve of her character, we must be thankful for the fulness of the informa- tion she has left us. Nothing she has written is sufficiently at variance with received accounts to change the verdict of posterity on any of the personages who figure in her pages, but a few deeper tints are added to the already unpleasant lineaments of George .,. V. In dwelling on all she tells, we sometimes wish to hear a little more of her own pri- vate history, but this, probably, she thought of less importance to posterity than the actions of her illustrious patrons. The editors have given a portrait of Princess Charlotte, but not of the Diarist. They have been so diligent in other points that we conclude it is only omitted because none exists; but, if this is really the case, it is curious that a lady belonging to the class in which Miss Knight ha- bitually moved should never have sat for her portrait.