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which she discontinued the last ten years of her life, but which first taught her the genius and manners of the English people. In the month of December, 1742, her royal highness read in one of these papers, the following advertisement:

"" DISTRESS.

"A man who has served his country bravely, is, by a peculiar circumstance of misfortune, reduced to the extremest distress. He has a family too, who are deeply involved in his fate. This intelligence will be sufficient to those who can feel, and who can relieve. Such persons may be more particularly informed of his past misfortunes, and may be witnesses of his present, by calling at

******* "

I have observed already, that this amiable lady was experienced in distress; and there was an air of truth, of candour, of superiority to deceit, through the whole of this advertisement which greatly bespoke her sympathy, and roused her humanity. She resolved to see the miserable man who advertised.

Her highness had in her house a lady of German extraction, who accompanied her from Germany to England, and who was her favourite and companion till the lady's death. With this companion she resolved to visit the scene of distress. In a common morning dress, and in a common chair, to avoid the public eye, she sat off about noon, the lady walking slowly behind her: they eluded all observation, and arrived at the appointed place.

The direction led them up two pair of stairs, into a little apartment, 、(in one of the streets behind Golden-square) which they entered. A woman, whose ghastly features were pale with poverty and sickness, lay stretched on a comfortless bed, without curtains, and circled in her arms a female child, whose closed eye seemed sealed up with death, and whose face out-did her mother's in marks of want and despair. A tall and graceful man sat before a cold fire, having on his knee a boy wrapped round in a flannel petticoat; over whom he hung his head, and gazed upon him with eyes of affection and anguish.-All this was seen in the twinkling of an eye. Her highness stopped short, drew close to her companion, and clasped her in her arms, as if she had suddenly entered into the mansion of horror and despair. The man, starting from his chair, placed the child by the side of his helpless mother, advanced gracefully towards the ladies, and begged of them to sit down. Her highness, opening her lips for the first time, said, With all my heart.

Need I describe to the reader the scene that ensued? Need I inform him, that hope and expectation sat panting in the father's eye; that sensibility and pity wandered o'er the royal features, and diffused over all her countenance a graceful sorrow and dejection?-This scene would have afforded the most luxurious feast to a feeling soul: as such I will not injure it by my pen, but resign it to be conceived by the imagination.

The attending lady first broke silence, by disclosing their business. She said, that they had read his advertisement, and that they were desirous of receiving the information which it promised. The man

thanked them for their humanity, and proceeded to relate his story.His voice was good, and his stile was simple; and he spoke with precision, fluency and grace. But as I am not now writing his history, but an anecdote of the Princes Dowager of Wales, I will not relate his history after him. The reader must be contented at present with knowing, that he had been an ensign in a marching regiment, which was then in Germany; that a knot of those military coxcombs, with which every regiment is crowded, had conceived a pique against him, for being braver, and more sensible than themselves; that one of these hot-headed youths had sent him a challenge on a very frivolous pretence, which he refused to accept, from motives of duty and honour; that pretences were drawn from this circunstance, and combinations formed to insult and ruin him; that they represented him to the chief commander as a coward, a slanderer, and a bad officer; that his conduct was enquired into, and overpowered by numbers; he was broke for crimes which he never committed: that he set out immediately with his little family for England, to lay his case before the secretary at war, and to implore justice; that having no powerful friend to introduce him into the War Office, the secretary was too deeply engaged in business to listen to the complaints of a friendless ensign; that this put a period to his hopes; that his wife was then seized with sickness, but being destitute of money to procure the necessary remedies, her distemper was soon communicated to the two children; and, that having spent his last six-pence, in a fit of agony and dispair, he sent the above-mentioned advertisement, to the news-papers, as the last resource which a gentleman's honour could stoop to.-Though many pathetic circumstances are suppressed, this is the leading line of the story. He related it with a firm and manly countenance, and was a fine contrast to the soft and amiable sensibility, which the ladies displayed in the course of it.

It was a case of unfeigned distress, and even despair; and the princess thought, that in his present desperate situation, she could not yield him sincerer comfort, than by informing him into what safe and powerful hands he had fallen. Putting ten guineas into his hand, she told him, "that the Princess of Wales, to whom he had now related his story felt for him, and pitied him; and that she would procure justice to himself, his wife, and his infants." The astonished ensign had already dropt on one knee, to acknowledge her rank, her condescension, and her goodness; but rushing to the door, she hurried down the stairs, and returned into her chair, leaving the ensign wrapt in wonder and gratitude.

Let those enjoy these moments who can feel them. The officer made his little mansion echo with her name: he repeated it with rapture, and recommended it to heaven; and never were prayers more sincere.While the princess returned to her house, satisfied that she had begun a good work, which she was resolved to bring to a happy conclusion.

The issue of this is so obvious, that every one may guess it. The princess applied to the duke of Cumberland in the officer's behalf; and after a week had passed, she sent for him to receive a lieutenant's commission, in a regiment which was soon to embark for Flanders. Thus

provided for, she enjoined him to prepare for his expedition, and to leave his little family under her protection till his return. Though this charge was dear to him, he willingly resigned it to so faithful a guardian, and sat off to join a regiment were he was recommended by royal patronage itself. He behaved with his usual bravery and prudence, and after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1748, returned to England, to his wife and to his children, with a major's commission. He lived at home happy and beloved; the same benevolent lady who first snatched him from ruin still patronizing him. He afterwards sacrificed his life to his country on the plains of Minden ;-a field which proved disgraceful to many people, but covered his grey hairs with honour and laurels.

More is not necessary. I have related enough of the old ensign's life, to display the tenderness, the benevolence, the generosity of the great. and amiable lady, whose memory I shall ever revere. It remains now only to inform the reader, that the son of the old ensign-who languished upon his knee, whom he gazed upon with despair when the princess first entered his wretched habitation—is now the writer of this little story; and he dedicates this sincere tribute to her memory, as a MONUMENT OF HER VIRTUES.

MARIVEAUX,

THE French novelist, though wonderfully alembicated in his manner of writing, was not so in his character. When he was once accosted by a very stout beggar to give him alms, he said, “ My good friend, I wonder you beg; why don't you work, as you appear to be able?” "Alas, Sir," replied the beggar, "If you did but know how idle I Well," replied Mariveaux, giving him half a crown, ““ Goyour way; you are an honest fellow."

am." 66

GEORGE II.

N his personal economy the late king was very exact about trifles. He had all his shirts, cravats, handkerchiefs, &c. regularly numbered, and it was sufficient to put him into a very great passion to give him any of those articles that did not exactly correspond in number with the other. The same exactness went to other circumstances. One day, as the page was carrying a bag of money after him to be deposited in a small iron chest, which he constantly kept in a closet near his bed-chamber, the bag burst, and one guinea in the fall rolled under the door of another closet, where some piles of wood lay." Have you picked up all the money?" (says the king) "All but one guinea, Sire, which has rolled in amongst the wood, and which I shall look for presently." “No, no --we shall look for that guinea now; set down that bag there, and assist me in removing this wood." The page obeyed, and to work they both went; when, after toiling for about a quarter of an hour, the guinea.. was found. “Well (says the king, pleased with his discovery), I think

we have worked hard for this guinea, but as you seem to have laboured the most, here, take it for your pains; I would have nothing lost."

LIFE OF MR. HOWARD.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 294.

THOUGH Mr. Howard had sometimes the unhappiness to find that his labours had not the success he desired, he was not always doomed to feel the chagrine of disappointment. Some, among whom were persons of the first character, were zealous to second his benevolent attempts, and would not suffer the regulations which his virtue had effected to languish and decay.

In the metropolis, he had the pleasure to find that Sir Charles Whitworth, chairman of the Westminster charity, and Dr. W. Smith, were careful to advance the good work. Many gentlemen and noblemen of the county of York, entered into his plans with a degree of public spirit which reflected the highest honour both on their hearts and understandings; and that active and worthy magistrate the Rev. Mr. Zouch, transmitted to him the most honourable testimonies of their concurrence with, and approbation of his labours. Nor were foreigners more backward to assist and to applaud his benevolent designs; for when in 1781 he travelled through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Poland; and again in the year 1783, through Portugal, Spain, France, Flanders, and Holland, several persons of the first consequence were proud to shew every degree of friendship and honour to one whose virtues added dignity to human nature.

In Holland, during the first of these journies, he was aided by the attentions of Professor Camper, and also by Sir Joseph York, whose attentions on a former occasion are mentioned in these memoirs, and who now not only exerted himself with ardour to promote the success of our traveller's enquiries, but while he was confined at the Hague, in consequence of an accident, shewed him every token of regard, which esteem and friendship could dictate. And in Germany, though a base minded gaoler was unwilling to shew him the torture room, lest his native benevolence should drag forth the horrors of cruelty to public view, and procure the abolition of practices abhorrent to nature, yet there were several in the most elevated rank who discovered a very different disposition. And although, at Stockholm, he was compelled to be resolute before a being of the same description, who had neglected to wall up the torture dungeon, though, in consequence of Mr. Howard's exertions, the king had published a decree for that purpose; yet some of the first characters in Sweden gave him all the assistance in their power. He also had the esteem and assistance of the Count de Firmain, governor of Lombardy, of Marshal de Vellere, at Elvas, in Spain, of Dr. Haller, in Switzerland, of Count de Compones, at Madrid,

&c. &c. all which plainly proved, that enlightened minds, in different nations, had caught a considerable portion of that sacred spirit of Christian philanthropy which lived and glowed in the bosom of Howard.

But that which gave our philanthropist most satisfaction was, to find that many of the abuses and horrors, which he had by his former journies made known, were now, by the interference of those in power, considerably reformed. Princes had blushed to find a foreigner more awake to sympathy with the groans, tears, and misery of their unhappy subjects than themselves.

In France, Brunswick, Geneva, and many other places, the prisons, hospitals, and pest-houses, were now in situations much more fit for the residence of human beings than they had been. And even the wretched slaves in the Stockhouse, in Denmark, to whom, before, hope had never come, had felt the cheering influence of his benevolence, in the regulations which softened the rigour of their fate.

At his third visit to Paris also, he found that two of the worst prisons, by the royal mandate, had been demolished; and also, that the king's declaration had made several humane regulations, particularly for the abolition of dungeons under ground-upon this principle, that it is unjust for those who may possibly be innocent, to suffer, before trial, a rigorous punishment. It was, however, in vain that Mr. Howard endeavoured to gain admittance to the Bastile. The government of France had its measures of benevolence, beyond which it seemed determined not to go. Mr. H. had also offended, by having, as before mentioned, translated a curious account of the Bastile into English. This so irritated the old French government, that he was in danger of being shut up in that dungeon for life-the timely interference of the British ambassador at Paris alone preventing it.

When, in 1783, he visited Rome and Lisbon, he attempted to get access to the dreary prisons of the Inquisition; but in this he could not succeed; the caution of the inquisitors would not suffer this apostle of humanity to inspect these abodes of silence and horror, where bigotry and religious enthusiasm had for ages, exercised a cruel tyranny over the dearest rights of mankind. At Madrid he was rather more successful ;* here the Count de Compones introduced him to the inquisitor-general but the tribunal of the inquisition was the only thing which he was permitted to see. The letters of the same nobleman procured him but little more satisfaction at Valladolid. Here he was received in the tribunal by two of the inquisitors, their secretaries, and two magistrates, and was conducted by them into several rooms. On the side of one of the rooms was a large picture of an Auto de Fee, or, as Pegna, who binself was a famous Spanish inquisitor, calls it, a spectacle horrible and tremendous, when ninety seven person were burnt. This infamous Auto de Fee, was held in the year 1667.

The tribunal room was hung with red cloth: over the inquisitor's seat there was a crucifix, and before it a table, with two seats for the two secretaries, and a stool for the prisoner; there was also an altar in the Joom, and a door with three locks, which led into the secretary's room,