of her continental residence and journies being involved in the parliamentary proceedings of the past year, of which our previous volume furnishes an ample detail, it is needless to recite them here; and we accordingly hasten to state events of more recent and melancholy occurrence.

In less than a fortnight after the coronation of the king, her majesty was taken dangerously ill, in consequence of having taken a very large dose of magnesia, that was supposed to have created an obstruction in the bowels, which was followed by inflammatory symptoms. On Thursday the 2nd of August, she was attended by three physicians, Dr. Maton, Dr. Warren, and Dr. Holland, and was copiously bled; she passed a quiet night, but her symptoms remained the same.— The following day she was immersed for about a quarter of an hour in a warm bath, which moderated the pain, but in other respects was unavailing. Connected with the inflammation of the bowels was a nausea at the stomach, which repelled both food and medicine. Another physician, Dr. Ainslie, was now called in, and her majesty's legal advisers, most of whom were on the point of setting off for their different circuits, also attended for the arrangement of her property and other legal matters. She passed an indifferent night, but towards the morning of Saturday obtained some tranquil sleep, and in the course of the day was able to keep some gruel on her stomach. She slept great part of this day, which induced some observers to believe that an inward mortification had com

menced.-She, however, continued tolerably easy, and passed that night better than the preceding one; but Sunday produced no apparent change in her symptoms. In the course of this day, Dr. Baillie was sent for by express to Gloucestershire.

When the queen's illness first assumed a serious character, Dr. Holland requested permission to send for another physician, observing, that whatever might be his own individual skill and attention, yet the public would necessarily expect, in the case of a queen, that every possible aid should be had recourse to. Her majesty answered with a smile to the following effect:--"My dear doctor, do what you please: if it will be any relief to your own mind to call in assistance, do so: but do not do it for my sake: I have no wish to live; I would rather die." Indeed, from the first moment that her majesty was assured of the very serious nature of her indisposition, she clung to the assurance with joy and gratitude, and listened with a reluctant ear to the hopes of recovery which her physicians and friends held out to her from time to time. "Why do you wish me to live?" she exclaimed on one occasion in the early part of her illness; "life to me can be nothing but a series of sorrows and persecutions: I shall be much happier in another world than in this." It was observed, that she desponded too much; that public opinion was in her favour, and would make her amends for all her sufferings. Her majesty asked what public opinion had done for her? It was answered, that it had defeated that late dreadful attempt to ruin her

the

the bill of pains and penalties. Her reply was prompt and firm "What am I the better for the failure of that bill? If it had passed, I should have been degraded; and, what is my situation now? I have indeed the empty title of queen; but am I queen of England? Have I the privileges, the power, the dignities of a queen of England? No, no: I am a mere private person-I am not queen of England." On Friday week the symptoms of her majesty's disorder had become very alarming, and the physicians had scarcely any hope of her recovery. She received the announcement of her danger with admirable calmness and composure; and shortly afterwards proceeded to make her will. There was an air of cheerfulness about her after she had signed it, which induced one of her professional advisers (we understand, Mr. Brougham), to express a hope that she felt herself easier and better. Her majesty answered, " Oh, no, my dear Mr. Brougham, I know I shall die, and I do not at all regret it." Mr. Brougham said, that he was of a different opinion, and expected her majesty to recover, but added, that the step she had just taken was perfectly proper in case of accident. Her majesty persisted in saying, that she knew she was dying. In the course of the evening she took occasion to say "I do not know whether I shall suffer bodily pain in dying, but I can assure you that I shall quit this world without regret; I have no great reason to be attached to life."

On Saturday and Sunday, in spite of some favourable symptoms which inspired the physicians with 1821.

hope, she still expressed her firm conviction that she should die. She seemed to feel pleasure in talking on the subject, and rejoiced in anticipating her release from trouble-her escape from the malice of her enemies. She said, that in this world, whether in England or abroad, the rancour of her prosecutors would always beset her: and it was only in another world she could look for peace and justice. She expressed the deepest regret that she was so little able to reward those faithful servants who had stood by her in her difficulties; but hoped that government would not let them want. "England," said her majesty, "has certainly been to me a land of sorrow and persecution, but I know how to love those faithful English who have always sympathized with my sorrow, and have done all in their power to defeat the malice of my persecutors." It was on this occasion that she observed that her enemies had been for years plotting and conspiring to destroy her: last," said she, "they have destroyed me, but I forgive them. I die in peace with all mankind."

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On Monday night her physicians seemed to consider her majesty out of all danger: she was informed of their opinion, but insisted that they were mistaken, adding, she felt she was dying, and thought she should die before nine o'clock the next evening. It is not improbable that her majesty then felt the symptoms of incipient mortification. She sent for Mr. Wilde, who was in attendance, and added a codicil to her will: we believe it related to the place of her interment. Her first wish was to be buried in the same

(U)

grave

grave with her beloved daughter; but, added she, "I can have little hope that the government will grant this wish: I desire, therefore, to be buried in the same vault with my father and brother at Brunswick." When her majesty had signed this codicil, she began to converse at considerable length with Mr. Wilde: the physicians fearing that conversation might disturb her, wished to withdraw Mr. Wilde from the room, and that gentleman, from the same motive, was anxious to go: but her majesty begged him to stay. "I thank my physicians," she said, "for their kind intentions; they mean nothing but what is right; but they do not understand my character. They think that it agitates me to talk of death: they are mistaken; to me, who have little pleasure in the past, and no prospect of future tranquillity in this life, it is a pleasure to contemplate my approaching death; and why may I not speak what I feel?" All these observations were made with such sweetness of manner and such calmness of tone, as to make an impression never to be effaced from the minds of those who were present.

Monday night was passed without sleep, owing, it is believed, to that restless anxiety which usually accompanies the process of mortification. On Tuesday afternoon about one, she again sent for Mr. Wilde and Dr. Lushington, and again conversed on her usual to pics. Alluding to the few friends who had remained constant to her to the last, and for whom she expressed the most grateful regard, she took occasion to observe, that her adversaries had put in practice two modes of separating

worthy people from her society: one was to deter them from visit ing her by propagating the most atrocious calumnies against her and them: the second was, when they saw her surrounded by persons of honour, to endeavour by anonymous letters, and all means in their power, to poison her mind against them, in order to induce her to break with them. "Against the first mode of attack," said her majesty, "I could have no help: the second plan I soon detected, and therefore defeated." She then alluded to the practice of opening the body after death, and said that she saw no occasion for the operation in her case, and wished it not to be done. She then begged that she might not be made a show of after her death. "There has been," she observed smilingly, "quite enough of that in my life-time; besides, there are persons who kept aloof from me when alive, who may have no objection to see me when dead, and there is no good reason for satisfying their curiosity." She then again adverted with great regret to her inability to bestow adequate compensations on her servants, or remembrances on her friends; but said their services and kindnesses were deeply written on her heart. Mr. Wilde then left her for some time. About four o'clock an access of fever came on, which, operating on a frame already almost exhausted, produced for a short time a greater exultation of spirits than she had yet manifested: during this period she expressed herself with more vehemence of manner, but still with the same forbearance of language, touching the cruel conspiracies of

her

her inveterate foes; but the fever soon subsided, and she recovered her usual gentle tone, her usual calm and firm demeanour: she was again all resignation to the will of God. A drowsiness then came on, which lasted till nearly eight o'clock; when she suddenly awoke, and observing by her bedside Dr. Holland, who, during her illness, had often expressed a hope of her recovery, said with a smile and accent of the greatest sweetness- Well, my dear doctor, what do you think now?" Her majesty soon afterwards became insensible, but remained alive for above two hours, showing by her breathing a vigour of the lungs and of the heart which the physicians said exceeded any case they had ever witnessed. At length, at twenty-five minutes past ten, her heroic and persecuted spirit fled to the region of truth and justice. The anguish of her friends, the agony of her servants, cannot be described; and the physicians betrayed emotions of grief not often seen among the professional attendants of a

death-bed.

The following is a copy of her majesty's will:

This is the last will and testament of me, Caroline, queenconsort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. I revoke all former wills.

"I constitute and appoint Stephen Lushington, doctor of laws, and Thomas Wilde, esq. barrister at law, trustees and executors of this my will.

"In execution of all powers given me by the will of my late mother, Augusta, duchess of Brunswick-Lunenburgh, I appoint, limit, give, devise, and bequeath

to my said trustees, all my right, title, and interest under the said will, and also all the rest of my property, real and personal, debts and effects, of whatsoever nature or kind soever, and wheresoever situate, upon trust to receive and collect the same; and, when collected, convert into money, and invest it at their discretion in the funds of the United Kingdom, or otherwise: and, upon further trust, to pay the principal of the whole of the said trust property to William Austin, who has been long under my protection, on his attaining the age of twenty-one years: and, in the mean time, to pay the interest and proceeds of the same, or so much thereof as to them may seem meet, towards the maintenance and education of the said William Austin. And I do declare that my said trustees and executors shall not be chargeable in respect of the default of each other, or of any agent em ployed by them, or either of them, but only for their own respective receipts, acts, and wilful defaults. I also give and bequeath to my said executors, to be disposed of according to their will and pleasure, all and every my documents, manuscripts, papers, writings, and memoranda, wheresoever being at the time of my death.