temporary structure became an eyesore to the Duchess of Marlborough, who could see it from her windows, and who became impatient of its unsightliness during the months the wedding was postponed. 'I wonder,' said her Grace one day, 'when my neighbour George will remove his orange chest?' which in fact it did resemble,' says Horace Walpole.

But all the splendour of the day could not help to diminish the hideousness of the bridegroom, though he dressed himself in gold and silver brocade, and wore a long peruke like hair that flowed over his back and helped to hide the ugliness of his deformity. For all the glitter and parade of the occasion, it looked more like the mournful pomp of a sacrifice than the joyful celebration of a wedding.' According to the custom of the period, the court went to pay its respects to the bride and bridegroom in the nuptial chamber; when the Prince came in his night-gown and night-cap into the room to go to bed, the appearance he made was as indescribable as the astonished countenances of everybody who beheld him. From the shape of his brocaded gown, and the make of his back,

THE DEFORMED PRINCE.

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he looked behind as if he had no head, and before as if he had no neck and no legs.'

6

A month after his marriage the Prince and his bride left for Holland; in parting, the king gave her a thousand kisses, but never a penny, and the queen wept bitterly. The bride affected to put on a vast gaiety, but the poor Princess Caroline had cried her eyes out, and the tears ran down her face.' The Princess of Orange arrived at Harlingen on Saturday, but, the public reception not being quite ready, she had to wait in her yacht before landing until the following Tuesday. On that morning, everything being in readiness for the public entry, a procession came to conduct her to her new home, headed by the carriage of the ministers. The Princess drove in an open coach drawn by eight horses, followed by the Prince's empty chariot, and five other coaches full of English maids-of-honour. There was great firing of cannon and musketry right under the royal noses, which had the effect of frightening the processional horses and smashing innumerable windows; soldiers lined the streets, and the people shouted lustily. The next evening a Drawing-room was held, when 'really

счисни

very fine-looking people, and as fine in clothes and lace as could be without gold or silver,' came to pay their respects to their High

nesses.

The Princess, however, soon grew tired of these very fine people amongst whom her lot was cast, and at the end of six months hastened back to England, where she remained as long as she could, and until both her father and husband strongly urged her to return. When the queen died, she, believing she could exercise the same influence as her mother had done over the king, and by the same arts, returned once more to England. Her great love of power made the project most agreeable to her, and she had little doubt but that she should succeed in controlling the helm of government. Majesty, however, being made aware of the project, became incensed at the mere idea of anyone presuming to govern him, quite ignorant of the fact that he had been governed all his life. His indignation at this attempt of his daughter's was so great that he would not allow her to remain more than two nights in London,

His

INDIGNANT AND DEFEATED.

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but ordered her off to Bath, from which place she soon returned to Holland, indignant and defeated.

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CHAPTER V.

The Princess Amelia-Her Love for Horses and Hunting— The Dukes of Newcastle and Grafton-The Princess at Bath-Society at the Wells-The Princess Caroline and Lord Hervey--The Princess Mary and Prince Frederick of Hesse-The King's youngest Daughter.

HE Princess Amelia, or, as she was more

THE

often called, Emily, was the king's second daughter; she was possessed of a greater share of personal charms than her elder sister, and her manners were far more lively. In early life she had a great passion for horses, hunted two or three times a week, visited the royal stables if her horses were ill, and carried her sporting proclivities so far (according to Horace Walpole) as to shock the good people at Hampton by going to church one Sunday in riding clothes, with a dog under each arm. In her later years