lans succès de vos armées; l'immortel Wellington s'est acquis des droits à la reconnoissance de toute personne bien pensante."

I was very glad to receive the foregoing letter, for Madame D is a most amiable person, and I feel a great interest in her fate, which is not so happy a one as she deserves. Her husband makes no secret of his having another attachment to some lady in Russia, and he once told me that he was so miserable at being obliged to remain away from his country, that he walked only a certain distance every day for health, and never lifted his eyes from the ground.

I dined tête-à-tête with Lady C. L—: she is very amusing, but her mind is in a sad state of bewilderment, and I fear it is likely to grow worse instead of better. She ought to be placed under the care of some kind and judicious person, before she requires more restraint. She clings, poor soul, to any one who is gentle and affectionate towards her; and she has fastened upon me, which is troublesome, as she very frequently forces herself upon me when I have not time to devote to her. She writes poetry with great talent, and she entertained me all the evening we passed together, by reciting many of her compositions. She appears to have a strong affection for her husband,

but, as he is careless of her, her disposition, which is naturally aimante, leads her to attach herself to others. Amongst various verses which she insisted on my accepting, she gave me the following lines, which she said she had written, as supposing them to be spoken by the Duchess of D

WINTER AMUSEMENTS.

Spring, Summer, and Autumn had once a dispute,
Which season among them was most in reputc.
Spring bragg'd of her nightingales singing all night,
And her lambkins that skipt about soon as 'twas light.
Old Summer grew warm, and said 'twas enough-
That too often he'd heard such common-place stuff;
That to him the bright sun, all in splendour arising,
Was an object by few more sublime and surprising.
"All your pleasures," quoth Autumn, " are nothing to mine;
My fruits are ambrosia, and nectar my wine."

'Twas thus that these three were by turns holding forth,
When rough winds thus roar'd from the bleak frosty north:

"Not one of you thinks Winter merits reward,
Or that Winter amusements are worthy regard.
You, Spring, brag of nightingales giving delight,
Hav'n't I fiddlers, like them, that can warble all night?
You talk, too, of lambkins that prettily skip it;

Don't my misses at Almack's as merrily trip it?

Then, good Summer, your sun never shines but he scorches;
'Tis not so with my chandeliers, flambeaux, and torches.
Nay, they're better than sunshine, as some sages say,
For they light us by night, as well as by day.

For you, Autumn, your time in high flavours you waste,
As if you alone monopolised taste.

Alas! in a riband of mine, or a feather,

There's more taste than in all your fine fruits put together.
Add to this, I've ridottos, plays, operas, drums,

And assemblies quite private, where all the world comes.
I've fine ladies, that bring me the bon-ton from France,
And gentlemen grown, that are learning to dance.
All time with the gay but the Winter is lost,
As a Dutchman is never alive but in frost.
Besides, my dear Seasons, I'd have you remember,
We've now got as far as the month of December.
That you, Spring and Summer, are both run away;
That you, Autumn, won't venture much longer to stay;
You can't then but own, if you hearken to reason,
No amusements but mine are at present in season.'

Lady C. L told me she wrote the above on the occasion of the Duchess saying she never wished to see more of the country than was comprised in the Parks in London; that Chiswick even was too far removed from the metropolis; and that when people complained of the latter place being dull, she always replied, "London is good enough for me at all times."

March 2d. To my great surprise, I received a letter from the Princess of Wales, giving me a commission to execute, which is to inform Lady

"Que j'ai donné l'ordre positive d'arranger mes affaires pecuniaires, et qu'elle trouvera sa pension chez Monsieur ; et aussi assure,

au reste là, que je serai en tous temps son amie bien sincère."

"It is better thus, dear; I will not express to Lady any disappointment at her having forsaken me, though to you I will confess I was much hurt at her for so doing. N'importe ! Ma vie s'écoule lentement mais surement, et il y aura fin un de ces jours. Dear I may hope for some happiness in another world, auquel je ne m'attends plus dans celui-ci.

"I was glad to hear from Mr. North that you were well. Pardon my troubling you with this letter, but I do not like myself to address Lady

as that would renouveler an intercourse which I do not wish for to happen.

"William, who knows I am writing to you, begs me to remember him to your recollection; he always speaks of you with the greatest regard, as being so kind to him at Kensington.

"Adieu, ma chère! croyez-moi toujours votre très sincère amie,

"C. P."

I was much touched by this letter; it was evidently written at a moment of great depression, and when the poor Princess felt to the uttermost the loneliness of her fate. She wrongs Lady however, in condemning her for having

quitted her service: it was from no disrespect or want of attachment to her Royal Highness personally; but Lady had other and stronger claims upon her, which rendered it absolutely necessary for her to resign her situation in the Princess's household.

I communicated the foregoing letter to Lady and advised her to lose no time in applying

for the payment of the salary due to

so, the

the money

the

to Mr. her; since, if she delays to do Princess had appointed for that purpose might be applied to the liquidation of some other debt, as I well know her Royal Highness is in the utmost distress respecting money matters. These horrible foreign servants have been cheating her in every way. I was told that several tradespeople at Milan had refused to send in goods on her account, if only ordered by the Comte Hector Von Der Ott, as Sir W. Gell calls him; and that, in consequence, the Princess had given an order for them to obey this person's commands to any amount. It is pitiable to think of her being in the hands of such dishonest servants; and were I not aware of the utter uselessness of giving her any counsel, I would, in my reply, venture to tell her Royal Highness the opinion generally entertained of her establishment; but it would produce no good effect. Perhaps she will at last become convinced of their rapacity; but then I