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Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



[FEE 



They studied and played together, nud were 

 devoted to ench other's society. 



It was in the month of May, 1789, that 

 the Duke of York fought a duel with Col. 

 Lennox, afterwards Duke of Richmond. The 

 Duke was reported to have said that in a 

 political conversation that occurred at Dau- 

 biguy's Club, some words had been made 

 use of to the Colonel Ihnt no gentleman 

 ought to submit to. Not obtaining an ex- 

 planation from his Royal Highness, Colonel 

 Lennox called upon him for the satisfaction- 

 due from one gentleman to another. Waving 

 all distinction of rank, the Duke nssented 

 to the meeting required. The parties met 

 on Wimbledon Common ; the Prince attend- 

 ed by Lord Rawdon (the late Marquess of 

 Hastings), and Colonel Lennox by the Earl 

 of WincbeL-ea. It wns agreed that both 

 parties should fire by signals, and the signal 

 haying been given, the Colonel fired, and 

 the ball grazed one of the Prince's curl?. 

 The Duke did not fire, he said it was not 

 his intent ion to fire he had come out to 

 give Colonel Lennox satisfaction, he had no 

 enmity against him, if the Colonel were not 

 .satisfied he might fire again. This was, of 



jcourse, declined, and the parties left the 

 ground. 



At the birth-day ball, given soon after- 

 wards, which was more splendid than usual, 

 in consequence of the king's recovery, Col. 

 Lennox, in violation of the established rule, 

 stood up in a country dance with Lady Ca- 

 therine Barnard. This gave great offence 

 to the Prince of Wales, who, when became 

 to the Colonel's place in the dance, took 

 .the hand of his partner, the Princess Roynl, 



| just as ahe was about to be turned by the 

 Colonel, and led her to the bottom. The 

 Duke of York and the Princess Augusta 

 turned the Colonel without notice, but the 

 Duke of Clarence and the Princess Eliza- 

 beth followed the example of the Prince of 

 Wales, and when the Colonel came to the 

 Prince of Wales at the bottom, his Royal 

 Highness led his sister to a chair by the side 

 of the Queen, and the ball was abruptly ter- 

 minated by the retiring of her Majesty and 

 the Princesses. The King, in consequence 

 of the shock which he had received from the 

 duel, wau not present. 



On the 20tb of September, 179J, the 

 Duke married the Princess Frederica Char- 

 lotte Ulrica, eldest daughter of the late 

 King of Prussia; but by her, who died on 

 theCth of August, 1820, his Royal High- 

 ness bad no issue. In consequence of his 

 marriage, Parliament, at the commence- 

 ment of its ensuing session, voted to him 

 in addition to bis then income of 12,000 

 3-year, an additional annuity of 25,000. 



In 1793, his Royal Highness was called 

 into active serve. The war of the French 

 Revolution having broken out, he was 

 placed at the head of the British troops which 

 it was judged expedient to send to the con- 

 tinent, to join the combined army under the 

 Prince of Saxe Cobourg. The siege and 



capture of Valenciennes by his Royal 

 Highness, the unsuccessful attempt upon 

 Dunkirk, <fec. are matter of history. In the 

 spring of 1 794 he returned ro England, for 

 instructions relative to the ensuing cam- 

 paign. On his return, the allies were for a 

 time successful. The Duke acquitted him- 

 self with great spirit, promptitude, aud skill 

 but the British interests were not adequately 

 sustained either abroad or at home; and 

 after a variety of reverses, his Royal High 

 ness was ultimately compelled to re treat. 



He returned to England in December. In 

 the month of February following (1795) his 

 Majesty was pleased to nominate him to the 

 situation of Commander-in-Chief to the 

 army. His Royal Highness undertook the 

 duties of bis high office with the determina- 

 tion to correct the errors and abuses which 

 had crept into the military department, am 

 the zeal and indefatigable attention with 

 which he persevered in his task, were equall- 

 ed only by the judgment which directed, 

 and the success which crowned his la- 

 bours. 



In the autumn of 1799, the Duke of 

 York assumed the command of an expedi- 

 tion projected for the deliverance of Holland. 

 The, force consisted of 30,000 British troops, 

 to be joined by 17,000 Russians. The Dutch 

 fleet in the Texel having surrendered to Ad- 

 miral Mitchell on the 28th of August, the 

 Duke landed his troops and advanced into 

 the country. At first his efforts were *uc- 

 cessful; but the conduct of the allies was 

 not staunch, his Royal Highness was not 

 properly sapported by the government at 

 home, the Dutch would not join him, 

 winter was approaching, and he was com- 

 pelled to agree to a suspension of arms, 

 by which he surrendered his prisoners, and 

 then returned to England. 



In 1803, when the volunteer system pre- 

 vailed throughout the empire, the Prince of 

 Wales expressed great anxiety that he might 

 be allowed to occupy some important and 

 responsible station. He addressed the Com- 

 mander-in-Chief on the subject, who, in the 

 first instance pleaded his Majesty's solemn 

 injunctions not to mention the point, and 

 subsequently, finding that the affair resolved 

 itself into a political consideration, he most 

 affectionately conjured the Prince no longer 

 to press him. The goodness of the Duke's 

 heart and his kind feeling towards his 

 brother, were, strikingly apparent on this 

 occasion. 



In 1809, a conspiracy appears to have been 

 formed for depriving the country of the 

 services of the Duke of York as Com- 

 mander-in-Chief. A Colonel Wardle direct- 

 ly accused him of malversation in his office, 

 in having suffered a Mrs. Mary Anne Clarke 

 to sell commissions. A parliamentary in- 

 quiry was instituted, and the House of Com- 

 mons resolved that Mrs. Clarke had received 

 money, but that the Duke had had no part 

 in that transaction. However on the 20th 

 of March, his Royal Highness gave in his 



