“APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE, 
ef Great: Britain himself: was 
strongly imbued with the opinion, 
of which he made no secret. In 
1796, when the first overtures 
were begun on the part of the 
Court of Wurtemburg, for the 
marriage of their Prince to the 
Princess Royal, George the Third 
was so prepossessed against him, 
for having been supposed privy to 
the death of his wife, that he would 
not listen to the proposal. In 
order to remove an_ obstacle of 
such magnitude, the Prince sent 
over to London a private agent, 
instructed to ascertain from what 
quarter the accusation came, and 
furnished with documents for dis- 
proving it. That agent I per- 
sonally knew, while he was here, 
employed on the above mission, 
He possessed talents, spirit, zeal, 
and activity, all which he exerted 
in the cause. Having clearly 
traced the imputation up to Count 
Woronzoff, who long had been, 
and who then was the Russian 
Envoy at our Court, he induced 
the Count, by very strong personal 
remonstrances, accompanied, as 
we must suppose, by proofs, tode- 
clare his conviction of the Prince’s 
innocence, and utter ignorance of 
the nature or manner of his wife’s 
end, It followed of course, that 
Catherine, under whose exclusive 
care she remained, could alone be 
accused of having produced it. 
_ The agent finally satisfied his Ma- 
jesty that the Empress, and she 
only, caused the Princess to be 
dispatched, without the partici- 
pation, consent, or knowledge of 
her husband, if after all she 
did not die a natural death. In 
May, 1797, the Princess Royal of 
England wasmarried to the Prince 
of Wurtemburg, who, before the 
291 
conclusion of that year, became 
duke, by the decease of Frederic 
Eugene his father. Early in the 
summer of 1798, a gentleman 
conversing with me on the subject 
of the first Princess of Wurtem- 
burg’s death, assured me that he 
had seen «nd perused all the papers 
relative to her imprisonment and 
decease ,which, at the desire of 
the Prince, and by his authority 
had been transmitted to George 
the Third; who, after a full in- 
spection of them, became per- 
fectly convinced of his having had 
no partin that dark and melan- 
choly transaction. Lastly, he gave 
it as his opinion, that Catherine 
had_ alone caused her to be poi- 
soned unless her decease resulted 
from natural causes. Her husband 
remained a widower near eight 
years after that event, before he 
attempted to obtain the hand of 
the Princess Royal of great Bri- 
tain. During so long a period of 
time, he seems to have adopted no 
measures for repelling the calum- 
nious report circulated all over 
Europe of his participation in the 
death of his wife: reports which 
had made the most unfavourable 
impression evenin England, It 
is true, that George the Third 
became convinced of hisinnocence 
before he consented to the union 
of the Prince with his eldest 
daughter: but though the King 
yielded to the proofs brought upon 
this point, yet it was well known 
that he did it with reluctance and 
hesitation, rather giving way to 
the Princess’s avowed wishes on 
the subject, than himself desiring 
or approving the match. So far, 
indeed, was he from pushing for- 
ward the alliance, that I know, 
from good authority, he offered 
g 
