JET. 36.] AND THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE. 223 



of her, has denied it. For a trifle the Duchess has 

 been good enough to come under Lord Erskine's wing 

 to-day to the King's Bench, Lady Ellenborough re- 

 ceiving her and giving her a breakfast there. But 

 the worst is to come. 



" Since I wrote to you I learnt that, by a most un- 

 accountable mistake of my suggestions, the Princess 

 had written a mealy-mouthed letter to the Queen, and 

 agreed not to go to Court. The scrape, though very 

 bad, has been turned to excellent account; for that 

 letter being to the Queen, another is now gone to 

 the Prince himself, of the firmest quality possible. I 

 have not time to copy it, as the post is just going; 

 but this is the most material part of it. She reminds 

 him of her challenging him in vain to come forward, 

 and tells him she must submit to his insinuations, or 

 to be treated as guilty after being declared innocent ; 

 and she asks him whether he is aware that the time 

 will come when he must meet her in public, mention- 

 ing ' the daughter's marriage and their own corona- 

 tion. 9 I suppose he will shake a little at this ; at 

 least Macmahon said ' he trembled in his shoes' when 

 some one asked whether the Princess's declaration re- 

 ferred to a coronation. 



" In short, he is in such a mess that I question 

 if they don't retract and countermand the drawing- 

 rooms. You perceive, of course, that the complying 

 with the Queen's request as to the drawing-rooms, 

 and writing a civil sort of letter at first, does very 

 well with this addition, as it is only sparing the 

 Queen, who acts from compulsion. Ever yours most 

 truly, 



" H. B." 



