292 THE COURT. [1815. 



the Duke of Cumberland as his locum tencns. The 

 family don't seem to quarrel with the law of this, but 

 they all suspect it is a step towards making him 

 Viceroy in Hanover and recalling the Duke of Cam- 

 bridge, in which case they are prepared to be very 

 angry, especially the Duke of Kent, who vows that, 

 though he waived his claims in the latter's favour, 

 nothing shall make him give up to the other. All the 

 princesses take part with the Queen, who has, more- 

 over, been grossly insulted by the young Duke of 

 Mecklenburg. He wrote her a letter about his sister, 

 such that she (Queen) does not show, though she does 

 her answer. The latter I saw, and think it really 

 about the best written thing I ever read in my life- 

 severe beyond measure, but admirable. It alludes to 

 the young man's insults, and speaks of them as offered 

 'a mon age, a mon sexe, et a ma position' so what 

 the deuce he can have said, one is at a loss to guess. 

 I think he must have charged her with drinking, at 

 the very least. It don't call him ' Neveu,' but simply 

 1 Monsieur.' Now, the notion among this worthy 

 family seems to be, that the youth never would have 

 written such a letter as it must have been, had he not 

 been backed by the Duke of Cumberland, and that 

 the letter must have been sure of the Prince's support ; 

 so this has put oil on the flame. I forgot to say that 

 publication is loudly threatened, and the Queen's letter 

 in High Dutch may be looked for, it being understood 

 that the German public will be first appealed to by 

 them. The Queen's case, on the other hand, consists 

 rather of her own story than of any written docu- 

 ments ; but her word will go far against her son's, 

 though it would be nothing against any other person's. 



