432 Re'poTt of Meetings for 1881. By Jas. Hardy. 



of the type, when it devolved upon Mm to officiate at the marriage of 

 George 3rd. He likewise used it on subsequent occasions. In course of 

 time, I know not how, a superstition arose that the marriages at which 

 this book was used, turned out happily, and therefore the Koyal Family 

 continued to borrow the same until the marriage of the Duke of Kent, 

 after which time it was lost sight of, until my mother brought it again to 

 light, and offered it to the Queen for the marriage of the Prince of Wales. 

 According to the inscriptions in the book, the following are the occasions 

 on which it was used. 



1. The marriage of George 3rd, with Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg 



Strelitz, Sept. 8, 1761. 



2. The baptism of the Prince of Wales (George 4th), Sept. 18, 1762. 



3. The marriage of Princess Augusta, to the Prince of Brunswick, Jan. 



16, 1764. 



4. The marriage of Princess Charlotte of Wales, to Prince Leopold, May 



2, 1816. 



5. The marriage of Princess Mary to the Duke of Gloucester, July 22, 



1816. 



6. The marriage of Princess Elizabeth to the Landgrave of Hesse, April 



7, 1818. 



7. The marriage of the Duke of Cambridge to Princess Augusta of Hesse, 



June 1, 1818. 



8. The marriage of the Duke of Clarence (William 4th) to Princess Ade- 



laide of Saxony ; and 

 The marriage of the Duke of Kent to Princess Victoria of Coburg, 

 widow of the Prince of Leiningen, July 11, 1818. 



9. The marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra of Den- 



mark, March 10, 1863. 



10. The marriage of the Duke of Edinburgh to the Grand Duchess Maria 



of Eussia, Jan. 23, 1874. 



11. The marriage of the Duke of Connaught to Princess Louise Mar- 



garet of Prussia, March 13, 1879." 



For a similar reason, I also introduce a list of the best of the 

 pictures, etc., at Biel house, authenticated by Miss Nisbet Hamil- 

 ton, who spared no pains in shewing the visitors everything of 

 interest. 



"The following are amongst the best of the pictures : — 



*lst Duke of Hamilton ^ 



*lst Duchess of Hamilton [ 



*2nd Duke of Hamilton ! 



1st Lord and Lady Belhaven [ yandyke. 



Charles 1st [ 



Prince Kupert and Prince Maurice J 



1st Earl of Denbigh Ruhens. 



*Mrs Hamilton Nisbet , ) 



Landscape [ Gainsborough. 



*Lady Robert Manners, seta. 90 Sir T. Lawrence. 



