the sum not only of individual, but of general, happiness. In this country the influx of company to particular watering-places, may be looked upon merely as the migration of a number of select families, carrying with them all their peculiar oddities and propensities, and adhering to them with the same obstinate inflexibility as if they were breathing within their own

mony attendant upon their rank, and entering into the gaieties of the place with all the urbanity and freedom of the distinguished citizen. To those who are acquainted with the manners of the foreign places of fashionable resort, no description is necessary of the ease and familiarity which distinguish the intercourse of the visitors, with the total absence of that stiffness and hauteur which too generally charac-domicile. It is merely the transportation of a terize the occasional frequenters of an English certain number of living subjects from the inwatering-place. In Germany, whatever may fluence of a fresh air into that of a saline one, be the habits or customs of a family at home, or of a rigorous northern climate, into a more whatever degree of consequence or pride, they genial southern one; and the same impediments may think themselves entitled to assume within and obstacles exist to an introduction to that their own immediate sphere of action, they no family, as if they were encased in all the stiffsooner enter into a distant one, than they as-ness of home formality. Under such circumsimilate themselves to the general manners of stances, the knowledge of the different characthe society into which they are thrown, and ters who daily present themselves to the philotheir whole study appears to be to increase sophic observer, becomes a very difficult task,

sent, the whiche had all the sayengs, and the yonge quyn satte as demeure as a mayden, and some tyme talkeynge withe ladyes that satte about hir, with a womanly lawzgheynge [laughing] chere and contenance.

To the 9th article.-As to thys articule, the eies of the said quyn be of colore browne, some what grayesshe, and hir browes of a browne here, and very small like a wyre of here. To the 10th article.-As to this articule, the fashion of hir nose ys a littell riseynge in the mydward, and a littell comeynge or bowynge towards the end, and she is mych lyke nosid unto the quyn hir moder.

To the 13th article.-As to this articule, we sawe the hands of the said quyn bare at thre sondry tymes, that we kyssed hir said hands, whereby we persayvyd the said quyn to be rizghte fair handyd, and accordeynge un to hir personage they be some what fully and softe, and faire, and clene skynnd.

To the 16th article.-As to thys articule, the said quynes brests be somewhat grete, and fully and in as muche that they were trussid somewhat highe after the maner of the countrey, the whiche causithe hir grace for to seme muche the fullyer, and hir neck to be the shorter.

To the 17th article.-As to thys articule, as farre as that

apereyng abowte her lippes, nor mowthe, but she ys very clere skynned.

To the 18th article.-As to thys articule, we cowde never come un to the speiche of the said quyn fasteynge, wherefore we cowde nor myzght not attayne to knowliche of that part of this articule: notwithstondeynge at such otoer tymes as we have spoken and have had comeunicacion with the said quyne, we have aproched as nyzghe un to hir visage as that we convenyently myzght do, and we cowde fele no savor of any spices or waters, and we thynke verely by the favor of hir visage and clenenys of complexion and of hir mowthe, that the said quyn ys lyke for to be of a sewit savor, and well eyred.

To the 19th article.-We cowde not come by the parfite knowliche of her heizghte, for as much as that hir grace werithe slippers after the maner of the contrey, whereof we sawe the fashione, the whiche be of six fyngere brede, of heizghte large, and hir foote after the proporcion of the same ys butt small.

To the 22d article.-The said quyn ys a good feder, and eets well hir meit twyes on a daye, and drynkithe not often, and that she drynkithe most commonly water, and sometime that water ys boyled with synamon, and sometime she drink

On the fourth of October, 1777, the following paragraph appeared in the public prints:

It were to be wished, that, in introducing general Græme to the public notice, a little more pains had been taken to explain the ease and independence that gentleman was called from, as well as his appointment as negotiator and ambassador. The world has hitherto had the misfortune of beholding this officer only in the light of a simple individual, bred in a foreign service;

for it is only at a distance from home and its rela- [ first arrangement of the queen's establishment, tions, that the real character of the individual is to general Græme was made secretary to the be distinguished. General Græme was a Scotch-queen, and in 1765 he was also made compman, and in many respects the German character troller, but in 1770 he was dismissed from her bears a strong resemblance to the Scottish, It is majesty's service. with excessive caution, and reserve, that the Germans as well as the Scotch admit a stranger amongst them; and unless he carries with him some indisputable forms of recommendation, a long time must elapse before his own merit, or the excellence of his private character, will gain him admission into the respectable circles of society. If, however, he has once obtained a footing amongst them, he is soon received every where with the token of hospitality, and the display of personal regard. When we consider the important mission with which general Græme was intrusted, it cannot be doubted, that he carried with him the most flattering recommendations to all the German courts; and, possessing as he did, a handsome person, with the most elegant manners, joined to some striking mental accomplishments, he was received with the most marked distinction, and his society was every where courted with peculiar eagerness.

employed once as a private agent to find out where a negotiation might be set on foot, and rewarded liberally for the discovery. These and other circumstances, being cleared up, will have the effect of rescuing from oblivion an illustrious character, whose merit has apparently not been enough considered.

This paragraph at the beginning seems to allude to some prior publication; but notwithstanding the most diligent search, nothing can be found except a short paragraph, stating that general Græme had resigned his employment. The following answer to the above paragraph appeared immediately in one of the pub

The circumstances of general Græme's ne-lic papers: gotiation did not transpire for several years after the illustrious individual, of whom he was in search, had ascended the English throne. It was in 1777 that a controversy, respecting general Græme, appeared in the public prints; and it merits more notice than controversies

I take the earliest opportunity to comply with the wish of the paragraph-writer, in your paper of to-day, respecting general Græme. Your correspondent, though he takes up the ludicrous style, as master of his subject, is certainly very ill informed. General Græme was sent three several times to Germany, once as a private agent, and twice as a public one. First, to find out a princess, then to bring her over, and lastly, to carry the garter to the prince her brother. The expenses of these journeys were considerable. He gave in no bill of them-the It should be previously observed, that, in the others employed did*. His liberal rewards were a regi

upon

the concerns of individuals usually deserve. We shall select only two short papers, as they

contain some facts which are curious.

* From this passage it would appear, that general Græme was not the only negotiator sent to Germany; I am, however, not able to discover the most distant report of any of the other negotiators on this interesting subject, although, in the expenditure of the civil list, for 1760-1, there are the following items:

ment, which cost him seven thousand pounds in raising; | to the line of politics pursued by his patron the office of secretary to the queen, for which he drew and friend Mr. Pitt; even in one instance he only one half of his salary, being rode for the other half, and some time after he was made comptroller to the queen's household.

On the 12th of October, 1777, the answer to the above, appeared in the following paragraph: The letter-writer grants, that general Græme was bred in the Dutch service, and that he was at first a private agent to find out a princess. (It were to be wished he had chosen another phrase, for it will hardly be received as a compliment by the family to which it is applied.) But then the second commission was public, to bring her over. Here either the letter-writer or the public is in a great error, for the universal belief has been, that the late lord Harcourt was the minister commissioned to bring her over.

declares, that lord Bute puzzled the marriage of the king, and that his lordship's conduct had actuated a duke of Bourbon in procuring a arose not from any views similar to those, which queen for a French monarch, and yet he admits that in some instances the case bore a strong resemblance. The case of the French monarch was as follows:

On the decease of the duke of Orleans, regent, the duke of Bourbon insinuated himself so adroitly with the young, implicit and inexperienced king, as to establish himself prime minister, and in this instance lord Bute was declared to be the parallel of the French duke. Almon, in his Anecdotes of the Life of the The latter, however, so contrived matters as to Right Hon. William Pitt, thus declares himself have the Infanta, a Spanish princess, and of on this head: "It is well known that lord the Bourbon family, sent back; which was a Harcourt was the person who went to Meck-gross affront to his then Catholic majesty. lenburg in a public character; but that cir- The main spring of the duke's policy was, to cumstance does not invalidate the fact of ge- choose a princess to be raised to the throne of neral Græme being the confidential man, for, France, who should appear to him the poorest according to the principle of government laid and the most friendless in Europe; that, being down for the new reign, there was always an raised from her former indigent state, she ostensible man, and a confidential man in every should be more fastly bound in obligation to situation; and this anecdote shews the very him. early period at which the theory of the system of duplicity, which had been taught at Leicester-house, was put in practice at St. James's.

This was, however, by no means the case in the choice of a queen for the king of England, for the extent of her dowry, or the opulence of her family was not to be taken into consideration; It must, however, be admitted, that the it was to her mental qualifications, to her perwriter above alluded, to viewed the whole pro-sonal accomplishments, and to the virtues of ceedings of the Bute administration with a her disposition alone, that particular attention jaundiced eye, as being diametrically opposite was to be directed.

* This phrase is now obsolete, but at the time of its use, it implied, a servile obedience to the measures of the minister

of the day.

17-18.

General Græme was particularly instructed | ments, and noble family, who, on account of to attend to the education which she had re- her lyrical compositions, obtained the title of ceived, and the extent of her literary attain- the German Sappho.

ments.

The following is a concise account of the early years of the princess, who was destined to share the throne and bed of the king of England:

Independently of Madame de Grubow, other persons of the first talent were employed in the instruction of her serene highness, who was the delight of the whole family for the sweetness of her temper, and the quickness of her genius. The principal of these tutors, Dr. Genzmer, a Lutheran divine of considerable learning, and particularly distinguished

Sophia Charlotte was the younger of the two daughters of Charles Lewis, duke of Mirow, by Albertine Elizabeth, daughter of Ernest Frederick, duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen. for his extensive knowledge in natural hisThis prince, Charles Lewis, being the se- tory, was called from Stargard to Strelitz, cond son of the duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz, where he resided at the palace, till the marentered into the imperial service at an early riage of the princess rendered his presence age; and, by his noble conduct, soon attained there no longer necessary. Under his inthe rank of lieutenant-general. On his mar-structions, the princess made a great progress riage he went to settle at Mirow, where all his in every polite and useful branch of knowchildren, consisting of four sons and two ledge. She acquired a thorough acquaintance daughters, were born. He died in 1751, the very with the French and Italian languages, while year that his late majesty lost his father; and she wrote her own not only correctly, but a few months afterwards Adolphus Frederick, elegantly. the third duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz, departed this life, when that title devolved upon the elder son of prince Charles Lewis, who, with his mother and all the family, removed in consequence from Mirow to Strelitz. Here the princess Charlotte, then seven years old, received her education under the direction of Madame de Grubow, a lady of high endow

General Græme had not resided a long time at Pyrmont, before he completely succeeded in insinuating himself into the society of the Strelitz family, and many opportunities presented themselves of enabling him to form a pretty accurate estimate of the character of the princess Charlotte. There was, however, one particular circumstance in her conduct which ex

To those of our readers, who are conversant with the German language, the following beautiful poem, which was written by her late majesty, at the age of sixteen, will be highly acceptable. It is equal to some of the most classical compositions of Voss or Wieland :

Blüthen des Mayes, peitscht der Nordsturm

Eure duftenden Kränze, feindlich schlagen
Seine dustern fittige eure Häupter,

Kinder des Frühlings.

Blüthen ihr seufzt; es goss so milden schimmer
Gottes Sonne herab, da ihr erwachtet;

Freundlich spielten schmeichelnde strahlen um die
Brechende knospen.

Blüthen ihr sinkt, des Frühlings Zauberlüfte
Retten nimmer vom Tode die Gesunknen

Dass ihr welkt im blühenden Lebensmorgen
Wollen die Götter.

Segen den Blüthen, segen auch dem jüngling
Wenn nur spuren des flucht' gen Lebens bleiben

Und an edlen Früchten mit stillem Danke
Wandrer sich laben.

cited the curiosity of the general; and, al- | more and more excited to discover the motive though in any other capacity than that in of them. Accident will very often effect what which he was secretly employed, he would not the most consummate management, or deephave deemed it worth his time to have taken laid art will never achieve; and to accident was even the most distant notice of any apparent the general indebted for the solution of the myseccentricity of conduct, which might have cha-terious conduct of the princess. He was himracterized the princess Charlotte, yet as he was resolved to watch her with the eyes of an Argus, any thing bordering upon mystery was to him a subject of serious consequence; and his curiosity was not a little increased by the singularity of her conduct having also excited the attention of her sister, and which became at length the subject of a confidential conversation between them. The circumstances of this case were as follow, and the result of which redounded so much to the honour of the princess. The evenings at Pyrmont were generally spent at cards or lotto; and the princess Charlotte, in the presence of general Græme, often expressed her great satisfaction on being the winner. This was construed by the observant negotiator into an indication of an avaricious disposition, and the frown of dissatisfaction which sat upon her brow when she was the loser, confirmed the general in his opinion. It, however, happened that, whenever the princess had been the winner of a considerable sum, on the following morning she was not to be found at her residence, and on inquiry being made of the porter at the gate, it was ascertained that the princess was gone out dressed like the simple lady. Although general Græme was deputed to investigate most minutely every trait of the character of the princess, yet his honour would not allow him to stoop so low as to be a spy upon her private actions, and accordingly he put that construction upon them, which the nature of the circumstances would admit. He did not think himself authorized to follow the princess in her morning perambula

self walking one morning in company with baron Zesterfleth, when, to their great surprise, they beheld the princess coming out of a mean cottage which stood by the road-side, and about which some children, excessively neatly dressed, were playing. Politeness would not admit them to accost the princess, and, therefore, they turned into a bye-path, until she had passed them. The general now supposed he had discovered the clue to the cause of her morning visits, and without any ceremony he entered the cottage which the princess had just left. On the table lay a small roll of rix-dollars, and every thing in the interior bespoke an extraordinary degree of comfort and convenience. After some desultory conversation, the general directed his inquiries in rather an artful manner respecting the lady, who had just left the cottage; and he then discovered that the family had been raised from a degree of complete indigence to a state of comparative affluence by the bounty of the princess, and that all her winnings at cards had been appropriated to the establishment of the comfort and happiness of the cottager's family. Such a beautiful trait in her character could not fail of exalting her in the good opinion of the general, and another circumstance, which shortly after came to his knowledge, confirmed him in the favourable impressions which he had formed of the amiable dispositions of her heart.

The territory of Mecklenburg had been taken possession of by the troops of the king of Prussia, and the greatest enormities had been