tion of not gratifying this desire at any price. In short, the
Princess, in the hands of a steady and sensible man, would probably
turn out well, but when it is likely she will meet with faults
perfectly analogous to her own, _she will fail_. She has no governing
powers, though her mind is _physically_ strong. She has her father's
courage, but it is to her (as to him) of no avail. _He_ wants mental
decision: _she_, character and tact."

This mission of Lord Malmesbury extended over a period of nearly five
months. An abortive attempt was made to conduct the Princess to England by
the way of Holland; but the inroads of the French into that country
rendered the expedition highly dangerous. In fact, by this time the fate
of Holland was sealed. One of the severest winters ever known had opened a
natural and universal bridge to the invaders over the most effective
barriers of the country. All was flight, terror, and confusion. The envoy
returned with his royal charge to Hanover, there to await intelligence of
the arrival of the British fleet at Stade, as the passage by the Elbe
alone seemed practicable. During this anxious period, Lord Malmesbury
received several letters from the Prince of Wales, which are given in his
correspondence. These are well worthy of attention. Although a strict
grammarian might find fault with their construction, there is no
appearance of any thing like indifference on the part of the Prince. On
the contrary, he seems to have awaited with extreme anxiety the arrival of
his consort, and to have been much vexed and annoyed by the delay which
intervened. The following is an extract from his first letter, dated 23d
November 1794, and written shortly after Lord Malmesbury's arrival at
Brunswick:--

"I have desired Captain Hislop to give you an ample and thorough
account of the steps I have taken towards the expediting every thing
on this side of the water, as well as with my brother the Duke of
York, to whom I have written also by Hislop; and as to what is now
necessary to forward the completing every thing at Brunswick, I must
leave that to you, hoping that you will make every exertion possible
to put the Princess in possession of her own home as near the 20th of
the ensuing month as possible; for every thing that can create delay
at the present moment is bad on every account, but particularly to
the public, whose expectatio