ving any notice to their
majesties, he had precipitately hurried the princess from Hampton-Court
in a condition not to be named; that the whole tenor of his conduct, for
a considerable time, had been so entirely void of all real duty to the
king, that his majesty had reason to be highly offended with him. He
gave him to understand, that until he should withdraw his regard and
confidence from those by whose instigation and advice he was directed
and encouraged in his unwarrantable behaviour to his majesty and the
queen, and return to his duty, he should not reside in the palace; he
therefore signified his pleasure that he should leave St. James', with
all his family, when it could be done without prejudice or inconvenience
to the princess. In obedience to this order the prince retired to Kew,
and made other efforts to be readmitted into his majesty's favour,
which, however, he could not retrieve. Whatever might have been his
design in concealing so long from the king and queen the pregnancy of
the princess, and afterwards hurrying her from place to place in such a
condition, to the manifest hazard of her life, his majesty had certainly
cause to be offended at this part of his conduct; though the punishment
seems to have been severe, if not rigorous; for he was not even admitted
into the presence of the queen his mother, to express his duty to her
in her last moments, to implore her forgiveness, and receive her last
blessing. She died of a mortification in her bowels, on the twentieth
day of November, in the fifty-fifth year of her age, regretted as a
princess of uncommon sagacity, and as a pattern of conjugal virtue.

DISPUTE IN PARLIAMENT.

The king opened the session of parliament on the twenty-fourth day of
January, with a short speech recommending the despatch of the public
business with prudence and unanimity. Each house presented a warm
address of condolence on the queen's death, with which he seemed to be
extremely affected. Though the house of commons unanimously sympathised
with the king in his affliction, the minister still met with
contradiction in some of his favourite measures. One would imagine that
all the arguments for and against a standing army in time of peace had
been already exhausted; but, when it was moved that the same number
of land forces which they had voted in the preceding year should be
continued in pay for the ensuing year, the dispute was renewed with
surprising vivacity, and produc