honours upon all who approached him,-elevating to the highest dignities, pages, gentlemen of the bedchamber, or any occasional attendant. To these gentler workings of a disordered mind, succeeded transports of vehemence and agitation, which were expressed in tones so ungoverned, as sometimes to reach beyond the walls of the apartment. The sleep which succeeded these agitations was often sound and long, but the King did not awake from them in a composed state of mind. From this circumstance the most melancholy inferences were then drawn; and it was said, that a brother of the King's mother had terminated his existence under a total privation of the first of blessings. Music, which had formerly been found peculiarly soothing to the royal mind, seemed only to excite impatience. For a fortnight his Majesty resisted all solicitations to be shaved, and his malady and exertions had so emaciated him, that every mirror was removed, lest the reflection of his own figure should affect him too sensibly.

In the violent paroxysms of his Majesty's disorder, he continually raved about the Queen, sometimes loading her with reproaches, and uttering threats against her, at others desiring her presence, with expressions of passionate regard. It being deemed improper to hazard the Queen's having an interview with his Majesty, a lady whom he used particularly to esteem and value, begged to be permitted to see him, in the hope of exciting some salutary feeling in the royal mind. The event did not answer the intention, but too well confirmed the expediency of the Queen's remaining at

a distance.

His Majesty one day desired to have 400l. from the privy purse. He divided it into different sums, wrapping them up in separate papers, upon which he wrote the names

of persons to whom he had been accustomed to make monthly pay ments, with perfect accuracy. His Majesty then wrote down the different sums, with the names annexed, cast up the whole as he formerly used to do, and ordered the money to be paid immediately, it being then due. After this instance of recollection, his Majesty began to deplore the unhappy situation of London, which, he said, had been under water a fortnight. His attendants, who never directly contradicted any assertion, assured his Majesty that they had received no account of such an event, though they had daily communication with persons from town. The King very calmly replied, that they either sought to deceive him or were themselves not well informed. He then proceeded to explain, with the same composure, that the water was making gradual advances, and that in one week more it would reach the Queen's house. His Majesty expressed great unwillingness that a valuable MS. the precise situation of which he described, should suffer, and declared an intention of going on the ensuing Monday to rescue it. This mixture of distraction and reason giving way to absolute alienation, his Majesty expressed his sorrow that Lord Twas not present, he having prepared every thing for creating hiut a duke.

It was not till the 5th of December that Dr. Willis was called in, after his Majesty's removal to Kew. He blamed the delay in calling in practitioners peculiarly devoted to the study of his Majesty's complaint, and highly condemned the liberty allowed the royal patient. He begged to act without controul, and said that there was but one method in that complaint, by which the lowest and the highest persons could be treated with effect.

Towards the latter end of December, the situation of the King be

came deplorable. The strait-waistcoat was found to be inefficient, and a necessity arose of confining the royal sufferer in his bed for several hours: exhausted strength by degrees, rendered his efforts less powerful, and the failure of nature produced an appearance of tranquillity. Violent exertions frequently repeated, long confinement, want of usual air and exercise, produced the most lamentable effects. The flesh gradually wasted away, had left the bones at every joint hardly covered, and the whole of his Majesty's appearance was become so affecting that it is said even Lord Thurlow was overpowered at the first interview, and a flood of tears witnessed the involuntary sensibility.

On one occasion, when Dr. Warren was introduced to his Majesty, the doctor found the person of the royal sufferer under the powerful restriction which violent paroxysms made indispensible. The sight of Dr. Warren produced no painful sensation. The King was not discomposed by it. A partial recollection operating on an habitual consciousness of dignity (which never forsook bis Majesty in his most unhappy moments), he was prompted to say, "I have been very ill indeed, Dr. Warren, and I have put myself into this waistcoat; but it is uneasy to me: will you take it off?" Dr. Warren hesitated a moment; but attentively surveying the royal sufferer, he perceived that his exhausted strength made the indulgence safe; and he replied, untying the sad bonds," Most willingly I obey you, Sir."

At another time, on the entry of Dr. Warren into the apartment, he found his Majesty sitting quietly and attentively considering a Court Calendar, which he was translating into doggrel Latin. He accosted Dr. Warren, — " Ricardensus Warrenensus Baronetensus."

On the 19th, of January, 1809,

VOL. VIII.

the King had been induced to walk in the garden. The anxiety of the female royal relations drew them to an upper window. Regardless of every thing but his own impulses, his Ma jesty threw his hat into the air, and hurled a stick he held in his band to an incredible distance. He then proceeded with a rapid movement towards the pagoda, which he was very desirous to ascend. Being thwarted, he became sullen and desperate, threw himself upon the earth, and so great was his strength, and so powerful his resistance, that it was three quarters of an hour before Dr. Willis and four assistants could raise him.

From the 7th. to the 12th. of February, his Majesty cnjoyed a series of good nights and quiet days. On the 23d. the Prince of Wales and Duke of York (who had hitherto been denied admittance to his Majesty) were admitted to see their royal father. The King behaved with composure and talked rationally.

On the 24th. the chancellor informed the house of Lords, that he had just then returned from waiting upon his Majesty, whose commands had summoned him. He said, he had the honour of conversing upwards of an hour with him, and found his mental powers in such a state as gave him most confident hopes of the speedy and complete restoration of his Majesty's abilities to exercise in their fullest extent his royal functions.

On the 10th. of March, the chancellor delivered a speech from his Majesty to the Lords, in which he conveyed to them his warmest acknowledgements for the additional proofs they had given of attachment to his person and concern for the honour and interest of his crown.

On the 12th. the Duke of York found his Majesty examining a number of spectacles, and selecting some, which he said were for his dear Eliza. The Duke informed his Majesty, that

X X

he had three desertions from his regiment. The King impatient of the interruption, broke out into violent abuse of the duke and his regiment, and became so perturbed that the Queen was obliged to command the attendance of Doctor Willis. On his appearance, the storm instantly subsided. His Majesty became quite composed; he talked of an intention to visit Germany; told the duke that he should send over a curricle and six small greys, and drive the Queen himself through that country. During the whole of this estrangement from reason, the subject which most frequently occurred with the most forcible effect on the royal mind, was the American war!

The bulletins of March 14, 15, and 16, reported a progress in amendment. The succeeding ones declared an uninterrupted progress in well doing; and those of the 25th. and 26th. gave to the people assurances of the absolute cessation of all complaint.

HIS MAJESTY'S ILLNESS.

[From the Times of Nov. 2d.] As singular an occurrence as any which it has been our duty to commemmorate, and resulting from as melancholy a cause, took place yesterday-the unexpected meeting of parliament, after it was prorogued by proclamation in the Gazette; in consequence of the King's inability, through indisposition, to give effect to that proclamation, by affixing the sign manual to a commission of peers, empowering their performance of the formalities of prorogation, in his Majesty's royal name. We shall endeavour as briefly as we are able, to give our readers a clear idea of the necessity of this proceeding.

"The regular and established practice now is," (says Mr. Hatsell on the prorogation of parliamen)," that the parliament is in

"the course of the recess prorogued "from time to time by commis "sioners authorized by his Majesty; "of which prorogations notice is given by proclamation, or by or"der in council, published in the "Gazette; and when it is intended "that parliament shall actually meet

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for the dispatch of business, notice "of this is specified in the procla "mation." Mr. Hatsell mentions in another part that the insertion of that clause, " For the dispatch of "business," is of obscure origin; but sprang up, he imagines, in the time of Charles the Second.

It will easily be understood, then, that of the necessary forms for continuing the prorogation of parlia ment beyond yesterday, only this part has been executed-that the order of council for its prorogation has been published in the Gazette; but no commissioners have been authorized by his Majesty to declare the prorogation in the house of peers which is, in truth, the most essential act. Parliament, there fore, met of course on the expira tion of the period announced by the last commission; but here a fresh difficulty occurred, that the antecedent proclamation did not contain the clause which has grown into prescription, that they were now to meet "for the dispatch of business." Mr. Hatsell's book contains direc tions founded on precedent for this occasion: 66 I have observed before "(says he), that when parliament

meets on the day to which it has "been prorogued, it is irregular for "them to proceed to do any bust

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ness whatever till the cause of 66 summons has been declared, aud "the sessions opened by the King,

or persons authorized by him in "the house of Lords; and if from

any cause the King does not come "in person (as on the 8th of Sep"tember, 1690) or send a commis "sion for opening the session or "proroguing the parliament, the

- It will be observed, therefore, that the proceedings of both houses on the 1st. of Nov. were strictly conformable to precedent. The cause of summons not being declared, and it not being announced in the order of council last published in the Gazette, that they were to meet" for "the dispatch of business," and yet being directed in that order of council to assemble on the 1st of November, and no sufficient act of prorogation having subsequently taken place, they have only " adjourned "to a future day." The propriety of this proceeding is more strongly laid down in another chapter; that on the opening of the session." If," it is here said, "the King is pre"vented by illness, or any other ❝ sudden cause, from coming himself, and no commission is pre"pared for opening or further pro"roguing the parliament, the house

of Commons ought immediately to "journ, as in the instances of "1663 and 1690."

Hitherto, therefore, as we said before, the proceedings are strictly conformable: but we are now, we trust and ardently hope, arrived at the point at which they will diverge, by the adherence of the present parliament to the old course of opening the session with a speech from the throne, or from duly appointed commissioners, from which the longer duration of his Majesty's illness obliged that of 1788 to deviate. For we are told, that " at the same "time Mr. Pitt took occasion to "observe, that as it would be indispensably necessary, in case his

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Majesty's illness should unhappily "continue any longer than the pe"riod of their adjournment, that "the house should take into imme"diate consideration the means of supplying, so far as they were competent, the want of the royal presence; it was incumbent upon "them to insure a full attendance, "in order to give every possible "weight and solemuity to their pro"ceedings. For this purpose it was "ordered, that the house be called

over on Thursday the 4th of De"cember next, and that the Speaker "do send letters requiring the atten"dance of every member. Orders

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to the same effect were made by "the Lords."

The opinion of the two houses on this important subject will appear in the account of their proceedings,