The Roman See, it is said, satisfied Mrs. Fitzherbert’s scruples by considering the marriage legal. That See never considered any other marriage between such (religious) parties, so celebrated, legal. Had there been issue of such an union, grave peril might have arisen. There was, indeed, a claimant to such honour, but he disappeared. He lacked the power of lying since manifested by Orton and some of the Orton gang. The monument to Mrs. Fitzherbert’s memory at Brighton asserts the legality of her marriage with the Prince by the three rings on her finger. That she was as much respected as if her last marriage was as legal as the preceding two there is no shadow of doubt. As little doubt is there that the Prince of Wales was never legally married except to his wayward and unhappy cousin--Caroline of Brunswick. _ADELAIDE OF SAXE-MEINENGEN_, WIFE OF WILLIAM IV. The pocket Duchy--Old customs--Early training--The Father of the Princess Adelaide--Social life at the ducal court-- Training of the Princess Adelaide--Marriage Preliminaries-- English parliament--The Duke of Clarence--Arrival in London of the Princess--Quaint royal weddings--At home and abroad --Duke and Duchess of Clarence at Bushey--‘State and Dirt’ at St. James’s--William IV. and Queen Adelaide--Course of life of the new Queen Consort--King’s gallantry to an old love-- Royal simplicity--The Sovereigns and the Sovereign people-- Court anecdotes--Drawing-rooms--Princess Victoria--The coronation--Incidents of the day--Coronation finery of George IV.--Princess Victoria not present--Revolutionary period-- Reform question--Unpopularity of the Queen--Attacks against her on the part of the press--Violence of party-spirit-- Friends and foes--Bearing of the King and Queen--Duchess of Angoulême--King a republican--His indiscretion--Want of temper--Continental press adverse to the Queen--King’s declining health--Conduct of Queen Adelaide--King William’s death--Declining health of the Queen--Her travels in search of health--Her last illness--Her will--Death--And funeral. The little Duchy of Saxe-Meinengen was once a portion of the inheritance of the princely Franconian house of Henneberg. The failure of the male line transferred it in 1583 to the family of reigning Saxon princes. In 1680 it fell to the third son of the Saxon Duke, Ernest the Pious. The name of this son was Bernard. This Duke is looked upon as the founder of the House of Meinengen. He was much devoted to the study of Alchemy, and was of a pious turn, like his father, as far as may be judged by the volumes of manuscript notes he left behind him--which he had made on the sermons of his various court-preachers.