Social England under the Regency, Vol. 2 (of 2)Ashton, John
History
Social England under the Regency, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Ashton, John
England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century; Regency -- England
The poor Prince Regent could not get popular. On the 7th of July
his carriage broke down in South Audley Street, on his way to, or
from, the Marquis of Hertford's. A mob instantly collected, as the
carriage was known to be the Prince's. The blinds were all drawn up
and he could not be seen, but they called him naughty names, and said
naughty things about him, begging him, not very politely, to show
himself. He endured this for some time, but, afterwards, emerged,
and, making his way through a Mews, he took shelter in General
Cradock's house, followed, and grossly insulted by the populace.
In October, this year, was issued the Noble Crown piece by Pistrucci,
which completed the series of the Silver Coinage. It is remarkable,
not only for its beauty, but for the fact that it was the only
Crown-piece coined during the long reign of George III. It had on
the reverse St. George and the Dragon, surrounded by the Garter, and
excited much controversy, because the Moneyer had introduced his name
on the Coin. It was classed with Cardinal Wolsey's famous "Ego et Rex
meus."
On 10th of November, Capt. Ross and Lieut. Parry returned from their
voyage of discovery in the Northern Seas, after a fruitless attempt
to pass through Behring's Straits. They brought home some live
Esquimaux dogs, sledges, &c., with specimens of mineralogy, botany,
&c., which were deposited in the British Museum for public inspection.
On 17th of November, at Kew Palace, died her Majesty Queen Charlotte;
she had been ailing ever since the previous year, when we have seen
her at Bath, latterly she got much worse, but she bore up well
against her fatal illness. She was buried, with great pomp, at
Windsor, 2nd of December.
The Queen's Income, latterly, was very good; by 52 Geo. III., it
was settled (independent of the King's establishment at Windsor) at
£58,000 a year, with an allowance of £10,000 a year for travelling
and other contingent expenses. She had other pickings besides, so
that we can scarcely understand her only having left behind her
personal property valued at £140,000, of which the greater part
consisted of jewels given her by Geo. III. and the Nawab of Arcot.
Those given by the King she left to the House of Hanover as an heir
loom.
The Nawab's jewels were to be sold, and the proceeds divided between
her four daughters, the Queen of Wurtemburg being excepted, as being
sufficiently well provided for. Her other jewels she desired should
be valued, and equally distributed between the said four daughters.
Her landed property she gave away, and directed that her books,
plate, house linen, china, pictures, drawings, prints, all articles
of ornamental furniture, and all other valuables and personals,
should be divided in equal shares among her four youngest daughters.
These are the principal heads of her will.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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