A Remarkable Visit to Kensington Palace--Death of King William IV.--Details of his Last Days--Parliamentary Eulogies on his Character--Progress in the Last Half-Century--Ancestry of Queen Victoria--Her Descent traced to Odoacer, King of Italy--Saxon Ancestors of her Majesty--Liberal Views of the Duke of Kent, Father of the Queen--State of the Succession after the Death of the Princess Charlotte--Marriage of the Duke of Kent, and Birth of the Princess Victoria--Christening at Kensington Palace--The name “Victoria,” and its Associations--Death of the Duke of Kent--Kensington Palace in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries--Early Training of Victoria by her Mother--Child-life of the Princess--False Rumours of Ill-health--Anecdotes of Juvenile Years--The Princess and George IV.--Accession of William IV.--The Regency Bill--Prince Leopold and the Throne of Belgium--Studies of the Princess--Her Life of Retirement--Home Tours in Various Parts of England--Visit to the Cotton Mills of the Messrs. Strutt at Belper--Reception at Oxford and at Southampton--Benevolence to an Actress--Her Royal Highness declared of Age on the 24th of May, 1837. [Illustration: THE ROYAL ARMS.] In the dawn of June 20th, 1837, immediately after the death of King William IV., the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Howley) and the Lord Chamberlain (the Marquis of Conyngham) left Windsor for Kensington, to convey the tidings to his late Majesty’s successor. They reached the Palace about five o’clock in the morning, and knocked, rang, and beat at the doors several times before they could obtain admission. When at length the porter was aroused, the visitors were shown into one of the lower rooms, where a long time passed without any attention being paid them. Growing impatient, they rang the bell (as we read in the interesting narrative of Miss Wynn), and desired that the attendant on the Princess Victoria might be sent to inform her Royal Highness that they requested an audience on business of importance. Another long delay ensued, and again the bell was rung, that some explanation might be given of the difficulty which appeared to exist. On the Princess’s attendant making her appearance, she declared that her Royal Highness was in so sweet a sleep that she could not venture to disturb her. It was now evident that stronger measures must be taken, and one of the visitors said, “We have come on business of State to the _Queen_, and even her sleep must give way to that.” The attendant disappeared, and a few minutes afterwards the young sovereign came into the room in a loose white robe and shawl, her fair hair falling over her shoulders, her feet in slippers, her eyes dim with tears, but her aspect perfectly calm and dignified.[1] Lord Melbourne, the Prime Minister, was at once sent for, and arrived at nine o’clock, when, after an interview of half an hour