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uniform, and attended by the Prince of Wales, Duke of York, and several general and staff officers.

The King, with the most condescending kindness, minutely inspected them for upwards of half an hour, when the three battalions passed him by companies, moving to slow time, the officers saluting as they passed, marching off towards Westminster bridge for embarkation at Greenwich, to which place they were followed, in the rear, by the royal party, the Queen and princesses in coaches. As every boat left the shore, three cheers were given the King took off his hat, and the Queen and princesses waved their handkerchiefs. It was impossible that Englishmen could witness such a display of loyalty on the one hand, and affectionate condescension on the other, without expressing their feelings upon it. The spectators joined in the cheers of the soldiers, and frequently accompanied them in singing "God save the King;" but, in spite of this apparent cheerfulness, the Queen and the Princess Elizabeth, in particular, could not refrain from dropping a tear of sympathy at the departure of so many brave fellows, embarking on a service of danger, to protect their country's rights and interests.

On Whit-Tuesday, one of the most brilliant Montems, or Etonian processions, took place that had ever been witnessed.

About eleven the boys assembled in the court

yard of the college, and were soon after properly arranged in the procession according to their rank in the school. The King, who always took great delight in this exhibition, with the Queen, Prince of Wales, Princesses, Duchess of York, and Prince William of Gloucester, arrived at the school-house about noon, and took his station in the school-yard, when the boys marched twice round in military array, with music playing, and colours flying, passing the royal family, and saluting them with a flourish of the flag.

The procession then moved, as usual, to Salt-hill, where the boys were again received by the royal family, surrounded by an immense concourse of spectators, amongst whom were a great number of the nobility and gentry, who had been old Etonians, or were the relatives of the present scholars. After› the royal salute, the usual collection took place for the captain of the school, amounting to £1000. the King and royal family contributing liberally to the salt-bearers, who, accompanied by the scouts, appeared in their dresses on the evening terrace, where they were particularly noticed by their majesties.

His Majesty this year lost an old, able, and faithful servant, Mr. Aiton, the gardener at Kew. That gentleman began as early as 1764 to be honoured with the very valuable and active friendship of Sir Joseph Banks; and his excellence was also, even then, well known to the King, Mr. Aiton having been for some time in the service of the

Princess Dowager at Kew, for the purpose of first forming the botanic garden. It was not however until 1789 that the King was able to give him further promotion: but which followed the death of Mr. Haverfield in that year, when, in addition to his former post, he received the very lucrative superintendence of the pleasure and kitchen gardens also.

How deservedly the King's favour was bestowed upon him appeared shortly afterwards in the publication of the Hortus Kewensis; wherein the richness of the catalogue, the memoirs of the introduction of the several plants into the English gardens, and the scientific execution of every part of it, were hailed by every lover of that branch of knowledge.

In the space of thirty-four years, Mr. Aiton had collected together upwards of six thousand plants, the greatest number ever arranged in any one garden in the world; and thus, by the aid of His Majesty's munificence, the botanic garden at Kew became highly instrumental in advancing the national honour.

But His Majesty never forgot the merits of his faithful servants in their graves: accordingly, soon after Mr. Aiton's demise, he, with his usual mindful benignity, thought proper to shew one further proof of his regard, by appointing a worthy son to all his father's offices.

That the King was gifted with strong natural courage we have seen in several instances; and every branch of his family, when exposed to danger, have displayed the same. One instance of this we have in the conduct of Prince Adolphus, who in the month of September was wounded in an affair, whilst with the British army before Dunkirk. He afterwards came over on the thirteenth of September, simply as an officer, and in the strictest incognito, with his helmet on through which he was cut in the eye, his coat also bearing sabre marks, slept at a private gentleman's in Thatched Court, St. James's, and set off next morning to visit his august parents at Kew Palace.

The political events of this year were high and important; but belong more properly to history than to the present sketch.

It is needless here to recount the declaration of war against France already noticed, or the political steps that led to it; nor shall we expatiate on the jacobinical proceedings at home, as such animadversions would lead to too wide a field of discussion. We may here record however that His Majesty took a very strong personal share in the measures of the time; and that it was his own private judgment and feelings which formed his opinion of Mr. Fox's then political principles, and led him some years afterwards to strike the name of the "man of the people" from the list of privy counsellors, in con

sequence of his giving a toast too much in unison with the seditious temper of the times. It was unfortunate for that highly gifted individual that he was an oppositionist at the commencement of the revolution, as we firmly and seriously believe, that had he been in power, the constitution of Britain would not have had a more zealous defender against the revolutionary excesses of France,

During this turmoil of parties at home, and of aggression from abroad, His Majesty did not suffer affairs of state to turn his thoughts unnecessarily from objects of internal improvement. He became this year the patron and zealous promoter of the Board of Agriculture.

1794.

After the capture of Bastia in 1794, and the expulsion of the French troops from the Island of Corsica, the assembly of the general consulta took place at Corte, under the cognizance of the late Lord Minto, when they chose Paoli as their president, and Pozzo di Borgo as their secretary; soon after which they declared the separation of Corsica from France: and with the utmost unanimity, joined to the strongest demonstrations of universal satisfaction aud joy, voted the union of that island to the crown of Great Britain; so that His Majesty had now the crown of Corsica to add to the three of his former dominions.

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