and was nearly prompted to do the same on the third, when Lord Kenyon, who acted as teller against the Bill from the gallery, eagerly prevented the interference.

"The moment the numbers were known, Brougham summoned me into the contiguous chamber, where the Queen was, to prepare an immediate petition to be heard by counsel against the Bill's passing. It was hastily drawn up, and Her Majesty, being desired to sign it, uttered those memorable words, after pausing a moment on Caroline'-'Regina in spite of them.' Brougham, and all her counsel were in the room, and then all left it but myself, to desire some lord to present the petition. I remained behind with Her Majesty and her chamberlain, Mr. Keppel Craven.

“At this moment I was seized with an impulse that I could not resist, and believing that the seal was finally affixed to the sentence of degradation of the House of Lords, I went up to the Queen, and requested a favor I had never enjoyed or solicited before, that of being permitted to kiss her hand. She held it out to me with great emotion and a profusion of tears.

"Some tumult was now heard in the passage, and the strange tidings were made known that Lord Liverpool had withdrawn the Bill. All the rest of our party then returned to the Queen, and in another room Lady Charlotte Lindsay, who had watched the proceedings with excessive anxiety, threw herself into my arms in a paroxysm of delight. The same feelings of enthusiastic joy were almost instantaneously awakened in every part of London. The Queen, after a short delay, ascended her state carriage, and weeping, and in silence, proceeded to Brandenburgh House.

Thus closes Lord Denman's personal principal events in this memorable trial. observations upon the management and

narrative of the He adds a few conduct of the

1 Lord Liverpool, greatly to the disgust of Lord Eldon (Twiss's Life, vol. ii. p. 398) had intimated his intention to take this step in a cabinet held the evening before (November 9). The smallness of the majority on the third reading decided him. In the House of Lords he stated "that in the present state of the country, with the division of sentiment, so evenly balanced, just arrived at by their lordships, ministers had come to the determination not to proceed further with the Bill."

case, which do not greatly differ from those to be found in Lord Brougham's recently published "Autobiography.' His general conclusion on the matter is thus stated:-"Upon the whole I really do not think, on a calm revision of the proceedings, that our course could either have been more judicious, according to the state of things at the time, or more fortunate in the result"a judgment in which those most competent to pronounce an opinion will generally be found to acquiesce.

The exultation of the country at the break-down of the prosecution was in proportion to the depth and intensity of its previous anxiety. Illuminations and public rejoicings were general over the whole face of the land. The. city of London passed a vote of thanks to Brougham, Denman, and Lushington, and resolved that the freedom of the city should be presented to them in commemoration of their splendid and successful exertions.*

2

Denman was justly proud of the distinction thus conferred on him. In his reply to the Common Council address on his elevation to the Chief Justiceship, hereafter cited,' he said in reference to it :

"The honor of being enrolled among the freemen of London was enhanced by every circumstance that could make it most honorable. It was shared with illustrious colleagues; and, on the most trying occasion, bore testimony, not only to individual conduct, but to a principle of unquestionable truth and immense importancethe connection between the rights and liberties of every subject, and the fearless discharge of the duties of an ad

vocate.

"Memoirs," vol. ii. chap. xvii.

2 Mrs. Denman, in her diary for December 8, notes this, and adds that the box containing the freedom was to be "heart of oak, of the value of 100 guineas." The vote was passed on December 7, 1820; the actual presentation did not take place till June 7, 1821.

3 Chapter xxii. post.

F

CHAPTER XI.

THE QUEEN'S DEATH.

ROM the abandonment of the Bill of Pains and Penalties, the autobiographical fragment continues the narrative of Queen Caroline's career, and of Denman's official connection with her, till both were closed by her death in August, 1821.

"The defeat of the Bill in some respects increased the difficulties of Her Majesty's situation, for it gave rise to the necessity for her mingling in that society which had theretofore avoided her, and been avoided by her. Several ladies connected with the Whig nobility now, for the first time, left their names at Brandenburgh House, or rather it should be said they did so at the close of the evidence, and before the second reading, on the ground. that the evidence had failed.

"It cannot be denied that this was a bold measure, for whether the imputations were true or false, the newspaper reports had unfortunately associated the name of the Queen with ideas the most immoral and revolting.

"The battery of libels had played freely on our cause from the moment of Her Majesty's accession to her royal state. It was renewed on her landing, and continued with incessant activity. The daily ministerial press seemed to have done its duty with sufficient zeal, but the spirit of persecution could not be satisfied without a new vehicle of abuse and slander against the Queen. The Sunday paper 'The John Bull' was expressly established for this single purpose, and at once made good its pretensions to high protection by giving to the public that part of the contents

of the Green Bag which the collectors of it themselves had been ashamed to produce. During the trial the 'Courier' had kept up a running comment on the proofs offered for the Queen, constantly insinuating the falsehood of any favorable fact and a wilful suppression of truth by the witnesses. But the John Bull' was the climax and consummation of all villany.

"Lord Liverpool having promised, or rather threatened, that the Queen should be restored to all her rights if the measure of accusation failed, we had reason to expect that her name would be forthwith restored to the Liturgy, and the whole public loudly called for that act of justice, which the unmanly hatred of the baffled persecutor still obstinately refused. The Parliament, of course, acquiesced in the known wishes of the King. The extent of Her Majesty's establishment and provision was even left doubtful.

"I went with Brougham to Brandenburgh House for the express purpose of considering what steps should be taken in the delicate matter of negotiating for a revenue. Brougham had cherished the wild hope that the people of England would raise a revenue for the Queen by public subscription, and actually advised her, not merely to decline, if offered, but positively to declare, before any offer was even made, that she would not accept a provisio recommended in the ordinary way by the King to Parliament. She was anxious, on the other hand, for conciliation, and proposed to address a very civil letter to the King on the subject. They were discussing these opposite views, when she suddenly called to me, 'What do you say, Mr. Denman?' I proposed a middle course, condemning the imprudence of rejecting a bounty not yet proffered, but to which she was strictly entitled; and at the same time thinking that any language which could be construed as humbling herself before such a husband would involve too great a sacrifice of her advantage. I am confident my advice was good, though Burdett, as he afterwards told me, thought her want of real power made her own scheme the best, and Brougham prevailed He delivered her message to the House of Commons on the same day, to the annoyance and astonishment of our friends, and the cordial joy of the ministers.

"She ought to have acted consistently with his bold counsel. But scarcely had Brougham left London for the northern circuit than she told Wood that she meant to write to Lord Liverpool, to ask for an income. He remonstrated and begged that I might first be consulted: she agreed. This was on a Saturday. I went to pay my respects as usual on the Sunday, between one and two, and Lushington arrived soon after, when she told us, laughing and delighted, that she had sent a message to Lord Liverpool on the subject. This inconsistency of conduct and apparent avidity for money was in no small degree injurious to her cause in the public mind.

"An allowance of 50,000l. a year having been granted to her (on Feb. 1, 1821), the Duke of Cambridge's house in South Audley Street was purchased for her, and called The Queen's House.' She gave some splendid dinners and evening concerts, went sometimes to the play, where she was not too well received, and once to the opera, where she was shamefully insulted by young noblemen and aspirants after place. Lady Ann Hamilton was rather ungraciously dismissed from personal attendance, though placed in the highest office in Her Majesty's household as Mistress of the Robes, and Lady Hood came into waiting. Lord Hood also resided in the house. It became evident, however, that there was something in her manners and disposition ill-calculated to preserve her popularity with the serious and sober. people among whom she dwelt. Dress parties were a restraint upon her: at one of them she unceremoniously made me sit on a sofa by her side, and told me how little she approved of being stuck up' among fine people. She said, 'The fact is, I have lived so long among Turks, Jews, and infidels, that I am not fit for good company. This appears to have been her natural turn of mind, and was, of course, encouraged by her foreign residence and her wandering habits. How different might all have been had she given her hand to an honorable and feeling husband.

"On her husband's part no symptom of forgiveness or generosity betrayed itself:

Forgiveness to the injured does belong,

But those ne'er pardon who have done the wrong.