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2 corrections, most recently by maurielyn - Show corrections

LONDON

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1817.

DEATH OF THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF

WALES,

AFTER THE BIRTH OF A SON, STILL-BORN.

The hopes of the Country are dashed to the earth. Instead of tidings of great joy, instead of proclaiming the birth of a future Sovereign of these Realms, " of England's future hope and glory," we have to per- form the painful task of announcing that her Royal Highness, after having been delivered of a still-born male child, expired in a few hours afterwards. This grief has occurred so suddenly, it has so weighed down every faculty, that we fear we shall not be able to give any thing like a clear and collected account.

Alas! the Bulletin we inserted yesterday seemed to promise a favourable result. Late at night, too, we communicated a second Bulletin, dated at half past

five yesterday (which we re-insert) which still further

fed our hopes :

" Claremont, Nov. 5, 1817, Half-past Five, P.M. " The labour of Her Royal Highness the Princess CHARLOTTE has within the last three or four hours considerably advanced, and will, it is hoped, within a few hours be happily completed.

" M. BAILLIE, " JOHN SIMS."

" RICHARD CROFT."  

But at ten o'clock the hope encouraged by the pre-  

ceding Bulletin was destroyed by the following an-  

nunciation :  

" Claremont, Nov. 5, 10 o'clock, P. M.

"At nine o'clock this evening, her Royal Highness the Princess CHARLOTTE was delivered of a still-born

male child. Her Royal Highness is doing extremely

well.  

" M. BAILLIE, " R. CROFT,    

"J.SIMS."

The delivery of a still-born child was melancholy   intelligence ; but it fades away before that which  

follows it—" The worst remains behind." After the delivery every thing led to the expectation that her Royal Highness would do extremely well. They were,

as our readers have just seen, the concluding words

of the Bulletin.

But we have just received the following Letter from Claremont, which we believe will be found correct in

all its most interesting, painfully interesting de-

tails:

" CLAREMONT, SIX O'CLOCK THIS MORNING.

" I had hoped to have sent you very, very different tidings : and yesterday, when I dispatched my last letter to you, I felt confident that my next would have announced the consummation of our wishes, in the birth of a future heir or heiress. That next ! — However, I will endeavour to write all I have heard, as well as the general grief and consternation will allow me. On Monday in the night, or about 3 on Tuesday morning, Her Royal Highness was taken ill, and expresses were sent off to the great Officers of State, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, desiring their immediate attendance. Earl Bathurst, Lord Sidmouth, the Lord Chancellor, Mr. Vansittart, together with the Archbishop and Bishop, immediately attended. Dr. Baillie and Dr. Croft were the medical attendants. During the whole of Monday the, labour advanced slowly, but without the least appearance of danger. The Princess CHAR- LOTTE shewed uncommon firmness and the utmost resignation. - Towards evening, as the labour still lin- gered, it was deemed advisable to send for Dr. Sims, who arrived in the middle of the night. Nothing could be going on better, though too slowly ; and the excellent constitution of the PRINCESS gave every as- surance that she would not be too much exhausted by the delay. No language, no panegyric can be too

warm for the manner in which the Prince LEOPOLD conducted himself. He was incessant in his atten- dance, and no countenance could more deeply express

the anxiety he felt. Once or twice he exclaimed to the Medical Attendants, "that the unrepining, patient endurance of the PRINCESS, whilst it gave him comfort, communicated also a deep affliction at her sufferings

being so lengthened."

" About six o'clock yesterday the labour advanced more rapidly, and no apprehensions were entertained of any fatal result—and the child was ascertained to be still living. At nine o'clock her Royal Highness

was delivered of a male child, but still-born. Through- out the whole of this long and painful labour, her Royal Highness evinced the greatest firmness, and received the communication of the child being dead born with much resignation. Prince LEOPOLD ex- claimed to the medical attendants, as soon as the in- telligence was communicated to him—" Thank GOD ! thank GOD ! the PRINCESS is safe." The child was perfect, and one of the finest infants ever brought into the world. The PRINCESS was composed after

her delivery, and though of course much exhausted, every hope was entertained of her doing well. This pleasing intelligence being communicated to the great Officers of State, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishop of London, they left Claremont about

11 o'clock ; the medical attendants of course remain- ing. — A little after twelve, a change was observed in her Royal Highness—her quiet left her—she became restless, and uneasy—and the medical attendants felt alarmed. Expresses were sent off I believe, to the Officers of State, stating the change that had taken place. From half-past twelve restlessness, and con- vulsion, till nature and life were quite exhausted, and Her Royal Highness expired at half-past two this

morning. Prince LEOPOLD was with Her Royal High-

ness at this agonizing moment."

Another letter from Claremont.

"CLAREMONT, THURSDAY MORNING, 9 O'CLOCK.    

The most melancholy and digressing event has happened—Princess CHARLOTTE is no more ! All is

dismay and grief, rejoicing turned into mourning, in the death of the most lovely and affectionate of Prin- cesses; The scene at this time exceeds all attempt at description. The awful event was not known at Eshen   till eight o'clock and now there is scarcely an eye free   from tears. The amiable and affectionate Prince LEOPOLD is distracted and inconsolable, and the whole of the Royal establishment is in a similar state. The approach of the departure of the conveyance, compels us to be brief in relating the tragic particulars. Her

Royal Highness, after the delivery, had expressed herself resigned to the child lying dead, most piously remarkably well from nine o'clock (the time of her delivery) till past twelve o'clock, probably a quarter past,

when the medical Gentlemen, Drs. BAILLIE, CROFT,   and SIMS. considering that she could not be doing better under the circumstances, retired to rest. Her Royal Highness took some gruel, and expressed herself inclined to sleep; however, on the gruel being given   to her she expressed herself to find a difficulty in

swallowing it. The lovely PRINCESS afterwards com-

plained of being very chilly, and a pain at her stomach. The nurse, Mrs. GRIFFITHS, considering her Royal   Highness's complaints to require the advice of the Me-     dical Gentlemen in attendance, the Doctors were all

instantly called up. They lost no time in giving their

attendance, but human assistance was of no avail. Her Royal Highness's attach continued unabated, and she   expired, from the best information that can be procured

at present, about Half past Two o'Clock, in a severe

attack of spasms."  

To the above most painful communication from Claremont, we have to add some further particulars of the deepest interest.

His Royal Highness the Prince Regent had been for a week or ten days past in Luffolk. As soon as the

illness of the Princess Charlotte was pronounced,    

            an express was sent to apprize his Royal Highnes, who

immediately, with all a parent's affection and anxiety, returned to town, on his way to Claremont. His Royal   Highness in his journey to town stopped two messen-

gers on the road with dispatches to him. They announc- ed the slow progress of the labour ; but added, that no danger was apprehended. A third messenger with the account of the delivery of a still born child passed him in the night. His Royal Highness arrived at   Carlton house about four o'clock this morning, with  

the intention of proceeding, without alighting, to Claremont, when the Duke of York, and one of the Ministers ; arrived with the fatal intelligence which has

blasted His and the Nation's hope, and involved the   whole British family, from its most exalted, to its     humblest members, in the deepest affliction.    

In what way his Royal Highness received the dread- ful tiding, can only he conceived by those who have   known what it is to lose an only daughter and child in    

the bloom of youth and health. Equally impossible   would it be to describe the grief of the husband—of Prince LEOPOLD—for they were so admirably matched, their hearts were so united, their union had presented so uninterrupted a scene of British comfort, their   minds and tastes were so congenial, it had been such a home of happiness, and there was so huge a promise of many, many years continuance of that happiness that the dreadful and sudden event which has beat

down and blasted all this fair prospect, and all these  

hopes, which has for ever severed from his arms and shrouded in death a Wife and Consort, so loved, must  

have struck his heart with the overwhelming force of a

bolt from Heaven.  

As soon as the fatal event had been conveyed to his

Majesty's Ministers, they hastened to town, where   they arrived about half past five. Lord Sidmouth im- mediately dispatched the following letter to the Lord  

Mayor: —    

" WHITEHALL, NOV. 5, SIX A. M.       " MY LORD—It is with the deepest sorrow that I   inform your Lordship, that Her Royal Highness the       Princess CHARLOTTE expired this morning at half-   past two o'clock. I have the honour to be. &c.  

(signed) " SIDMOUTH.  

" The Right Hon the Lord Mayor."     The great bell of St. Paul's was ordered to be tolled,     an order which it is the office of the Lord Mayor to  

give.

Dispatches were immediately sent off to the QUEEN and PRINCESSES at Bath who will most probably return forthwith to town, and to every other member of the Royal Family. The Duke of YORK, and, we believe, Earl BATHURST, are gone to Claremont, to Prince LEOPOLD; and a Council, we hear, will be held in the course of this day, to give the necessary orders for the Funeral of the lamented Princess, and for a Ge-  

neral Mourning. It will, we have no doubt, be as general a one as ever took place in this Country.  

The melancholy event produced a depression in the

Funds, which was further aggravated by a report in   the City of the PRINCE REGENT having been taken dan-   gerously ill in the country. This last report we can positively contradict.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.    

On Tuesday, at midnight, or soon after; a messen- ger arrived at Carlton House, with the intelligence  

that her Royal Highness was under the influence of labour pains, and accompanied by a Bulletin stating,

that every thing was proceeding, though slow, in the   most satisfactory manner. This Bulletin was imme-   diately dispatched to the PRINCE REGENT, who, on the    

receipt of it, set out for town, and arrived at Carlton-   house at half-past three o'clock this morning. On

His Royal Highness's arrival, he received a Bulletin   announcing that the Child was still-born, but with the consoling intelligence that her Royal Highness was going on remarkably well, his Royal Highness immediately dispatched one of his Gentlemen to Claremont to ascertain further particulars of the pro- gress of her Royal Highness, and to announce his Royal Highness's intention of proceeding to Clare- mont without delay. The Officer had just left Carlton- house when Earl BATHURST arrived with the heart- rending intelligence of the calamity which the coun- try cannot cease to deplore.

His Royal Highness the Duke of YORK, accompa- nied by Earl BATHURST, were, we understand; imme- diately dispatched in one of the Prince Regent's carriages, to offer in his Royal Highness's name, an asylum in Carlton-House, to Prince LEOPOLD, that he might be removed from the afflicting scene by which he is surrounded at Claremont ; and apartments are preparing for the reception of his Serene Highness.

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