or ever!' I am informed that,
on the other hand, there was great hissing, cries of 'Shame, shame! go
to Bergamo!' and a gentleman in the Hall told us that when her Majesty
got into the carriage again, she wept."[66]

[66] Twiss's "Life of Lord Eldon," vol. ii. p. 48.

She felt the crushing nature of this disappointment, and though she
made an effort--a vain one, of course--to induce the Archbishop of
Canterbury to crown her a day or two later, she was so thoroughly
overwhelmed by this complete downfall of her hopes, that she became
seriously ill, and died on the 7th of August--a week after the King had
left Carlton House for Ireland. The suddenness of her death created to
some extent a reaction of public opinion in her favour, particularly
among the lower orders, and riots of a serious nature attended the
passage of her remains through the metropolis, on their way to
Brunswick; but the nine days' wonder had scarcely lived out its brief
reign, when the town was entertaining itself with accounts of the
King's amazing popularity in Ireland, in a manner that betrayed its
eagerness to get rid, as soon as possible, of a disagreeable subject.
Thus passed away Caroline of Brunswick--a character variously
represented by that very unsatisfactory photograph, Party; but, though
the likeness has often been idealized by those whose credit was likely
to suffer by too natural a resemblance, sufficient physiognomical
likeness has remained to show that she was far from being the sort of
woman a sensible man would court for a wife, or the kind of Princess
that would confer any distinction on the nation that would accept her
as a Queen.

CHAPTER V.

[1821.]

EFFECT OF QUEEN CAROLINE'S ILLNESS AND DEATH ON THE KING. HIS NARROW
ESCAPE IN THE ROYAL YACHT. HIS VISIT TO IRELAND. ENTRY INTO DUBLIN.
POSITION OF THE KING'S MINISTERS. GEORGE IV. ON THE FIELD OF WATERLOO.
THE KING'S VISIT TO HIS HANOVERIAN DOMINIONS. COALITIONS AND DOUBLE
NEGOTIATION. POLITICAL GOSSIP. A NEW CLUB. DISMISSAL OF SIR ROBERT
WILSON FROM THE ARMY. PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION FOR HIM.

CHAPTER V.

Intelligence of the serious character of Queen Caroline's malady
reached the King, as was stated in the last chapter, when his Majesty
was making a yachting excursion, and its effect upon his mind may be
gathered from the following extract of a letter written by the King
soon after the information had reached him:--

"On Tuesday, at noon, as I had heard no