from Sir William to his own Family. Letters from Sir Letter from the King to Sir William Knighton.-Letters from Sir Walter Scott.-Sir William on another Journey.— Memorandum of his route. Letter from Sir David Wilkie. Claims upon the bounty of the King made to Sir William Knighton.-Death of the Duke of York.—Sir William's visit to the royal vault to select the spot for placing the Duke's Sir William Knighton's dangerous relapse.-Interest taken by the King in his recovery.-Letter to his Daughter.— Letters from Mr. Canning and Lord (then Mr.) Brougham. -Letter from the King, stating his own infirmities-From MEMOIRS OF SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, BART. Birth of William Knighton.-Death of his Father.- His WILLIAM KNIGHTON was born in the parish of Beer Ferris in the county of De- von, in the 1776. He was the grand- son of William Knighton, Esq. of Grenoven in the parish of Whitchurch in the same county. His father, William Knighton, was cut off from the family property, hav- father. He died at the early age of twentynine, leaving his son and an infant daughter to the care of the young widow, in very limited circumstances. By the will of his grandfather, a sum of five hundred pounds was left for his grandson's education. His mother, who was a person of excellent principles and strong common sense, formed another alliance, and had a second family; but ample justice was done to the children of the first marriage. William Knighton had the advantage of such instruction as the country afforded at a respectable school at Newton Bushel in Devonshire, and at an early age was placed with his uncle, Mr. Bredall, who was established as a surgeon and apothecary at Tavistock, for the purpose of studying medicine. It appears by an old diary, that he endeavoured to keep up the scholastic knowledge he had acquired, and further to improve his mind; as, besides the study of physic and surgery, each of the six days in the week was alloted either to reading Greek, Latin, poetry, or obtaining general information; and Sundays were appropriated to religion, and to a retrospect of what had been done in the preceding week. He seems to have had a strong predilection for poetry; and there are many specimens extant written at this period, which, though not without merit, are not of sufficient interest to insert in these volumes. The following extract of a letter addressed to his aunt when he was quite a youth, on the death of a little cousin about two years of age, marks the peculiar feeling and sensibility of the writer's mind even from an early age. This epistle comes from one who contemplates the pleasing hope that you are comforted, under your affliction for the loss of your dear little babe, with the happy and consoling reflection that she is now in a state of bliss and happiness with Christ and lovely angels in the heavenly kingdom of her Father and Redeemer; which doubtless must be the case. And, as a small testimony of my regard for that dear lovely little infant, I have written the few enclosed lines, which, though simple as to language, as well as bad as to verse, will, I hope, at this youthful period, be overlooked by your generous heart. "Hard it must certainly be to part with such dear little angels at the age of innocence and harmless simplicity; yet we ought not for one moment to wish to debar the wise and kind dispensation of Providence, which no doubt so kindly protects those harmless little doves from the vice and miseries which in age might befal them ; for the life of mortals on earth is subject to daily defilement. Their early removal prevents many a sorrow and distress of mind, many an agony and sharp pain to which by disease the body is subject, and saves many from the languishing weaknesses of old age, and from tasting the |