Helens mentions that as it was foimd necessary to send about
500 of our sick and wounded to the hospital at Delft (within



278 THE ROYAL FAMILY. [Chap. XYHL

a few miles of the Hague^ and supposed to be more than any
other place under the influence of the Stadtholder), Lord
St Helens applied to the States-General for leave, and
obtained an order for their admission. On their arrival, how-
ever, the gates of the town were shut against them; the
magistrates caused every preparation to be made as if for a
siege ; and assembling Uie people, they administered an oath
to them to stand by each other and to prevent the entrance
of the English robbers. When Lord St. Helens heard of this,
he again applied to the Dutch Government ; but he had not
been able to prevail upon them to interfere ; and our poor
disabled soldiers were remaining without food or medicines
and ejcposed to all the severity of a wet wintry season. Yet
these are our good allies, for whom we are to sacrifice our
blood and treasure, and for whose sake we are to risk the ruin
of our country. Our Princesses, who you know are treated
hardly better than children in a nurseiy, and who are never
informed of what is going on, even by means of a newspaper,
(for these are contraband at Windsor), are now become
constant suitors to me for intelligence. I had an application
the day before yesterday from the Princess Royal, to know
whether there was any chance of seeing the Duke of York.
I assure you, from what I have lately heard, that Royalty,
when closely inspected, has few charms for reasonable people.
