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152 MISS CORNELIA KNIGHT.
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
* " Her The Tee Journals One Autobiograp...
and four years ago , in the last years of the reign of George II ., and died in 1837 in the first of the reign of Queen Victoria ; thus
, connecting the extreme links of two wholly different European epochs;—between Frederick the Great of Prussia and Louis Quinze
of France , ( both reigning and long to reign when she first saw the light , ) and Louis Philippe and Sir Robert Peel , ( who were swaying
Europe when she died by their peace and prosperity principles , ) —what a mighty gulf ! The American Revolution was the news of
her youth ; the French Revolution the ghastly but passing terror of her middle age ; and she doubtless ended her career in the firm
conviction which most people entertained twenty-four years ago , that wars and rumours of wars were relegated to the barbarian
countries of the earth . Her father was Sir Joseph Knight , Rear Admiral of the White ,
an oincer of good birth and high professional reputation . Her childish years were spent in London , where , as we are informed in the
preface , she received an excellent education , and made the acquaintance , as a girl , of Johnson , Goldsmith , Burke , Reynolds , and other
great men of the day . When quite a little child she was sent to a school kept by Mesdames Thorn / pets , four Swiss sisters , for the
purpose of learning to dance and to speak French . She had also a master at homeM . Petit-Pierrewho taught her French , Latin , the
elements of Greek , and of the , mathematics , with geography and history , so that Sir Joseph Knight certainly spared no pains on
his young daughter ' s education . She remembered that " the too _famcms Marat , " who was a Swiss physician , used to visit at
Mesdames Thompets' school . All she recollected of him were his person and countenancewhich were very repulsive .
Of Sir Joshua Reynolds , she says that his pronunciation was tinctured with the Devonshire accent , his features were coarse , and
his outward appearance slovenly ; but that he was good , friendly , and benevolent , loved high company , and wished his house to be
the centre of such a circle as had surrounded Rubens and "Vandyke , and was indeed the constant host of " the wits and men of
learning . " Who now , in passing by 47 , Leicester Square , remembers that it was there he livedand " wrought standing , with great
, celerity , "—from . 1761 to his death in 1792 . Miss Knight recalls affectionately the two great Irishmen of the day—Burke , whom she
liked better than all the restbecause he " condescended to notice" her ; _, and Goldsmithwho was so , very good-natured and played tricks
, with a , glass of water . Mrs . Montagu was less amiable to the little oneand it was not forgotten that she called her a " stupid
, child" for being unable to find out the puzzle of a gold ring she wore . When first Cornelia Knight knew Johnson she was afraid
of his deep voice and great wig—and indeed . , to judge from his portraitshis aspect must have been enough to frighten even
, a courageous little girl—but she got used to him and grateful
for liis indulgence , and used to see a great deal of his blind
152 Miss Cornelia Knight.
152 MISS CORNELIA KNIGHT .
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Citation
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English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), Nov. 1, 1861, page 152, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01111861/page/8/
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