18 DECEMBER 1841, Page 12

CHEAP DEFENCE OF NATIONS.

A PATENT, issued "this eighth day of December," informs us that the Queen has created her infant son Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester, "by girting him with a sword, by putting a coronet on his head, and a gold ring on his finger, and also by delivering a gold rod into his hand, that he may preside there, and may direct and defend those parts." With a ruler of such mature age, "those parts" will doubtless be well defended and directed. It was the practice of the isicient Scandinavians, when Christianity first began to make way among them, to leave the right arm unbaptized in order that it might deal more cruel blows : our Queen, to make assurance doubly sure, has committed the defence of Wales and Chester to a prince who has not been baptized at all. What will Sir ROBERT INGLIS say to this bestowal of offices of high trust upon one who is not a member of the Church ? The redu- plication of gold upon gold—the gold ring and the gold rod— reminds one of the golden legend of Miss Kilmansegg. It is a deli- cate matter to hint a doubt of the veracity of the head of the State and the Church, but the question will obtrude itself—did her Majesty really, truly, do all that she says she has done ? Did she place a hard coronet, instead of a nice lace cap, on the little cottony ball, the head of the infant ? Did she tie him to a sword—for that

is the correct expression In the history of that mirror of knight. hood Don Quixote, we read that his spurs were buckled on at the same time he was girt with his sword : who buckled on our Prince's spurs ? who made his boots ?