The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume I Part 103

[Pageheading: THE FATHERLESS CHILDREN]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _5th August 1842._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--... Little Paris,[57] who has gained much of late, will keep the name of Paris, at least for the present. Helene will be, after the poor King's demise, sole guardian of her children; till then the King as head of the family will be supreme in all matters relating to the children.... Your devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

[Footnote 57: The late Comte de Paris, who bore this t.i.tle to the end of his life, father of the present Duc d'Orleans.]

_The Queen of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _5th August 1842._

MY BELOVED VICTORIA,--... Poor little Paris is aware of his misfortune in the way he can be. Helene told him that he saw everybody weep because he would see no more his beloved father. The poor child wept then very much, and he has done several times since, when the same thing was repeated to him. He wonders why he does not go any more in his unfortunate father's room, and why there is no more "_de cher Papa_," as he says: else he makes no question or observation and is very quiet and cheerful. He cannot yet feel what he has lost and his melancholy fate: but Helene does what she can to keep alive in him the remembrance of his father.... Yours most affectionately,

LOUISE.

_Viscount Melbourne to Queen Victoria._

SOUTH STREET, _8th August 1842._

Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty. He thanks your Majesty much for the letter of the 4th. It can hardly be expected that the grief of the French family will, as yet, much diminish, but Lord Melbourne hopes that they are somewhat more composed. He has heard this morning that Lord and Lady Beauvale were at Boulogne on Sat.u.r.day; they would probably cross yesterday, and will be in London to-day.

Lord Melbourne understands that Lord Beauvale had an interview of three hours with the King of the French. Charles Howard was married this morning, and Lord Melbourne is going to meet Lord and Lady Carlisle and the rest of the family at Baron Parke's[58] at dinner.

Lord Melbourne thinks that Lord Prudhoe's marriage[59] was to be expected.[60] Upon looking at the Peerage, he is only fifty years old, and fifty is young enough to marry anybody. The only fault of fifty is that it advances too rapidly on to sixty, which, on the other hand, is too old to marry anybody. It is Lord Melbourne's opinion that if a man does marry either at fifty or sixty, he had much better take a young girl than a woman of more age and experience. Youth is more malleable, more gentle, and has often more respect and compa.s.sion for infirmity than middle-age.

[Footnote 58: Afterwards Lord Wensleydale.]

[Footnote 59: To Lady Eleanor Grosvenor.]

[Footnote 60: Admiral Lord Algernon Percy (1792-1865), President of the Royal Inst.i.tution, was created in 1816 Baron Prudhoe: in 1847, on the death of his brother, he became fourth Duke of Northumberland.]

[Pageheading: RESIGNATION OF LORD HILL]

_Lord Hill to Queen Victoria._

HARDWICKE GRANGE,[61] _9th August 1842._

Lord Hill presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and craves your Majesty's gracious permission to lay before your Majesty his resignation of the Command of your Majesty's Army.

Lord Hill deeply regrets the necessity of taking a step which will deprive him of a charge that has been so long committed to his hands, and for his continuance in which he is indebted to your Majesty's grace and favour; but he has again suffered much from the illness under which he laboured in the early part of the year, and his health has in consequence become so indifferent as to render him unequal to the adequate discharge of the various important duties of his command, which therefore he feels he could not retain with due regard to the interests of your Majesty's Service.

Lord Hill had flattered himself that he should have been able to have laid his application for retirement before your Majesty himself, and personally to have expressed to your Majesty his deep and lasting sense of your Majesty's gracious kindness to him on all occasions.

Having, however, left London by the advice of his medical attendants, and being too unwell to undertake a second journey, Lord Hill avails himself of this mode of a.s.suring your Majesty of his unabated zeal for the Service, of his dutiful devotion to your Majesty's person, and of the pain and sorrow with which he relinquishes an appointment that afforded him the honour and advantage of executing your Majesty's commands, and receiving many gracious proofs of your Majesty's support and confidence.

[Footnote 61: Lord Hill's country house in Shrops.h.i.+re.]

[Pageheading: APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF]

_Sir Robert Peel to Queen Victoria._

WHITEHALL, _10th August 1842._

Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs leave to acquaint your Majesty that he received at a late hour last night the accompanying letter to your Majesty from Lord Hill. From the one which accompanied it, addressed to Sir Robert Peel, he has reason to believe that it conveys to your Majesty the wish of Lord Hill to be relieved, on the ground of ill-health and increasing infirmities, from the Command of your Majesty's Forces.

Sir Robert Peel would humbly submit for your Majesty's consideration whether it might not be a deserved mark of your Majesty's approbation to confer upon Lord Hill the rank of Viscount, with remainder to his nephew Sir Rowland Hill,[62] who will succeed Lord Hill in the Barony.

Lord Beresford[63] and Lord Combermere[64] have the rank of Viscounts, and perhaps the long, faithful services of Lord Hill as Commander-in-Chief may appear to your Majesty to ent.i.tle him to equal distinction in the Peerage.

Sir Robert Peel has reason to believe that when Lord Hill's retirement shall be known there will be many compet.i.tors for the office of Commander-in-Chief.

Sir George Murray,[65] Sir Edward Paget,[66] Lord Londonderry,[67]

Lord Combermere, and perhaps Lord Beresford, will severally urge their pretensions.

Sir Robert Peel humbly submits to your Majesty that should the Duke of Wellington be willing to undertake the duties of this important trust, no claims could stand in compet.i.tion with his, and no selection from the candidates whom he has named would be satisfactory to the Army or public in general.

Sir Robert Peel would therefore humbly recommend to your Majesty that the offer of this appointment should be made to the Duke of Wellington, with the signification of a wish on the part of your Majesty (should your Majesty be pleased to approve of the arrangement), that His Grace should continue a member of the Cabinet, and the organ of the Government, as at present, in the House of Lords.

[Footnote 62: Lord Hill died 10th December 1842, and was succeeded in his peerages by Sir Rowland Hill, who died in 1875.]

[Footnote 63: William Carr Beresford (1768-1854), created Viscount Beresford in 1823 for the victory of Albuera, 1811.]

[Footnote 64: Sir Stapleton Cotton (1773-1865), created Viscount Combermere for the capture of Bhurtpore.]

[Footnote 65: Sir George Murray (1772-1846), received a K.C.B. for his services in the Peninsula, M.P. for Perth, and afterwards Commander-in-Chief in Ireland.]

[Footnote 66: General Sir Edward Paget, G.C.B. (1775-1849), brother of the first Marquis of Anglesey.]

[Footnote 67: Prior to being Amba.s.sador at Vienna, Lord Londonderry had distinguished himself in the Peninsula.]