The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Ii Part 18

It filled six sheets, and contained, as minutely as I could render it, the whole of the arguments we had gone through. Sir Robert read it through and over again, and, after a long pause, said: "I was not aware when I spoke to your Royal Highness that my words would be taken down, and don't acknowledge that this is a fair representation of my opinion." He was visibly uneasy, and added, if he knew that what he said should be committed to paper, he would speak differently, and give his opinion with all the circ.u.mspection and reserve which a Minister ought to employ when he gave responsible advice; but he had in this instance spoken quite unreservedly, like an advocate defending a point in debate, and then he had taken another and tried to carry this as far as it would go, in order to give me an opportunity of judging of the different bearings of the question. He did so often in the Cabinet, when they discussed important questions, and was often asked: "Well, then, you are quite against this measure?" "Not at all, but I want that the counter argument should be gone into to the fullest extent, in order that the Cabinet should not take a one-sided view."

He viewed the existence of such a paper with much uneasiness, as it might appear as if he had left this before going out of office in order to prepossess the Queen against the measures, which her future Minister might propose to her, and so lay secretly the foundation of his fall. The existence of such a paper might cause great embarra.s.sment to the Queen; if she followed the advice of a Minister who proposed measures hostile to the Irish Church, it might be said, she knew what she undertook, for Sir R. Peel had warned her and left on record the serious objections that attached to the measure.

I said that I felt it to be of the greatest importance to possess his views on the question, but that I thought I would not have been justified in keeping a record of our conversation without showing it to him, and asking him whether I had rightly understood him; but if he felt a moment's uneasiness about this memorandum, I would at once destroy it, as I was anxious that nothing should prevent his speaking without the slightest reserve to me in future as he had done heretofore. I felt that these open discussions were of the greatest use to me in my endeavour to investigate the different political questions of the day and to form a conclusive opinion upon them.

As Sir Robert did not say a word to dissuade me, I took it as an affirmative, and threw the memorandum into the fire, which, I could see, relieved Sir Robert.

ALBERT.

_Mr Gladstone to Queen Victoria._

13 CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE, _1st April 1846._

Mr William Gladstone presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and prays that he may be honoured with your Majesty's permission to direct that the Park and Tower Guns may be fired forthwith in celebration of the victory which was achieved by your Majesty's forces over the Sikh army in Sobraon on the 10th of February.[7]

[Footnote 7: In September 1882 Mr Gladstone quoted this as a precedent for firing the Park Guns after the victory of Tel-el-Kebir. See _Life of Right Hon. Hugh C. E. Childers_, by Colonel Childers, C.B., R.E., vol. ii p. 127.]

_Queen Victoria to Sir Henry Hardinge._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _6th April 1846._

The Queen must write a line to Sir Henry Hardinge in order to express her extreme satisfaction at the brilliant and happy termination of our severe contest with the Sikhs, which he communicated to her in his long and interesting letter of the 18th and 19th February. The Queen much admires the skill and valour with which their difficult operations have been conducted, and knows how much she owes to Sir Henry Hardinge's exertions. The Queen hopes that he will see an acknowledgment of this in the communication she has ordered to be made to him relative to his elevation to the Peerage.

The Prince, who fully knows all the Queen's feelings on this glorious occasion, wishes to be named to Sir Henry Hardinge.

[Pageheading: KING LOUIS PHILIPPE]

_The King of the French to Queen Victoria._

PARIS, _5 Mai 1846._

MADAME MA TReS CHeRE S[OE]UR,--Quand le 1^er de Mai, au moment ou j'allais commencer les nombreuses et longues receptions de mon jour de fete, on m'a remis la lettre si gracieuse que votre Majeste a eu l'aimable attention de m'ecrire de maniere a ce que je la recoive ce jour la, j'en ai ete penetre, et j'ai pense tout de suite aux paroles du Menuet d'Iphigenie comme exprimant le remerciment qu'a mon grand regret, je ne pouvais que sentir, et non exprimer par ecrit dans un pareil moment. J'ai donc fait chercher tout de suite la part.i.tion de ce menuet, et celles du Ch[oe]ur du meme Opera de Gluck "_Chantons, celebrons notre Reine!_" mais on n'a pu, ou pas su se les procurer, et j'ai du me contenter de les avoir arranges pour le piano dans un livre (pas meme relie) qui a au moins pour excuse de contenir toute la musique de cet Opera. Je l'ai mis dans une grande enveloppe adressee a votre Majeste et j'ai fait prier Lord Cowley de l'expedier par le premier Courier qui pourrait s'en charger, comme Depeche, afin d'eviter ces postages dont Lord Liverpool m'a revele l'etonnant usage.

Que vous dirai-je, Madame, sur tous les sentiments dont m'a penetre cette nouvelle marque d'amitie de votre part? Vous connaissez celle que je vous porte, et combien elle est vive et sincere. J'espere bien que l'annee ne s'ecoulera pas sans que j'aie ete presenter mes hommages a votre Majeste....

Tout ce que j'entends, tout ce que je recueille, me donne de plus en plus l'esperance que la crise Parlementaire dans laquelle le Ministere de votre Majeste se trouve engage, se terminera, comme Elle sait que je le desire vivement, c'est-a-dire que Sir Robert Peel, Lord Aberdeen, etc., will hold fast, et qu'ils seront encore ses Ministres quand j'aurai le bonheur de Lui faire ma Cour. Je vois avec plaisir que ce v[oe]u est a peu pres general en France, et qu'il se manifeste de plus en plus....

Que votre Majeste me permette d'offrir ici au Prince Albert l'expression de ma plus tendre amitie, et qu'elle veuille bien me croire pour la vie, Madame ma tres chere S[oe]ur, de votre Majeste, le bon Frere et bien fidele Ami,

LOUIS PHILIPPE, R.

J'ai vole ces feuilles de papier a ma bonne Reine pour echapper aux reproches trop bien fondes que Lord Aberdeen a faits a la derniere fourniture dont je me suis servi.

[Pageheading: IRISH CRIMES BILL]

_Sir Robert Peel to Queen Victoria._

HOUSE OF COMMONS, _12th June 1846._ (_Friday Night._)

Sir Robert Peel, with his humble duty to your Majesty, begs leave to acquaint your Majesty that no progress has been made to-night with the Irish Bill.[8]

On reading the order of the day Sir Robert Peel took that opportunity of defending himself from the accusations[9] brought forward by Lord George Bentinck and Mr Disraeli against Sir Robert Peel for transactions that took place twenty years since. The debate on this preliminary question lasted until nearly half-past eleven.

Like every unjust and malignant attack, this, according to Sir Robert Peel's impressions, recoiled upon its authors.

He thinks the House was completely satisfied. Lord John Russell and Lord Morpeth behaved very well.

The vindictive motive of the attack was apparent to all but a few Protectionists.

[Footnote 8: In consequence of a serious increase of crime in Ireland, a Coercion Bill had been introduced.]

[Footnote 9: This refers to the Catholic Emanc.i.p.ation discussions of 1827, when Bentinck and Disraeli accused Peel of having hounded Canning to death.]

[Pageheading: ATTACK ON PEEL]

_Sir Robert Peel to Queen Victoria._

WHITEHALL, _22nd June 1846._

Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and a.s.sures your Majesty that he is penetrated with a deep sense of your Majesty's great kindness and your Majesty's generous sympathy with himself and Lady Peel.

Sir Robert Peel firmly believes that the recent attack made upon him was the result of a foul conspiracy concocted by Mr Disraeli and Lord George Bentinck, in the hope and belief that from the lapse of time or want of leisure in Sir Robert Peel to collect materials for his defence, or the destruction of doc.u.ments and papers, the means of complete refutation might be wanting....

He hopes, however, he had sufficient proof to demonstrate the falseness of the accusation, and the malignant motives of the accusers.

He is deeply grateful to your Majesty and to the Prince for the kind interest you have manifested during the progress of this arduous struggle, which now he trusts is approaching to a successful termination.

_Sir Robert Peel to Queen Victoria._