The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Ii Part 45

_Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell._

OSBORNE, _27th July 1848._

The Queen has to acknowledge Lord John Russell's two letters with respect to Italy. The alterations in the draft meet many of the Queen's objections, giving to the whole step another appearance. The Queen ... must acknowledge the advantage of our trying to bind [the French] to good conduct; only this must be done in a way not to appear as a league with them against a friendly Power, struggling to preserve to herself a territory granted to her by a Treaty to which we were a party.

As the amended draft secures us against these appearances, and leaves us free for the future, the Queen approves it.

[Pageheading: MINOR GERMAN STATES]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _1st August 1848._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I had yesterday the happiness of receiving your kind letter of the 29th, for which I return my best thanks.

There are ample means of crus.h.i.+ng the Rebellion in Ireland,[34] and I think it now is very likely to go off without any contest.... Lord Hardinge is going over there to serve on the Staff, which is very praiseworthy of him.

I do not think the fate of the Minor Princes in Germany is so completely decided as Charles[35] ... is _so_ anxious to make one believe. There is only a question of taking certain powers and rights away, and not at all of getting rid of them; and I think you will see that the _Ausfuhrung_ of the Unity will be an impossibility, at least in the sense they propose at Frankfort. The Archduke John has spoken very rea.s.suringly both to Ernest and the Duke of Meiningen, and the attachment in many of those smaller princ.i.p.alities is still extremely great, and I am sure they will never consent to being _ausgewischt_.

Coburg, for instance, on the occasion of the suppression of a very small riot, showed the greatest attachment and devotion to Ernest; at Gotha the feeling of independence is _very_ great, and at Strelitz, on the occasion of Augusta's confinement with a _son_, the enthusiasm and rejoicing was universal. All this cannot be entirely despised.

We are as happy as possible here, and would be perfectly so, if it was not for the sorrow and misfortunes of so many dear to us, and for the state of the world in general.

I have always forgotten to tell you that we bought a fine marble bust of you quite by accident in London the other day. It is in armour and with moustaches, but quite different to the one the Gardners have at Melbourne; Albert saw it at the window of a shop, and heard it had been bought in a sale of a General Somebody. Now, with Albert's best love, ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

We have just heard that there has been an _action_ in Ireland in which some of the insurgents have been killed; _fifty_ Police dispersed _four thousand_ people. Smith O'Brien is, however, not yet taken.

[Footnote 34: _See_ Introductory Note for the year, _ante_, p.

141.]

[Footnote 35: The Frankfort a.s.sembly, in pursuance of the policy of German consolidation, had placed the central executive power in the hands of a Reichsverweser, or Vicar of the Empire. The Archduke John, uncle of the Emperor of Austria, was elected to this position, and the Queen's half-brother Charles, Prince of Leiningen, was entrusted with the Department of Foreign Affairs.]

[Pageheading: AN AMBa.s.sADOR TO FRANCE]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

OSBORNE, _8th August 1848._

... The Queen has attentively perused the statement of Lord Palmerston in favour of accrediting an Amba.s.sador at Paris. As the proposed arrangement for the present is to be only a _provisional_ one, the Queen thinks that the appointment of a _Minister_ now will leave it quite open to have an Amba.s.sador hereafter, if it should be found necessary or advantageous, whilst it would set that matter at rest for the moment. Withdrawing an Amba.s.sador and subst.i.tuting a Minister hereafter, would be much more difficult. The French Republic would no doubt like to have an Amba.s.sador here, and perhaps take immediate steps to secure that object if Lord Normanby were accredited Amba.s.sador at Paris, against which we would be secured in having only a Minister there.... Lord Normanby's acquaintance with the public men at Paris is as much an inconvenience as it may be a convenience in some respects; his having been the great admirer and friend of M.

Lamartine, for instance, etc., etc. The possibility of mixing freely with persons of various kinds, which Lord Palmerston adduces as an important consideration will, in the Queen's opinion, be more easy for a Minister than for a person of the high rank of Amba.s.sador. All things considered therefore, the Queen will prefer to have temporarily a Minister accredited at Paris.

M. de Tallenay the Queen would receive in London on Tuesday next at six o'clock, when the Queen will be in Town.

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

OSBORNE, _11th August 1848._

The Queen has to acknowledge Lord Palmerston's letter of yesterday.

The Queen was quite surprised to hear from Lord Palmerston in his last communication that he had written to Lord Normanby to offer him to stay as Minister at Paris, after his having before stated to the Queen that this would never do and could not be expected from Lord Normanby; Lord Normanby's answer declining this offer therefore does in no way alter the matter, and must have been foreseen by Lord Palmerston.

By the delay and Lord Normanby's various conversations with M.

Bastide[36] and General Cavaignac it has now become difficult to depart from the precedent of the Belgian and Sardinian Missions without giving offence at Paris. The Queen must, however, insist upon this precedent being fully adhered to. She accordingly sanctions Lord Normanby's appointment as Amba.s.sador Extraordinary, on the _distinct understanding_ that there is to be no Amba.s.sador sent in return to London now, and that a Minister is to be appointed to Paris when the diplomatic intercourse is permanently to be settled. The Queen wishes Lord Palmerston to bear this in mind, and to submit to her the arrangement which he thinks will be best calculated to carry this into effect.

[Footnote 36: Minister of Foreign Affairs.]

[Pageheading: LORD NORMANBY'S APPOINTMENT]

_Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell._

OSBORNE, _11th August 1848._

The Queen has to acknowledge Lord John Russell's letter of to-day.

The Queen is highly indignant at Lord Palmerston's behaviour now again with respect to Lord Normanby's appointment; he knew perfectly well that Lord Normanby could not accept the post of Minister, and had written to the Queen before that such an offer could not be made, and has now made it after all, knowing that, by wasting time and getting the matter entangled at Paris, he would carry his point. If the French are so anxious to keep Lord Normanby as to make any sacrifice for that object, it ought to make us cautious, as it can only be on account of the ease with which they can make him serve their purposes. They, of course, like an _entente cordiale_ with us at the expense of Austria;... but this can be no consideration for us....

Threatening the Austrians with war, or making war upon them in case they should not be inclined to surrender their provinces at his bidding [Lord Palmerston] knows to be impossible; therefore the _entente_ with the Republic is of the greatest value to him, enabling him to threaten the Austrians at any time with the French intervention which he can have at command if he agrees to it.[37] The Queen has read the leading articles of the _Times_ of yesterday and to-day on this subject with the greatest satisfaction as they express almost entirely the same views and feelings which she entertains. The Queen hopes that Lord John Russell will read them; indeed, the whole of the Press seem to be unanimous on this subject, and she can hardly understand how there can be two opinions upon it....

[Footnote 37: The success of the Piedmontese in Northern Italy had not continued through the summer, and the States whose a.s.sistance they had hitherto received began to fall away from them. The King of Naples, successful within his own dominions, had withdrawn his troops; the Pope hesitated to attack Austria; even undivided support from Venetia could no longer be counted upon. After several reverses, Charles Albert, now left virtually alone in the contest, was decisively defeated by Radetzky, at Custozza, and retreated across the Mincio.

With what was left of his troops he entered Milan, which he was eventually forced to surrender, being unable to maintain himself there. Italy now turned to France for a.s.sistance, but Cavaignac, virtually Dictator in Paris, would not go further than combining with England to effect a peaceful mediation.

Austria was not in a frame of mind to relinquish any part of the provinces she had had so severe a struggle to retain.]

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN AND PALMERSTON]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

OSBORNE, _20th August 1848._

The Queen has received an _autograph_ letter from the Archduke John (in answer to the private letter she had written to him through Lord Cowley), which has been cut open at the Foreign Office. The Queen wishes Lord Palmerston to take care that this does not happen again.

The opening of official letters even, addressed to the Queen, which she has _of late_ observed, is really not becoming, and ought to be discontinued, as it used never to be the case formerly.