The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Ii Part 112

ALBERT.

_Mr Gladstone to the Prince Albert._

DOWNING STREET, _19th April 1853._

Sir,--I have to offer my most humble and grateful thanks to Her Majesty for graciously allowing me to know the terms in which Lord John Russell's kindness allowed him to describe the statement made by me last night in the House of Commons; and to your Royal Highness for the letter which your Royal Highness had been pleased to address to me.

The reception which you, Sir, gave to my explanation on the 9th instant of the propositions I had to submit to the Cabinet, was one of the first and best omens of their favourable fortune.

As a Servant of the Crown, deeply sharing in that attachment which all servants of Her Majesty must feel both to her Throne and Person, I venture to hope that the propositions of the Government declared through me, are in accordance with our faith and loyalty to Her Majesty.

For myself, Sir, I am most thankful, if it can be said that I have not by my own defects injured a good and an honest cause; my only t.i.tle to reward lies in sincerity of purpose, and by such testimony as that of your Royal Highness I am already much more than duly rewarded....

I return the letter of Lord John Russell, and I pray your Royal Highness to believe me, Sir, your most dutiful and most obedient Servant,

W. E. GLADSTONE.

[Pageheading: THE INDIA BILL]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Aberdeen._

OSBORNE, _27th May 1853._

The Queen has read Lord Aberdeen's letter of yesterday with great concern. She had been much surprised to hear from Lord John Russell on the 24th that "in concert with Sir Charles Wood and Sir James Graham, he had settled last night to propose to the Cabinet on Wednesday to delay the measure (on the Indian Government) till next Session, and that Sir James Graham had stated that Lord Aberdeen would be ready to a.s.sent to this course."[16] She did not answer Lord John until she should have heard from Lord Aberdeen himself. From the explanation he has now given to the Queen, she must say that it would have a _very bad_ effect if the measure were withdrawn at the eleventh hour, and after all that has been publicly and privately stated.[17] Nothing damages a Government more than the appearance of vacillation and uncertainty of purpose, and no Government ought to shun this more than the _present_. The fact of a dissension in the Cabinet on a vital point, which it cannot be hoped will remain concealed, must besides much impair its vigour and power....

The Queen earnestly hopes that it will not become necessary to change the course announced by the Government.

[Footnote 16: The India Bill, which pa.s.sed during the Session, threw open the lucrative patronage of the Company (whose existence was continued but with less absolute control) to compet.i.tion. The Mutiny, and the resulting legislation of 1858, tended subsequently to overshadow Sir Charles Wood's measure.]

[Footnote 17: The matter had been referred to a Cabinet Committee, reported upon, agreed to in full Cabinet, proposed to and sanctioned by the Queen and announced to Parliament.]

[Pageheading: THE EMPEROR FRANCIS JOSEPH]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _3 June 1853._

MY DEAREST, BEST VICTORIA,--... The young Emperor[18] I confess I like much, there is much sense and courage in his warm blue eye, and it is not without a very amiable merriment when there is occasion for it.

He is slight and very graceful, but even in the _melee_ of dancers and Archdukes, and all in uniform, he may always be distinguished as the _Chef_. This struck me more than anything, as now at Vienna the dancing is also that general _melee_ which renders waltzing most difficult.... The manners are excellent and free from pompousness or awkwardness of any kind, simple, and when he is graciously disposed, as he was to me, _sehr herzlich und naturlich_. He keeps every one in great order without requiring for this an _outre_ appearance of authority, merely because he is the master, and there is that about him which gives authority, and which sometimes those _who have the authority cannot succeed in getting accepted or in practising_. I think he may be severe _si l'occasion se presente_; he has something very _muthig_. We were several times surrounded by people of all cla.s.ses, and he certainly quite at their mercy, but I never saw his little _muthig_ expression changed either by being pleased or alarmed.

I trust that this family connection may mitigate the only impression which in Austria has created a hostile feeling, viz. the suspicions in Palmerston's time that it had become a plan of England _to destroy_ the Austrian Empire. After the _attentat_ on the Emperor the impression on those who are attached to their country was, and still is, that in England a sort of menagerie of Kossuths, Mazzinis, Lagranges, Ledru Rollins, etc., is kept to be let occasionally loose on the Continent to render its quiet and prosperity impossible. That impression, which Lord Aberdeen stated in the House of Lords at the end of April, is strong everywhere on the Continent, in Prussia as it is in Austria, and even here our _industriels_ are convinced of it.

About what is to be done by way of graciousness on your part we will consider. ...Ever, my dearest Victoria, your devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

[Footnote 18: Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria.]

_The Duke of Newcastle to Queen Victoria._

_7th June 1853._

The Duke of Newcastle presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has the honour of bringing under your Majesty's notice a desire for some time past felt by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and by others interested in the welfare of the Church of England in the Colonies, that the extensive See of Capetown should be divided, and that a new Bishopric of Grahamstown should be erected.

An endowment of 10,000 for the proposed See has lately been provided by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts.

The Duke of Newcastle under these circ.u.mstances hopes that your Majesty will approve of the erection of this new See, and has the honour to recommend to your Majesty that, in that case the Rev. J. W.

Colenso should be appointed to it.

Mr Colenso at present holds a living in the Diocese of Norwich, he was second wrangler at Cambridge, and was at one time tutor to two of the sons of the late Sir Robert Peel at Harrow.

The Duke of Newcastle has received a very high character of Mr Colenso from his Diocesan, and the Archbishop of Canterbury considers him a fit person to be recommended to your Majesty.

[Pageheading: THE KING OF HANOVER]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _22nd June 1853._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Many thanks for your kind letter of the 17th, which I could not answer on my usual day (yesterday), as we were the whole day at the Camp, where there was a Review, at which I rode. It was a very fine sight, but my enjoyment was a good deal spoilt by the nervousness which I was in at having my poor blind cousin[19] _on_ horseback next to me--_led_. It is a sad sight, and one which keeps me in a constant state of anxiety, as one is afraid of saying or doing anything which may pain or distress him, or of his meeting with any accident; but he manages it wonderfully well, hardly ever makes a mistake, and manages so well at dinner. He is very cheerful, kind, and civil, and would be very good looking if it were not for his poor eyes. He likes to go everywhere and do everything like anybody else, and speaks of things _as if he saw_ them....

The Oriental Question is at a standstill. It is the Emperor of Russia who must enable _us_ to help him out of the difficulty. I feel convinced that _War will_ be _avoided_, but I don't see _how_ exactly.

Our Troops looked beautiful yesterday. I wish your young people could see our Camp.[20]

With Albert's love, believe me, ever, your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 19: King George V. of Hanover.]

[Footnote 20: Lord Stratford de Redcliffe had insisted that the disputed points as to the guardians.h.i.+p of the Holy Places, and the Russian demand for a Protectorate over the Christian subjects of the Sultan, should be kept distinct. After the former had been arranged and the latter had been rejected by the Porte acting under Lord Stratford's advice, Menschikoff abruptly quitted Constantinople, and the Russian troops, crossing the Pruth, invaded the Danubian princ.i.p.alities of Moldavia and Wallachia (now united as Roumania). In England, meanwhile, a military encampment had been established at Chobham.]