The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Iii Part 48

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _21st July 1856_.

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--... We had a delightful little _sejour_ at Aldershot--much favoured by fine weather. The first day, Wednesday, the wind was too high for _me_ to ride, but the second (Thursday) we had one of the prettiest and _most_ interesting field days I ever remember. I rode about everywhere and enjoyed it so much. On Thursday and Friday morning we visited the Camp. The new Troops from the Crimea which we saw were the 34th, 41st, and 49th, particularly fine Regiments; the 93rd Highlanders, the 2nd Rifle Battalion, and three Companies of splendid Sappers and Miners, all very fine; and the Scots Greys and Enniskillen Dragoons. The Prussians[36] were _emerveilles_ at the looks of our Troops on returning from the Crimea! We came here on the 18th, and have really _hot_ weather.

George has been appointed Commander-in-Chief. There was really _no one_ who could have been put over him; though in some respects it may be a weakness for the Crown, it is a great strength for the Army....

I fear I must end here for to-day. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 36: The Prince and Princess of Prussia were on a visit to the Queen and Prince.]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

PICCADILLY, _24th July 1856_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and will give directions for the Council at Osborne at one o'clock on Monday, according to your Majesty's desire; and he would beg to submit for your Majesty's gracious consideration that the General Commanding-in-Chief has usually been a Privy Councillor, and that His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge might, if your Majesty thought fit, be sworn in on Monday.

Viscount Palmerston will communicate with Dr. Goodford, but he finds that he was misled by the Headmaster and one of the Governors of Harrow at the Speech Day; he understood from them that an additional week's holiday would at his request be given to the boys at this vacation in commemoration of the Peace. He has now received a letter from the Governors to say that the school had an additional week on the occasion of the Peace at Easter, and that an additional week will be given, not now, but at Christmas, in commemoration of the laying the first stone of the new Chapel. If, therefore, the Eton boys had an additional week at Easter in honour of the Peace, as the Harrow boys had, there will be no reason for any addition to the Eton holidays now....

[Pageheading: SOUTH AFRICA]

_Mr Labouchere to Queen Victoria._

_26th July 1856._

With Mr Labouchere's humble duty to Her Majesty. Mr Labouchere begs to submit the following observations in reply to Her Majesty's enquiries respecting the Free States in the vicinity of the British Colonies in South Africa.

There are two independent States there:--

(1.) The Transvaal Republic, founded by Boers who left the Colony for the most part from ten to fifteen years ago. The territory on which they are established never was British. The Government of the day, thinking it useless and impolitic to pursue them there, entered into a capitulation with them and recognised their independent existence.

They inhabit the plains north of the Vaal or Yellow River.

(2.) The Orange River Free State. This occupies the territory between the Vaal River to the north and the Orange River to the south. This territory, like the former, was occupied originally by emigrant Boers, and was beyond the boundaries of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope.

But Sir Harry Smith, in 1849, after a severe military struggle with the Boers, thought proper without authority from home to annex it to British Dominion.[37] This annexation was ratified by Lord Grey, and the country remained for three or four years under British rule.

Afterwards it was resolved to abandon it, during the administration of the Duke of Newcastle, as a result of the general revision of our affairs which took place at the conclusion of the Kaffir War. The Orange River Territory was recognised as a separate Republic in 1854.

It is certainly true that the existence of these Free States may complicate our relations with the Kaffirs, and possibly be a source of danger to the security of British dominion in South Africa. But the latter danger seems very remote. They possess _no_ portion of the sea coast, and are altogether a pastoral people, and are engaged in a constant struggle with the barbarous tribes in their neighbourhood.

To retain and protect these territories would have involved an immense expenditure, and been attended with great difficulties. Besides, the same question would have speedily recurred, as these emigrant Boers would have soon gone further into the interior, and again have a.s.serted their independence. Our present relations with both these States are very amicable. When Governor Sir George Grey went to the Cape all these questions had been finally disposed of.[38]

There seems to be good reason to hope that the apprehensions of a Kaffir War will not be realised. The Colony is very prosperous, and is beginning to export wool in large quant.i.ties. The new legislature appears to be disposed to act harmoniously with the Governor, and to be actuated by a spirit of loyalty and attachment to this country.

What they most want is a supply of European settlers, which it is to be hoped that the soldiers of the German and Swiss Legions will give them.

[Footnote 37: See _ante_, vol. ii., Introductory Note to Chapter XVII, and 25th October, 1848, note 45.]

[Footnote 38: Sir George Grey had been sent out by the Duke of Newcastle in 1854. He had previously been Governor of South Australia and New Zealand successively. He returned to New Zealand as Governor in 1861, and was Premier of the Colony, 1877-1884. He died in 1898, and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral.]

[Pageheading: FOREIGN ORDERS]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _30th July 1856_.

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I am much grieved to have to retract the permission which in my letter of yesterday I said I would give to Lord Westmorland.[39] When I said so, I had _not_ received the opinion of the Ministers, which I have since done, and this is, I am sorry to say, conclusive _against_ it. I quite overlooked _one_ very important case of very late date, viz. the Plenipotentiary at Paris--on whom the Emperor pressed very hard to confer his order in commemoration of the Peace; but it was refused, and the Emperor was a good _deal hurt_. If _now_ Lord Westmorland received the permission, the Emperor might with _right_ complain. I am much grieved, dearest Uncle, at all this, but it was quite unavoidable, and I was at the time much distressed at your giving the order to Lord Westmorland as I foresaw nothing but difficulties. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 39: King Leopold had proposed to bestow a decoration on Lord Westmorland.]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _1st August 1856_.

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--... When your excellent Ministers will consider things coolly, which is not to be expected in this hot weather, I am sure they will come to other conclusions. The rule is a _very wise one_, and has been kept up even at the time of those great congresses of Paris, Vienna, and ditto Paris in 1815. But in cases of particular affection and feeling _not_ connected with politics, there have been during the reigns of George IV. and William IV. exceptions. The Duke of Devons.h.i.+re was sent to the Coronation, I think, of the Emperor Nicholas, because one knew the Emperor liked him. And he has worn ever since that diamond star of the St Andrew of the largest dimensions.

Our Napoleon is too wise not to understand that a treaty has a direct political character. And, during the next fifty years of your glorious reign, there will be most probably a great many more treaties and congresses. You may get all sorts of things during that time, but you cannot either by the power of heaven or of earth get a new uncle, who has kept his word twenty-five years; rather an undertaking considering circ.u.mstances.... I remain, my dearest Victoria, your devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

ON BOARD THE _Victoria and Albert_, _14th August 1856_.

DEAREST UNCLE,--You will be surprised to get a letter so soon again from me, and still more on _so_ trivial a subject, but I come as a pet.i.tioner for a supply of the cakes or _Oblaten_ which you kindly always send me, but which have come to a dead _stop_, having been too rapidly consumed; _all_ the children having taken to eat them. As I am not a very good breakfast eater, they are often the _only_ things I _can_ take at that time, and consequently I miss them much. May I therefore beg them to be sent?

We are still here; profiting by the _bad_ sea, to visit many beautiful _points de vue_ in this really beautiful country. We saw yesterday one of the loveliest places possible--_Endsleigh_--the Duke of Bedford's, about twenty miles from here.

The weather is so bad, and it blows so hard, that we shall go back to Southampton to-morrow by railroad--a beautiful line which we have never seen. I must close in haste. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.