Sixty Years a Queen Part 5

September 28, 1837.

The Queen, who is in semi-military habit and rides a white horse, is attended by her uncle, the King of the Belgians, on her right, with Lord Hill, Commander of the Forces, on her left, and the Duke of Wellington behind.]

The Penny Post, then, endures as the single masterpiece of the Melbourne Ministry, affording another example, if one were wanting, how men become famous for the achievements on which they pride themselves least.

Macaulay, having returned from India at this time, had re-entered Parliament as member for Edinburgh, and joined the Cabinet as Secretary for War. Greville quotes him as having declared that he wished he could destroy all that he had written up to that date, for he thought "his time had been thrown away upon _opuscula_ unworthy of his talents." He had resolved to apply himself to serious work--the History of England.

But much of his literary renown rests on these _opuscula_: most people esteem Macaulay the essayist far more highly than Macaulay the historian or Macaulay the Minister. Greville himself, in relating this anecdote, unconsciously ill.u.s.trates the inability of men to judge of their own performances. Speculating what Macaulay might have been "if he had wasted his time and frittered away his intellect as I have done mine,"

the diarist proceeds, "if I had been carefully trained and subjected to moral discipline, I might have acted a creditable and useful part."

Possibly; but in that case the journal, by which alone Greville is remembered, had never been written.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CENTRAL POSTAL TELEGRAPH OFFICE.

This large building, officially known as the "G.P.O. West," occupies the corner of Newgate Street opposite to the General Post Office at St.

Martin's-le-Grand. It was erected in 1870-74, and is entirely devoted to telegraphic business. The uppermost three floors are operating rooms, of the interior of one of which we give a view on page 31.]

[Sidenote: Betrothal of the Queen.]

Before the close of the year announcement was made of an event of the highest importance, which was to affect in a very large degree the material progress of the nation as well as the character and happiness of the monarch. On November 23 the Queen held a Privy Council at Buckingham Palace, and made known her intention to marry her cousin, the Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

"About eighty Privy Councillors were present," writes Greville, "the folding doors were thrown open and the Queen came in, attired in a plain morning gown, but wearing a bracelet containing Prince Albert's picture.

She read the declaration in a clear, sonorous, sweet-toned voice, but her hands trembled so excessively that I wonder she was able to read the paper which she held."

[Ill.u.s.tration: _W. C. Ross, A.R.A._} {_By permission of Messrs. Graves._

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT AT THE TIME OF HIS MARRIAGE.]

[Sidenote: Character of Prince Albert.]

Prince Albert, the second son of Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, by Louisa, daughter of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Attenburg, was very nearly the same age as the Queen, having been born on August 26, 1819.

Royal alliances are so often the outcome of purely political or prudential calculation that people are apt to a.s.sume that the deeper personal feelings are not allowed to weigh with the persons most concerned; but young men and women are not the less human because they are born in the purple, and Queen Victoria's marriage was as much a love match as that of any village maid. But she had set her affections on one of a disposition and habits not commonly to be found in any station of life. Not only was Prince Albert remarkably handsome and amiable, but he had sedulously cultivated natural gifts of a very high order. He had made himself a good musician, he had penetrated far in natural science, made a special study of social politics, and was well read in general literature. He was known to have steered a clear course among the temptations which peculiarly beset a young man of princely rank and fortune. All this he might have been, and yet, had there not been something to balance it, he might have proved no fitting consort of the young Queen of the English. But there was another side to his character.

Erudite, he was completely without the fastidious or shy manner which sometimes imparts a blemish to learning, for his manner in society was extremely fascinating; of artistic tastes, he was soon to prove himself capable in business. Last, but not least, in view of an English public, he was an accomplished horseman, and devoted to field sports.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _W. A. Knell._} {_From the Royal Collection._

THE LANDING OF PRINCE ALBERT AT DOVER, February 6, 1840.

His Royal Highness experienced very bad weather in crossing the Channel.]

[Sidenote: Announcement to Parliament.]

The Queen opened Parliament in person on January 16, 1840, and her speech included the formal announcement of her betrothal to Prince Albert. Strangely enough the first criticism came from the Duke of Wellington, of all her subjects the least likely to question Her Majesty's decision. He complained that it ought to have been officially declared that Prince Albert was a Protestant, and he moved to insert the word "Protestant" in the Address in reply to the speech from the throne.

Lord Melbourne thought the amendment was superfluous, but it was agreed to without a division.

[Sidenote: Debates.]

Less harmonious were the proceedings of the following week in the other House, when Lord John Russell moved for a grant of 50,000 a year to the Queen's consort, to be paid out of the Consolidated Fund. Colonel Sibthorpe, a Tory member, well-known for his eccentricity, moved an amendment to subst.i.tute 30,000, which was supported by Sir Robert Peel and the Opposition. Lord John resisted it with great warmth, declaring that "no Sovereign of this country had been insulted in such a manner as her present Majesty had been"; but the Government were badly defeated by a combination of Tories and Radicals, and Colonel Sibthorpe's amendment was carried by a majority of 104.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _W. Drummond._} {_From an Engraving in the British Museum._

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN HER BRIDAL DRESS.]

[Sidenote: A famous duel.]

The fact is that people who have grown up familiar only with the present relations of the Royal family with the public can hardly realise how prevalently censorious opinions were held regarding the Queen, and how much prejudice Prince Albert had to live down. On the 17th of the very month in which these debates took place, a duel was fought between Mr.

Horsman, Whig member for c.o.c.kermouth, and Mr. Bradshaw, who had used discourteous and disloyal language about the Queen in a speech made at Canterbury. Horsman had said that Bradshaw had the tongue of a traitor and the heart of a coward. After an exchange of shots, the seconds induced Bradshaw to retract and apologise. It may be mentioned here that the abolition of duelling was one of the first objects to which Prince Albert devoted his efforts after his naturalisation. He proposed the subst.i.tution of Courts of Honour to arbitrate in quarrels between gentlemen, and though he did not prevail on the Commander-in-Chief to establish these, there can be no doubt that the Prince's personal influence was greatly the cause of suppressing a system which was in full force during the early years of the reign.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Sir G. Hayter, R.A._} {_From the Royal Collection_ (_by permission of Messrs. Graves, Publishers of the Engraving_).

A. Prince George of Cambridge.

B. d.u.c.h.ess of Cambridge.

C. Princess Mary.

D. Prince Ernest.

E. Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

F. Queen Adelaide.

G. Prince Albert.

H. The Queen.

J. Duke of Suss.e.x.

K. Archbishop of Canterbury.

L. d.u.c.h.ess of Kent.

M. Princess Augusta of Cambridge.

N. Duke of Cambridge.

P. Princess Sophia Matilda.

THE MARRIAGE OF THE QUEEN AND PRINCE ALBERT AT THE CHAPEL ROYAL, ST.

JAMES'S, February 10, 1840.]

[Sidenote: The Queen fired at.]

The Queen's marriage to Prince Albert was celebrated on February 10, 1840. During the summer of that year the Queen was fired at by a lunatic potboy as she drove up Const.i.tution Hill with the Prince, but happily escaped all injury. One sometimes hears doubts expressed about the necessity for the elaborate precautions taken for the safety of Royal personages, who, it is supposed by some people, might safely trust themselves more freely to the goodwill of their subjects. But there is nothing more certain than this--that, however popular or deserving a monarch may be, there are always crazed or desperate individuals with schemes of insult or violence, waiting an opportunity to carry them out.

[Sidenote: War declared with China.]

The relations of Great Britain and the East India Company with China had for some years been drifting into very unfriendly conditions, arising out of the opium trade. The Chinese Government had strictly prohibited the importation of opium--a measure commanding the sincere sympathy of those in this country who condemned all use of opium as an unmitigated physical and moral evil. But India derived enormous profits from the opium trade, and her traders used every device to evade the restrictions. It was suspected, and the Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, endorsed the suspicion, that the policy of the Chinese Government had nothing to do with the morality of the trade, but was concerned only to protect the native opium industry. The wheels of diplomacy ran heavily between the "Heavenly Dynasty" and the British Foreign Office for many years, till at last they were brought to a stand by the sudden outbreak of war. Lord Palmerston had appointed three superintendents to look after the interests of British traders in Chinese ports, and invested them with a semi-diplomatic character. Thus it came to pa.s.s that when, after months of procrastination, Her Majesty's Government at last announced that "they could not interfere for the purpose of enabling British subjects to violate the laws of the country with which they traded," thus practically forbidding the opium trade, Captain Elliott, the chief superintendent, read between the lines of the despatch, and, on the Chinese authorities seizing a large quant.i.ty of opium in British vessels, requested the Governor of India to send warships for the protection of Englishmen trading in China. The request was promptly complied with by the despatch of two frigates, the _Volage_ and the _Hyacinth_, which attacked a Chinese fleet of twenty-nine junks below Hong Kong, blew up one of them, sunk three, and knocked the rest about in fine style.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _W. H. Overend._} {_From Contemporary Sketches._

THE "VOLAGE" AND "HYACINTH" ENGAGING TWENTY-NINE CHINESE JUNKS.]

[Sidenote: Capture of Chusan.]

[Sidenote: Bombardment of the Bogue Forts.]

A strong armament of fourteen warships and several transports was a.s.sembled at Singapore, the command of which was given to Admiral Elliott. Before his arrival, however, in the _Melville_, 74, the second in command, Commodore Sir J. Gordon Bremer, captured the island of Chusan, on July 5, with its capital--a walled city six miles in circ.u.mference. Negotiations for peace were then opened, but the Chinese authorities prolonged them on so many various pretexts, while busily erecting batteries at the Bogue, near Canton, that Commodore Bremer broke off the proceedings and prepared for action. The Bogue Forts were bombarded, and two of them were captured on January 7, 1841; after further fruitless parleying the bombardment was re-opened on February 19, and the whole chain of defences were taken. After each successive engagement, Captain Elliott, the civil superintendent, attempted to obtain a pacific settlement with the enemy; but forbearance was invariably interpreted by the Mandarin as a sign of weakness, and it was not till the troops under Sir Hugh Gough, had fought their way to the walls of Canton that Captain Elliott was able to announce that terms of peace had been agreed to, just forty-five minutes before a general attack on Canton was to have taken place.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _J. Doyle_ ("_H. B._").} {_Political Sketches, 1840._

CHINESE JUGGLERS.

Sir J. Graham, who attacked the Government with a Motion in regard to the conduct of the Chinese War in 1840 and nearly defeated them, is here represented as drawing forth reels of Chinese Papers and Blue Books from Lord Palmerston. John Bull, in the background, is remarking, "What an enormous quant.i.ty of paper for any man to swallow!"]