The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Ii Part 93

DEAREST UNCLE,--Great and not _very_ pleasant events have happened since I wrote last to you. I know that Van de Weyer has informed you of everything, of the really (till the last day) unexpected defeat, and of Lord Derby's a.s.sumption of office, with a very sorry Cabinet. I believe, however, that it is quite necessary they should have a trial, and then have done with it. Provided the country remains quiet, and they are prudent in their Foreign Policy, I shall take the trial as patiently as I can....

Alas! your confidence in our excellent Lord Granville is no longer of any avail, though I hope ere long he will be at the Foreign Office again,[15] and I cannot say that his successor,[16] who has never been in office (as indeed is the case with almost all the new Ministers), inspires me with confidence. I see that Louis Napoleon has again seized one of the adherents, or rathermore one of the men of business, of the poor Orleans....

There are some terrible stories from Madrid of people having told the poor Queen that the King had arranged this attack on her person, and that she was anxious to abdicate.[17] If you should hear anything of this kind, be kind enough to tell me of it. With Albert's love (he is well f.a.gged with business), ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 15: Lord Granville held the Foreign Secretaryship in 1870-1874, and again in 1880-1885.]

[Footnote 16: Lord Malmesbury.]

[Footnote 17: The Queen was stabbed by a priest when returning from church.]

[Pageheading: LORD MALMESBURY]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Derby._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _24th February 1852._

The Queen thinks that it would be of the highest importance that not only Lord Malmesbury (as is always usual) should receive the necessary information from Lord Granville, but that Lord Derby should see him and hear from him the state of all the critical questions now pending on Foreign Affairs. Lord Granville has made himself master in a very short time of all the very intricate subjects with which his Office has to deal, and she must here bear testimony to the extreme discretion, good sense, and calmness with which he has conducted the very responsible and difficult post of Foreign Secretary.

[Pageheading: NEW APPOINTMENTS]

_The Earl of Derby to the Prince Albert._

ST JAMES'S SQUARE, _25th February 1852._ (_5_ P.M.)

SIR,--I have delayed longer than I could have wished acknowledging the letter which I had the honour to receive from your Royal Highness last night, in hopes that by this time I should have been enabled to solve the difficulties connected with the Household Appointments; but I regret to say they are rather increased than otherwise. I will not trouble your Royal Highness now with any details; but if I might be honoured with an audience at any hour after the Levee to-morrow, I shall perhaps be able to make a more satisfactory report, and at all events to explain the state of affairs more fully.

In the meantime, it may save Her Majesty some trouble if I request that your Royal Highness will have the goodness to lay before Her Majesty the enclosed list of Appointments which, subject to Her Majesty's approval, I have arranged in the course of this day. The Admiralty List found its way most improperly into some of the morning papers before I was even aware that the Duke of Northumberland had finally obtained the a.s.sent of the Officers whom he had selected.

As it is possible that the Queen may not be acquainted with the name of Colonel Dunne, I have the honour of enclosing a letter respecting him which I have received from Lord Fitzroy Somerset, since I had intimated to him my intention of submitting his name to Her Majesty, and which is highly satisfactory.

I must beg your Royal Highness to offer to the Queen my most humble and grateful acknowledgment of the kindness which Her Majesty has evinced in endeavouring to facilitate the progress of the Household arrangements.

I have the honour to be, Sir, Your Royal Highness's most obedient Servant,

DERBY.

[Pageheading: LOUIS NAPOLEON]

_Memorandum by Queen Victoria._[18]

THURSDAY, _26th February 1852._

Lord Derby came to Albert at half-past three, and Albert called me in at a little after four....

Lord Derby told us he meant to proceed as speedily as possible with the defences of the country, and that his plan for the Militia entirely coincided with Albert's plan (viz. he (Albert) wrote on the subject to the Duke of Wellington, who _did not_ like it),[19] and meant to try and avoid all the objections. On his observing that no one had entirely understood the Government Bill, I said that the Government had not even been allowed to bring it in, which was a most unfair proceeding; upon which Lord Derby reiterated his professions of this being no preconcerted plan of his Party's, but that it was "symptomatic"; he, however, was obliged to own that it was rather hard and not quite fair on the late Government.

I then explained to him the arrangement respecting the drafts from the Foreign Office going first to him before they came to me, and wished this should be continued, which he promised should be done, as well as that all important Colonial despatches should be sent to me. Touched upon the various critical questions on the Continent.... Lord Derby said that all Louis Napoleon's views were contained in his book _Idees Napoleoniennes_ written in '39, for that he was more a man of "_Idees fixes_" than any one; and in this book he spoke of gaining territory by _diplomacy_ and not by war. Lord Derby gave us a note from Louis Napoleon to Lord Malmesbury, congratulating him on his appointment, professing the most friendly and pacific intentions, and hoping the Cowleys would (as they do) remain at Paris.

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 18: Extract from Her Majesty's _Journal_.]

[Footnote 19: This Memorandum is given in chap. xlv. of the _Life of the Prince Consort_.]

[Pageheading: FAREWELL AUDIENCES]

[Pageheading: LORD DERBY'S PROGRAMME]

[Pageheading: LORD DERBY AND THE CHURCH]

_Memorandum by the Prince Albert._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _27th February 1852._

To-day the formal change of Government took place. The old Ministers who had Seals to give up a.s.sembled at half-past eleven, and had their Audiences in the following order:

_Sir George Grey_ was very much overcome; promised at our request to do what he could to keep his friends moderate and united. Spoke well of his successor, Mr Walpole, and a.s.sured the Queen that he left the country in a most quiet and contented state.

_Lord Grey_ was sorry that the resignation had taken place before the Caffre Debate, in which he had hoped to make a triumphant defence; he was sure it must have come to this from the way in which Lord John had managed matters. He had never had his measures thoroughly considered when he brought them forward. He (Lord Grey) had had to remonstrate very strongly about this Militia Bill, which had not even been laid, printed, before the Cabinet, and had not been discussed at all; he himself had objected to the greater part of it, and had always expected to have an opportunity of making his opinion heard; instead of spending Christmas at Woburn he ought to have digested his measures; this was not fair to his colleagues, and he could never have the same confidence in Lord John as before. We urged him to forget what had pa.s.sed and to do the best for the future; that it was important the Party should be kept together and should unite if possible with the Peelites, so that the Queen might hope to get a strong Government. Lord Grey thought there was little chance of this.

The next Government could never be as moderate again as this had been; this he had always dreaded, and was the reason why he lamented that Lord John had failed in his negotiation with the Peelites this winter, upon Lord Palmerston's dismissal; but the fact was Lord John had never wished it to succeed, and it had been unfair that he had not stated to them (the Peelites) that all his colleagues were ready to give up their places.

_Lord Granville_ had seen Lord Malmesbury several times, who appeared to him to take pains about informing himself on the state of Foreign Affairs, but seemed inclined to be ambitious of acquiring the merit of being exclusively _English_ in his policy; this was quite right, but might be carried too far; however, Lord Malmesbury was cautious and moderate.

_The Chancellor of the Exchequer_ (_Sir Charles Wood_) was not surprised at the fate of the Government, although they had not expected to be defeated on the Militia Bill; in fact, a division had hardly been looked for, as Lord John had talked the day before with Lord Palmerston, and satisfied him that all his objections should be provided against in the Bill. He thought it was better, however, that the Caffre Debate had not been waited for, which must have been a personal and very acrimonious one. He thought Lord Grey had not been very discreet in his language to the Queen on Lord John. Sir J. Graham had been in a difficulty with his own Party, and therefore had not wished to encourage Lord John's negotiation with the Peelites. He promised that, for his part, he would do all he could to keep his Party from doing anything violent, but that he was afraid many others would be so, and that he and Lord Grey had in vain tried to persuade Mr Cobden to remain quiet.

Lord Derby had then an Audience to explain what should be done at the Council. He regretted the d.u.c.h.ess of Northumberland's declining to be Mistress of the Robes, on account of ill-health, which had been communicated to the Queen by her father, Lord Westminster. He proposed the d.u.c.h.ess of Argyll, whom the Queen allowed to be sounded (though feeling certain, that, considering the Liberal views of her husband, she will not accept it), and sanctioned his sounding also the d.u.c.h.ess of Athole, whom the Queen wished to make the offer to, in case the d.u.c.h.ess of Argyll declined. Lord Derby stated the difficulty he was in with Sir A. B., whose wife had never been received at Court or in society, although she had run away with him when he was still at school, and was nearly seventy years old. The Queen said it would not do to receive her now at Court, although society might do in that respect what it pleased; it was a principle at Court not to receive ladies whose characters are under a stigma.

We now proceeded to the Council, which was attended only by three Councillors, the other seventeen having all had to be sworn in as Privy Councillors first.[20]