The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Ii Part 109

[Pageheading: THE EMPRESS]

_The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria._

LAEKEN, _4th February 1853._

MY DEAREST VICTORIA,--Receive my best thanks for your gracious letter of the 1st. Since I wrote to you _le grand evenement a eu lieu!_ We truly live in times where at least variety is not wanting; the only mischief is that like drunkards people want more and more excitement, and it therefore will probably end by what remains the most exciting of all--War. Amusing and interesting war is, it must be confessed, more than anything in the world, and that makes me think that it must be the bouquet when people will be _blase_ of everything else.

I enclose a letter from our Secretary of Legation at Madrid, Baron Beyens, who married a great friend of the Queen, Mademoiselle de Santa Cruz, and is much _au fait_ of all things that interest the public just now. It seems by what I learned from Paris that the Empress communicated to a friend a communication of _son cher epoux_ when she expressed her sense of her elevation to such eminence; as it may interest you and Albert, I will make an extract of it here: "Vous ne me parlez, ma chere enfant, que des avantages de la position que je vous offre, mais mon devoir est de vous signaler aussi ses dangers; ils sont grands, je serai sans doute a vos cotes l'objet de plus d'une tentative d'a.s.sa.s.sinat; independamment de cela, je dois vous confier que des complots serieux se fomentent dans l'armee. J'ai l'[oe]il ouvert de ce cote et je compte bien d'une maniere ou d'autre prevenir toute explosion; le moyen sera _peut-etre la guerre_. La encore il y a de grandes chances de ruine pour moi. Vous voyez donc bien que vous ne devez pas avoir de scrupules pour partager mon sort, les mauvaises chances etant peut-etre egales aux bonnes!"

I was sorry to hear of Lord Melbourne's, _i.e._, Beauvale's, death.

I knew him since 1814, and found him always very kind. For poor Lady Melbourne, who devoted herself so much, it is a sad blow. We are longing for a little cold, but it does not come though we have some east wind. I am held back in some of the _most essential_ measures for the defence of the country by the tricks of the Chamber. I see that the Manchester party shines in unusual Bright-ness and Cobden-ness by a degress of absurdity never as yet heard of. In the American War the Quakers refused to fight; they did not besides like the extremities the States had gone to against the mother country; but not to defend its own country against probable invasion is truly too much.

Pray have the goodness to give my best love to Albert, and believe me, ever my dearest Victoria, your devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _8th February 1853._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I have to thank you for two most kind letters of the 4th and 7th (which I have just received) with very interesting enclosures, which shall be duly returned. The little report of what the Emperor said to the Empress is very curious, and tallies with what I have also heard of his thinking much more of the insecurity of his position than he used to do. The description of the young Empress's character is an interesting one, and also agrees with what I had heard from those who know her well. It may be in her power to do much good--and I hope she may. Her character is made to captivate a man, I should say--particularly one like the Emperor.

I am sorry that you have had trouble with your Parliament. Ours begins its work on Thursday. The accounts of the support which our Government will receive are most satisfactory, and the Cabinet is most harmonious.... Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: THE CZAR AND TURKEY]

_The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria._

LONDON, _8th February 1853._

... Lord John Russell read at the Cabinet a despatch received from your Majesty's Minister at St Petersburg, giving an account of an interview with the Emperor, at which His Majesty appeared to expect an early dissolution of the Turkish Empire, and proposed in such a case to act in perfect concert with the British Government. Lord John also read the rough draft of a proposed answer to this despatch, which, with slight alterations, was fully approved.[5]

Lord Aberdeen does not think there is anything very new in this demonstration by the Emperor. It is essentially the same language he has held for some years, although, perhaps, the present difficulties of Turkey may have rendered him more anxious on the subject....

[Footnote 5: _See_ Introductory Note, p. 431. The Emperor had, no doubt, misunderstood the att.i.tude of the British Ministry in 1844 on this subject, and regarded Lord Aberdeen as in full sympathy with himself.]

[Pageheading: THE LEADERSHIP]

_Lord John Russell to Queen Victoria._

CHESHAM PLACE, _12th February 1853._

Lord John Russell presents his humble duty to your Majesty; he has waited till to-day in order to be able to give some account of the appearance of the House of Commons.

Lord John Russell's statement of measures to be proposed was well received, but as it did not contain reform was a disappointment to a part of the House. Mr Walpole spoke privately to Lord John Russell as to his future position in leading the Government in the House of Commons without office. Mr Walpole said it was neither illegal nor unconst.i.tutional, but might prove inconvenient as a precedent.

The Speaker said in conversation there was clearly no _const.i.tutional_ objection, but that the leadership of the House was so laborious that an office without other duties ought to be a.s.signed to it....

[Pageheading: LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S DEFENCE]

_Queen Victoria to Lord John Russell._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _13th February 1853._

The Queen has received Lord John Russell's letter of yesterday, and was very glad to hear that he considers the aspect of the House of Commons as favourable to the Government.

Lord John alludes for the first time in his letter to a question on which the Queen has not hitherto expressed her opinion to him personally, viz., how far the proposed new arrangement of Lord John's holding the leadership of the House of Commons without office was const.i.tutional or not?[6] Her opinion perfectly agrees with that expressed by Mr Walpole to Lord John. If the intended arrangement were _undoubtedly illegal_ it would clearly never have been contemplated at all; but it may prove a _dangerous precedent_.

The Queen would have been quite prepared to give the proposition of the Speaker "that the leadership of the House of Commons was so laborious, that an Office without other duties ought to be a.s.signed to it," her fullest and fairest consideration, upon its merits and its const.i.tutional bearings, which ought to have been distinctly set forth before her by her const.i.tutional advisers for her final and unfettered decision.

What the Queen complains of, and, as she believes with justice, is, that so important an innovation in the construction of the executive Government should have been practically decided upon by an arrangement intended to meet personal wants under peculiar and accidental circ.u.mstances, leaving the Queen the embarra.s.sing alternative only, either to forego the exercise of her own prerogative, or to damage by her own act the _formation_ or _stability_ of the new Government, both of paramount importance to the welfare of the Country.

[Footnote 6: See _ante_, pp. 417, 421.]

_Lord John Russell to Queen Victoria._

CHESHAM PLACE, _13th February 1853._

Lord John Russell presents his humble duty to your Majesty. He cannot forbear from vindicating himself from the charge of forming or being party to an arrangement "intended to meet personal wants under peculiar and accidental circ.u.mstances, leaving the Queen the embarra.s.sing alternative only, either to forego the exercise of her own prerogative, or to damage by her own act the _formation_ or _stability_ of the new Government--both of paramount importance to the welfare of the Country."

Lord John Russell has done all in his power to contribute to the formation of a Ministry in which he himself holds a subordinate situation, from which nearly all his dearest political friends are excluded, and which is held by some to extinguish the party which for eighteen years he has led.

He has done all this in order that your Majesty and the Country might not be exposed to the evil of a weak Ministry liable to be overthrown at any moment, formed whether by Lord Derby, or by himself at the head of one party only.

But in consenting to this arrangement he was desirous to maintain his honour intact, and for this purpose he asked before the Ministry was formed for the honour of an Audience of your Majesty, that he might explain all the circ.u.mstances of his position.