The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Iii Part 96

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _8th May 1860_.

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--... Really it is too bad! _No_ country, no human being would ever dream of _disturbing_ or _attacking_ France; every one would be glad to see her prosperous; but _she_ must needs disturb every quarter of the Globe and try to make mischief and set every one by the ears; and, of course, it will end some day in a _regular crusade_ against _the universal disturber_ of _the world!_ It is really monstrous!

Dear Mamma returned to Frogmore on Friday, and Alfred left us on Thursday, sailed from Portsmouth on Sat.u.r.day, but had to stop at Plymouth for some derangement in the machinery till to-day. He was very low at going, though very happy to return to his ship. Now, with Albert's affectionate love, ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: VISIT TO ALDERSHOT]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _15th May 1860_.

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Many, many thanks for your very kind letter received on Sat.u.r.day. We returned yesterday evening from Aldershot, where we spent two very pleasant days with very warm weather. Sunday was a beautiful day and we rode over to Farnham, the Bishop of Winchester's Palace, and it was quite beautiful, the country is so green and sweet--and enjoyable. The warm rain of last week has produced a burst of Spring which is quite beautiful. Yesterday morning it rained when we first went out, but it cleared and became a beautiful day, and we had a pretty field day. Your old Regiment looked extremely well. In the afternoon we saw some very interesting rifle-shooting. The whole Army practises this now most unremittingly, and we saw three different companies of the Guards fire at 300 yards, and so on to 900 yards, and _hit_ the target! They fired in _volleys_.

It is very satisfactory, as this precision would be very _telling_ in action. I think you would be interested by it.

I _hope_ you have forgiven my hurried note of Sat.u.r.day--but I was _so_ anxious at the time. We go to Osborne on the 19th, I am happy to say, till the 31st.

Affairs continue to be very threatening, and keep everybody in suspense.... Ever, dearest Uncle, your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _22nd May 1860_.

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I write to you from here, where it is wonderfully beautiful and unusually _hot_ for May--it is _quite_ like July, but the _late_ Spring has brought out everything together in the most wonderful manner. The foliage of many trees is hardly out yet, but there are all the fruit-trees in fullest blossom--the lilacs and peonies out--the thorns only beginning and every wild flower in profusion--the gra.s.s splendidly green, and a fragrance about everything which is too delicious; and the birds singing _most_ beautifully. The nightingales were last night singing all round the house....

Affairs are in a most bewildered state. Lord Palmerston is _very stout and right_ about our neighbour. I am glad to be able to _refute most positively_ the report of our _ships_ having _prevented_ the Neapolitans from firing; the _case_ is _quite_ clear, and the French and Neapolitan Governments themselves have spread this falsehood.

The House of Lords have thrown the Bill for the Abolition of the paper Duties[24] _out_ by a very large majority, which is a _very good thing_. It will save us a large amount of revenue.

I must end for to-day. Hoping that these lines will find you quite well, ever your devoted _Daughter_ (I _wrote_ by mistake _but_ will leave, as it _only_ expresses what _my feelings_ are) and Niece,

VICTORIA R.

We have quite a small party on the 1st, with some choral singing.

[Footnote 24: This part of Mr Gladstone's financial scheme had lost a good deal of its early popularity: it had only pa.s.sed the third reading in the Commons by the small majority of nine, and the Premier had already told the Queen that the Peers would perform a public service by rejecting it. The majority against it in the House of Lords was 89.]

[Pageheading: THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND MONEY BILLS]

[Pageheading: COMMITTEE OF THE COMMONS]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

94 PICCADILLY, _22nd May 1860_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs to state that the Cabinet met to-day at half-past twelve to consider what (if anything) should be done in consequence of the vote of the House of Lords last night. Lord John Russell, Mr Gladstone, and Mr Milner Gibson were desirous of finding some means of visiting their displeasure upon the House of Lords, but it was shown to them that the only measures which could be adopted were far too violent for the occasion, and that the House of Commons itself is powerless in the matter. When the Lords do anything inconsistent with the a.s.serted privileges of the House of Commons, as, for instance, inserting a taxing Clause in a Bill sent up to them, or making an alteration in a Money Bill sent up to them, the House of Commons is necessarily invited to do something afterwards in the matter, by a.s.senting to what has been done by the Lords; and the Commons then a.s.sert their claimed rights by throwing out the Bill thus, improperly, as the Commons say, meddled with by the Lords; but when the Lords throw out a Bill there is nothing for the Commons to do, as the Bill has vanished, and the Commons are therefore furnished with no opportunity of a.s.serting the right which they may claim. But, moreover, the Commons have always contended that the Lords cannot originate or alter a Money Bill, but it has never been contended that the Lords may not reject a Money Bill, though there are few instances of their having done so. These arguments at length prevailed, and by four o'clock it was agreed that Viscount Palmerston should give notice that he would on Thursday move that a Committee be appointed to examine the Journals of the House of Lords to ascertain the fate of the Bill thus lost like Sir John Franklin, and that on Friday he should move the appointment of a Committee to search for precedent applicable to the case. This course it was thought, while binding the Government to no particular course, would in some degree satisfy those who think some step necessary. The measures mentioned, though it is fair to say not actually proposed, were that Parliament should be prorogued, and rea.s.sembled either in the Autumn or Winter, that then the same Bill should be brought in, and be sent up to the Lords, and that if that Bill were again rejected, Parliament should be dissolved. It was objected to all this, that the case did not warrant such a course; that whether the Lords have or have not overstepped their proper functions, the opinion of the great majority of the public is that the Lords have done a right and useful thing (in confirmation of which it may be stated that the people in the gallery of the House of Lords are said to have joined in the cheers which broke out when the numbers of the division were announced).

Viscount Palmerston, at the meeting of the House, gave notice accordingly that he should on Thursday move for a Committee to search the Lords' Journals--a usual form of motion; and that he should on Friday move to appoint a Committee to search for precedents in order to ascertain facts; but he added that he did not take this course with any view of hostility towards the House of Lords. An attempt was made by Mr Whalley and Mr Digby Seymour to set up a complaint that this was not the sort of proceeding which the gravity of the occasion required, but this endeavour was put down by an unmistakable manifestation of a contrary opinion by the rest of the House....

_Queen Victoria to the Duke of Somerset._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _29th June 1860_.

Before sanctioning the proposed change in the Naval Uniform,[25] the Queen wishes to know what the State occasions are on which the full dress is to be worn. The officers generally wear an undress without epaulettes, which in consequence are of little inconvenience to them. She has always understood the Service to cling very much to its present uniform, and she would be sorry to shock their feelings.

[Footnote 25: The princ.i.p.al change proposed was that full dress should cease to be obligatory at Courts-Martial.]

[Pageheading: MR GLADSTONE SUGGESTS RESIGNATION]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

HOUSE OF COMMONS, _2nd July 1860_.

(8.30 P.M.)

Viscount Palmerston has had the honour of receiving your Majesty's letter of this afternoon. Nothing of much importance as to Foreign Affairs was done at the Cabinet to-day.... The material question for discussion was the course to be pursued about the Tax Bill Report.

Lord John Russell had altered his opinion since Sat.u.r.day, and had yesterday sent Viscount Palmerston a Draft of Resolution which he wished to be circulated to the members of the Cabinet before their meeting at twelve to-day....

After a long discussion, the draft, of which the enclosed is a copy, was agreed to by all except Mr Gladstone. This draft is a combination of parts of Lord John's, parts of Sir James Graham's, and parts of Viscount Palmerston's. No mention of course was made in Cabinet of Sir James Graham having made any suggestion.

When all the other members had left the room Mr Gladstone requested Viscount Palmerston to submit to your Majesty that he could no longer continue to carry on the business of his Department.[26] His opinion strongly was that action and not a Resolution was required, that one of three courses ought to be pursued: either that the Paper Duty Repeal Bill should again be sent up to the Lords; or that a Bill should be sent up for suspending the Paper Duties for a year; or that a Bill should be sent up reducing those duties gradually year by year; or fourthly that with the Repeal of the Paper Duties should be coupled the imposition of Spirit Duties. Viscount Palmerston said he really could not undertake the communication which Mr Gladstone wished to be submitted to your Majesty, and earnestly entreated Mr Gladstone to reconsider the matter; he urged in detail all the reasons which ought to dissuade such a step, and he thought that he had produced some impression on Mr Gladstone. It was agreed between them that Viscount Palmerston, instead of giving notice this afternoon of a Motion to-morrow, and laying the Resolution on the table this evening, should give notice this afternoon of a Motion for Thursday, and promise to lay the Resolution on the table to-morrow. This gives Mr Gladstone more time to think, and more room to turn round in. Mr Milner Gibson has no intention of going out, and has so told Mr Gladstone, strongly advising him to stay in; and Viscount Palmerston's impression is that Mr Gladstone, having failed to become master of the Cabinet by a threat of resignation, will in the end yield to the almost unanimous decision of his colleagues. The only person who supported Mr Gladstone's views, except Mr Milner Gibson, was the Duke of Argyll, who, however, like Mr Gibson, had no intention whatever of accompanying Mr Gladstone in resignation.[27]...

[Footnote 26: This is said to have been an incident of frequent occurrence during the second administration of Lord Palmerston.]