The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Iii Part 101

We have since ten or twelve days almost incessant rain, so that we shall soon be on an island. This is the more distressing as we can't go to Osborne at present--there being a sort of epidemic fever which the doctors declare is in the air and that it would be running too great a risk if we went. But we have perpetual sunshine in the house when we look at our dear young lovers, who are _so_ happy, so devoted to each other, that it does one good to see it; he is so modest and una.s.suming that we feel as if he was one of our own children; and he is _so_ good and amiable, has such an open honest character, such a warm heart, such high principles, and is withal so merry and _aufgeweckt_ that I feel we have _gained_ a son and shall _not_ lose a daughter--for we shall be able to have them a good deal with us, Louis not having any duties to detain him much at home at present. I can't say what happiness and comfort it is to me. I feel my dear child will first of all have a peaceful, quiet, happy home, without difficulties--and secondly, that she will not be entirely cut off from us and monopolised as our poor Vicky is.

I add a few lines since we have seen the Empress. She came at half-past one, and stayed till a little after three. She looked very pretty, but very sad--and in speaking of her health and of her return from Algiers began to cry. She seems to be much better, however, for her journey; before she could neither eat nor sleep, nor would she take notice of anything. She never mentioned the Emperor but once when she offered his compliments, and there was not the slightest allusion to politics. It is altogether very strange. She remains another week in England, and then goes back as she came. I gave her your message, and she enquired after you. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 54: See _ante_, 15th May, 1859, note 38.]

[Footnote 55: See _ante_, 17th July, 1859, note 62.]

[Pageheading: VISIT OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

_Windsor Castle, 11th December 1860_.

MY BELOVED UNCLE,--I have to thank you for two _most_ kind letters of the 4th and 7th. Your kind interest in our dear child's happiness--your approval of this marriage of our dear Alice, which, I cannot deny, has been for _long_ an ardent wish of mine, and just therefore I feared _so_ much it _never_ would come to pa.s.s, gives us the greatest pleasure. _Now_--that _all_ has been so _happily_ settled, and that I find the young man so very charming--my joy, and my _deep_ grat.i.tude to G.o.d are very great! He is so loveable, so very _young_, and like one of our own children--not the _least in the way_--but a dear, pleasant, _bright_ companion, full of fun and spirits, and I am _sure_ will be a _great_ comfort to us, besides being an excellent husband to our dear, good Alice, who, though radiant with joy and much in love (which well she may be), is as quiet and sensible as possible.

The Empress is still here, and enjoys her liberty of _all_ things. We went to town for the Smithfield Cattle Show yesterday, and visited her at Claridge's Hotel. She very civilly wanted us to avoid the trouble, but we felt that it would not be civil if we did not, and that hereafter even the French might say that she had not been treated with due respect. She looked very pretty, and was in very good spirits, but again carefully avoided any allusion to her husband and to politics, though she talked a great deal about all she was seeing!...

I must now wish you good-bye. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

TO CHAPTER x.x.x

Early in 1861--a year destined to close in sorrow and desolation--Queen Victoria experienced a heavy grief in the death of her mother, the d.u.c.h.ess of Kent, at the age of seventy-four.

In January, fresh overtures were made to Lord Palmerston by the Conservative leaders, with a view of supporting him in office against the dissentients in his Ministry, especially Lord John Russell and Mr Gladstone, whose views on the questions of Reform and National Defence respectively were opposed to those of the Premier. Lord Palmerston was indifferent to the support of Mr Gladstone; but a unity of view on the Italian policy of the Government held the three Liberal statesmen together.

The attack on the Paper Duties was repeated by Mr Gladstone, who, on this occasion, combined all his fiscal proposals in a single Bill. The measure, after strong opposition, pa.s.sed the Commons by a majority of fifteen, and the Peers subsequently accepted the Budget, which took a penny off the income tax, while maintaining the existing tea and sugar Duties. In July, Lord John Russell, who had entered Parliament in 1813, before he came of age and had been leader of the House of Commons at the time of the Queen's accession, was transferred to the House of Lords. In August, the Queen and the Prince Consort, with the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, paid a third visit to Ireland.

The affairs of Italy still continued to attract public attention.

At the end of 1860, the French fleet had been despatched to Gaeta to protect the interests of King Francis; this protection, given in violation of the principle of non-intervention, was withdrawn in January, and the garrison surrendered to the Piedmontese Admiral. On the 18th of February, the new Parliament of Italy met at Turin, the debates emphasising the vital necessity of including both Rome and Venetia in a united nation; Victor Emmanuel was declared King of Italy, a t.i.tle promptly recognised by Great Britain; but in June, to the profound grief of the Italian nation, Cavour, its Prime Minister, and the mainspring of the Piedmontese policy, died while still in the prime of life.

King Frederick William of Prussia had died in January, and was succeeded by his brother, William I., Prince of Prussia, who was crowned with Queen Augusta, at Konigsberg, on the 18th of October, Lord Clarendon attending as British representative. In the following month, King Pedro of Portugal, son and successor of Donna Maria, and his brother Ferdinand, died of typhoid fever; another brother, Prince John, succ.u.mbed to the same malady before the close of the year.

Events of great importance took place in North America, where the secession of South Carolina was followed by that of other Southern States. The delegates of the latter a.s.sembled in February at Montgomery, Alabama, and nominated Jefferson Davis as their President, Abraham Lincoln having been previously elected as the new President of the United States. The first shot had been fired, on the 9th of January, in Charleston Harbour, where a Secessionist battery opened its guns on a vessel sent by the Federal Government to reinforce Fort Sumter. In April, the Confederate troops attacked the Fort, which was compelled to surrender, whereupon President Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteers; President Davis replied by issuing (in default of an official fleet) letters of marque to privately owned vessels, and Lincoln declared the Southern ports in a state of blockade. In May, Lord John Russell announced that the British Government would recognise the South as a belligerent power, and a proclamation of neutrality was issued. At Bull Run, on the 21st of July, the Federals were defeated, and fled in confusion to Washington. Hostilities continued during the year, and Great Britain was nearly involved in war, by the seizure, on the 8th of November, by the captain of a Federal vessel, the _San Jacinto_, of Messrs Slidell and Mason, the envoys accredited by the Confederate States to Great Britain and France. This high-handed action was taken while the envoys in question were pa.s.sengers to Europe, by the British mail steamer _Trent_, between Havana and St Thomas, and the public mind of Great Britain was greatly excited in consequence; but eventually the envoys were transferred to a British ship-of-war, and arrived in Great Britain, not, however, until in view of a threatened aggression on British North America, troops had been despatched from England to strengthen the Canadian garrisons on the frontier. The despatch of Lord Russell to the American Government, which led to a pacific result, had been revised by Prince Albert, in the direction of leaving open to that Government an honourable retreat from the aggressive att.i.tude they had taken up; the Prince's action in this respect, the beneficial effect of which it would be difficult to exaggerate, was destined to be the last of a long series of political services rendered to this country.

It had become apparent in the autumn that Prince Albert's normal health was impaired, and in November he began to suffer from persistent insomnia; towards the end of the month the fever originated which was to prove fatal to him. He suffered at first from rheumatic pains and constant weakness, until, early in December, what was thought to be influenza developed, and the Prince was confined to his room. By the 11th his condition, though not hopeless, had become grave, and the serious nature of the illness was made public; and, although on the 12th the Queen could write hopefully to King Leopold, the malady continued to increase. On the evening of the 13th, a rally took place, and encouraging reports were brought hourly to the Queen through the night; but congestion of the lungs supervened on the following day, in the closing hours of which, to the inexpressible grief both of the Queen and her subjects, the Prince pa.s.sed peacefully away. The letters of the Queen to King Leopold and Lord Canning express, in language to which nothing can be added, the intensity of her grief, and, no less, the n.o.ble and unselfish courage with which she resolved to devote her life to her children and country.

CHAPTER x.x.x

1861

[Pageheading: CONSERVATIVE OVERTURES]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

BROADLANDS, _1st January 1861_.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs to be allowed to wish your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort many prosperous returns of New Year's Day, with increasing happiness to your Majesty and the Royal Family, and progressive advantage to the Nation who have the good fortune to have your Majesty for their Sovereign; and to adopt the language of Pope, he would say,

"May day improve on day, and year on year, Without a pain, a trouble, or a fear."

This Autumn and Winter, however, have been productive of events in three of the four quarters of the Globe, which future years are not likely to repeat. The capture of Pekin in Asia by British and French troops; the Union in Europe of nearly the whole of Italy into one Monarchy; and the approaching and virtually accomplished Dissolution in America of the great Northern Confederation, are events full of importance for the future, as well as being remarkable in time present.

Viscount Palmerston submits two letters which your Majesty may feel an interest in seeing. With regard to that from Lord John Russell stating a half-formed wish to go to the House of Lords, Viscount Palmerston does not expect that the desire will be repeated when the Session begins, although Lord John said last year that he felt attendance in the House of Commons in addition to the labour of his office, more than he could well get through. He would be a loss to Viscount Palmerston in the House of Commons, especially after the removal of Mr Sidney Herbert to the House of Lords;[1] and speaking confidentially to your Majesty with regard to the future, Viscount Palmerston would think himself doing better service by recommending the House of Lords for Mr Gladstone, than for Lord John Russell.

Mr Herbert will take the t.i.tle of Lord Herbert of Lea, the t.i.tle of Herbert being that borne by his elder brother during the life of the late Lord Pembroke.

The other letter from Lord Malmesbury relates to a communication which he made to Viscount Palmerston last year from Lord Derby and Mr Disraeli at the beginning of the Session, to the effect that, if the Government were then to break up from internal dissensions, the Conservative Party would support during the then ensuing Session any administration which Viscount Palmerston might be able provisionally to make, to carry through the business of the Session.[2] Viscount Palmerston is not aware of any circ.u.mstances which can have led to the expectation that the present administration is likely to be broken up by internal divisions in the course of this next Session. There are no questions ahead so likely to produce discord as the Reform Bill of last year, and the differences between the two Houses about the Paper Duties, about which it was very difficult to prevent Lord John and Mr Gladstone from flying off, or the Fortification Question, upon which Mr Gladstone announced to his colleagues, nearly a dozen times, that he was firmly resolved to resign. Viscount Palmerston has asked Lord Malmesbury to come over to him to Broadlands at any time before the 21st or 22nd of this month, which is the probable time at which the Cabinet will have to meet in London.

Viscount Palmerston finds he has not got Lord John Russell's letter at hand, but the only thing of any interest in it was the intimation which Viscount Palmerston quoted.

[Footnote 1: Mr Herbert had been latterly in bad health, and resigned office in the summer. He died on the 2nd of August.]

[Footnote 2: In his memoirs, Lord Malmesbury describes an interview with Lord and Lady Palmerston on the 1st of June 1860, apparently the one at which this communication was made.

"It is evident," he writes, "he [Lord Palmerston] does not wish to lose Lord John, though he would be very glad if Gladstone resigned."]

_The Emperor of the French to Queen Victoria._

PARIS, _le 31 Decembre 1860_.

MADAME ET TReS CHeRE S[OE]UR,--Je ne veux pas laisser cette annee s'ecouler sans venir porter a votre Majeste l'expression de mes souhaits pour son bonheur et celui du Prince et de sa famille.

J'espere que l'annee qui va commencer sera heureuse pour nos deux nations, et qu'elle verra encore nos liens se resserrer. L'Europe est bien agitee, mais tant que l'Angleterre et la France s'entendent, le mal pourra se localiser.

Je felicite votre Majeste du succes que nos deux armees ont obtenu en Chine; laissons toujours nos etendards unis; car Dieu semble les proteger.

J'ai bien envie l'Imperatrice qui a pu vous faire une visite et revoir votre charmante famille: elle en a ete bien heureuse.