The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume I Part 94

SIR,--When I had the honour of last seeing your Royal Highness at Windsor Castle, I stated to your Royal Highness that it would give me great satisfaction to have the opportunity from time to time of apprising your Royal Highness of the legislative measures in contemplation of Her Majesty's servants, and of explaining in detail any matters in respect to which your Royal Highness might wish for information.

In conformity with this feeling on my part, I take the liberty of sending to your Royal Highness two confidential Memoranda prepared for the information of Her Majesty's servants on the important subjects respectively of the state of Slavery in the East Indies, and of the Poor Laws in this country.

They may probably be interesting to your Royal Highness, and if your Royal Highness should encourage me to do so, I will, as occasion may arise, make similar communications to your Royal Highness. I have the honour to be, Sir, with sincere respect, your Royal Highness's most faithful and humble servant,

ROBERT PEEL.

_P.S._--I do not think that the measure which I have brought forward for the diminution of the duties on the import of foreign corn, will deprive us of any portion of the support or goodwill of our friends.

Many wish that the reduction had not been carried so far, but almost all are aware of the consequences of rejecting or obstructing the measure.

[Pageheading: AFGHANISTAN]

_Lord Fitzgerald and Vesci to Queen Victoria._

INDIA BOARD, _1st March 1842._

Lord Fitzgerald, with his most humble duty to your Majesty, requests permission humbly to submit to your Majesty, that the communications received yesterday at the India House present a dark and alarming picture of the position and danger of the British troops in Afghanistan.[16]

Although the Governor-General's despatch announcing these melancholy tidings also states that no strictly official intelligence had reached him from Cabul, yet the opinion of Lord Auckland evidently is, that the reports on which his despatch is founded are but too likely to be true.

From them it would appear that a numerous and excited native population had succeeded in intercepting all supplies, that the army at Cabul laboured under severe privations, and that in consequence of the strict investment of the cantonments by the enemy, there remained, according to a letter from the late Sir William Macnaghten to an officer with Sir Robert Sale's force, only three days' provision in the camp.

Under such circ.u.mstances it can perhaps be but faintly hoped that any degree of gallantry and devotion on the part of your Majesty's forces can have extricated them from the difficulties by which they were encompa.s.sed on every side.

Capitulation had been spoken of, and it may, unhappily, have become inevitable, as the relieving column, expected from Candahar, had been compelled by the severity of an unusual season to retrace its march.

The despatches from Calcutta being voluminous, and embracing minute unofficial reports, Lord Fitzgerald has extracted and copied those parts which relate to the military operations in Afghanistan, and most humbly submits them to your Majesty.

He at the same time solicits permission to annex a _precis_ of some of the most important of the private letters which have been forwarded from India; and, as your Majesty was graciously pleased to peruse with interest some pa.s.sages from the first journal of Lady Sale, Lord Fitzgerald ventures to add the further extracts, transmitted by Lord Auckland, in which Lady Sale describes successive actions with the enemy, and paints the state of the sufferings of the army, as late as the 9th of December.

Nothing contained in any of these communications encourages the hope of Sir Alexander Burnes's safety. In one letter the death of an individual is mentioned, who is described as the a.s.sa.s.sin of that lamented officer.

All of which is most humbly submitted to your Majesty by your Majesty's most dutiful Subject and Servant,

FITZGERALD AND VESCI.

[Footnote 16: _See_ Introductory Note, _ante_, pp. 254, 370.

(Intro Note to Ch. X; Intro Note to Ch. XI)]

[Pageheading: A MARINE EXCURSION]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Melbourne._

PAVILION, _4th March 1842._

The Queen thanks Lord Melbourne for his kind letter, received the day before yesterday, by which she is glad to see he is well, and f.a.n.n.y got safe to Dublin.

Our excursion was most successful and gratifying. It rained very much all Monday evening at Portsmouth, but, nevertheless, we visited the _St Vincent_ and the _Royal George_ yacht, and the Prince went all over the Dockyards.

It stormed and rained all night, and rained when we set off on bord the _Black Eagle_ (the _Firebrand_ that was) for Spithead on Tuesday morning; it, however, got quite fine when we got there, and we went on board the _Queen_, and a glorious sight it was; she is a magnificent ship, so wide and roomy, and though only just commissioned, in the best order. With marines, etc., her crew is near upon a thousand men!

We saw the men at dinner, and tasted the grog and soup, which pleased them very much. Old Sir Edward Owen is very proud of her.

It was a great pleasure for the Queen to be at sea again, and not a creature _thought_ even of being sick. The saluting of all those great ships in the harbour at once, as we came out and returned, has a splendid effect.

The Queen was also much pleased at seeing four of the crew of the _Emerald_ again whom she knew so well _nine years_ ago! The Prince was delighted with all he saw, as were also our Uncle and Cousins; these last, we are sorry to say, leave us on Monday,--and we go up to Town on Tuesday, where the Queen hopes to see Lord Melbourne soon.

The Queen sends Lord Melbourne a letter from the Queen of Portugal, all which tends to show how _wrong_ it is to _think_ that they connive at the restoration of the Charter....

Lady Dunmore is in waiting, and makes an excellent Lady-in-Waiting.

Lord Hardwicke the Queen likes very much, he seems so straightforward.

He took the greatest care of the Queen when on board ship.

Was not his father drowned at Spithead or Portsmouth?[17]

The Queen hopes to hear that Lord Melbourne is very well.

[Footnote 17: "His father, Sir Joseph Yorke," Lord Melbourne replied, "was drowned in the Southampton River, off Netley Abbey, when sailing for pleasure. The boat was supposed to have been struck by lightning. His cousin, Lord Royston, was drowned in the year 1807 in the Baltic, at Cronstadt"

[according to Burke in 1808, off Lubeck, _aet._ twenty-three], "which event, together with the death of two younger sons of Lord Hardwicke, gave the earldom ultimately to the present Lord."]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

PAVILION, _7th March 1842._

MY DEAR UNCLE,--As I wrote you so long a letter yesterday, I shall only write you a few lines to-day, to thank you for your kind letter of the 4th, received yesterday. Our dear Uncle and dear Cousins have just left us, and we are very sorry to see them go; for the longer one is together the more intimate one gets, and they were quite become as belonging to us, and were so quiet and una.s.suming, that we shall miss them much, particularly dear Leopold, whom poor Uncle Ferdinand recommended to my especial care, and therefore am really very anxious that we should settle something for his _future_. Uncle Ferdinand likes the idea of his pa.s.sing some time at Brussels, and some time here, very much, and I hope we may be able to settle that. Uncle and Cousins were sorry to go.

You will have heard how well our Portsmouth expedition went off; the sea was quite smooth on Tuesday, and we had a delightful visit to the _Queen_, which is a splendid ship. I think it is in these immense wooden walls that our real greatness exists, and I am proud to think that no _other_ nation _can_ equal us in _this_....

Now _addio!_ Ever your most affectionate Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: THE FALL OF CABUL]

_Lord Fitzgerald and Vesci to Queen Victoria._