QUEEN VICTORIA'S JOURNALS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 21 December 1912, Page 20

QUEEN VICTORIA'S JOURNALS.

LEAVES FROM THE PAST. Discrotion is tlio breath of C'ourifl; it is natural that bo good aud loyal n courtier as Lord Jislicr should possess it in full measure. None Ihe less when ho says.' in his introduction to these extracts from the Queen's diaries, Hint "it may bo many years before it would ho wise or prudent to mnlcc public any ninra of tho privato history of Queen Vic-, toria's reign," we think lie goes too far. Tlio letters have been published down to 1801 —ho himself had a hand in it. Why not (,'ivo us tlio diaries, selected ns they would 1)0 by tho Nimo unfailing tactfulncss, nt least as fnrp For "tlio Queen," Lord Esher nay a "novor can ho snamed." . , , Tho Princess Victoria began tlio lmbit of keeping a diary at tho direction of her mother, tho Duchess of Kent, and till tho day wlion sho camo of age—a bare month before her accession—hor diary was avowedly nil educational exercise, dono for her mothor's eye. So that on the wliolo tho first half of Lord Esher a first volume, which covers tho years 18,12-7, are no great matter, and tho editor has wisely mndo his selection rigorous and brief. What is written is iiitNlisrent but not striking, interesting as reflecting the simple social habits oi tho time, but with no evidcnco'-either of precocity or even of particular liveliness or wit. Education is ono of the sorest problems of Koyalty, and perhaps there lias not been a great educational tradition amongst our rulers sinco Tudor times. Tho ministration of tlio Dean of Chestor, who was tutor to tho Princess, seem to have been wellmeaning and assiduous rather than governed by any particular plan. At i past 11 [this in her sixteenth year] came the Dean till 1. I read first in the Old Testament, then in Clarendon, and finished with tho "Spectator." At 1 we lunched. I road after luncheon in tho Bishop of Chester's "Exposition of the Gospel of' St. Matthew." It is a very fins book indeed. Just the sort of ono I like; which is just plain and comprehensible and full of truth and good fooling. It is not one of those learned books in which you have to cavil at almost every paragraph. Life in London, ' Other books mcutioned include "Para diso Lost," Paley's "Evidenced." and tho Lifo of Colonel Hutchinson. The future Queen also had the opportunity of rending the "Directions and Advices" which her uncle Leopold (to whose eagerness in instruction tho Utters bear; witness) had prepared for ono of her- cousins. Apart from books, she had tlio wise friendship of tho Baroness Lelizon, and a continued round of progresses and visits through England which gave her some acquaintance with a country changing from agri, culture to industry, and with the effect of this change 011 the lives of her future subjects. In London the theatre, and more frequently and enjoyable the qpera, gave her constant delight. She .was

enamoured of both Grisi and Malibran, ' but thought Grisi the better of .the two. The death of Malibran in 1838 in Manchester touched her profoundly; three pages of tho journal bear witness, to the impression made on her mind. ICemble she saw twice—once in 1831, before, the diary commences, and again, with somo disillusion in 1836. "I, for my part, liko Macready by far better. Kcmbie whines so much and drawls his words in such a slow, peculiar manner; his actions, too (to me), "are overdone and affected, and his voice is not pleasant to- me; he makes terrible faces nlso, which spoils his countenance, and ho looks old and does not carry himself well"—a sensible criticism which shows that some later excesses of romanticism in acting aro but links with tho past. The passage shows, too, the advancing intelligence of tho writer. All her life the Queen was addicted to the foible of tho single, double, and treble underlino of emphasis, faithfully and rightly translated into terms of print by lord Esher. Theso graphic excesses deorease as timo goes on. At tho beginning of her diary a concert or play or darico oommonly occasions only tho ono quaint formula "I was very much amused indeed," which rises through italics to capitals and a following of exclamation marks in an ascending scale of emphasis, matching the enjoyment of tho writer. By seventeen the Queen was a sensible critic of men and things. The Accession Morning, Accordingly after her accession, when the diaries came to be written, for tho Queen's eye alone, thero is very little change in her manner of writing. ' It remains unaffeoted, simple, and sincere, concerned mainly with personal things, and allowing quite simply full rein to personal emotions. Tho descriptions of tho great events which fall within theso volumes—the morning of the accession, the first Councils,' the Coronation, tho proposal to Prince Albert, tho' weddingare fine just because of their candour and lucidity and the strain of unaffected simplicity to which we have referred. Of the accession:— "I got out of bed, and went into my sitting room (only ill my dressing-Kown), and alone, and saw them. Lord Gonyngliaiu (the Lord Chamberlain) then acquainted me that my poor uncle tho King was no more, and had expired at 12 minutes p. 2 this morning, and consequently that l am Queen. . . . Since it has pleased Providcnco to place mo in this station, I shall do my utmost to fulfill my' duty towards my country; I am very younjj, and perhaps in many, though not in all things, inexperienced, but I am sure that very few have more real good-will and moro real desiro to do what is fit and right than I have." . Of the Coronation:— "It was a fine day, and tho crowds of peoplo exceeded what I have over seen; many as these wero the day I went to tho City, it was nothing—nothing to tho multitudes, tho millions, of my loyal subjects who' were assembled in every spot to witness tho Procession. Their good humour and exccssivo loyalty was. beyond everything, and I really cannot say how proud I feel to be tho Queen of such a nation. . . • Then followed all the various things; and last (of those things) the Crown being placed on my hoad-j-which was, I must own, a most beautiful impressive moment; all tho Peers and Peeresses put on their Coronets at tho same

moment. My excellent I/ord Melbourne, who stood very closo to iuo throughout lliu wliolo ceremony, was completely -overcomo nt this moment, ami very much affected ; ho L'nvo mo such a kind and I may wiy fatherly look." And, lastly, of tho mnrrioge:— "Tho ceremony was very imposing and flno and simple, and I think ought to make an orcrlnstiug impression on everyone who promisos at tlio Altar to keep what ho or sho promisos. Dearest Albert repeated everything very distinctly. I felt so happy when the ring was put on, and by Albert. As soon as the Service wns over, the Procession returned as it came, with the exception' that my beloved Albort led 1110 out."

Lord Melbourne's Influence, It is to do 110 injustico to tho assiduous Leopold and his creature, the well-mean-ing and pervasivo Steckmar, to say that two . personal inlluonces, and only two, ■were paramount in moulding tho character ot Queen Victoria as a woman and a ruler. Ono was tho Prince Consort and. tlio other was Lord Melbourne. We mean nothing derogatory to .a marriage of moro than ordinary loyalty and affection when we say that for England it was singularly fortunate that Melbourne's was the earlier and deeper iniluonco of the two. Mr. Gladstono left it on record that Melbourno "was in many ways a very line fellow. In two of the most important of all tho relations of a Prime Minister ho was perfect. I mean first his relations to the Queen; second, to. his colleagues." As regards the' former of these relations these volumes aro absolutely now and striking testimony, and in that rcspcct of. the highest possible value. They give an intimate picture of tho closo daily relationship between tho Prime Minister and the Queen, written by the only person who could do it with complcto freedom and knowledge—tho Queen herself. The situation was a fascinating one. Lord Melbourne, as' Lord Esher says, became absorbed by tho novel and striking duty which had fallen to his lot. "In his knowledge of political history be was unsurpassed by any living Englishman.'". He understood perfectly the importance of training the Queen to "work straightforwardly, but secretly" with the Cabinet; opponents like tho Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel admitted that she could have had no better political Mentor. And,' though he treated the Queen with unbounded consideration and respect, he did not hesitate to administer reproof where reproof was need. "He consulted her tastes and her wishes, but checked her inclination to bo headstrong and arbitrary. He knew well how to chide with parental firmness, but he did so with a deference that could not fail to fascmato any young girl in a man of his age and attainments." So writes Lord Esher, and his text bears him out. From the beginning the Queen was completely under Melbourne's charm. "I like hiin very much" she writes of his first audience after her accession, "and feel confidence in him. He is a very straightforward, honest, clever, and good man." ■ Later he is indeed a most truly honest, straightforward, and noble-minded man, and I esteem myself most fortunate to have such a limn at the head of the Government.. The pages of both these; yolrmes are crowded with very entertaining, frankly, almost naively, recorded Melbourne tabletalk. It ranges over every subject from English history to religion, education and' literature, to tho characters of people an the royal circle, and things he had .seen on his way to tho Palace. Some of it is brilliant and all of it'wise and kindly, and you feel as you read that every scrap of it went to tho building up of tho character of the Queen 'whom we knew. It would be a fascinating study (one impossible to undertake in ft review), to trace in Lord Melbourne's talk opinions which the Queen 'came to hold tenaciously in Inter life. Were her Low Church- and "Church and State" views on religion of his making? Was it because .of what he said on that subject tliut not till her sou came to the throne did tho Prime Minister's office ■ imply a place in the precedence at Court? There are many such questions which might, be asked. All that can be said here 'is that . it is the portrait of tho Queen's friendship with Melbourne .'that .gives its chief inteiest to, the. : book. Princs Albert. .: As for Prince Albert, the book clones with that marriage day on which his in■ituenco began, So far as affairs a»e concerned. The references to him a're in' a crescendo of admiration and aliee.iion. Of his first visit to England she writes:— "Dearest Ernest and clearest Albert are so grou-n up in their manners, to gentle, Po kind, so amiable, so agreeable, so very > s?nsiblo and reasonable, and so really and truly good and.-kind-hearted. Thuy have both learnt .v good deal, and are very clever, Albert, who is. the most reflecting of the two." Three years later, on the eve of the betrothal, 110 came to England again. "It was w;th some amotion," the Queen irrites, "that I beheld Albert—who w beautiful." Then enmo tho betrothal itself.

"At about i p. 12 I sent for Albert; ho came to the closet where 1 was alone, and after a few minutes I said to him-that I thought he must be aware why I wished them to como here—and that it would make mo too happy if he would cor.s:nt to what I wished (to marry me) We embraced cach other, and he was 60 kind, so affectionate. I told him 1 was" quite unworthy of him—ha said ho would be very happj 'das Leben mit dir zu zitbringen,': and was so kind, and seemed so happy, that I really felt it was the happiest, brightest moment of my life." ' \lt ought to be added 'that the book is illustrated with many interesting unpublished portraits, some.of. them drawn by the Queen herself. G.H.M.