QUEEN VICTORIA'S LETTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 7 December 1907, Page 4

QUEEN VICTORIA'S LETTERS.

The "Letters of Queen Victoria" (published to-day in London, October 16, 1907, by Mr Murray), which Mr A. C. Benson and Lord Esher have edited under the authority of the Kin;;, constitute an invaluable national possession which His Majesty has given to the world. The letters extend from the earliest period of her life to that dark year of 1861 when the husband she adored was taken from her. The first letters are of domestic interest, but they show clearly the training by which the Queen was fitted for her great position. These early letters reveal little that has not been familiar for many years, but they have a keen human interest and reflect also the close attention which Her Majesty from the first paid to international affairs. THE CORONATION. Of the Coronation, which took place in 1838, there is a long and lively accrunt extracted from Hit Majesty's icumal. The Queen was greatly touched by the affection of her people. She writes: —"It was a fine day, and the crowds of people exceeded what I have ever seen. Many as there were the day I went to the city, it was nothing, nothing to the multitudes, the millions of my loyal subjects who were assembled in every spot to witness the procession. Their good humor and excessive loyalty was beyond everything, and I really cannot say how proud I feel to be the Queen of such a nation. I was alarmed at times for fear that the people would be crushed and squeezed on account rf the tremendous rvsh and pressure." The Archbishop and the Bishop of Durham seem to have been exceptionally maladroit at the ceremony in the Abbey, but Lord Melbourne was constantly to hand, and the Queen notes that the moment th:> Crown was !;la"el on her head amid the shouts and the trumpets and the firing of guns, he "was completely overcome," and '"gave me such a kind and I may say fatherly look " THij "BEDCHAMBER PLOT."

The 1 istory of tin "Bedchamber Mot" and how deeply the Queen was moved by it is familiar through the indiscretions of Mr Greville. But one or two passages in her letters may illustrate the temper of Her Majesty in insisting on what she looked upon a", her right. She would not have the Tory ladies at all, and told Peel so plainly. To Melbourne, whom she consulted all through the time Peel and Wellington were negotiating to form a Cabinet, she wrote: "The Queen of England will not submit to such trickery." Ultimately she wrote to Peel a letter, practically dictated by Melbourne, to the effect that she could not submit to the removal of the ladies of her Bedchamber, as it would be "contrary to usage" and "repugnant to her feelings." A note at the bottom of the page is exceedingly interesting, for it records that sixty years later the Queen, during a conversation with Sir Arthur Bigge, after eulogising Sir Kobert Peel, said: "I was very young then, and perhaps I should act differently if it were all to be done again." PRINCE ALBERT. A great part of the first volume is taken up with correspondence regarding Prince Albert. The Queen quite understood that she should make her own choice, and she had taken a keen interest in Prince Albert since the T)ukc of Saxe-Coburg and his two sons had paid a visit to England. Jiut she did not regard herself as pledged. Writing to King Leopold, she says: ' Though all the reports of Albert are most favorable, and though I have little doubt I shall like him, still one ran never answer beforehand for feelings, and I may not have the feeling for him which is requisite to ensure happiness. I may like him as a friend, and as a cousin, and as a brother, but not more; and should this be the ease (which is not likely) I am very anxious that it should be understood that 1 am not guilty of any breach of promise, for I never gave any." The Prince's visit speedily decided her, however. She found him a handsome, serious-minded young man, who immediately captivated her affections, and she wrote in the most enthusiastic strains to her uncle of his qualities: Oh, dear uncle! I do feel so happy! I do so adore Albert! He is quite an angel, and so very, very kind to me. and seems so fond of me," which touches mr- much. I trust and hope I shall be able to make him as happy as he ought t" be! I cannot bear to part from him, for we spend such happv, delightfu' hours together." The letters" to rnd from Prince Albert have an interest of their own. They principal'? n.ncern the arrangement of the Prince s household when he comes to England, a matter on which Her Ma jesty insisted on having her own iU'y, as the letters reveal. ' '

QUEEX AND LORD PALMFUSION. The conduct of Lord Palinerston at j the Foreign Office is dealt with at . length in tho second volume. The Queen protested strongly against his opening of her letters and of his action in offering to send Lord Xormanby as Ambassador to Paris. She complained, too, that he had not kept her informed oi certain international affairs, and Krote that his language in a despatch to Lord Xormanby was "little in accordance with the calm dignity which she likes to see in all the proceedings of the British Government." She had other cr.nsc to complain of "Pam " before long. The Foreign Secretary continually promised to reform and broke his promises as regularly. Her Majesty, in a series of letters to Lord John Russell, protests against the ' wilful indiscretions" of her Secretary of State, from which she demands that she should he protected bv the rest of the Ministry.

"MUST NOT HAPPEN AGAIN." Amoncrst the many letters written by the Queen during their famous disagreement the following will slion- how firmly and jealously she could write I', was written at Buckingham Palace on the 17th February, 1850:—"She has not vet received an'answer from Lord 1 almerston, hut just hears from Lord John (Russell) that Lord Palmerston has sent the draft off unaltered. The Queen must remark upon this sort of first instance, and plainly tell Lord Palmerston that this must not happen apiin. Lord Palmerston has a perfect nght to state to the Quoon his reasons for disagreeing with her views, am! um always have found her ready to listen to his reasons; but she cannot allow a servant of the Crown and her Minister to act contrary to her orders, and this without her knowledge." On the 31st October in the following year she writes thus positively to Lord John Russell: "The Queen cannot expose herself to having positive commands disobeyed bv one of her public servants, and should Lord Palmerston persist in his intention (which wis to receive Kossuth at the Korean Office) he cannot continue as her Minister " On the same day sin- wrote a htler t> Lord Palmerston which rninlmlccl as follows: "Tin l Queen must tliirefere demand that the reception „f Kossuth by I.ord Palmerston should ret take plare. M THE CRIMEA. Tile progress of events in the Crimea is the subject of many letters from the Queen to her uncle. Jnkernian was fought on Xovemlpr aiid writing to Leopold on the the Queen says: "My u ) 1oIp |„, art S(m] are in the Crimea. The conduct of our dear, noble troops is beyond praiseit is quite heroic, and rrallv n pride tc have such troops, which is only

equalled by my grhf for their sufferings. We now know that there has toon a pitched battle on the 6th, in vHch wc have lioen vi/lc-ricus over much greater numbers, out with h s.- on both sides —the greatest on the lhissian. But we know nothing mc.re, and now wc must live in a pn.se which is indeed dreadf.il. Then to think of the numbers ol' families who are living in such anxiety, it i<; Uirible to think of all the wreioheu rues and mothers who are awarding the fate of those nearest arid deare.st t them! In short, it is a time which requires courage and patience to bear as (me ought. I THE QUEEN'S GRIEF.

The closing letters of the hook are those aad missives of widowhood. The grief of Queen Victoria at the death oi.' her Consort was extreme. Her life with him had been so happy, and his illness was so short, its fatal conclusion so unexpected, that she was almost shattered by the blow. No one can read unmoved the sentences of the letter of sympathy to Lord Canning, whose own wife had just died in India. Tc the King of the Belgians the Queen ; wrote: "My own dearest, kindest father, for as such have I ever loved you! The poor fatherless baby of eight months is now the utterly brokenhearted and crushed widow of fortytwo! My life as a happy one is ended! The world is gone for me! If I must live on (and I will do nothing to make ni • worse than I am) it is henceforth for our poor fatherless children—for my unhappy country, which has lost all in losing him—and in only doing what I know and feel he would wish; for he is near to me!—his spirit will guide and inspire me! But, oh! to be cut off in the prime of life—to see our I pure, happy, quiet domestic life, which | alone enabled me to bear my very n.vch-disliked position, cut off atfntvtwo, when I had hoped with such instinctive certainty that God never would part us, and would let us grow old together (though he always talked nt the shortness of life) is too awful, too cruel! And yet it must be for his gcod, his happiness! His purity was too great, his aspirations too high, for this poor miserable world! His great soul is now only enjoying that for which it was worthy! And I will not envy him —only pray that mine may be perfected by it and fit to be with him eternally, for which blessed moment I earnestly long." One word of praise should be given t) the editors, whose short memoranda •wd notes at every point are so helpfid, and whose discretion has been exercised to such advantage. Their task has been performed under many difficulties with great success.