The Letters of Queen Victoria, Volume 1 (of 3), 1837 to 1843)

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J. R. G. GRAHAM.

[Pageheading: TROUBLE AT THE CAPE]

_Lord Stanley to Queen Victoria._

DOWNING STREET, _26th August 1842._

Lord Stanley, with his humble duty, submits for your Majesty's perusal
copies of three despatches, received yesterday from the Governor of
the Cape of Good Hope, detailing the unfortunate result of an attack
made by a small party of your Majesty's troops upon the camp of the
insurgent Boers at Natal; and also the copy of a despatch which Lord
Stanley has sent in consequence to Sir George Napier,[76] which, he
trusts, may meet your Majesty's approbation. Lord Stanley would have
submitted the draft for your Majesty's approval previous to sending
it, had not an opportunity presented itself of sending it off by a
fast-sailing private ship which sailed this morning, the intelligence
having only been received yesterday. The instructions sent to Sir
George Napier, on the 10th of April, but not received when this
unfortunate affair took place, were in substance not to attempt the
subjugation of these people by direct force, but to warn them that
their titles to the land which they occupy would not be recognised by
your Majesty, that they would have no title to claim protection from
the aggression of the neighbouring tribes, to interdict communication
between them and the settled parts of the Colony, and to prevent any
intercourse by sea with foreign or British traders. The unfortunate
event which has now occurred will render it necessary to take steps,
as Sir George Napier has already done, for vindicating the power of
your Majesty's Arms; but when that shall have been effected, Lord
Stanley would still hope that a considerable number of these misguided
men may be induced to return to their allegiance, and to the settled
parts of your Majesty's dominions, and he feels confident that in such
an event he will be fulfilling your Majesty's wishes in directing that
they may be treated with all possible lenity.

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

STANLEY.

[Footnote 76: Sir George Napier (1784-1855) governed Cape
Colony for seven years, and the Boers were extruded from Natal
by him.]

_Queen Adelaide to Queen Victoria._

BUSHEY HOUSE, _7th September 1842._

MY DEAREST NIECE,--... Your Mamma's visit gave me great pleasure, and
it has been a great treat to me to hear her sing again, and _so well_,
which put me in mind of former happy days. I regret _much_ that she
leaves me already this afternoon again, but the strong and powerful
_magnet_ which you have left at the Castle draws her back, and I dare
not keep her away from such treasures.

I beg you, my dearest Victoria, to give my affectionate love to dear
Albert, and to believe me ever most devotedly, your very affectionate
Aunt,

ADELAIDE.

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN VISITS SCOTLAND]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

TAYMOUTH,[77] _8th September 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I make no excuses for not having written, as I know
that you will understand that when one is travelling about and seeing
so much that is _totally_ new, it is very difficult to find time to
write....

Albert has told you already how successfully everything had gone off
hitherto, and how much pleased we were with Edinburgh, which is an
unique town in its way. We left Dalkeith on Monday, and lunched at
Dupplin, Lord Kinnoul's, a pretty place with quite a new house, and
which poor Lord Kinnoul displayed so well as to fall head over heels
down a steep bank, and was proceeding down another, if Albert had not
caught him; I did not see it, but Albert and I have nearly died with
laughing at the _relation_ of it. From Dalkeith we went through Perth
(which is _most_ beautifully situated on the Tay) to Scone Palace,[78]
Lord Mansfield's, where we slept; fine but rather gloomy. Yesterday
morning (Tuesday) we left Scone and lunched at Dunkeld, the beginning
of the Highlands, in a tent; _all_ the Highlanders in their fine
dress, being encamped there, and with their old shields and swords,
looked very romantic; they were chiefly Lord Glenlyon's[79] men.
_He_, poor man! is suddenly become _totally_ blind, and it was very
melancholy to see him do the _honours_, _not_ seeing _anything_. The
situation of Dunkeld, down in a valley surrounded by wooded hills,
is very, very pretty. From thence we proceeded to this enchanting
and princely place; the whole drive here was beautiful. All Lord
Breadalbane's[80] Highlanders, with himself at their head, and a
battalion of the 92nd Highlanders, were drawn up in front of the
House. In the evening the grounds were splendidly illuminated, and
bonfires burning on the hills; and a number of Highlanders danced
reels by torchlight, to the bagpipes, which was very wild and
pretty....

[Footnote 77: Lord Breadalbane's house. The Queen left London
on 29th August for Scotland by sea, reaching Edinburgh on 1st
September.]

[Footnote 78: Scone Abbey was granted to Sir David Murray
(afterwards Viscount Stormont) by James VI. of Scotland, whose
cup-bearer he was, and whose life he saved.]

[Footnote 79: Afterwards George, sixth Duke of Atholl
(1814-1864).]

[Footnote 80: John, second Marquis of Breadalbane, K.T.
(1796-1862).]

[Pageheading: DRUMMOND CASTLE]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Melbourne._

TAYMOUTH, _10th September 1842._

It has been long the Queen's intention to write to Lord Melbourne, but
we have seen and done so much, it has been impossible. Everything
has gone off so well at Edinburgh, Perth, and elsewhere. This is a
princely and most beautiful place, and we have been entertained by
Lord Breadalbane in a magnificent way. The Highland Volunteers, two
hundred in number (without the officers), keeping guard, are encamped
in the park; the whole place was twice splendidly illuminated, and the
sport he gave the Prince out shooting was on the largest scale.

The Highlands and the mountains are too beautiful, and we _must_ come
back for longer another time. The Queen will finish this letter at
Drummond Castle,[81] as we leave this in half an hour.

_Drummond Castle, 11th._--We arrived here yesterday evening at seven,
having had a most beautiful journey. We went with Lord Breadalbane
up the Loch Tay (by water) to Ochmore[82] (I don't know _how_ it is
written), a cottage belonging to Lord Breadalbane, close to Killin.
The morning was very fine, and the view indescribably beautiful; the
mountains so high, and so wooded close to Killin. It is impossible to
say how kind and attentive Lord Breadalbane and poor Lady Breadalbane
(who is so wretchedly delicate) were to us. We were so sorry to
go away, and might perhaps have managed to stay two days longer at
Taymouth, were we not fearful of delaying our sea voyage back too
much. However, we mean to visit him for longer another time; the
Highlands are so beautiful, and so new to _me_, that we are most
anxious to return there again.

The journey from Killin to Comrie was _most_ beautiful, and through
such wild scenery--Glen Ogle, which of course Lord Melbourne
knows--and then along Loch Ern. This house is quite a cottage, but
the situation is fine, and the garden very beautiful. We leave this
on Tuesday for Dalkeith[83] where we sleep, and re-embark the next day
for _England_. We greatly admire the extreme beauty of Edinburgh; the
situation as well as the town is most striking; and the Prince, who
has seen so much, says it is the finest town he ever saw. Scone
Palace (where we slept on Tuesday night) is fine, but gloomy; Perth is
beautiful.

The Queen hopes Lord Melbourne is very well. The Prince begs to be
remembered to him.

Dalkeith is a fine good house, and the park and grounds very pretty.

[Footnote 81: The seat of Lord Willoughby d'Eresby.]

[Footnote 82: It should be written Auchmore.]

[Footnote 83: The seat of the Duke of Buccleuch.]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _20th September 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Pray accept my best thanks for your kind letter of
the 15th, which I received on Saturday, the day of our arrival here.
Dearest Louise will have told you what I wrote to her. We had a speedy
and prosperous voyage home of forty-eight hours, on board a fine large
and very fast steamer, the _Trident_, belonging to the General Steam
Navigation Company. We found our dear little Victoria so grown and so
improved, and speaking so plain, and become so independent; I think
really few children are as forward as she is. She is quite a dear
little companion. The Baby is sadly backward, but also grown, and very
strong. I am so distressed about dearest Louise's still coughing,
but she tells me it is decreasing. Only pray let her give way to her
grief; much crying, even if it makes her cough for the moment, can
do her no real harm, but stifling and swallowing _grief_ (which she
_cannot_ repress) gnaws at the very roots of life and undermines
health. Ostend and sea-baths would, I should think, do her good.

I am very glad that you went to see the King of Prussia, and saw so
many old friends; Fritz of Mecklenburg[84] is, you know, Albert's very
dear friend; he is just arrived here.

Alexandrine's brother everybody praises; the whole family are handsome
and well brought up.

The Archduke Frederic[85] comes here to-morrow for a week's visit.
Everybody praises him, and Ferdinand liked him very much; all Archduke
Charles's[86] sons are said to be very well brought up. How I wish
Archduke John[87] had come over here!

Now, dearest Uncle, adieu! and pray believe me, always, your most
affectionate Niece,

VICTORIA R.

It would be _very_ kind of you if you would tell me if there is a
chance of Augustus's marrying Clementine.[88] Don't believe I should
say a word _against_ it; but I have heard so much about it that I
should be really and sincerely glad to know a _little_ of the _truth_
from _you_.

[Footnote 84: Frederic William (1819-1904), afterwards Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. See _post_, p 434. (Ch. XI, Footnote 93)]

[Footnote 85: Son of the Archduke Charles.]

[Footnote 86: (1771-1847), third son of the Emperor Leopold
II. Distinguished in the Napoleonic wars.]

[Footnote 87: (1782-1859), younger son of the Emperor Leopold
II. Commanded on the Rhine, 1815. Administrator of the Empire,
1848.]

[Footnote 88: Prince Augustus of Saxe-Coburg and Princess
Clementine of Orleans were married in the following April.
Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria is their son.]

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN'S STEAM YACHT]

_Sir Robert Peel to Queen Victoria._

WHITEHALL, _22nd September 1842._

Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs
leave, with reference to your Majesty's note of yesterday, to state
to your Majesty that the _first_ act of Sir Robert Peel on his return
from Scotland was to write to Lord Haddington[89] and strongly urge
upon the Admiralty the necessity of providing a steam yacht for your
Majesty's accommodation.

Sir Robert Peel trusts that your Majesty may entirely depend upon
being enabled to make any excursions your Majesty may resolve upon
in the early part of next summer, in a steam vessel belonging to
your Majesty, and suitable in every respect for your Majesty's
accommodation.

Sir Robert Peel has had a personal communication with Sir John
Barrow,[90] one of the Secretaries to the Admiralty, this morning,
upon the subject, and Sir Robert Peel has written by this post to Sir
George Cockburn,[91] who is out of town.

He finds that the Admiralty is now building a large vessel to be
worked by steam power, applied by means of a revolving screw instead
of paddles. It may be doubtful whether the same degree of velocity
can be attained by means of the screw, particularly in a very large
vessel. Of this a full trial will be made.

Sir John Barrow assures Sir Robert Peel that he has been on board a
steam-boat moved by the screw, and that the working of the engine is
scarcely perceptible; that there is none of the tremulous motion which
accompanies the beats of the paddles, and that it will be possible to
apply an apparatus by means of which the smoke can be consumed, and
the disagreeable smell in great measure prevented.

Sir Robert Peel will leave nothing undone to ensure your Majesty's
comfort and safety in any future naval excursions that your Majesty
may be pleased to make.

[Footnote 89: First Lord of the Admiralty.]

[Footnote 90: Barrow had been made second Secretary in 1804
by Dundas; he was a self-made man, and a most indefatigable
traveller, writer, and promoter of Arctic exploration.]

[Footnote 91: Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn
(1772-1853), First Naval Lord.]

[Pageheading: QUEEN ISABELLA]

_The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria._

_27th September 1842._

Lord Aberdeen, with his most humble duty, lays before your Majesty a
letter which he has received from Mr Aston, respecting the marriage
of the Queen of Spain, and which, after what has already passed, may
perhaps cause your Majesty some surprise.

Lord Aberdeen is humbly of opinion that the language hitherto employed
by your Majesty's Government upon this subject ought not to undergo
any change, and that it ought to be treated entirely as a Spanish
question.

Great Britain would naturally regard a marriage with a son of the King
of the French as injurious to Spain and menacing to Europe, but would
probably not feel it necessary to give such an opinion respecting any
other alliance. While this might be plainly stated, and the Spanish
Government exhorted to act according to their own independent view
of the real interests of the country and of the Queen, Lord Aberdeen
would humbly propose that the Regent should be explicitly informed by
Mr Aston that he must not expect to receive any assistance from your
Majesty's Government in promoting a marriage with a Prince of the
Netherlands.

Lord Aberdeen believes that the difficulties in the way of such an
alliance will be found to be very great, and especially that the
religion of the Prince will present an obstacle which in Spain must be
nearly insurmountable.

[Pageheading: LORD MELBOURNE ON SCOTLAND]

_Viscount Melbourne to Queen Victoria._

BROCKET HALL, _29th September 1842._

Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has to
acknowledge your Majesty's letter of the 25th inst., which he had the
honour and pleasure of receiving here on the 27th. Lord Melbourne is
well aware how much your Majesty's time must have been occupied by the
number of visitors at the Castle. We are much rejoiced here that your
Majesty saw the Prince and Princess Liechtenstein.[92] The latter is a
great favourite of Lady Beauvale's, to whom she was always very kind,
and who describes her exactly as your Majesty does, as being very
"amiable and unassuming," and though one of the first, if not the
first lady at Vienna, as not at all partaking of the insolence and
hauteur which is by some ascribed to the society of that capital. As
a beauty, she is perhaps upon too large a scale, except for those who
admire women of all shapes and sizes; but her eyes and brow are very
fine, and there is a very peculiarly soft and radiant expression about
them. Lord Melbourne had heard of his Sovereignty, but understands
that his territory is extremely limited. His possessions as a subject
of Austria are worth a good deal more than his German principality.

Lord Melbourne greatly congratulates your Majesty upon the happy
progress and termination of the expedition to Scotland. He is very
glad of three things--that your Majesty returned by sea, in the
steamer, and that the passage was a good one....

The country is indeed most interesting, full of real picturesque
beauty and of historical and poetical associations and recollections.
There is nothing to detract from it, except the very high opinion
that the Scotch themselves entertain of it. Edinburgh is
magnificent--situation, buildings, and all--but the boasting of the
articles in the newspapers respecting it almost inclined one to deny
its superiority. It is also, as your Majesty says, most striking to
contemplate in the Clans the remains of feudal times and institutions.
It is quite as well, however, particularly for Monarchy, that they are
but remains, and that no more of them have been left.

Lord Melbourne thanks your Majesty much for your kind enquiries after
his health. He thinks that he is getting better and stronger than he
has been, and has a notion of trying a little shooting in October.

Lord Melbourne begs to be respectfully remembered to the Prince.

[Footnote 92: Prince Aloysius Joseph of Liechtenstein
(1796-1858) and his wife, Princess Francoise-de-Paule,
Countess Kinsky.]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _18th October 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I only received your kind letter yesterday, for
which my best thanks. I am delighted to hear that Louise's cough is
decidedly better, and that upon the whole the dear family are well,
thank God! Certainly where He sees fit to afflict, He gives strength
to bear up!

Louise says Vecto is in great beauty, and the baby magnificent. I wish
you could see Pussy now; she is (_unberufen_) the picture of health,
and has just cut her first eye-tooth, without the slightest suffering.
We are going to Brighton on the 1st of November for a month; it is the
_best_ month _there_ and the _worst here_. I think I _may_ announce
Augusta Cambridge's[93] marriage as certain, as I have just received a
note from the Duke, which is as follows:--

"Being very anxious to communicate to you as soon as possible an event
which concerns deeply my family, I take the liberty of requesting you
to let me know on what day and at what hour I may wait upon you."

I shall see him to-morrow, and report the result to Louise on Friday.

I have just taken leave of poor Esterhazy, who has presented his
letters of recall. He looked wretched, and Lord Aberdeen told me he is
only ill at being obliged to go; he is quite miserable to do so, but
the great gentleman at Johannisberg has most ungraciously refused to
listen to his entreaties to remain, which is very foolish, as they
don't know who to send in his place. I am _very_ sorry to lose him,
he is so amiable and agreeable, and I have known him ever since I can
remember anybody; he is, besides, _equally liked_ and on _equally
good terms_ with _both_ parties _here_, which was of the greatest
importance. It was touching to see him so low and ill and unlike
himself.

The accounts of poor dear Alexandrine's eyes continue _very bad_; she
cannot write at all, or go out, or do anything.

Say everything proper from us to the whole family, and pray believe
me, always, your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 93: The Princess Augusta of Cambridge, who was
married to Frederic William, afterwards Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in the following June.]

[Pageheading: HISTORICAL STUDIES]

_Viscount Melbourne to Queen Victoria._

BROCKET HALL, _20th October 1842._

Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs
leave respectfully to acknowledge your Majesty's of the 15th inst.,
which he received here the day before yesterday.

Lord Melbourne is very glad to hear that your Majesty is reading with
the Prince. Hallam's work[94] certainly requires much consideration
and much explanation, but it is a fair, solid, impartial work, formed
upon much thought and much reading. St Simon's[95] is an excellent
work; he has some prejudices, but was a good honest man, and his
book is full of useful information. If your Majesty wishes for a book
relating to what passed from one hundred to two hundred years ago,
Lord Melbourne would strongly recommend the Private Memoirs of the
Lord Chancellor Clarendon (Edward Hyde), not the great work, _The
History of the Rebellion_, though that is well worth reading, but the
_Memoirs_, and Bishop Burnet's History of his own time. The reigns
of Charles II., James II., and the Revolution are very curious in
the latter. During Queen Anne's reign the Bishop was not so much
consulted, and his work is therefore not so interesting. If your
Majesty wishes to turn your attention to more recent events, Professor
Smyth's[96] lectures upon Modern History, and particularly upon
the French Revolution, seem to Lord Melbourne sound, fair, and
comprehensive. Lord Mahon's[97] is also a good work, and gives a good
account of the reigns of George I. and George II. He has been thought
by some in his last volume to have given too favourable a character of
the Chevalier, Charles Edward Stuart.

Lord Melbourne is much touched by what your Majesty says of the
Princess Royal, and the delight and comfort which your Majesty finds
in her, as well as by the whole picture which your Majesty draws of
your domestic happiness. When your Majesty refers to what passed
three years ago, your Majesty may be assured that it is with no small
pleasure that Lord Melbourne recalls any share which he may have had
in that transaction, and congratulates himself as well as your Majesty
and the Prince upon results which have been so fortunate both for
yourselves and for the country. Lord Melbourne ventures to hope that
your Majesty will convey these feelings to the Prince, together with
the assurance of his respectful remembrance.

[Footnote 94: The _Constitutional History_, published in
1827.]

[Footnote 95: Louis Rouffroy, Duc de Saint-Simon, author of
the celebrated _Memoires_, published 1829-30.]

[Footnote 96: William Smyth (1765-1849), Regius Professor of
Modern History at Cambridge.]

[Footnote 97: Afterwards fifth Earl Stanhope: the book
referred to is his _History of England from the Peace of
Utrecht to the Peace of Versailles_.]

[Pageheading: WALMER CASTLE]

_The Duke of Wellington to Sir Robert Peel._

WALMER CASTLE, _26th October 1842._

MY DEAR PEEL,--Arbuthnot has shown me your letter to him respecting
this house.

Nothing can be more convenient to me than to place it at Her Majesty's
disposition at any time she pleases....

I am only apprehensive that the accommodation in the Castle would
scarcely be sufficient for Her Majesty, the Prince, and the Royal
children, and such suite as must attend....

It is the most delightful sea-residence to be found anywhere,
particularly for children. They can be out all day, on the ramparts
and platforms quite dry, and the beautiful gardens and wood are
enclosed and sheltered from the severe gales of wind. There are good
lodgings at Walmer village and on Walmer beach at no great distance
from the Castle, not above half a mile. Believe me, ever, yours most
sincerely,

WELLINGTON.

If the Queen should send anybody here, I beg that he will write me a
line, that I may have an apartment prepared for him.

[Pageheading: LETTER FROM QUEEN ADELAIDE]

_Queen Adelaide to Queen Victoria._

CANFORD HOUSE, _31st October 1842._

MY DEAREST NIECE,--A thousand thanks for your very kind dear letter
of yesterday with its enclosures, which I have just received. Your
opinion respecting George of Hanover's[98] marriage is quite my own,
and I regret that the King does not seem to be inclined to settle it
and fix a day for the celebration of it. I do not know his reasons
against it, for I have not heard from him for a long, long time. I am
so sorry to find that the accounts of his health are so indifferent,
and fear he is not careful enough.

I am happy to hear that you thought the Cambridge visit went off well,
and that the affianced[99] looked and seemed happy. I hope it will
always be the same, and that the marriage will not be delayed too
long. I always had imagined that the Duke of Cambridge was rich and
would give a fortune to his daughters, but I have lately heard that it
is not the case. I do not know what is the usual marriage portion of
an English Princess given by the country. In Germany those portions
are called _die Prinzessin Teuer_.

We received 25,000 Fl. each when we married, and 10,000 Fl. for our
_trousseaux_ each.

If the young couple are to live in future with the Grand Duke they
will not want any Plate, but if they are to have a separate _menage_,
then they will want it. I shall find it out by and by. I wonder that
the Duchess likes to part with her fine sapphires. I thought the
turquoises had been intended for Augusta.

I wish you could see the Convent to which I went the other day. The
nuns belong to the Order of the Cistercian _Trappists_. They are not
allowed to speak amongst themselves--what a relief my visit must
have been to them!--and they neither eat meat, nor butter, nor
eggs--nothing but milk, vegetables and rice. They look healthy, and
there were several young rather pretty ones amongst them. One, the
best-looking of them all, Sister Marie Josepha, took me affectionately
by the hand and said, "I hope the air agrees with you here and that
you feel better?" and then she added, "Come again--will you, before
you leave this country again?" She told me that she was born in
Ireland and had a German grandfather. She seemed to be the favourite
amongst them all, for when I bought of their works and asked them to
make up my bill, they called Marie Josepha to summon it up, and she
said to me, "Do not stay for that; we will send you your things with
the bill." Two hours after my visit to them I received my things, with
a wreath of flowers besides as their gift to me; on the paper attached
to it was written, "To the Queen-Dowager, from the Reverend Mother and
her Community."