THE AMERICAN TREATY
Brocket Hall,3rd February 1843.
... Lord Melbourne thinks that the Speech was very well and judiciously drawn; the only paragraph which he does not like is that about the American treaty.10It betrays too great an anxiety for peace, and too much fear of war.11
Footnote 10: Seeante, pp.368,370. The treaty had been negotiated by Lord Ashburton.
Footnote 11: "By the treaty which Her Majesty has concluded with the United States of America, and by the adjustment of those differences which, from their long continuance, had endangered the preservation of peace, Her Majesty trusts that the amicable relations of the two countries have been confirmed."
Laeken,6th February 1843.
My beloved Victoria,—I am quite of your opinion about balls.Nothingcan change whatcannot change, and I consider all these things, which have always beena boreto me, as a matterof dutyand not otherwise. The duties of station are to be fulfilled like the others, and myfirstandmost pleasantduty is to doallthat your Uncle may command or wish. Your Uncle was muchshockedby your answer aboutMiss Meyer,12whom he considered ofuncommon beauty. He is quite in love with her picture, and is very anxious to discover who she is. The other pictures of thebook of beautyhe abandons to you, and they are certainly worthy of abook of ugliness.... Yours most devotedly,
Louise.
Footnote 12: Eugénie Meyer, step-daughter of Colonel Gurwood, C.B., married the first Viscount Esher, Master of the Rolls. The Queen had written that she did not admire that style of beauty.
KING LEOPOLD AND PEEL
Laeken,10th February 1843.
My dearest Victoria,—... I am very much gratified by your having shown my hasty scrawl to Sir Robert Peel,and that the sincere expression of a conscientious opinion should have given him pleasure.
It was natural at first that you shouldnothave liked to take him as your Premier; many circumstances united against him. But I must say for you and your family, as well as for England, it was a great blessing that so firm and honourable a man as Peel should have become the head of your Administration. The State machine breaks often down in consequence of mistakes made forty and fifty years ago; so it was in France where even Louis XIV. had already laid the first foundation for what happened nearly a hundred years afterwards.
I believe, besides, Sir Robert sincerely and warmly attached to you, and as you say with great truth,quite abovemere party feeling. Poor Lady Peel must be much affected by what has happened.... Your truly devoted Uncle,
Leopold R.
Brocket Hall,12th February 1843.
Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty. He received here on Friday last, the 10th, your Majesty's letter of the 8th, which gave him great pleasure, and for which he gratefully thanks your Majesty. Lord Melbourne is getting better, and hopes soon to be nearly as well as he was before this last attack, but he still finds his left hand and arm and his left leg very much affected, and he does not recover his appetite, and worse still, he is very sleepless at night, an evil which he is very little used to, and of which he is very impatient....
Lord Melbourne adheres to all he said about Lord Ashburton and the Treaty, but he thinks more fire than otherwise would have taken place was drawn upon Lord Ashburton by the confident declaration of Stanley that his appointment was generally approved. The contrary is certainly the case. There is much of popular objection to him from his American connection and his supposed strong American interests. Lady Ashburton, with whom he received a large fortune, is a born American. But he is supposed to possess much funded property in that country, and to have almost as strong an interest in its welfare as in that of Great Britain. With all this behind, it is a bad thing to say that his appointment was liable to no suspicion or objection. It seems to Lord Melbourne that what with Ellenborough with the Gates of Ghuzneeupon his shoulders,13and Ashburton with the American Treaty round his neck, the Ministry have nearly as heavy a load upon them as they can stand up under, and Lord Melbourne would not be surprised if they were to lighten themselves of one or the other.
Footnote 13: The Somnauth Proclamation created a good deal of ridicule.
POSITION OF THE PRINCE OF WALES
Brocket Hall,13th February 1843.
Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has just recollected that in the letter which he wrote yesterday, he omitted to advert to a part of your Majesty's last to which your Majesty may expect some answer. He means the part relating to the character and situation of a Prince of Wales in this country. George IV. was so conscious of having mixed himself most unrestrainedly in politics, and of having taken a very general part in opposition to his father's Government and wishes, that he was naturally anxious to exonerate himself from blame, and to blame it upon the necessity of his position rather than upon his own restless and intermeddling disposition. But Lord Melbourne agrees with your Majesty that his excuse was neither valid nor justifiable, and Lord Melbourne earnestly hopes that your Majesty and the Prince may be successful in training and instructing the young Prince of Wales, and to make him understand correctly his real position and its duties, and to enable him to withstand the temptations and seductions with which he will find himself beset, when he approaches the age of twenty-one. It is true that Sir John made the observation, which Lord Melbourne mentioned to your Majesty, and which you now remember correctly. He made it to Sir James Graham, when he went to talk to him about the offence which William IV. had taken at the Duchess of Kent's marine excursion; and at the receiving of royal salutes. Your Majesty was not very long in the situation of an acknowledged, admitted, and certain Heir Apparent, but still long enough to be aware of the use which those around you were inclined to make of that situation and of the petitions and applications which it naturally produced from others, and therefore to have an idea of the difficulties of it.
Lord Melbourne heartily wishes your Majesty every success in the interesting and important task in which you are engaged of forming the character and disposition of the young Prince.
DOMESTIC HAPPINESS
Canford House,14th February 1843.
My dearest Niece,—Your delightful letter of Tuesday gave me such pleasure and satisfaction that I must thank you with all my heart for it. Your happiness, and your gratitude for that happiness, is most gratifying to my feelings, having loved you from your infancy almost as much as if you had been my own child. It is therefore happiness to me to hear from yourself those expressions to which you gave vent. I thank God that you have such an excellent husband, so well calculated to make you happy and to assist you in your arduous duties by his advice, as well as his help in sharing your troubles. I pray that your domestic happiness may last uninterruptedly, and that you may enjoy it through a long, long period ofmany, many years. You cannot say too much ofyourselfand dear Albert when you write to me, for it is a most interesting subject to my heart, I assure you.
What ashameto have put on darling little Victoria apowdered wig! Poor dear child must have looked very strange with it! Did her brother appear ineiner Allonge-Perücke?...
I shall hope to follow you to town early next month, and look forward with great pleasure to seeing you so soon again. Forgive me my horrible scrawl, and with my best love to dearest Albert, believe me, ever, my dearest Victoria, your most affectionate and faithfully devoted Aunt,
Adelaide.
Pray tell your dear mother, with my affectionate love, that I will answer her letter to-morrow.
INTERCHANGE OF VISITS
Windsor Castle,14th February 1843.
My dearest Uncle,—Many thanks for your kind letter of the 10th, which I received on Sunday. I am only a little wee bit distressed at your writingon the 10th, and not taking any notice of thedearest, happiestday in my life, to which I owe the presentgreatdomestic happiness I now enjoy, and which is much greater than I deserve, though certainly my Kensington life for the last six or seven years had been one of great misery and oppression, and I may expect some little retribution, and, indeed,aftermy accession, there was a great deal of worry. Indeed Iamgrateful for possessing (really withoutvanity or flattery orblindness) themost perfectbeing as a husband in existence, or who ever did exist; and I doubtwhether anybodyeverdid love or respect another as I do my dear Angel! And indeed Providence has ever mercifully protected us, through manifold dangers and trials, and I feel confident will continue to do so, and then let outward storms and trials and sorrows be sent us, and we can bear all....
I could not help smiling at the exactitude about Monday the 19th of June; it is a great happiness to us to think with such certainty (D.V.) of your kind visit, which would suit perfectly.À proposof this, I am anxious to tell you that we are full of hope of paying you in August a little visit, which last year was in so melancholy a way interrupted; but we think that formanyreasons it would be better for us to pay you ourfirstvisit only atOstend, and not at Brussels or Laeken; you could lodge usanywhere, and we need then bring but very few people with us—it might also facilitate the meeting with Albert's good old grandmother, who fears to cross the sea, and whose greatwishis to behold Albert again—and would not be so difficult (pour la 1ère fois) in many ways. I could, nevertheless, see Bruges and Ghent from thence by help of the railroad, and return the same day to Ostend.
What you say about Peel is very just. Good Lord Melbourne is much better.
I hope soon to hear more about Joinville and Donna Francesca. Now, ever your devoted Niece,
Victoria R.
We are all very well (unberufen) and move,to our horror, to town on Friday.
COBDEN'S ATTACK ON PEEL
Whitehall,18th February (1843).(Saturday morning.)
Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs leave to acquaint your Majesty that the debate was brought to a close this morning about half-past three o'clock. The motion of Lord Howick14was rejected by a large majority, the number being—
The chief speakers were Mr R. Cobden and Lord JohnRussell in favour of the motion, Mr Attwood, Lord Francis Egerton, and Sir Robert Peel against it.
In the course of the evening there was much excitement and animated discussion, in consequence of the speech of Mr Cobden, who is the chief patron of the Anti-Corn Law League.
Mr Cobden with great vehemence of manner observed more than once that Sir Robert Peel ought to be heldindividually responsiblefor the distress of the country.15
Coupling these expressions with the language frequently held at the meetings of the Anti-Corn Law League, and by the press in connection with it, Sir Robert Peel in replying to Mr Cobden charged him with holding language calculated to excite to personal violence.
Footnote 14: To go into Committee on the depression of the manufacturing industry. The debate turned mainly on the Corn Laws.
Footnote 15: To this attack Peel replied with excessive warmth, amid the frantic cheering of his party, who almost refused to hear Cobden's explanation in reply. Peel, alarmed at the fate of Drummond, thought (or affected to think) that Cobden was singling him out as a fit object for assassination. For years Cobden resented this language of Peel most deeply. "Peel's atrocious conduct towards me ought not to be lost sight of," he wrote in February 1846. Arapprochementwas effected by Miss Martineau—see her letter to Peel (Parker, vol. iii. p. 330)—and a reference to the matter by Disraeli in the House of Commons led to satisfactory explanations on both sides.
Buckingham Palace,18th February 1843.
The Queen, immediately on her arrival yesterday, went to look at the new Chapel, with which she is much pleased, but was extremely disappointed to find it still in such a backward state. As it is of the utmost importance to the Queen to be able touseitvery soon, she wishes Lord Lincoln would be so good as to hurry on the work as much as possible; perhaps Lord Lincoln could increase the number of workmen, as there seemed to her to be very few there yesterday.
Footnote 16: Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests.
FANNY BURNEY'S DIARY
Brocket Hall,21st February 1843.
Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty. He received safely your Majesty's letter of the 18th inst. Lord Melbourne entreats your Majesty that you never will think for a moment that you can tire him by questions, or that it can be to him anything but a great pleasure to answer them. He will be only too happy if any information that hepossesses or can procure can be of the least use or pleasure to your Majesty. Lord Melbourne conceives that your Majesty must be surprised at his complaining of sleeplessness. He is much obliged by the suggestion of the camphor. He mentioned it to the gentleman who attends him, and he said that it was a very good thing, and certainly has a soothing and quieting effect, and that in fact there was some in the draught which Lord Melbourne now takes at night. But Lord Melbourne has taken to going down to dinner with those who are in the house, and sitting up afterwards until near twelve o'clock, and since he has done this he has slept better. We expect the Duke and Duchess of Bedford for two nights on Wednesday next. Lord and Lady Uxbridge and Ella and Constance often come over in the morning and eat their luncheon here, which Lord Melbourne takes very kindly of them. George Byng17came the other morning in a waistcoat of Peel's velveteen. Lord Strafford brought the whole piece off the manufacturer, and let George Byng have enough for a waistcoat. It is a dull blue stuff, and the device and inscription not very clear nor easy to make out.18
Adolphus is, as Aberdeen says, too rigidly Tory, but there are plenty of narratives of the same period, such as Belsham19and others, of whom it may be said with equal truth that they are too Whig....
Lord Melbourne read theEdinburghon Madame d'Arblay, which is certainly Macaulay's, but thought it unnecessarily severe upon Queen Charlotte, and that it did not do her justice, and also that it rather countenanced too much Miss Burney's dislike to her situation. It appears to Lord Melbourne that Miss Burney was well enough contented to live in the Palace and receive her salary, but that she was surprised and disgusted as soon as she found that she was expected to give up some part of her time to conform to some rules, and to perform some duty. Lord Melbourne is sorry to say that he missed the article on Children's Books,20a subject of much importance, and in which he is much interested.
Lord Melbourne has received the engraving of the Princess, and is much pleased by it, and returns many thanks. It is very pretty, very spirited, and as far as Lord Melbourne'srecollection, serves him, very like. Lord Melbourne remains, ever, your Majesty's faithful, devoted, and attached Servant.
Footnote 17: Brother-in-law of Lord Uxbridge, and afterwards Earl of Stratford.
Footnote 18: The allusion is to a hoax played on the Premier, by a presentation made to him of a piece of the then novel fabric, velveteen, stamped with a free-trade design. Peel afterwards wrote that he was unaware that the specimen bore "any allusion to any matters which are the subject of public controversy."
Footnote 19: William Belsham (1752-1827) wrote, in twelve volumes,A History of Great Britain to the Conclusion of the Peace of Amiens in 1802.
Footnote 20: In theQuarterly Review, by Lady Eastlake.
Whitehall(4th March 1843).(Sunday morning.)
Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs leave to acquaint your Majesty that the prisoner MacNaghten was acquitted last night, after a trial which lasted two days, upon the ground of insanity.
The fuller account of the evidence which Sir Robert Peel has seen is on the accompanying newspaper.
The only other information which has reached Sir Robert Peel is contained in a note (enclosed) from Mr Maule, the solicitor to the Treasury, who conducted the prosecution. The three Judges21appear to have concurred in opinion, that the evidence of insanity was so strong as to require a verdict of acquittal—and the Chief Justice advised the Jury to find that verdict without summing up the evidence or delivering any detailed charge upon the facts of the case and the law bearing upon them.
It is a lamentable reflection that a man may be at the same time so insane as to be reckless of his own life and the lives of others, and to be pronounced free from moral responsibility, and yet capable of preparing for the commission of murder with the utmost caution and deliberation, and of taking every step which shall enable him to commit it with certainty.
Footnote 21: Chief Justice Tindal, and Justices Williams and Coleridge.
Whitehall,10th March 1843.
Sir Robert Peel, with his humble duty to your Majesty, begs leave to acquaint your Majesty that the House of Commons was occupied last night with the attack upon Lord Ellenborough for the Somnauth Proclamation.22
The motion was made by Mr Vernon Smith.23The resolution proposed condemned the Proclamation asunwise,indecorousandreprehensible. Mr Vernon Smith was followed byMr Emerson Tennent,24one of the Secretaries to the Board of Controul.
Mr Macaulay next spoke, and condemned the conduct of Lord Ellenborough in a speech of great bitterness and great ability.
The motion was negatived by a majority of 242 to 157.
The minority included Lord Ashley, Sir Robert Inglis, and six other gentlemen, who generally support your Majesty's servants.
The debate was a very animated one, with a strong infusion of Party zeal.
Footnote 22: Seeante, p.445.
Footnote 23: Robert Vernon Smith (1800-1873), afterwards President of the Board of Control, created Lord Lyveden in 1859.
Footnote 24: James Emerson (1804-1869), afterwards Sir James Emerson Tennent, M.P. for Belfast, author ofLetters from the Ægean, etc.
CRIMINAL INSANITY
Buckingham Palace,12th March 1843.
The Queen returns the paper of the Lord Chancellor's to Sir Robert Peel with her best thanks.
The law may be perfect, but how is it that whenever a case for its application arises, it proves to be of no avail? We have seen the trials of Oxford and MacNaghten conducted by the ablest lawyers of the day—Lord Denman, Chief Justice Tindal, and Sir Wm. Follett,25—andthey allowandadvisethe Jury to pronounce the verdict ofNot Guiltyon account ofInsanity,—whilsteverybodyis morallyconvincedthat both malefactors were perfectly conscious and aware of what they did! It appears from this, that the force of the law is entirely put into the Judge's hands, and that it depends merely upon his charge whether the law is to be applied or not. Could not the Legislature lay down that rule which the Lord Chancellor does in his paper, and which Chief Justice Mansfield did in the case of Bellingham; and why could not the Judges beboundto interpret the law inthisandno othersense in their charges to the Juries?26
Footnote 25: Solicitor-General. His health gave way in middle life, and he died in 1845.
Footnote 26: In consequence of the manner in which the trial terminated, and the feeling excited in the country, the House of Lords put certain questions on the subject of criminal insanity to the Judges, whose answers have been since considered as establishing the law.
PRINCESS MARY OF BADEN
Foreign Office,13th March 1843.
Lord Aberdeen presents his humble duty to your Majesty. In obedience to your Majesty's commands he has endeavouredto consider the letter of the Grand Duke of Baden with reference to the position of the Princess Mary27in this country. Lord Aberdeen does not find in the proceedings of the Conference of Great Powers at Vienna, at Aix la Chapelle, or at Paris, anything which can materially affect the question. The great difficulty with respect to the Princess appears to arise from the fact that in this country the rank and precedence of every person are regulated and fixed by law. Should your Majesty be disposed to deviate from the strict observance of this, although Lord Aberdeen cannot doubt that it would receive a very general acquiescence, it is still possible that the Princess might be exposed to occasional disappointment and mortification....
There is a consideration, to which Lord Aberdeen would humbly advert, which may not altogether be unworthy of your Majesty's notice. Your Majesty does not wish to encourage alliances of this description; and although there may be no danger of their frequent occurrence, it cannot be denied that an additional inducement would exist if Princesses always retained their own rank in this country.
On the whole, Lord Aberdeen would humbly submit to your Majesty that the Princess might be received by your Majesty, in the first instance, with such distinction as was due to her birth—either by a Royal carriage being sent to bring her to your Majesty's presence, or in any manner which your Majesty might command—with the understanding that she should permanently adopt the title and station of her husband. Your Majesty's favour and protection, afforded to her in this character will probably realise all the expectations of the Grand Duke; and, without acknowledging any positive claim or right, your Majesty would secure the gratitude of the Princess.
Footnote 27: The Princess Mary of Baden had recently married the Marquis of Douglas, eldest son of the Duke of Hamilton.Seep.439.
THE PRINCE TO HOLD LEVÉES
Buckingham Palace,17th March 1843.
The Queen has spoken again to the Prince about the Levées, who has kindly consented to do what can be of use and convenience to the Queen. There is one circumstance which must be considered and settled, and which the Queen omitted to mention to Sir Robert Peel when she saw him. The chief, indeed theonly, object of having these Levées, is to save the Queen theextreme fatigueof thePresentationswhich wouldcome in such amasstogether when the Queenheld them herself; the Prince naturally holds theLevées forthe Queen, andrepresents her; could not therefore everybody who was presented to him be made to understand that this would be tantamount to a presentation to the Queen herself? There might perhaps be an objection on the part of people presented to kneel and kiss the Prince's hand. But this could be obviated by merely having the people named to the Prince. The inconvenience would beso greatif nobody at all could be presented till late in the season, that something must be devised to get over this difficulty.
LEVÉES
Downing Street,18th March 1843.
Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs leave to submit to your Majesty that should your Majesty determine that the Prince should hold Levées on behalf of your Majesty, the best course will be to announce the intention from the Lord Chamberlain's Office in terms to the following purport:
"His Royal Highness Prince Albert will, by Her Majesty's command, hold a Levée on behalf of Her Majesty on ——
"It is Her Majesty's pleasure that presentations to the Prince at this Levée shall be considered equivalent to presentations to the Queen.
"Addresses to Her Majesty may be presented to Her Majesty through the Secretary of State, or may be reserved until Her Majesty can hold a Levée in person."
Sir Robert Peel humbly submits to your Majesty that it would not be advisable toprohibitby notice in theGazettesubsequent presentations to your Majesty. It will probably answer every purpose to state that they shall be consideredequivalent, and when your Majesty shall hold a Levée it may be then notified at the time that second presentations are not necessary.
When the Prince shall hold the Levée, it may be made known at the time, without any formal public notification, that kneeling and the kissing of hands will not be required.
Sir Robert Peel hopes that the effect of holding these Levées may be materially to relieve your Majesty, but it is of course difficult to speak with certainty. He was under the impressionthat in the reign of Queen Anne, Prince George had occasionally held Levées on the part of the Queen during the Queen's indisposition, but on searching theGazetteof the time he cannot find any record of this.
Claremont,19th March 1843.
The Queen has received Sir Robert's letter, and quite approves of his suggestions concerning the Levées. The Prince is quite ready to do whatever may be thought right, and the Queen wishes Sir Robert to act upon the plan he has laid before her in his letter of yesterday. Perhaps it would be right before making anything public to consider the question of Drawing-Rooms likewise, which are of such importance to the trades-people of London. It would be painful for the Queen to think that she should be the cause of disappointment and loss to this class of her subjects, particularly at this moment of commercial stagnation. The Queen conceives that it would be the right thing that the same principle laid down for the Levées should be followed with regard to Drawing-Rooms, the Prince holding them for her. The Queen is anxious to have soon Sir Robert's opinion upon this subject. The Queen on looking at the almanac finds thatonlythetwonext weeks are available for these purposesbeforeEaster.
Whitehall,27th March 1843.
Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and hastens to reply to your Majesty's note of this date.
Sir Robert Peel assures your Majesty that he does not think that there is the slightest ground for apprehension on the occasion of the Levée, but Sir Robert Peel will, without the slightest allusion to your Majesty's communication to him, make personal enquiries into the police arrangements, and see that every precaution possible shall be taken.
He begs, however, humbly to assure your Majesty that there never has reached him any indication of a hostile feeling towards the Prince. It could only proceed from some person of deranged intellect, and he thinks it would be almost impossible for such a person to act upon it on the occasion of a Levée.
It may tend to remove or diminish your Majesty's anxiety to know that Sir Robert Peel haswalkedhome every night from the House of Commons, and, notwithstanding frequent menaces and intimations of danger, he has not met with any obstruction.
He earnestly hopes that your Majesty will dismiss from your mind any apprehension, and sincerely believes that your Majesty may do so with entire confidence. But nothing shall be neglected.
THE COMET
Buckingham Palace,28th March 1843.
My dearest Uncle,—I had the pleasure of receiving your kind letter of the 24th, on Sunday. How lucky you are to have seen the comet!28It is distinctlyto be seenhere, andhas been seenby many people, but we have till now looked out in vain for it. We shall, however, persevere.
We left dear Claremont with great regret, and since our return have been regaled with regular March winds, which, however, have not kept me from my daily walks. To-day it is finer again.
It is most kind and good of dearest Albert to hold these Levées for me, which will be a great relief for hereafter for me. Besidescela le met dans sa position;heandImust beone, so that I canonly be representedbyhim. I think this, therefore, a good thing for that reason also; and God knows, he, dear angel,deservesto be thehighestineverything.
Our Consecration went off extremely well, and the Chapel is delightful, and so convenient. I am sure you will like it.
You will be glad to hear that dear old Eos (who is still at Claremont) is going on most favourably; they attribute this sudden attack to her over-eating (she steals whenever she can get anything), living in too warm rooms, and getting too little exercise since she was in London. Certainly her wind wasnotin theslightestdegree affected by her accident, for in the autumn she coursed better than all the other young dogs, and ran and fetched pheasants, etc., from any distance, and ran about the very evening she was taken so ill, as if nothing was the matter. Evidently part of her lungs must beverysound still; and they sayno one'slungs arequite sound. She mustbe well starved, poor thing, and not allowed to sleep in beds, as she generally does.
Footnote 28: Its appearance gave rise to much discussion among astronomers. On the 17th Sir John Herschel saw its nucleus from Collingwood in Kent, and on the following night a dim nebula only; so it was probably receding with great velocity.
MELBOURNE ON DIET
Brocket Hall,2nd April 1843.
Lord Melbourne presents his humble duty to your Majesty. He received yesterday morning your Majesty's letter of the 30th ult., for which he sincerely thanks your Majesty. Lord Melbourne is delighted to find that your Majesty was pleased with the bouquet. The daphnes are neither so numerous nor so fine as they were, but there are still enough left to make another bouquet, which Lord Melbourne will take care is sent up by his cart to-morrow, and left at Buckingham Palace. Lord Melbourne is very much touched and obliged by your Majesty's very kind advice, which he will try his utmost to follow, as he himself believes that his health entirely depends upon his keeping up his stomach in good order and free from derangement. He owns that he is very incredulous about the unwholesomeness of dry champagne, and he does not think that the united opinion of the whole College of Physicians and of Surgeons would persuade him upon these points—he cannot think that a "Hohenlohe" glass of dry champagne,i.e. half aschoppen,29can be prejudicial. Lord and Lady Erroll30and Lord Auckland and Miss Eden are coming in the course of the week, and they would be much surprised not to get a glass of champagne with their dinner. Lord Melbourne is very glad to learn that the Prince's Levée did well, and feels that His Royal Highness undertaking this duty must be a great relief and assistance to your Majesty. Lord Melbourne hopes to see the Baron here when he comes. The spring still delays and hangs back, but it rains to-day, which Lord Melbourne hopes will bring it on.
Footnote 29: Aschoppenis about a pint; it is the same word etymologically as "scoop."
Footnote 30: William George, seventeenth Earl of Erroll, married a sister of the first Earl of Munster.
THE ROYAL CHILDREN
Buckingham Palace,4th April 1843.
Dearest Uncle,—Many thanks for your very kind letter of the 31st, which I received on Sunday, just as our excellent friend Stockmar made his appearance. He made us very happy by his excellent accounts of youall, including dearest Louise,and the children he says aresogrown; Leo being nearly as tall as Louise!En revanchehe will, I hope, tell you how prosperous he found us all; and how surprised and pleased he was with the children; he also is struck with Albert junior's likeness to his dearest papa, which everybody is struck with. Indeed, dearest Uncle, I will venture to say that not onlyno Royal Ménageis to be found equal toours, butno other ménageis to be compared to ours, nor isany oneto be compared, take him altogether, tomy dearestAngel!...
Whitehall,6th April 1843.
Sir Robert Peel presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and has this moment received your Majesty's note.
Sir Robert Peel will immediately make enquiry in the first instance in respect to the correctness of the report of the dinner. The omission of the health of the Prince is certainly very strange—it would be very unusual at any public dinner—but seems quite unaccountable at a dinner given in connection with the interests of one of the Royal Theatres.
The toasts are generally prepared not by the chairman of the meeting, but by a committee; but still the omission of the name of the Prince ought to have occurred at once to the Duke of Cambridge, and there cannot be a doubt that he might have rectified, and ought to have rectified, the omission.
Sir Robert Peel is sure your Majesty will approve of his ascertaining in the first instance the real facts of the case—whether the report be a correct one, and if a correct one, who are the parties by whom the arrangements in respect to the toasts were made.
This being done, Sir Robert Peel will then apply himself to the execution of your Majesty's wishes, in the manner pointed out by your Majesty.
He begs humbly to assure your Majesty that he enters most fully into your Majesty's very natural feelings, and that he shall always have the greatest pleasure in giving effect to your Majesty's wishes in matters of this nature, and in proving himself worthy of the confidence your Majesty is kindly pleased to repose in him.
THE TOAST OF THE PRINCE
Whitehall,6th April 1843.
Sir Robert Peel, with his humble duty to your Majesty, hastens to make a communication to your Majesty, on the subjectof your Majesty's letter of this morning, which he hopes will remove from your Majesty's mind any unfavourable impression with regard to thetoastsat the theatrical dinner, or to the conduct of the Duke of Cambridge in reference to them.
Sir Robert Peel, since he addressed your Majesty, has made enquiry from Colonel Wood, the member for Brecon, who was present at the meeting.
In order to have the real statement of the case, Sir Robert Peel did not mention the object of the enquiry. The following were the questions and the answers:—
Q. What were the toasts at the theatrical dinner last night?
Colonel Wood.The first wasThe Queen and the Prince. The Duke said he thought he could not give the health of the Queen in a manner more satisfactory than by coupling with the name of Her Majesty that of her illustrious Consort.
Colonel Wood said that his impression was that the Duke meant to do that which would be most respectful to the Prince, and that he had in his mind when he united the name of the Prince with that of your Majesty, the circumstances of the Prince having recently held the Levée on behalf of your Majesty.
It might perhaps have been better had His Royal Highness adhered to the usual custom, and proposed the health of the Prince distinctly and separately, but he humbly submits to your Majesty that theintentionof His Royal Highness must have been to show respect to the Prince.
The reports of public dinners are frequently incorrect, the reporters being sometimes placed at a great distance from the chairman.