1836
_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._
_4th March 1836._
MY DEARLY BELOVED CHILD,--You wrote me again a long, _dear_, _good_
letter, like all those which I received from your kind hands. Time
approaches now for the arrival of the cousins, and most probably of
your Uncle Ferdinand also. He has informed me of his arrival for the
7th or 8th; notwithstanding this, I mean to leave everything settled
as it has been arranged. They will set off on the 7th, arrive at Paris
on the 8th, and leave it again on the 12th.... Fernando[1] has still a
very bad cold; change of air is likely to cure that. The stay here has
done Fernando a great deal of good, and it cannot be denied that he is
quite another person. It has given me some trouble, but I have written
down for him everything which he ought to know about the organisation
of a government _in general_, and what will be necessary in specie to
carry on successfully the Government in Portugal.... My inclinations,
as you are aware, would have led me to the East, but certainly the
only thing which reconciles me with my not having done so is that it
has made me to remain near you, and will enable me to see you and to
be useful to you.
[Footnote 1: The Queen's first cousin, Prince Ferdinand (son
of Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg, who was brother of the
Duchess of Kent and the King of the Belgians), aged nineteen,
who married the Queen of Portugal on 9th April. He was at
this time visiting the King of the Belgians on his way to
Portugal.]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
KENSINGTON PALACE, _7th March 1836._
... You are very kind, my dearest, best Uncle, to say that "the only
thing which reconciles you" for not having gone to Greece is, that you
are near me and can see me. Thank Heaven that you did not go there! it
would have been dreadful for me and for all your relations to be thus,
as it were, cut off from almost all intercourse! It is _hard_ enough,
that you are as far as you are, when I recollect the happy time when I
could see you, and be with you, _every_ day!...
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
KENSINGTON PALACE, _29th March 1836._
MY DEAREST UNCLE,-- ... As concerning the "fatigues" we are said to
have undergone, they were none to me, and made me very happy; I only
wish they could have lasted longer, for all, all is over now, and our
_beloved_ Ferdinand[2] himself leaves our shores this _very_ morning.
We accompanied them all on Sunday, where we took a final leave of our
dear Ferdinand, and I cannot tell you how sorry I was, and am, to see
him go, for I love him dearly. He is so truly excellent, kind,
and good, and endears himself so much by his simplicity and
good-heartedness! I may venture to say, that no one has his prosperity
and happiness more at heart than I have. I am extremely sanguine about
his success. He goes there full of courage, spirits, and goodwill,
and being naturally clever and observant, I doubt not that with good
counsel, and prudence, he will do very well. _Your_ kind advice will
be of the greatest and most important use to him, the more so as he is
so exceedingly fond of you.... Ferdinand leaves behind him here a most
favourable impression on all parties, for _I_ have even _heard_ from
some great Tories themselves that there was a great feeling _for_ him
in this country.
[Footnote 2: See _ante_, p. 45. (Ch. V, Footnote 1).
He had latterly been visiting the Duchess of Kent.]
[Pageheading: THE PRINCES ERNEST AND ALBERT]
_The Princess Hohenlohe to the Princess Victoria._
STUTTGART, _16th April 1836._
... You will like our two Coburg cousins also, I think; they are more
manly than I think the two others are, after the description. I am
very fond of them both. Ernest is my favourite, although Albert
is much handsomer, and cleverer too, but Ernest is so honest and
good-natured. I shall be very curious to hear your opinion upon
them....
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
KENSINGTON PALACE, _26th April 1836._
MY DEAREST, BEST UNCLE,-- ... You will, I am sure, have been delighted
with M. de Neumann's[3] account of the complete success of our dear
Ferdinand. All has gone off better than even our most sanguine hopes
could have desired. He is much pleased with the good Queen, and she is
delighted with him, and M. de Neumann says that they are already quite
happy together. This is really a great blessing, but I fear that all
the _exterior_ affairs are not in quite _so_ good a state. I hope,
however, that the good people will not make any more difficulties
about Fernando's being Commander-in-Chief, as I hear from all accounts
it is necessary he should be so....
Uncle Ernest and my cousins will probably come here in the beginning
of next month, I hear, and will visit you on their return.
You ask me about Sully's Memoirs, and if I have finished them. I have
not finished them, but am reading them with great interest, and find
there is a great deal in them which applies to the present times, and
a great deal of good advice and reasoning in them. As you say, very
truly, it is extremely necessary for me to follow the "events of the
day," and to do so impartially. I am always both grateful and happy
when you give me any advice, and hope you will continue to do so as
long as I live.
I am glad to hear you approve my singing, and I cannot tell you how
delightful it would be for me, if you could join with us. _À propos_,
dear Uncle, you did not answer what I said to you in a former letter
about your visiting us again. You know, dear Uncle, that this is a
subject upon which I am very _earnest_ and _very_ eager, and as the
summer approaches I grow more and more anxious about it. You know,
also, that _pleasure_ does more good than a hundred walks and rides.
Believe me always, my dearest Uncle, your truly devoted and attached
Niece,
VICTORIA.
[Footnote 3: Baron Neumann, who acted as Minister
Plenipotentiary during the absences of Prince Esterhazy,
succeeded him as Austrian Minister in 1842. He married Lady
Augusta Somerset in 1844.]
[Pageheading: THE PRINCE OF ORANGE]
_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._
_13th May 1836._
MY DEAREST CHILD,--I got this time a very small letter from your good
little Ladyship, and I shall repay it probably in larger coin, as my
letter going through a messenger of my own will become longer, as it
will be more confidential than through the usual mode of conveyance.
I am really _astonished_ at the conduct of your old Uncle the King;
this invitation of the Prince of Orange and his sons, this forcing him
upon others, is very extraordinary.[4] It is so, because persons in
political stations and champions of great political passions cannot
put aside their known character as you would lay your hat upon a
table.
Not later than yesterday I got a half official communication from
England, insinuating that it would be _highly_ desirable that the
visit of _your_ relatives _should not take place, this year--qu'en
dites-vous_? The relations of the Queen and the King, therefore, to
the God-knows-what degree, are to come in shoals and rule the land,
when _your relations_ are to be _forbidden_ the country, and that
when, as you know, the whole of your relations have ever been very
dutiful and kind to the King. Really and truly I never heard or saw
anything like it, and I hope it will a _little rouse your spirit_;
now that slavery is even abolished in the British Colonies, I do not
comprehend _why your lot alone should be to be kept, a white little
slavey in England_, for the pleasure of the Court, who never bought
you, as I am not aware of their having gone to any expense on that
head, or the King's even having _spent a sixpence for your existence_.
I expect that my visits in England will also be prohibited by an Order
in Council. Oh consistency and political or _other honesty_, where
must one look for you!
I have not the least doubt that the King, in his passion for the
Oranges, will be _excessively rude to your relations_; this, however,
will not signify much; they are _your guests_ and not _his_, and will
therefore _not_ mind it....
[Footnote 4: King Leopold had for some time cherished a hope
of uniting the Princess Victoria in marriage with her cousin,
Prince Albert of Coburg. He therefore arranged that the
Prince, with his elder brother, Prince Ernest, should pay
a visit to the Duchess of Kent at Kensington Palace. King
William naturally opposed a scheme which he knew met with
the approval of his sister-in-law. He accordingly invited
the Prince of Orange and his two sons at the same time, and
favoured the candidature of the younger son, Prince Alexander.
The King (it is believed) went so far as to say that no
other marriage should ever take place, and that the Duke of
Saxe-Coburg and his son should never put foot in the country;
they should not be allowed to land, and must go back whence
they came.
The Prince of Orange had himself been a candidate for the hand
of Princess Charlotte, and had no reason to be friendly to
King Leopold, of whom it is recorded that he said, "Voilà un
homme qui a pris ma femme et mon royaume."]
[Pageheading: ARRIVAL OF PRINCE ALBERT]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
_23rd May 1836._
MY DEAREST UNCLE,-- ... Uncle Ernest and my cousins arrived here on
Wednesday, _sains et saufs_. Uncle is looking remarkably well, and my
cousins are most delightful young people. I will give you no detailed
description of them, as you will so soon see them yourself. But I
must say, that they are both very amiable, very kind and good, and
extremely merry, just as young people should be; with all that,
they are extremely sensible, and very fond of occupation. Albert is
extremely handsome, which Ernest certainly is not, but he has a most
good-natured, honest, and intelligent countenance. We took them to the
Opera on Friday, to see the _Puritani_, and as they are excessively
fond of music, like me, they were in perfect ecstasies, having never
heard any of the singers before....
[Pageheading: PRINCE ALBERT]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
_7th June 1836._
MY DEAREST UNCLE,--These few lines will be given to you by my dear
Uncle Ernest when he sees you.
I must thank you, my beloved Uncle, for the prospect of _great_
happiness you have contributed to give me, in the person of dear
Albert. Allow me, then, my dearest Uncle, to tell you how delighted I
am with him, and how much I like him in every way. He possesses every
quality that could be desired to render me perfectly happy. He is so
sensible, so kind, and so good, and so amiable too. He has, besides,
the most pleasing and delightful exterior and appearance you can
possibly see.
I have only now to beg you, my dearest Uncle, to take care of the
health of one, now _so dear_ to me, and to take him under _your
special_ protection. I hope and trust that all will go on prosperously
and well on this subject of so much importance to me.
Believe me always, my dearest Uncle, your most affectionate, devoted,
and grateful Niece,
VICTORIA.
[Pageheading: CONVERSATION]
_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._
_17th June 1836._
MY DEAREST AND MOST BELOVED CHILD,--I begged your Mother, in the
meantime, to offer you my best thanks for your very pretty drawing
representing the Provost of Bruges and his daughter[5]; I admired also
that for your Aunt. They do your spirit of invention honour, and it is
a very good plan to draw subjects from books or plays which interest
you. You will feel the loss of a pleasant society in the old Palace,
the more so as your relations are good unsophisticated people, a thing
which one does not so often meet with. I suppose that part of your
London amusements will soon be over. You were going to Windsor,
which you will probably have left by this time. I hope you were very
prudent; I cannot disguise from you, that though the inhabitants are
good-natured people, still that I think you want all your natural
caution with them. Never permit yourself to be induced to tell them
any opinion or sentiment of yours which is _beyond the sphere of
common conversation_ and its ordinary topics. Bad use would be made
of it against yourself, and you cannot in that subject be too much
guarded. I know well the people we have to deal with. I am extremely
impartial, but I shall also always be equally watchful.... God bless
you! Ever, my dear child, your very devoted Uncle and Friend,
LEOPOLD R.
[Footnote 5: Leading characters in _The Heiress of Bruges_, by
Grattan.]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
_9th August 1836._
MY BELOVED UNCLE,-- ... I was sure you would be very much pleased with
Ernest and Albert as soon as you knew them more; there cannot be two
more good and sensible young men than they are. Pray, dear Uncle, say
everything most kind from me to them.
We go to Buxted[6] to-morrow morning, and stay there till next Monday.
All the gaieties are now over. We took leave of the Opera on Saturday,
and a most brilliant conclusion to the season it was. Yesterday I took
my farewell lesson with Lablache,[7] which I was very sorry to do. I
have had twenty-six lessons with him, and I look forward with pleasure
to resume them again next spring.
[Footnote 6: Lord Liverpool's house. Charles Cecil Cope
Jenkinson, third Earl of Liverpool, was fifty-three years old
at the time of the Queen's accession. He was a moderate Tory,
and had held office as Under-Secretary for the Home Department
in 1807, and in 1809 as Under-Secretary for War and the
Colonies. He succeeded to the Earldom in 1828. The title,
since revived, became extinct on his death in 1851. He was a
friend of the Duchess of Kent, who often stayed with him at
Buxted Park in Sussex, and at Pitchford in Shropshire. At
three successive visits at the latter house the Princess
occupied the same small room without a fireplace.]
[Footnote 7: Luigi Lablache (1794-1858), a famous
opera-singer, was the Princess's singing-master.]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
_2nd September 1836._
MY DEAREST UNCLE,-- ... The state of Spain is most alarming and
unfortunate.[8] I do hope something will be done. The news were rather
better yesterday and the day before. The Christinos had gained a
victory over the Carlists.[9] I take a great interest in the whole of
this unfortunate affair. I hope and trust Portugal may not suffer by
all the affairs of Spain, but much is to be feared. Dieskau will have
told you much about the internal affairs, which seem to go on very
prosperously. Pray has the Duchess of Braganza[10] written to you or
Aunt Louise since Ferdinand's marriage?
You did not send me the King of Naples'[11] letter, as you said you
would; pray do so in your next letter. I hope he will come here next
year. You do not mention France, so I hope all is quiet. The Duke of
Orleans is quite well again, I am happy to hear from Aunt Louise. Now
I must conclude, begging you to believe me, always, your most truly
attached and really devoted Niece,
VICTORIA.
[Footnote 8: See Introductory Note for the year, _ante_, p. 44.
(to Ch. V)]
[Footnote 9: The civil war was favourable to the Carlists at
this time, General Gomez obtaining a victory on 30th August.
By the end of the year he had twice traversed the kingdom,
hampered with plunder and prisoners, and surrounded by armies
greater than his own, and in no district did he find the
inhabitants disposed to act against him.]
[Footnote 10: Step-mother of the Queen of Portugal.]
[Footnote 11: Ferdinand II., commonly named "Bomba." He
married _en secondes noces_, the Archduchess Theresa of
Austria.]
[Pageheading: A FAREWELL LETTER]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._[12]
CLAREMONT, _21st September 1836._
MY MOST DEARLY BELOVED UNCLE,--As I hear that Mamma is going to send a
letter to you which will reach you at Dover, and though it is only an
hour and a half since we parted, I must write you one line to tell you
how _very, very sad_ I am that you have left us, and to repeat, what
I think you know pretty well, _how_ much I love you. When I think
that but two hours ago we were happily together, and that now you are
travelling every instant farther and farther away from us, and that I
shall with all probability not see you for a _year_, it makes me cry.
Yes, dearest Uncle, it is dreadful in this life, that one is destined,
and _particularly unhappy me_, to be almost always separated from
those one loves most dearly. I live, however, in the hopes of your
visit next year with dear Aunt, and I cannot say how thankful and
happy I am that we have had you here for six short, and to me _most
bright happy_ days! I shall look back with the greatest delight on
them.
Believe me, always, your ever devoted and most affectionately attached
Niece and _Child_,
VICTORIA.
[Footnote 12: Written at the conclusion of the King's visit to
England.]
[Pageheading: THE PRINCESS AND THE CHURCH]
_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._
LAEKEN, _11th November 1836._
MY VERY DEAR CHILD,-- ...I know attempts have been made to represent
you as indifferent to the established Church. You know that in England
the Sovereign is the head of the Church, and that the Church looks
upon the Protestant religion as it is established as the _State_
Religion. In times like the present, when the Crown is already a good
deal weakened, I believe that it is of importance to maintain as much
as possible this state of affairs, and I believe that you will do
well, whenever an occasion offers itself to do so without affectation,
to express your sincere interest for the Church, and that you
comprehend its position and count upon its good-will. The poor Church
will be a good deal persecuted, I have no doubt, but it would be
desirable that the men belonging to it should be united, _sensible_,
and moderate....
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
RAMSGATE, _14th November 1836._
... What you say to me relative to Church matters I quite comprehend,
and always am very thankful for advice from you.
I am reading away famously. I like Mrs. Hutchinson's Life of her
husband[13] only _comme cela_; she is so dreadfully violent. She and
Clarendon are so totally opposite, that it is quite absurd, and I only
believe the _juste milieu_....
Your speech interested me very much; it is very fine indeed; you wrote
it yourself, did you not?
Belgium is indeed the happiest country in the world, and it is _all,
all_ owing to your _great care_ and _kindness_. "Nous étions des
enfans perdus," General Goblet[14] said to me at Claremont, "quand le
Roi est venu nous sauver." And so it is....
Pray, dear Uncle, say everything most kind from me to Ernest and
Albert, and believe me, always, your affectionate Niece,
VICTORIA.
Pray, dear Uncle, is the report of the King of Naples' marriage to the
Archduchess Theresa true? I hear the king has behaved uncommonly
well at Naples during the cholera panic. I enclose the measure of my
finger.
[Footnote 13: The regicide, Colonel Hutchinson's, fame rests
more on his wife's commemoration of him than on his own
exploits. She was the daughter of Sir Allen Apsley, Lieutenant
of the Tower of London, and highly educated. Between 1664 and
1671 she wrote the biography of her husband, first published
in 1806. "The figure of Colonel Hutchinson," says J. R.
Green, "stands out from his wife's canvas with the grace and
tenderness of a portrait by Van Dyck."]
[Footnote 14: The Belgian General, Albert Joseph Goblet. Count
d'Alviella.]
[Pageheading: DEATH OF CHARLES X]
_The King of the Belgians to the Princess Victoria._
LAEKEN, _18th November 1836._
... Poor Charles X. is dead, it is said of the cholera. I regret
him; few people were ever kinder to me than the good old man. He was
blinded by certain absolute ideas, but a good man, and deserving to
be loved. History will state that Louis XVIII. was a most liberal
monarch, reigning with great mildness and justice to his end, but that
his brother, from his despotic and harsh disposition, upset all
the other had done, and lost the throne. Louis XVIII. was a clever,
hard-hearted man, shackled by no principle, very proud and false.
Charles X. an honest man, a kind friend, an honourable master, sincere
in his opinions, and inclined to do everything that is right. That
teaches us what we ought to believe in history as it is compiled
according to ostensible events and results known to the generality of
people. Memoirs are much more instructive, if written honestly and not
purposely fabricated, as it happens too often nowadays, particularly
at Paris.... I shall not fail to read the books you so kindly
recommend. I join you a small copy of our very liberal Constitution,
hitherto conscientiously executed--no easy matter. You may communicate
it to your Mother; it is the best answer to an infamous Radical or
Tory-Radical paper, the _Constitutional_, which seems determined to
run down the Coburg family. I don't understand the meaning of it;
the only happiness poor Charlotte knew was during her short wedded
existence, and there was but one voice on that subject, that we
offered a bright prospect to the nation. Since that period I have
(though been abused, and vilified merely for drawing an income which
was the consequence of a Treaty ratified by both Houses of Parliament,
and that without one dissenting voice, a thing not very likely to
happen again) done everything to see England prosperous and powerful.
I have spared her, in 1831, much trouble and expense, as _without
my coming here very serious complications, war and all the expensive
operations connected with it_, must have taken place. I give the whole
of my income, without the reservation of a farthing, to the country; I
preserve unity on the Continent, have frequently prevented mischief at
Paris, and to thank me for all that, I get the most scurrilous abuse,
in which the good people from _constant practice so much excel_....
The conclusion of all this--and that by people whose very existence
in political life may be but of a few years' standing--is scurrilous
abuse of the Coburg family. I should like to know what harm the Coburg
family has done to England? But enough of this. Your principle is very
good; one must not mind what newspapers say. Their power is a fiction
of the worst description, and their efforts marked by the worst faith
and the greatest untruths. If all the Editors of the papers in the
countries where the liberty of the press exists were to be assembled,
we should have a _crew_ to which you would _not_ confide a dog that
you would value, still less your honour and reputation....
[Pageheading: REVOLUTION AT LISBON]
[Pageheading: THE PRINCESS'S NAME]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
_21st November 1836._
MY MOST DEARLY BELOVED UNCLE,--You cannot imagine how happy you have
made me by your very dear, kind, long, and interesting letter of the
18th, which I received yesterday morning, and for which I beg you
to accept my _very warmest_ and best thanks. You know, I think, my
dearest Uncle, that _no_ creature on earth _loves_ you _more_ dearly,
or has a higher sense of admiration for you, than I have. Independent
of all that you have done--which I never, never can be grateful enough
for--my love for you exceeds all that words can express; it is innate
in me, for from my earliest years the name of _Uncle_ was the dearest
I knew, the word _Uncle_, _alone_, meant no other but you!
Your letter is so interesting and instructive that I could read it
over and over again. I hope, dear Uncle, you will in process of time
give me the _aperçu_ you mention, which would be so very interesting
for me.
I cannot tell you how distressed I was by the late unfortunate
_contre-révolution manquée_ at Lisbon,[15] and how sorry I was to see
by the letter you wrote me, that you were still unaware of it on the
18th. Mamma received a letter from Lord Palmerston yesterday morning,
which she has sent you, and which is consolatory, I think. He speaks
in the highest terms of our beloved Ferdinand, which proves that he
becomes daily more and more worthy of his arduous situation, and says
that the Queen's situation "is better than it was," less bad than it
might have been "after such an affair," and not so good as it would
have been had poor Donna Maria waited patiently till all was ripe for
action. Dietz[16] wrote Mamma a most desponding letter, so much so,
that had we not got Lord Palmerston's letter we must have thought
all, all was over.[17] I hope, dear Uncle, you will tell _me_ _your_
feeling about the whole, which will only satisfy me; no one else
could, for I take an interest in Ferdinand's welfare as though he were
my brother.
Allow me, dearest Uncle, to say a few words respecting my _name_, to
which you allude. You are aware, I believe, that about a year after
the accession of the _present_ King there was a desire to change my
favourite and dear name _Victoria_ to that of _Charlotte_, also _most
dear_, to which the King willingly consented. On its being told me, I
said nothing, though I felt grieved beyond measure at the thought of
any change. Not long after this, Lord Grey, and also the Archbishop of
Canterbury, acquainted Mamma that the country, having been accustomed
to hear me called Victoria, had become used to it, _enfin_, _liked
it_, and therefore, to my great delight, the idea of a change was
given up.[18]
I was sure the death of old Charles X. would strike you....
I thank you much for the _Constitution de la Belgique_. Those attacks
on you are infamous, but must not be minded; they are the language
of a _few jealous_, _envious_ people. _En revanche_, I enclose a
paragraph from a speech of O'Connell's[19] I think worth your reading.
Pray, dearest Uncle, say everything most kind to my beloved and
dearest Aunt, and thank her in my name for her kind letter, which I
shall answer on Friday. I am happy she and the dear little man are
well.
Believe me, always, your most devoted and affectionately attached
Niece,
VICTORIA.
[Footnote 15: Prince Ferdinand was appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the Portuguese army on the advice of
the Duc de Terceira, then Prime Minister. The appointment was
highly unpopular; riots broke out, the army mutinied, and rose
against the authorities, with the result that the Queen of
Portugal was compelled to accept the Radical Constitution of
1820, in the place of Dom Pedro's constitutional Charter
of 1826. Later in the year the Queen, assisted by Palmella,
Terceira, and Saldanha, made a counter-move, believing that
the people of Lisbon would support her, and proposed to
dismiss her Ministers; she had, however, been misled as to the
popular aid forthcoming, and had to give up the struggle, Sá
da Bandeira becoming Prime Minister. The Queen, virtually a
captive, had to accede to the revolutionary requirements.]
[Footnote 16: Dietz was a former Governor of Prince Ferdinand,
who accompanied him to Portugal on his marriage with Donna
Maria, and took a considerable part in political affairs.]
[Footnote 17: A former Minister of the Interior was killed by
the National Guards, who threatened to march on Belem, where
the Queen was; she had to apply to the British Marines for
protection.]
[Footnote 18: In the course of the debate (3rd August 1831)
on Lord Althorp's proposition to add £10,000 a year to the
Duchess of Kent's income, Sir M. W. Ridley suggested changing
the Princess's name to Elizabeth, as being "more accordant
to the feelings of the people," saying that he had heard the
subject "frequently and seriously argued." Hunt, the Radical,
who opposed the grant, saw no objection to the change, and
Lord Althorp thought the matter of no particular consequence.
The Princess's own feelings, and those of her mother, do not
seem to have been considered. See _Hansard_, 3rd series, vol.
v. 591, 654 _et seq._]
[Footnote 19: Probably that on the Irish Church Question at
the General (formerly "Catholic") Association, Dublin.]
_The Princess Victoria to the King of the Belgians._
CLAREMONT, _5th December 1836._
MY DEAREST UNCLE,--... I have begun since a few days Lord Clive's
Life, by Sir John Malcolm,[20] which is very interesting, as it gives
much insight into the affairs of India, over parts of which, I fear,
it would be well to throw a _veil_. I am reading it by myself, _et je
vous le recommande_....
[Footnote 20: The book reviewed by Macaulay, who spoke of
Sir John Malcolm as one whose "love passes the love of
biographers, and who can see nothing but wisdom and justice in
the actions of his idol."]
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
TO CHAPTER VI
The closing months of the reign of William IV. were not marked by any
stirring events at home. The Conservative opposition to the Melbourne
Ministry was strengthened before the meeting of Parliament by a great
speech by Sir Robert Peel at Glasgow, and Lord Brougham later on
emerged from his retirement to become the able and venomous critic of
his former friends. The Government failed to carry important measures
on Church Rates and Irish Municipal Corporations, while the Radical
group pressed persistently their favourite motions in support of
the Ballot, and against the Property qualification of members,
Primogeniture, the Septennial Act, the Bishops' seats and Proxy Voting
in the House of Lords. The Ministry was saved from shipwreck by the
demise of the Crown and by the accession of the Princess Victoria,
who, on attaining her legal majority a month earlier, had received
marked signs of enthusiastic popular favour.
The General Election in the Autumn did not materially affect the
position of parties, the Radicals losing and O'Connell gaining
seats; but the prestige of Lord Melbourne was increased by the unique
position he now held in reference to the Sovereign. Parliament was
opened in person by the Queen on 20th November, and the Civil List
dealt with, the amount allocated being £385,000 as against £510,000 in
the late reign (of which £75,000, formerly paid in pensions, was now
struck off, and other arrangements made).
For some time past the state of Canada had caused grave anxiety. By
an Act of 1791, it had been divided into Upper and Lower Canada, each
with a Governor, Council, and House of Representatives, Lower Canada
being in the main French, while Upper Canada was occupied by British
settlers. Friction first arose in the former, between the nominee
Council and the popular Assembly, the Assembly declining to pay the
salaries of officials whom they had censured, but whom the Executive
had retained in their posts. Mr Papineau, who had been Speaker of
the Assembly, was leader in the popular movement. Lord Gosford, the
Governor of Lower Canada, dismissed some Militia officers who had
taken part in political demonstrations, and warrants were issued for
the apprehension of certain members of the Assembly, on the charge
of high treason: within a short time the discontented party broke out
into rebellion. The course which events would take in Upper Canada
was for a time doubtful. Sir Francis Head, the Governor, placed his
regular troops at the service of Lord Gosford, preferring to rely on
the militia. This unusual action was successful, but was not approved
by the Colonial Office. The state of affairs became very alarming at
the close of the year, when it was announced in Parliament that Lord
Gosford had resigned and that Sir John Colborne (afterwards Lord
Seaton) had been appointed to succeed him.
In France the confederates of Louis Napoleon in the Strasburg outbreak
were tried and acquitted; a treaty was concluded at Tafna with
Abd-el-Kader, but negotiations for a similar agreement with Achmet Bey
were less successful, and operations were continued against Constantin
with successful results, the town being carried by an assault on 13th
October, with some loss of officers and men on the French side.
Affairs continued unsettled in the Peninsula. In Spain General Evans
was defeated near San Sebastian, but afterwards, in conjunction with
Lord John Hay, captured Irun, the frontier town. Don Carlos
meanwhile marched on Madrid, but was encountered by Espartero,
Commander-in-Chief of the Christinos, who was Prime Minister for a
brief period during the year. The British legion was dissolved, and
Evans returned to England.
In Portugal the English were becoming unpopular for their supposed
intervention: Ferdinand, the Queen's consort, who was naturally
believed to be in harmony with the British Cabinet, acted tactlessly
in accepting the Commandership-in-Chief, and internal hostilities
continued throughout the year.
In Hanover a reactionary step was taken by King Ernest, who had
succeeded his brother, William IV. of England, on the throne of
Hanover; by letters patent he abrogated the Constitution of 1833, an
action which, imperfect and open to criticism though the Constitution
was, naturally aroused anxiety among the supporters of representative
institutions throughout Europe.