The Letters of Queen Victoria
Chapter 171 : VICTORIA R.[Footnote 17: A party of French Republicans entered Belgium with the intent

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 17: A party of French Republicans entered Belgium with the intention of exciting an insurrection; the attempt signally failed.]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

OSBORNE, _1st May 1848._

The Queen has this morning received Lord Palmerston's letter.[18] She cannot see any reason for deviating from the established rules, and inviting to Court Frenchmen who are not recognised in their official capacity, and have no natural representatives to present them as private individuals. As an invitation cannot be claimed by them, the omission of it ought not to lead to any misrepresentation; whilst the contrary, under the fiction of their being private individuals, might lead to misconstruction and to most inconvenient precedents.

[Footnote 18: M. de Tallenay had arrived in London with a letter from M. Lamartine, accrediting him as provisional _charge d'affaires_ of the French Government, and Lord Palmerston had suggested to the Queen that etiquette would not be violated by inviting him to a Court Ball.]

[Pageheading: AFFAIRS IN FRANCE]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _9th May 1848._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Many thanks for your very kind letter of the 6th.

How delightful it is to hear such good accounts of Belgium! If only dear Germany gets right and if all our interests (those of the smaller Sovereigns) are not sacrified! I cannot say _how_ it distresses and vexes me, and _comme je l'ai a c[oe]ur_. My good and dear Albert is much worried and works _very_ hard....

I had a curious account of the opening of the _a.s.semblee_ from Lady Normanby.[19] No _real_ enthusiasm, dreadful confusion, and the Blouses taking part in everything, and stopping the Speakers if they did not please them. The opinion is that it cannot last.

I enclose another letter from Lady Normanby, with an account of the poor Tuileries, which is very curious and sad; but the respect shown for poor Chartres is very touching, and might interest poor dear Louise, if you think fit to show it her. But why show such hatred to poor Nemours and to the Queen? Montpensier's marriage may cause _his_ unpopularity, possibly. I shall beg to have the letter back.

I must conclude, as we are going to pay a visit at Claremont this afternoon. Ever your truly devoted Child and Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 19: The National a.s.sembly commenced its sittings on 4th May, when the Oath of Allegiance was abolished, and the Republic proclaimed in the presence of 200,000 citizens.]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _16th May 1848._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I have just heard the news of the extraordinary confusion at Paris, which must end in a _Blutbad_. Lamartine has quite lost all influence by yielding to and supporting Ledru Rollin![20] It seems inexplicable! In Germany, too, everything looks most anxious, and I _tremble_ for the result of the Parliament at Frankfort.[21] I am _so_ anxious for the fate of the poor smaller Sovereigns, which it would be infamous to sacrifice. I feel it _much_ more than Albert, as it would break my heart to see Coburg _reduced_.

Many thanks for your kind and dear letter of the 13th. Thank G.o.d! that with you everything goes on so well. I will take care and let Lord Normanby know your kind expressions. The visit to old Claremont was a touching one, and it seemed an incomprehensible dream to see them all there. They bear up wonderfully. Nothing can be kinder than the Queen-Dowager's behaviour towards them all. The poor d.u.c.h.ess of Gloster is again in one of her nervous states, and gave us a dreadful fright at the Christening by quite forgetting where she was, and coming and kneeling at my feet in the midst of the service. Imagine our horror!

I must now conclude. The weather is beautiful, but too hot for me.

Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Footnote 20: Lamartine and Ledru Rollin were members of the Provisional Government, and subsequently of the Executive Committee. The mob, holding that the promises of general employment had been broken, invaded the a.s.sembly _en ma.s.se_, and attempted a counter-revolution.]

[Footnote 21: Out of the revolutionary movement in Germany had grown their National a.s.sembly, which after a preliminary session as a _Vor-Parlament_, was to rea.s.semble on 18th May.]

[Pageheading: AUSTRIA AND ITALY]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

(_No date._)

The Queen has carefully perused the enclosed papers, and wishes to have a copy of Baron Hummelauer's[22] note sent to her to keep.

The basis laid down in it is quite inadmissible, and the Queen was struck by the light way in which the claims of the Dukes of Parma and Modena are spoken of (as disposed of by the events), whilst their position and that of Austria are in every respect identical.[23] The Queen thinks Lord Palmerston's proposition the one which is the most equitable, still likely to be attained, but it does not go far enough; the position which Austria means to take _in Italy_ with her Italian province ought to be explained, and a declaration be made that Austria will, with this province, join any Italian league which the other states of Italy may wish to establish. This will be useful to Italy, and much facilitate the acceptance of the Austrian proposal, as the Queen feels convinced that as soon as the war shall be terminated, the question of the political const.i.tution of Italy (as a whole) will have to be decided. Why Charles Albert ought to get any additional territory the Queen cannot in the least see. She thinks it will be better to proceed at once upon the revised Austrian proposal, than to wait for Italian propositions, which are sure to be ridiculously extravagant.

[Footnote 22: The Austrian Government, in its efforts to maintain its ascendency in Lombardy, had sent Baron Hummelauer to negotiate with Lord Palmerston.]

[Footnote 23: The Dukes had both been driven from their dominions, while the King (Charles Albert) of Sardinia threw in his lot with the cause of United Italy as against Austria, which then ruled Lombardy.]

[Pageheading: ENGLAND AND SPAIN]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

OSBORNE, _23rd May 1848._

The Queen has received Lord Palmerston's letter respecting Spain and Italy this morning. The sending away of Sir H. Bulwer[24] is a serious affair, which will add to our many embarra.s.sments; the Queen is, however, not surprised at it, from the tenor of the last accounts from Madrid, and from the fact that Sir H. Bulwer has for the last three years almost been sporting with political intrigues. He invariably boasted of at least being in the confidence of every conspiracy, "though he was taking care not to be personally mixed up in them,"

and, after their various failures, generally harboured the chief actors in his house under the plea of humanity. At every crisis he gave us to understand that he had to choose between a "revolution and a palace intrigue," and not long ago only he wrote to Lord Palmerston, that if the Monarchy with the Montpensier succession was inconvenient to us, he could get up a Republic. Such principles are sure to be known in Spain, the more so when one considers the extreme vanity of Sir H. Bulwer, and his probable imprudence in the not very creditable company which he is said to keep. Lord Palmerston will remember that the Queen has often addressed herself to him and Lord John, in fear of Sir H. getting us into some sc.r.a.pe; and if our diplomatists are not kept in better order, the Queen may at any moment be exposed to similar insults as she has received now in the person of Sir H.

Bulwer; for in whatever way one may wish to look at it, Sir Henry still is _her_ Minister.

The Queen wishes Lord Palmerston to show this letter to Lord John Russell, and to let her know what the Government mean to propose with respect to this unfortunate affair.

[Footnote 24: Lord Palmerston had written a letter to Bulwer (which the latter showed to the Spanish Premier), lecturing the Spanish Queen on her choice of Minister. This "a.s.sumption of superiority," as Sir R. Peel called it, led to a peremptory order to Bulwer to leave Spain in twenty-four hours. His own account of the affair appears in his _Life of Palmerston_, vol. iii. chap. vii.]

[Pageheading: THE PRINCE OF PRUSSIA]