The Letters of Queen Victoria
Chapter 154 : VICTORIA R.[Pageheading: VIEWS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT]_Viscount Palmerston to Queen

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: VIEWS OF THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

CARLTON TERRACE, _12th September 1846._

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and returns with many acknowledgments the accompanying letters which your Majesty has been pleased to send him, and which he has thought your Majesty would wish him also to communicate to Lord John Russell.

The letter of the Queen of the French seems to Viscount Palmerston to look like a contrivance to draw your Majesty on to express, in regard to the Montpensier marriage in its character as a domestic arrangement, some sentiments or wishes which might be at variance with the opinions which your Majesty might entertain regarding that marriage in its political character and bearing. But your Majesty's most judicious answer has defeated that intention, if any such existed, and has stated in a firm, but at the same time in the friendliest manner, the grounds of complaint against the conduct of the French Government in this affair.

Viscount Palmerston had yesterday afternoon a very long conversation with the Count de Jarnac upon these matters.

Viscount Palmerston said that with regard to the marriage of the Queen of Spain, that was a matter as to which the British Government have no political objection to make. They deeply regret that a young Queen should have been compelled by moral force, and to serve the personal and political interests of other persons, to accept for husband a person whom she can neither like nor respect, and with whom her future life will certainly be unhappy at home, even if it should not be characterised by circ.u.mstances which would tend to lower her in the estimation of her people. But these are matters which concern the Queen and people of Spain more than the Government and people of England. But that the projected marriage of the Duke of Montpensier is a very different matter, and must have a political bearing that must exercise a most unfortunate effect upon the relations between England and France.

[Pageheading: THE SPANISH MARRIAGES]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _14th September 1846._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I have to thank you for a most kind letter of the 31st from Basle, by which I was sorry to see that your journey had been delayed, and that you were still not well.

We are, alas! sadly engrossed with this Spanish marriage, which, though it does not threaten _war_ (for the English care very little about the Spanish marriages) threatens complications. Albert has told you all that pa.s.sed between the dear Queen and me, and the very absurd ground on which the French make their stand. The details of the story are very bad--and I grieve to say that the good King, etc., have behaved _very dishonestly_.

We have protested, and mean to protest very strongly, against Montpensier's marriage with the Infanta, _as long as she is presumptive heiress to the Throne of Spain_. The King departs from his principle, for _he insisted_ on a _Bourbon_, _because_ he declared he would _not_ marry one of his sons to the Queen; and now he effects the Queen's marriage with the worst Bourbon she could have, and marries his son to the Infanta, who in all probability will become Queen!

It is very bad. Certainly at Madrid [Palmerston] mismanaged it--as Stockmar says--by forcing Don Enrique, in spite of all Bulwer could say. If our dear Aberdeen was still at his post, the whole thing would not have happened; for he would _not_ have forced Enriquito (which enraged Christine), and secondly, Guizot would not have _escamote_ Aberdeen with the wish of triumphing over him as he has done over Palmerston, who has behaved most openly and fairly towards France, I must say, in this affair. But say what one will, it is _he again_ who _indirectly_ gets us into a squabble with France! And it is such a personal sort of a quarrel, which pains and grieves me so; and I pity the poor good Piat,[23] whom we are very fond of. One thing, however, I feel, that in opposing this marriage, we are not really affecting his happiness, for he has never seen the Infanta--and she is a child of fourteen, and not pretty. The little Queen I pity so much, for the poor child dislikes her cousin, and she is said to have consented _against her will_. We shall see if she really does marry him.

Altogether, it is most annoying, and must ruffle our happy intercourse with the French family for a time at least.

I was obliged to write very strongly and openly to poor dear Louise too. You may rely upon nothing being done rashly or intemperately on our part. Lord Palmerston is quite ready to be guided by us. In haste, ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

We go into our new house to-day.

[Footnote 23: A name by which the Duc de Montpensier was sometimes called in the family circle.]

_Baron Stockmar to Queen Victoria._

_18th September 1846._

Baron Stockmar has been honoured with your Majesty's kind note of the 17th instant. The very day the Baron heard of the Spanish news, he wrote to a man at Paris, whom the King sees as often as he presents himself at the palace. In this letter the Baron stated _fairly and moderately but without palliation_ in what light M. Bresson's conduct must necessarily appear _in London_, and what very naturally and most probably _must be the political consequences of such conduct_.

The Baron's statement was read to the King, word for word, the very evening it reached Paris.

His Majesty listened to it most attentively, and said after some pause: "Notwithstanding all this, the marriage will take place. I don't consider Montpensier's marriage an affair between nations, and the English people, in particular, care very little about it; it is much more a private affair between myself and the English Secretary, Lord Palmerston, _and as such_ it will not bring on important political consequences."

[Pageheading: LETTER TO QUEEN LOUISE]

_Queen Victoria to the Queen of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _18 Septembre 1846._

MA BIEN CHeRE LOUISE,--Je te remercie pour ton retour de franchise; je ne desire pas que cette controverse entre de plus dans notre correspondance privee, comme elle est le sujet et le sera je crains encore davantage de discussion politique. Je veux seulement dire qu'il est _impossible_ de donner a cette affaire le cachet d'une simple affaire de famille; l'att.i.tude prise a Paris sur cette affaire de mariage des le commencement etait une fort etrange; il fallait toute la discretion de Lord Aberdeen pour qu'elle n'amenat un eclat plutot; mais ce denouement, si contraire a la parole du Roi, qu'il m'a donnee lors de cette derniere visite a Eu _spontanement_, en ajoutant a la complication, pour la _premiere fois_, celle du projet de mariage de Montpensier, aura mauvaise mine devant toute l'Europe.

Rien de plus penible n'aurait pu arriver que toute cette dispute qui prend un caractere si personnel....

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN'S INDIGNATION]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _21st September 1846._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I have to thank you very much for your very kind letter of the 5th from Zurich. It is very unfortunate that you should be so far off at this moment. Since I wrote to you we have decided to remonstrate both at Madrid (this went a week ago), and at Paris, but this last not in a formal note but in a despatch to Lord Normanby, against this very unjustifiable breach of faith on the part of France.

We have seen these despatches, which are very firm, but written in a very proper and kind tone, exposing at the same time the fallacy of what has been done; for the King himself declared that he would _never_ let _one of his sons marry_ the Queen, he _insisted_ on her marrying a descendant of Philip V. This has been done, and at the same moment he says his _son_ is to marry the _Infanta_, who may _become Queen to-morrow!_And to all this he says, "C'est seulement une affaire de famille"! The King is very fond of England, and still more of peace, and he never _can_ sacrifice this (for though it would not be immediate war it would cause coolness with us and with other Powers, and would probably lead to war in a short time), for a breach of faith and _for one of his sons'_ marriages. No quarrel or misunderstanding in the world _could be more disagreeable_ and to me _more cruelly painful_, for it is _so personal_, and has come into the midst of all our communications and correspondence, and is too annoying. It is so sad, too, for dear Louise, to whom one cannot say that her father has behaved dishonestly. I hope, however, another ten days will show us some _daylight_. I will not mention anything about Leopold's[24] answer, as Albert will, I doubt not, write to you all about it. It is very satisfactory, however.

We are since this day week in our charming new house, which is delightful, and to-morrow we go, alas! to Windsor, where we expect the Queen-Dowager and the Princess of Prussia, who will remain a week with us. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

I received this afternoon your kind letter from Gais of the 12th. One word more I must just add. No doubt if Lord Aberdeen had been at his post what has happened would _not_ have taken place, and suspicion of Lord Palmerston _has_ been the cause of the _unjustifiable_ conduct of the French Government. But just as they _did_ suspect him, they should have been more cautious to do anything which could bring on a quarrel, which is surely not what the King can wish.

[Footnote 24: Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg.]

[Pageheading: THE PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA]