CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE Cornell University Library DA 533.H75 1901 Queen Victoria 1819-1901 3 1924 028 023 764 Cornell University Library The original of tliis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028023764 QUEEN VICTORIA The text of this book (with the exception of the Supplementary Chapter) is reproduced from the illustrated edition issued by Messrs. Boussod, Valadon & Co. (now Messrs. Goupit & Co.), in 1897. QUEEN VICTORIA 1819-1901 RICHARD R. HOLMES, M.V.O., F.S.A. LIBRARIAN AT WINDSOR CASTLE (AUTHORISED BY H.M. QUEEN VICTORIA) NEW EDITION, WITH PORTRAIT AND SUPPLEMENTARY CHAPTER, BRINGING THE NARRATIVE TO THE END OF THE queen's reign LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON NEW YORK AND BOMBAY igoi PREFACE. Some explanation seems to be due as to the origin of this biography, and as to the form which it has assumed. At the end of 1896 I was asked by the PubHshers, Messrs. Boussod, Valadon & Co., to write for them a biography of the Queen, which should be illustrated by pictures from the Royal Collections. As Librarian at Windsor Castle, I could not undertake the task without first asking and obtaining the permission of Her Majesty. Many little fables have from time to time grown up respecting the early life of Queen Victoria. It seemed, therefore, desirable to take this opportunity of correcting these inac- curacies, and, with this object, Her Majesty most graciously consented to supply notes on her childhood and youth, and at the same time to correct matters of fact, especially in reference vi PREFACE. to the period before her accession to the throne, and, more generally, throughout the volume. I am, therefore, enabled to present, for the first time, an accurate account of the childhood and youth of Queen Victoria. For the remainder of the work I have de- pended on records already accessible to the general public, and especially on Her Majesty's published journals, and Sir Theodore Martin's Life of the Prince Consort. I desire also to express my deep obligations to Mr. Rowland Prothero, who has, on behalf of Her Majesty, read the proofs, and to whom I am indebted on every page of this biography. In conclusion, I take the opportunity of re- iterating the explanatory statement made by me in a letter to the Times, published on 26th March, 1897. For the plan of the work, its scope, the selection of the details, and the form in which they are presented, I am alone responsible. RICHARD R. HOLMES. Windsor Castle, ist September, 1897. PREFACE TO NEW EDITION. This edition is a reprint of that published in 1897. The only omissions are references to illustrations therein printed. The proofs of the Supplementary Chapter have been read by Mr. Prothero, but for its contents I am alone responsible. RICHARD R. HOLMES. Wi.MDSOR Castle, 28th yanuary, 1901. CONTENTS. PAGE 'reface V 'reface to the New Edition vii CHAPTER I. iNCESTRY OF THE QuEEN I CHAPTER n. ilRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QuEEN II CHAPTER HI. 'he Queen's Early Years, 1819-1837 ... ... 25 CHAPTER IV. .CCE8S1ON AND Coronation, 1S37-1838 ... ... ... .. 62 CHAPTER V. ngagement and Marriage, 1839-40 ... ... ... . 93 CHAPTER VI. arried Life, 1840-52... CHAPTER VII ARRiED Life, 1853-61 .. CHAPTER VIII ster Years, 1861-1897 248 CHAPTER IX. ) the Close 303 QUEEN VICTORIA. CHAPTER I. ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN. Victoria, Queen and Empress, holds her unique position among the Sovereigns of Great Britain not solely on account of the duration of her reign. Her Majesty, alone among the Queens Regnant who have preceded her, has been blessed with direct heirs. On three previous occasions the sceptre has been held by female hands, and on each, at the death of the holder, the direct line of succession has been inter- rupted. Mary, the elder daughter of Henry VHL, who, after a short and troubled reign, died in 1558, left no issue by her husband, Philip of Spain. Under her successor, her half-sister Elizabeth, the English nation freed itself from the domination of Rome, crushed the power of Spain, laid the foundations of empire beyond the seas, and produced a literature which is the glory of our language. But Elizabeth died unmarried. At her death the direct line of the I 8 QUEEN VICTORIA. Europe. For some years her married life at Heidel- berg was happy and even splendid ; but her husband's acceptance of the offer of the vacant Crown of Bohemia was the beginning of the series of difficulties which ended in the loss not only of that Crown, but of his ancient dominions in the Palatinate. The Princess died in England in 1662, leaving behind her a name, long revered by the nation as that of a martyr in the cause of the religion to which they were so firmly attached. Caroline of Brandenburg-Anspach, wife of George II., is another ancestress of the Queen who can never be passed over or forgotten in the history of the dynasty. Born in 1683, she lost her father at an early age. The greater part of her childhood was passed at Dresden at the gay court of the Elector of Saxony, who had become the second husband of her mother. In i6g6 another change in her life occurred. Left an orphan by her mother's death, she remained for some years with her guardian, Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, afterwards King of Prussia, and his wife, Sophia Charlotte, daughter of the Electress Sophia of Hanover. Under the care of this highly- gifted woman the character of the young princess was moulded. Firm in her adhesion to the Protestant religion, she refused the splendour of an alliance with the future Emperor Charles VI., because such an union would have necessitated a change of faith. In her ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN. 9 resistance to the proposals made to her, she was encouraged by the old Electress, and by Leibnitz> who was thus intimately connected with three genera- tions of the house, which has played so important a part in English history. By his means, and with the aid of the old Electress Sophia, her marriage with the hereditary Prince of Hanover was accomplished. Of the story of her after life it is not necessary here to speak. Of her character, and especially of her devotion and self-sacrifice, it is difficult to say too much. Literature and the arts found in her a dis- criminating patron. The excellence of her own artistic taste is proved by the fact that she decorated her sitting-room at Kensington with the drawings by Holbein of the ladies and nobles of the Court of Henry Vni., which, with the equallj' priceless volume of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, had been recently : discovered in a cupboard of the Palace, and with the .miniature portraits by Cooper and others, which are : still not the least valuable of the treasures of the ; Crown. Till her death she retained her beauty, and ;the marked type of her features is perpetuated in the great family resemblance which is so noticeable in her descendants to the present day. Queen Charlotte, the wife of George HI., and the grandmother of our Sovereign, was a devoted wife and mother, and strict in her ideas of duty. Though ■her features were irregular, her face was attractive 2 QUEEN VICTORIA. House of Tudor came to an end. The succession passed to the House of Stuart, through the marriage of Margaret, daughter of Henry VII., with James IV. of Scotland ; and her great-grandson, James VI. of Scotland, the son of Elizabeth's rival, Mary, Queen of Scots, succeeded to the EngHsh throne. With the death of Queen Anne, the dynasty of the Stuarts, after giving four kings and two queens to the list of English Sovereigns, terminated. Anne's elder sister, Mary, had indeed enjoyed the title of Queen, but she shared the throne with her husband, William of Orange, who survived her. On William's death Anne became sole monarch, and proved to be the last Queen Regnant till the present reign. Her rule, like that, of Elizabeth, was distinguished for triumphs both in peace and war, as well as for brilliancy in literature. By her marriage with George, Prince of Denmark, the promise of direct heirs was frequent ; but of all her children one only, William, Duke of Gloucester, lived long enough to make the direct succession probable, and, at the age of eleven, he, too, sickened and died. Direct heirs of James II. did indeed exist, but their claim to the Crown was debarred by the Act of Settlement of 1701, which confined the succession to Sophia, Electress Dowager of Hanover, and her successors being Protestants. Sophia, Electress of Hanover, was the twelfth child and youngest daughter of Frederick V., Elector ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN. 3 Palatine and King of Bohemia, and of Elizabeth, daughter of James I. of England and VI. of Scotland. Born in 1630, at The Hague, when the fortunes of her parents wei-e at their lowest ebb, her own fortunes were as changeable, though in an inverse manner. Her memoirs give an interesting picture of her life at The Hague in her early years, and of the manners and intrigues of the exiled English Court. From her cousin, Charles, Prince of Wales, and afterwards King, she attracted much attention, and by many of the Royalists it was both believed and hoped that she would become their future sovereign. In the Royal Library at Windsor is preserved a curious memento of this passage in her life. It is a copy of a very early edition of the Eikon Basilike, in which the young King, not liking the coarsely-executed portrait of him- self bound up in the volume, has attempted to soften its features by touches of a pen. These not proving satisfactory, he has inserted another and more pleasing engraving of himself, on the back of which he has written, "For the Princess Sophia". The young Princess, however, had strength of mind to resist the advances of the Prince, and obtained permission to leave The Hague. Several suitors for her hand appeared, and at length, shortly before the Restora- tion, she became the wife of Duke Ernest of Bruns- wick-Liineburg, afterwards Elector of Hanover. To him she proved an attached and faithful wife till his 4 QUEEN VICTORIA. death in 1698. Sprightly, clever, and intelligent in her youth, she retained throughout her long life her powers of mind. A warm admirer and correspondent of Descartes, she was also a close and intimate friend of Leibnitz, who was her constant visitor at Herren- hausen, where she relieved her studies in philosophy by the care she bestowed upon her gardens. In 1701 the Act of Settlement placed her next in succession to the Crown, which forty years before had been within her reach. But she died in the lifetime of Queen Anne, at whose death, a few weeks later, her son George, Elector of Hanover, was summoned to the vacant throne. Besides this Prince, the Electress Sophia had five other sons. Her only daughter, Sophia Charlotte, who married Frederick I., King of Prussia, and was mother of Frederick the Great, was a strong- minded and amiable princess, and had no small share in forming the character of the Princess Caroline of Anspach, of whom mention will be made presently. In writing the life of a Queen whose personal in- fluence upon her time has been so extraordinary, it is natural to pay some attention to those female members of her ancestry who, though not themselves Queens Regnant, have influenced the course of events during their lives, and have transmitted to their descendants unmistakable traces of their personality. Margaret Tudor, through whom the blood of the earlier kings descends to the present race, bore a ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN. 5 decided resemblance to her brother, Henry VIII. Impetuous, fond of power and loving display, she yet exhibited great firmness and capacity in the troublous times which succeeded the death of her husband at Flodden, as well as in the guardianship of his son, James V. To the romantic and eventful life of her grand- daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, her complex character and tragic fate, a whole literature has been dedicated. No personage in history has commanded more potent advocacy or been assailed by fiercer criticism. Born in 1542, she became Queen of Scotland at her father's death at the close of the same year. Before six years had elapsed she was sent to France, as the betrothed bride of the Dauphin, afterwards Francis II. There she was educated, and her abilities, naturally great, were carefully developed. Her religious instruction was superintended with even more solicitude, for, as Queen of Scotland and a claimant to the throne of England, the hopes of Catholicism, and of the return of the British Islands to the supremacy of Rome rested upon her. She was married to Francis in April, 1556, and, on the death of Mary of England in November of the same year, she laid formal claim to the English throne in right of her descent from Henry VII., alleging as ground for her conduct the illegitimacy of Elizabeth ; and, notwithstanding that the latter was declared Queen without opposition. 6 QUEEN VICTORIA. Mary and her husband assumed, and after their succession to the French throne, on the death of Henry II. in 1559, continued to use, the titles of King and Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. This was the beginning of the bitter and life-long animosity between the rival Queens. At the close of 1560, a few days before she was eighteen years of age, Mary Stuart's husband died. Her career in France was over ; her rule over Scot- land was but nominal, and her own religion was there proscribed. Still, after much hesitation, she ventured to return, and on the i8th of August, 1561, landed at Leith. After this, her marriages, her romantic friendships, her battles, successes and de- feats, her imprisonment and escapes, her flight from her kingdom, her lonely captivity and final trial and execution, have been inexhaustible themes for poets, painters and dramatists of every land. The consort of her son, James I. of England, the Princess Anne, was the second daughter of Frederick II. of Denmark and Sophia, of the House of Mecklen- burg. By her mother, who was a highly-accomplished woman, skilled in astronomy, chemistry and other sciences, the future Queen was educated with the greatest care. A lively temperament, and a quick and cultured intelligence were not the only charms of the Queen. She added to these the personal attractions of fine features and a brilliant complexion. ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN. 7 It was from her that the Stuart family derived the features which are so familiar in the portraits of Henry, Prince of Wales, and of Charles I. and his descendants — a type so persistent and remarkable that, as Mr. Lang records in a recent work, describing Charles Edward Stuart in his youth, "A distinguished artist who outlined Charles's profile, and applied it to another of Her present Majesty in her youth, tells me that they are almost exact counterparts ". In politics Anne took little part ; her tastes lay in other directions, and she is chiefly remembered by her con- nection with the history of the English stage, and by her patronage of Ben Jonson. She was a good wife and mother, and died beloved and respected by the nation. The noble character, heroic courage, and bitter misfortunes of her daughter Elizabeth have surrounded her memory with an immortal halo of romance. Born in 1596, she accompanied her parents to England. There she was brought up in those principles of the Protestant religion, by her steady adherence to which she was the means of raising her descendants to her father's throne. In the pride of her youth and beauty she was married to the young Elector Pala- tine, Frederick V., a nephew of the famous warrior, Maurice, Prince of Orange. The alliance was uni- versally popular, as it connected the English royal family with some of the chief Protestant Courts in 8 QUEEN VICTORIA. Europe. For some years her married life at Heidel- berg was happy and even splendid ; but her husband's acceptance of the offer of the vacant Crown of Bohemia was the beginning of the series of difficulties which ended in the loss not only of that Crown, but of his ancient dominions in the Palatinate. The Princess died in England in 1662, leaving behind her a name, long revered by the nation as that of a martyr in the cause of the religion to which they were so firmly attached. Caroline of Brandenburg- Anspach, wife of George II., is another ancestress of the Queen who can never be passed over or forgotten in the history of the dynasty. Born in 1683, she lost her father at an early age. The greater part of her childhood was passed at Dresden at the gay court of the Elector of Saxony, who had become the second husband of her mother. In i6g6 another change in her life occurred. Left an orphan by her mother's death, she remained for some years with her guardian, Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg, afterwards Kmg of Prussia, and his wife, Sophia Charlotte, daughter of the Electress Sophia of Hanover. Under the care of this highly- gifted woman the character of the young princess was moulded. Firm in her adhesion to the Protestant religion, she refused the splendour of an alliance with the future Emperor Charles VI., because such an union would have necessitated a change of faith. In her ANCESTRY OF THE QUEEN. 9 resistance to the proposals made to her, she was encouraged by the old Electress, and by Leibnitz> who was thus intimately connected with three genera- tions of the house, which has played so important a part in English history. By his means, and with the aid of the old Electress Sophia, her marriage with the hereditary Prince of Hanover was accomplished. Of the story of her after life it is not necessary here to speak. Of her character, and especially of her devotion and self-sacrifice, it is difficult to say too much. Literature and the arts found in her a dis- criminating patron. The excellence of her own artistic taste is proved by the fact that she decorated her sitting-room at Kensington with the drawings by Holbein of the ladies and nobles of the Court of Henry Vni., which, with the equally priceless volume of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, had been recently discovered in a cupboard of the Palace, and with the miniature portraits by Cooper and others, which are still not the least valuable of the treasures of the Crown. Till her death she retained her beauty, and the marked type of her features is perpetuated in the great family resemblance which is so noticeable in her descendants to the present da}'. Queen Charlotte, the wife of George HI., and the grandmother of our Sovereign, was a devoted wife and mother, and strict in her ideas of duty. Though her features were irregular, her face was attractive TO QUEEN VICTORIA. from the brightness of her eyes, and the piquancy and animation of her expression. One inestimable boon she helped to confer on the British nation. At a period when laxity of morals was almost universally prevalent, she not only set a noble example of domestic virtue, but resolutely discountenanced vice in others. It was in no small degree owing to her influence that the Court of George III. became the purest in Europe. Of the Kings of England, the Queen's ancestors, it would be superfluous to give any history or account in the limited pages of this volume. CHAPTER II. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. It was on the 6th of November, 1817, that the whole country heard with dismay of the tragic death of the Princess Charlotte of Wales, wife of Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, and of her new-born infant. With that event the hope of a direct heir to the Regent, afterwards George IV., disappeared, and the succession to the throne was left among his younger brothers. Of these the eldest, Frederick, Duke of York, had been married more than sixteen years, and had no children. William, Duke of Clarence, the next in seniority, who succeeded his brother as King William IV., was mar- ried on the nth of July, 1818. His first child by his wife, Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, was born in iSig, two months before the Princess Victoria, and died on the day of her birth. One other child was born at the close of the next year, but, at the age of three months, she also died. Next to the Duke of Clarence came the Duke of Kent, the father of our Queen. Edward Augustus, the fourth son of George III. 12 QUEEN VICTORIA. and Queen Charlotte, was born on the 2nd of Novem- ber, 1767, at Buckingham House. In the same house, at the time of the Prince's birth, Edward, Duke of York, brother of the King, was lying in state pre- paratory to his funeral the day following. From his deceased uncle, the infant prince, who was christened on the 30th of the same month, received his first name. His early years were passed under the care and tuition of John Fisher, afterwards Canon of Windsor, and Bishop, successively, of Exeter and Salisbury. The influence of this exemplary Christian and distinguished scholar was apparent in the piety and love of truth which were marked features in the character of his pupil, whose fortitude and equanimity were severely tried in after life by injustice and mis- fortune. Destined for the career of a soldier, he was sent, at the age of eighteen, to Liineburg, in Hanover, to study for his profession under a military governor. An annuity of £6,000 had been provided for his main- tenance, but his tutor, who thought of nothing except drill and avarice, treated his charge with extreme severity and parsimony. Not content with restricting his pocket-money to a weekly pittance, he intercepted the Prince's letters to his parents, and misrepresented his conduct by describing him as recklessly extrava- gant. As the Prince afterwards said : " Much of the estrangement between my royal parent and myself, much of the sorrow of my after life, may be ascribed BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. 13 to that most uncalled-for sojourn in the Electorate ". There is no doubt that the ill-judged and severe treatment of his governor was the primary cause of the serious financial embarrassments which troubled the Prince throughout the whole of his life. In May, 1786, the Prince was made a Colonel in the army, and, shortly after, a Knight of the Garter. In the year following he was removed to Geneva. Thence, in June, 1790, he returned to England, without permission from the King, hoping that, in a personal interview with his father, he might so state his grievances as to obtain some immediate relief from the burdens which pressed upon him. The King, however, was implacable ; he refused to see his son, ordered him to leave in a few days for Gibraltar, and only admitted him to his presence for a few minutes before his departure. But the Prince's visit was not entirely fruitless : at last he was free from his harsh governor, and his exile was alleviated by his appointment to the Colonelcy of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, then forming part of the garrison. On his conduct in this position many unfavourable criticisms have been passed. The strict ideas of military duty which had been instilled into him in Germany made him a stern disciplinarian, at a time when the utmost laxity prevailed among the garrison of the Rock. To the Prince's credit it should be added that he demanded from his subordinates no more than he practised him- 14 QUEEN VICTORIA. self. As in the discharge of pubhc duties he set an example of care and diligence, so in private life he was a pattern of regularity and temperance. The opinion entertained of him by his own regiment may be learned from its privately-printed records, where it is said : " At that time the discipline of the Army was greatly relaxed. The military code, it is true, allowed brutal severity to be used in correcting the private soldiers, but brutal severity has never been the means of raising and maintaining a brave and efficient army, unless it was only resorted to in the last extremity by men who performed their duty with rigid exactness, and were in all respects a pattern for those whom they commanded. So much, however, could not then be said of all ranks in the British Army. Great slackness existed, and when the young Duke of Kent attempted to exact a proper and honourable perform- ance of his duty from each of his subordinates, his measures were received with great and ill-concealed disgust." " His notions of discipline," says the Prince's biographer, "rendered him unpopular with the men. Representations relative to the dissatis- faction prevalent in the Fusiliers were made at home, and the result was that His Royal Highness was ordered to embark with his regiment for America." His enemies, and the Prince had many on the Rock, not all of the lowest order, were striving to create discord between him and his Fusiliers. But gradually BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. 15 the advantages of strictness in discipline were recog- nised, and before the regiment left Gibraltar the merits of the Colonel were appreciated, not only by the 7th, but by the rest of the garrison. During 1792 and 1793 the Duke remained at Quebec in command of his regiment. In October of the latter year he was promoted to the rank of Major-General, and in December, at his own request, he received an appointment under Sir Charles Grey, who was then engaged in the reduction of the French West India Islands. The Prince took part in the capture of Martinique and Santa Lucia, for which service he was mentioned in despatches, and received the thanks of Parliament. After the successful termination of the expedition he rejoined his regi- ment in Canada ; but, in 1798, he was obliged to leave the country on account of ill-health. In 1799 His Royal Highness was created Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Earl of Dublin. In the same year he was gazetted Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in North America ; but, owing to the state of his health, he was able to remain there little more than a year. In 1802 he was again despatched to Gibraltar, on this occasion as Governor, with ex- press instructions from the Commander-in-Chief, his brother, the Duke of York, to restore the discipline of that demoralised garrison. The means which the Duke of Kent considered it necessary to take, at I6 QUEEN VICTORIA. great pecuniary loss to himself, for the accomplish- ment of this purpose caused a mutiny among the troops, which was at last quelled, and discipline restored. The Duke, however, was recalled, and after his departure the garrison relapsed into its former condition. In 1805 the Duke was made a Field-Marshal. He was at this time living in com- parative retirement near Ealing, taking, however, an active interest in movements of piety and philan- thropy. But in 1815 he was compelled, by the state of his affairs, and the difficulty which he experienced in obtaining any assistance towards the relief of his embarrassments, to leave England, in order that, on the Continent, he might live in the simplest possible manner. It was while he was abroad that he first saw the widowed Princess of Leiningen, whom he afterwards married. The Princess Victoria Mary Louisa, who thus became Duchess of Kent, was born at Coburg on the 17th of August, 1786. She was the fourth daughter of Francis Frederick Anthony, Duke of Saxe-Coburg- Saalfeld, and his wife, Augusta, daughter of Henry, Count of Reuss-Ebersdorf. When seventeen years of age, she had married Ernest Charles, Hereditary Prince of Leiningen, her senior by more than twenty years, and a widower, whose first wife, the Princess Sophie Henriette, had also been of the same house of Reuss-Ebersdorf After eleven years of married BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. 17 life she was left a widow, with two children — a son, Prince Charles, who succeeded his father in 1814, and a daughter, Princess Feodore, the beloved half- sister and companion of the girlhood of Queen Victoria. The Princess of Leiningen cordiallj' re- turned the affection with which she had inspired the Duke of Kent, and when it was known that sanction had been given to the Duke's marriage with the sister of Prince Leopold, the intelligence was re- ceived everywhere with the greatest satisfaction. It was a union which had been most ardently desired by the Princess Charlotte, who was deeply attached to her uncle. But, owing to the delays which were occasioned by the position of the Prin- cess of Leiningen as guardian of her two fatherless children, the Princess Charlotte's sudden death occurred before the alliance was concluded. The House of Commons voted a grant of £6,000 a year, and on the 29th of May, 1818, the marriage of the Duke of Kent and the Princess of Leiningen was celebrated at Coburg. The ceremony was repeated on the nth of June, at Kew, and at the same time and place the Duke of Clarence was married to the Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. For the first few months of their married life, the Duke and Duchess of Kent resided at Amorbach, one of the seats of the Prince of Leiningen. Early in the following spring, when the birth of their child was i8 QUEEN VICTORIA. expected, both the Duke and Duchess were desirous that the infant should first see the light on English soil, and made their waj- to Kensington. There, on the 24th of May, 1819, the Princess, the future Queen and Empress, was born at a quarter-past four in the morning. Though the Duchess quickly recovered her health, yet, towards the close of the year, she was advised to try a climate somewhat milder than that of Kensington, as the winter had set in with such unusual severity that thick ice was everywhere to be seen as early as November. A move was therefore made to Devonshire, where Woolbrook Cottage, at Sidmouth, was taken as a winter residence. Here the Duke passed the short remainder of his life, over- shadowed to some extent by the clouds of financial trouble which had always so terribly oppressed him, but brightened by the affection and companionship of his wife, and of his child, to whom he was devotedly attached. His end was very sudden ; he had walked out through the snow with Colonel Conroy, but on his return neglected to change his wet clothes. This imprudence, following on a cold which he had caught at Salisbury when visiting the Cathedral, brought on inflammation of the lungs. The fever ran high, and, according to the barbaric custom of the age, he was repeatedly bled. He never regained strength, and died on the 23rd of January, 1820. During his illness, he was nursed indefatigably by the Duchess, BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. ig who never left him ; indeed, for five nights and days she had never undressed. The onty consolation she had besides her infant daughter was the presence of her loved brother, Prince Leopold, who, on hearing of the dangerous condition of the Duke, hastened at once to her side. The Duke's sister, Princess Augusta, writes to an old friend immediately after the Duke's death : " Think, my dearest Lady Har- court, that yesterday five weeks he was here on his way to Sidmouth ; so happy with his excellent, good wife, and his lovely child ; and within so short a time was perfectly i&e// — ill — and no more / . . . God knows what is for the best, and I hope I bow with submission to this very severe trial ; but when I think of his poor, miserable wife, and his innocent, fatherless child, it really breaks my heart. She has conducted herself like an angel, and I am thankful dearest Leopold was with her. . . . She quite adored poor Edward, and they were truly blessed in each other ; but what an irreparable loss he must be to her ! " The Duke of Kent was also a loss to the whole nation. Not a favourite with his own family, he was the most popular of his brothei-s outside the royal circle. His opinions were enlightened, and though considered heterodox at the time, they now represent the views of most cultivated men. In his private life he was remarkable for his generosity to all from whom he had received attention or service. Warmly in- 20 QUEEN VICTORIA. terested in the management of almost every charitable institution of his time, he never failed to forward their interests b}' presiding at their meetings if time would permit him to do so. The practical interest he tooij in education is proved by the fact that he was the first commander of a regiment to establish a regi- mental school. Perhaps the best eulogy passed upon him was that of Lord Brougham, who said, in the House of Lords, on the question of a grant to him on his marriage, that he " would venture to say that no man had set a brighter example of public virtue, no man had more beneficially exerted himself in his high station to benefit every institution with which the best interests of the country, and the protection and education of the poor were connected, than His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent ". The Duke was buried in the royal vault at Wind- sor, under the Tomb-house, now the Albert Memorial Chapel. A handsome tomb of alabaster, with a re- cumbent effigy, has also been erected by the Queen to her father's memory in the south aisle of the nave of St. George's Chapel. A week had not elapsed since the death of the Duke, before his father, George III., also passed away. The Princess Augusta again writes from Windsor Castle on the 4th of February : "In all my own sorrow I cannot yet bear to think of that good, excellent woman, the Duchess of Kent, and all her BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. 21 trials ; they are really most grievous. She is the most pious, good, resigned creature it is possible to describe. She has written to me once ; and I received the letter from her and one from Adelaide, written together from Kensington. Dearest William is so good-hearted, that he has desired Adelaide to go to Kensington every day, as she is a comfort to the poor widow, and her sweet, gentle mind is of great use to the Duchess of Kent. It is a great delight to me to think they can read the same prayers, and talk the same mother tongue together, it makes them such real friends and comforts to each other. . . ." This friendship with the Duchess of Clarence was real and lasting. It helped materially to soften the sorrows of the early days of the Duchess's widow- hood, when, for the sake of her child, she resolved to remain permanently in the land of her adoption. After she lost her second Princess, the future Queen Adelaide wrote to the Duchess of Kent : " My chil- dren are dead ; but yours lives, and she is mine too," and throughout the remainder of her life she treated her niece with an affection which was truly maternal. In addition to her other troubles, the royal widow was left in very straitened circumstances, and though for some time helped by the generosity of her brother, it was many years before any adequate provision was made for her maintenance. Particular attention has been drawn in the previous 22 QUEEN VICTORIA. chapter to the female members of the ancestry of the Queen in the male line. Here it is equally important to mention the great influence which the Queen's grandmother in the female line had upon her charac- ter and her life. She was, as is mentioned above, a Princess of the ancient house of Reuss-Ebersdorf Her mother was of the house of Erbach-Schoenberg, which family has again, in recent years, been allied to the royal family of Great Britain by the marriage of the Count of Erbach-Schoenberg with the sister of the lamented Prince Henry of Battenberg. The Duchess of Coburg is described by her third and favourite son, the King of the Belgians, as being in every way " a most distinguished person," and the Queen, speaking of her many years later, thus records her recollections : "The Queen remembers her dear grandmother per- fectly well. She was a most remarkable woman, with a most powerful, energetic, almost masculine mind, accompanied with great tenderness of heart and ex- treme love for nature. The Prince (Consort) told the Queen that she had wished earnestly that he should marry the Queen, and as she died when her grand- children (the Prince and Queen) were only twelve years old, she could have little guessed what a bless- ing she was preparing, not only for this country, but for the world at large. She was adored by her chil- dren, particularly by her sons ; King Leopold being her great favourite. She had fine and most expressive BIRTH AND PARENTAGE OF THE QUEEN. 23 blue eyes, with the marked features and long nose inherited by nnost of her children and grandchildren." This note by the Queen, with several letters of this gifted lady, is printed in General Grey's Early Years of the Prince Consort. The Dowager Duchess of Coburg died in 1831. The Queen believes that what- ever powers of mind and talent she may possess are principally inherited from her maternal grandmother. The sisters of the Duchess of Kent, and aunts to the Queen, were Sophia, Antoinette, and Julie. Sophia, the eldest, after refusing many eligible pro- posals of marriage from suitors of her own rank, married in 1804 Count Mensdorff-Pouilly, whose acquaintance she had made when visiting her sister, Antoinette, at Fantaisie, near Baireuth, at that time the resort of many Bavarian families, as well as of French emigrants. The second daughter of the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, Antoinette, married in 1798 Duke Alexander of Wiirtemberg, whose sister, the Empress of Russia, was mother to the Emperors Alexander and Nicholas. The Duke Alexander held a very influential position in that country, where he resided many years. His wife is described by her brother, King Leopold, as clever, amiable, and pos- sessed of a great esprit de conduite. They had two sons, both of whom served with distinction in the Russian Army ; the elder married Princess Marie of Orleans, daughter of Louis Philippe, and their son, 24 QUEEN VICTORIA. Duke Philip, is heir-presumptive to the throne of Wiirtemberg. The third sister, Julie, was married at fifteen to the Grand Duke Constantine of Russia. The marriage was not happy, and in 1802 she left Russia, fixing her residence finally at Elfenau, near Berne in Switzerland, where she was visited in 1837 by her nephew, Prince Albert, a visit repeated on more than one occasion afterwards. 25 CHAPTER III. THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. Conformably with the custom of the Church of England, the infant daughter of the Duke and Duchess had, as soon as possible after her birth, been baptised at Kensington Palace ; the rite being administered by the archbishop of Canter- bury, who was assisted by the Bishop of London. The Prince Regent stood as sponsor, with the Duke of York, who represented the Emperor of Russia. The godmothers were the Duchess Dow- ager of Coburg, the maternal grandmother of the Princess, represented by the Duchess of Gloucester ; and the Queen of Wiirtemberg, Princess Royal of England, who was represented by her sister, the Princess Augusta. The names given were Alexandrina Victoria, the first after the Emperor of Russia, the second after her mother. For a short time the pet name " Drina " was used, but later it was superseded by the universally honoured name of Victoria. One of the Queen's earliest signatures, in capital letters and in pencil, written by her when 26 QUEEN VICTORIA. four years old, and usinf^ this name only, is in the British Museum. Immediately after her father's death she was brought back, with her widowed mother, by Prince Leopold, from Sidmouth to Kensington, which was to be her future home till, by the death of her uncle, William IV., she succeeded .to the throne. The Duchess of Kent in after years, in reply to an address of congratulation on the attainment of her majority by her daughter, has thus described the motives of her conduct in her new position : " I pass over the earlier part of my connection with this country. I will merely briefly observe, that my late regretted consort's circumstances and my duties obliged us to reside in Germany ; but the Duke of Kent, at much inconvenience, and I, at great personal risk, returned to England, that our child should be ' born and bred a Briton'. In a few months afterwards my infant and myself were awfully deprived of father and husband. We stood alone — almost friendless and alone in this country ; I could not even speak the language of it. I did not hesitate how to act. I gave up my home, my kindred, my duties (the Regency of Leiningen), to devote myself to that duty which was to be the whole object of mj' future life. I was supported in the execution of my duties by the country. It placed its trust in me, and the Regency Bill gave me its last act of confidence. I have, in times of THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 27 great difficulty, avoided all connection with any party in the State ; but, if I have done so, I have never ceased to impress on my daughter her duties, so as to gain, by her conduct, the respect and affection of the people. This, I have taught her, should be her first earthly duty us a Constitutional Sovereign." No words could better convey a sense of the principles which guided the mother in the education of her child, and of the manner in which, not always without opposition, she fulfilled the task she had set before herself to perform. For the first few years of her life at Kensington, then really a suburb — for London itself ended at Tyburn Gate and at Hyde Park Corner — the Duchess watched most carefully over the health and physical development of her daughter. Whenever the weather permitted the Princess was to be seen in the gardens, generally accompanied by her half-sister, the Princess Feodore, and in charge of her nurse, Mrs. Brock, whom she called her "dear, dear Bobby". Many stories are related of the manner in which the child would recognise any ladies of the neighbourhood who happened to meet the royal party ; but most of these, if they ever had any small foundation in fact, have been overlaid with exaggeration and the most improbable details. One instance of the manner in which what must have been a very trifling incident has grown in the telling is the story related by an old 28 QUEEN VICTORIA. soldier named Maloney, who claimed the honour of having saved his sovereign's life in her infancy. The pony drawing the chair in which the Princess took her morning ride, frightened by a dog, swerved, and overturned the chair on the edge of the pathway. The child would have fallen under the vehicle, when Maloney seized her in her fall, and was able to restore her unhurt to the lady attendant. The following day he received from the Duchess her thanks, with a guinea. The Queen has no recollection of this in- cident, and is sure she never was upset, or in any danger of being thrown out. In 1878 the circumstance was brought up again, and some assistance was given to the old man, who was in distress, though no proof of his claim could be discovered. The Queen's earli- est recollection is that of crawling on the floor on an old yellow carpet at Kensington Palace, and playing with the badge of the Garter belonging to Bishop Fisher, who, as Bishop of Sahsbury, was then Chancellor of the Order, and, having been tutor to her father, took a deep and affectionate interest in the welfare of the Duke's only child. Mr. Wilberforce, who was then living at Kensington Gore, describes to Hannah More a visit which he paid to the Duchess in July, 1820 : " In consequence of a very civil letter from the Duchess of Kent, I waited on her this morning. She received me, with her fine animated child on the floor by her side, with its playthings, of THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 29 which I soon became one. She was very civil, but as she did not sit down, I did not think it right to stay above a quarter of an hour." During these early years, and before a regular course of studies had been attempted, the family life at the Palace was simple and regular. Breakfast was served in summer at eight o'clock, the Princess Victoria having her bread and milk and fruit on a little table by her mother's side. After breakfast the Princess Feodore studied with her governess, Miss Lehzen, and the Princess Victoria went out for a walk or drive. It has been repeatedly said that at this time she was instructed by her mother ; but this is not the case, as the Duchess never gave her daughter any lessons. At two there was a plain dinner, when the Duchess had her luncheon. In the afternoon was the usual walk or drive. At the time of her mother's dinner the Princess had her supper laid at her side. At nine she was accustomed to retire to her bed, which was placed close to her mother's. It has been said that on the Princess's fourth birthday her uncle. King George, presented her with a splendid gift of a miniature of himself set in diamonds. This is not the fact ; at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Park, in 1827, the King presented the Princess with a badge, worn by the Royal Family, which is still preserved. Another tradition belonging to the same period runs that the King issued 3° nUEEN VICTORIA. invitations for a State dinner, and signified his wish that her infant daughter should accompany the Duchess, and that the Princess accordingly was presented to the assembly before the banquet. This took place at Carlton House, but the Princess was present only for a moment to see the King and the Royal Family. It was not till the Princess had entered her fifth year that she began to receive any regular instruction. On the recommendation of the Rev. Thomas Rus- sell, Vicar of Kensington, the Rev. George Davys was engaged to give elementary lessons. In this determination not to force her daughter's mind the Duchess of Kent acted on the counsel of her mother, who had advised her " not to tease her little puss with learning while she was so young ". The advice was justified by results, for the Princess made rapid progress. In this year, 1824, the Duchess of Saxe- Coburg came over to England to visit her son, Prince Leopold, and the united family spent that autumn at Claremont. Then and for years afterwards, these visits to her loved uncle were 'Some of the brightest remembrances of the Queen, who has written, " These were the happiest days of the Queen's childhood". Years afterwards, in 1842, when staying at Claremont with her husband and eldest child, the Queen wrote to her uncle Leopold at Brussels : " This place brings back recollections of the happiest days of my otherwise THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 31 dull childhood — days when I experienced such kind- ness from you, dearest uncle ; Victoria plays with m}? old bricks, and I see her running and jumping in the flower garden, as old (though I feel still little) Victoria of former days used to do ". About the same time, Miss Lehzen, the daughter of a Hanoverian clergyman, who had come over to England in charge of the Princess Feodore, was appointed governess to the Princess. She was her constant guide and companion and devotedly attached to her young charge, by whom the feeling was cor- dially returned. Her great influence was exercised with tact and judgment, and the bond of union between teacher and pupil was only severed by death. In recognition of her distinguished merit. Miss Lehzen was created a Baroness of Hanover by George IV. After the accession of her pupil to the throne, the Baroness remained with the Queen till her marriage. Two years later she retired to Germany, and died, much regretted, in 1870. In 1826, when the Princess was seven years old, she received, for the iii'st time, an invitation from the King to accompany the Duchess of Kent on a visit to him at Windsor. His Majesty was then living in the Royal Lodge in the Park. As there was no accom- modation for visitors in the Lodge, the Duchess and the Princess stayed at Cumberland Lodge, close at hand, where they remained for three days. The King 3^ QUEEN VICTORIA. was much pleased with his niece, and with the affection she exhibited towards himself. Before she left, he gave her the badge worn by members of the Royal Family and promised an early renewal of her visit to him — a promise afterwards fulfilled. The Princess thus for the first time had the opportunity of seeing the stately castle, which then, after a century's neglect, was being restored as a fitting abode for the Sovereign, and has for sixty years been her chief home of state. One da)', during her first visit to the Royal Lodge, the King entered the drawing-room, holding his niece by the hand. The band was playing in the adjoining conservatory. " Now, Victoria," said His Majesty, "the band is in the next room, and shall play any tune you please. What shall it be? " "Oh, Uncle King," quickly replied the Princess, " I should like 'God save the King'." Another time. His Majesty asked her what she had enjoyed most during her stay in Windsor. "The drive I took with you. Uncle King," was the answer, the King having himself driven her in his pony phaeton, in company with the Duchess of Gloucester. The Earl of Albemarle, who was in attendance on the Duke of Sussex at Kensington, thus describes in his recollections the appearance of the Princess at this time. " One of my occupations on a morning, while waiting for the Duke, was to watch from the window the movements of a bright, pretty little girl, seven THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 33 years of age. She was in the habit of watering the plants immediately under the window. It was amus- ing to see how impartially she divided the contents of the watering-pot between the flowers and her own little feet. Her simple but becoming dress contrasted favourably with the gorgeous apparel now worn by the little damsels of the rising generation — a large straw hat and a suit of white cotton ; a coloured fichu round the neck was the only ornament she wore." The education of Her Royal Highness was now conducted on a regular system. Besides the instruc- tion she received from Miss Lehzen and the Rev. George Davys, Mr. Steward, the writing master of Westminster School, was engaged to teach writing and arithmetic; Mr. J. B. Sale, who had been in the choir of the Chapel Royal, came to assist in the singing lessons, which were afterwards given by the famous Lablache. Lessons in dancing were given by Madame Bourdin, to whose teaching may be due in some measure the grace of gesture and dignity of bearing which has always distinguished Her Majesty. Draw- ing was entrusted to Mr. Westall, who had been a Royal Academician since 1794, and was now of con- siderable age ; he carefully trained the great natural gifts of his pupil, who early showed a talent which, had there been sufficient time for its exercise in after years, would have placed its possessor in the first rank among amateur artists. 34 QUEEN VICTORIA. At the time these various accompHshments were being taught, the Princess was well grounded in English, and knew something of French, which she studied under M. Grandineau. German was not allowed to be spoken ; English was always insisted upon, though a knowledge of the German language was imparted by M. Barez. The lessons, however, which were the most enjoyed were those in riding, which has always been since one of the Queen's greatest pleasures. In January, 1827, at the Duchess of Rutland's house in Arlington Street, the Duke of York died childless, bringing the Princess Victoria one step nearer to the throne. The stories which have been printed of the great attachment between uncle and niece, and of the constant visits paid to him by the Princess, are without foundation, as, in fact, the Queen never visited him till the last months of his life, when he was living at a house in King's Road, belonging to Mr. Greenwood, where the Duke had " Punch and Judy " to amuse the child. In the year following, the Princess Feodore, who had been her half-sister's constant companion, married Prince Hohenlohe-Langenburg. This parting was the greatest sorrow the Princess Victoria had then known, as she missed her society not only at Ken- sington, but even more in those visits to Ramsgate, Tunbridge Wells, and other watering-places, which THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 35 the Duchess was accustomed to pay with her family in the summer months. The death of the Duke of York, and the remote probabiHty of the Duke and Duchess of Clarence having other offspring, drew increasing attention to the movements of the Duchess of Kent and her daughter. Many stories are current of the behaviour and appearance of the young Princess. The sim- plicity of her tastes was particularly noticed and admired. It was this simplicity of living and careful training in home life which endeared not only the Princess but her mother also to the hearts of the whole nation. Leigh Hunt and Charles Knight have both recorded the pleasing impression made upon them by the young Princess. The latter, in his Passages of a Working Life, says : " I delighted to walk in Kensington Gardens. As I passed along the broad central walk, I saw a group on the lawn before the Palace. . . . The Duchess of Kent and her daughter, whose years then numbei^ed nine, are breakfasting in the open air. . . . What a beautiful characteristic it seemed to me of the training of this royal girl, that she should not have been taught to shrink from the public eye ; that she should not have been burdened with a premature conception of her probable high destiny ; that she should enjoy the freedom and simplicity of a child's nature ; that she should not be restrained when she starts up from the 36 QUEEN VICTORIA. breakfast-table and runs to gather a flower in the adjoining pasture; that her merry laugh should be as fearless as the notes of the thrush in the groves around her. I passed on and blessed her; and I thank God that I have lived to see the golden fruits of such a training." Another and more celebrated writer, Sir Walter Scott, has written in his diary of May 19th, 1828 : " Dined with the Duchess of Kent. Was very kindly received by Prince Leopold, and presented to the little Princess Victoria, the heir-apparent to the Crown, as things now stand. . . . This little lady is educated with much care, and watched so closely that no busy maid has a moment to whisper, ' You are heir of England '. I suspect, if we could dissect the little heart, we should find some pigeon or other bird of the air had carried the matter." Sir Walter's surmise, as will be seen later, was not altogether without foundation. On the 28th of May, 1829, when the Princess was just ten years old, she made her first acquaintance with the ceremony of a court. This was at a juvenile ball, given by the King to Donna Maria La Gloria, Queen of Portugal (a sovereign only a month older than herself). The same year the Princess saw, for the last time, her uncle, George IV. Her grand- mother, the Dowager Duchess of Coburg, mentions this visit to Windsor in a letter to the Duchess of THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 37 Kent. " I see by the English papers that ' Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent went on Vir- ginia Water with His Majesty.' The little monkey must have pleased and amused him, she is such a pretty, clever child." This year the summer was spent at Broadstairs, and, in returning to Kensington, a visit ot two days was paid to the Earl of Winchilsea, at his seat, Eastwell Park, near Ashford. The year 1830 was a momentous one in the life of the Princess. Her uncle George IV. died in June, and was succeeded by his brother "William IV., this one life only now standing between her and the throne. The Princess, according to one account, already knew something of the position in which she was placed before the death of George IV. It is, however, certain that in the latter part of the year the Princess was formally acquainted with her position. The Baroness Lehzen, writing to Her Majesty on the i6th of December, 1867, thus describes the manner in which the communication was made : " I ask your Majesty's leave to cite some remarkable words of your Majesty's when only twelve years old, while the Regency Bill was in progress. I then said to the Duchess of Kent, that now, for the first time, your Majesty ought to know your place in the succession. Her Royal Highness agreed with me, and I put the genealogical table into the historical book. When 38 QUEEN VICTORIA. Mr. Davj's was gone, the Princess Victoria opened, as usual, the book again, and seeing the additional paper, said, ' I never saw that before'. 'It was not thought necessary you should. Princess,' I answered. ' I see, I am nearer the throne than I thought.' 'So it is, madam,' I said. After some moments the Prin- cess resumed, ' Now, many a child would boast, but they don't know the difficulty. There is much splen- dour, but there is more responsibility.' The Princess having lifted up the forefinger of her right hand while she spoke, gave me that little hand, saying, ' I will be good. I understand now why you urged me so much to learn, even Latin. My aunts Augusta and Mary never did ; but you told me Latin is the foundation of English grammar, and of all the ele- gant expressions, and I learnt it as you wished it, but I understand all better now,' and the Princess gave me her hand, repeating, ' I will be good '. I then said, ' But your aunt Adelaide is still young, and may have children, and of course they would ascend the throne after their father, William IV., and not you. Princess '. The Princess answered And if it was so, I should be very glad, for I know by the love Aunt Adelaide bears me, how fond she is of children '." This letter, written more than five-and-thirty years after the event, can hardly be considered as strictly accurate. The Princess was only eleven when the THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, iSig-1837. 39 Regency Bill was discussed. It was passed in De- cember, 1830. The Queen says, moreover, that the knowledge of her probable succession came to her gradually and made her very unhappy ; nor does she feel sure that she made use of the expression, " I will be good ". Ampler provision had by this time been made for the maintenance of a household more in keeping with the recognised position of the Princess. It was consequently possible for the Duchess of Kent and her daughter to combine the pleasure of summer travel with the increase of knowledge derived from wider association with the people which were here- after to come under the Princess's rule. This year, therefore, a more extended journey was made. On the way to Malvern, where they were to spend a couple of months, visits were paid to Blenheim, also to Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick, Kenilworth, and Birmingham. Here the principal manufactures were seen, attention being particularly paid to the glass-blowing and coining. From Malvern excursions were made to Madresfield, Eastnor, and other noble- men's seats, and also to the cities of Hereford and Worcester. Returning from this pleasant sojourn in the west, both Badminton and Gloucester were visited, and the journey continued through Bath to Mr. Watson Taylor's, at East Stoke Park, where the acquaintance of Thomas Moore was made. In his 40 QUEEN VICTORIA. diary we read, "The Duchess sang a duet or two with the Princess Victoria, and several very pretty German songs by herself. I also sang several songs with which Her Royal Highness was much pleased." The party thence passed over Salisbury Plain and visited Stonehenge on the way to Salisbury, where the young Princess was received with great en- thusiasm, the horses being taken out of the carriage, which was drawn by the populace to the Hotel. The next stay was at Portsmouth, where the Princess visited the Royal George yacht and the St. Vincent man-of-war, and took a long survey of the dockyard, in which she was keenly interested. The Regency Bill, just mentioned, was brought forward in the House of Lords by Lord Lyndhurst, in consequence of the reference made to the subject in the King's Speech from the Throne, on the and of November. It was introduced on the 15th of the month by the Lord Chancellor, who said : " The first question which your Lordships will naturally ask is — whom we propose as the guardian of Her Royal Highness under the circumstances inferred ? I am sure, however, that the answer will at once suggest itself to every mind. It would be quite impossible that we should recommend any other individual for that high office than the illustrious Princess, the mother of Her Royal Highness the Princess Victoria. The manner in which Her Royal Highness, the THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 41 Duchess of Kent, has hitherto discharged her duty in the education of her illustrious offspring — and I speak upon the subject, not from vague report, but from accurate information — gives us the best ground to hope most favourably of Her Royal Highness's future conduct. Looking at the past, it is evident we cannot find a better guardian for the time to come." The Bill was passed at the beginning of the next month. It provided that, in the event of a pos- thumous child of the Queen Adelaide, Her Majesty should be guardian and regent during the minority of the infant. If that event should not occur, the Duchess of Kent was to be guardian and regent during the minority of her daughter, the Princess Victoria, the heiress presumptive. The provisions of the Bill were welcomed and endorsed by the approval of both Houses, and by the country at large. Every one rejoiced in the opportunity of offering so worthy a tribute of gratitude to the royal lady, for the unwearied assiduity and judgment she had displayed in the education of her daughter for the station to which it seemed now certain that she would eventually be called. It was on the occasion of the prorogation of this session by the King that the Princess Victoria was a witness of the state procession, in company with the Queen and the royal Princesses. The people cheered the Queen with much vigour, whereupon that lady graciously took 42 QUEEN VICTORIA. her young niece b}' the hand, and, leading her to the front of the balcony, introduced her to her future loyal subjects. Soon after the King's accession, the Prime Minister, Earl Grey, proposed to the Duchess of Kent, by the King's desire, the appointment of a dignitary of the Church to superintend the education of the Princess, and suggested that the Bishop of Lincoln would be a proper person to be entrusted with the duties of the office. The Duchess commissioned his lordship to convey to the King her grateful thanks for the interest taken by him in the subject, and added that she perfectly coincided with His Majesty's views, as regarded the propriety of the establishment of the Princess being headed by a dignitary of the Church ; but as she felt most perfect confidence in Mr. Davys, she thought there could be no difficulty in preferring him to an office of ecclesiastical dignity. Mr. Davys was, in consequence, in January, 1831, preferred to the Deanerj' of Chester. Another important addition to the household of the Princess was made by the appointment of a State governess, in the person of Charlotte Florentia, daughter of the Earl of Powis, and wife of Hugh, third Duke of Northumberland. Her Grace had no share in the teaching of her charge, but was always in attendance when the heiress-presumptive appeared in public or at Court. THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 43 The Princess's first appearance at Court was at a Drawing Room held on the 24th of February, 1831, in honour of the birthday of Queen Adelaide. During the reception she stood on the left of the Queen, between one of her royal aunts and the Duchess of Kent, dressed ver^- simply in white, with a pearl necklace, and a diamond ornament in her hair. She much enjoyed the ceremony, and henceforward at- tended the Drawing Rooms twice in the year, not attending any of the State Balls or ceremonies in the evening till some years later. In August of this year the Duchess of Kent and the Princess went to the Isle of Wight, where they stayed for two months. The coronation of King William IV. was fixed for the 8th of September, and all preparations had been made for the attendance of the heiress-presumptive at the ceremony. The Duchess of Kent was expected at Claremont, and had appointed Lord Morpeth to be the bearer of her coronet to the Abbey. The absence of the royal pair from the Coronation gave rise at the time to much comment and angry discussion. During her stay in the island, the Princess made a tour round its western part, visiting Ryde, Ventnor, Yarmouth, and Newport, and returning home to pay a visit at Claremont to her uncle. King Leopold. He and the Duchess of Kent had, directly after this visit, to mourn the loss of their mother, the Duchess Dowager of Coburg, who 44 QUEEN VICTORIA. had watched with such anxious care and solicitude over the welfare of her children and grandchildren, and had ardently desired, but never was destined to see, that union which afterwards, while it lasted, rendered the lives of two of them so blissful. In the summer of 1832 a somewhat lengthy tour was taken by the Duchess of Kent and the Princess, who thus had an opportunity of seeing a great extent of her future kingdom, and making the personal acquaintance of many of the nobility and gentry, and gaining an insight into the manufactures and employments of the people. Starting in the beginning of August and sleeping at Oxford, they passed through Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and Shrewsbury to Powis Castle, the early home of the Duchess of Northumberland. Hence the journey was made by Wynnstay, over the Menai Bridge, to the " Bulkeley Arms " at Beaumaris, which had been taken for a month. At the National Eisteddfod held here the Princess delighted the winners by presenting to them the prizes gained in the various competitions. An outbreak of cholera curtailed the stay at Beaumaris, whence the Duchess with her daughter moved to Plas Newydd, which had been kindly placed at their disposal by the Marquess of Anglesey. The fine air and abundance of exercise had a most beneficial effect upon the Princess's constitution. Whilst staying at Plas Newydd, the Princess, on THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 45 Saturday, October 13, laid the first stone of a boys' school. On the 15th, the royal party left Plas Newydd, and the Princess notes in her diary: "I looked out of the carriage window, that I might get a last look at the dear Emerald and her excellent crew ". On the route to Eaton Hall, Bangor and Conway were passed, and at Kenmel Park, the seat of Lord Dinorben, the royal party stopped to meet the Duke of Sussex at luncheon. Passing through Holywell, they arrived at Eaton, escorted by the Yeomanry, under Lord Grosvenor. Escorts on the first part of the journey had been furnished by the Denbighshire and Flintshire Yeomanry. On the 17th of October a visit was made to Chester, where the visitors were received with much cheering by the great crowds which assembled from all the country round. The new bridge over the Dee was formally opened, and received the name of "Victoria". From Eaton, again escorted by Lord Grosvenor and Lord Robert Grosvenor, at the head of their Yeomanry, the journey lay through Buxton to Chatsworth, where they were received by the Duke of Devonshire. On the next day the Princess Victoria planted an oak, and the Duchess of Kent a chestnut, near the terrace. Ex- cursions were made to Haddon and to Hardwicke, also through Matlock to Belper, where Mr. Strutt's cotton mills were inspected with much interest. Leaving Chatsworth on the 24th, the party pro- 46 QUEEN VICTORIA. ceeded to Lord Lichfield's house at Shugborough, lunching on the way at Alton Towers, the magnificent seat of Lord Shrewsbury. Here the Staffordshire Yeomanry was reviewed in the park. Next day Lich- field Cathedral was visited, and addresses received from the Mayor and Corporation. Passing through Stafford, which was gaily decorated with arches and flowers, the Duchess and the Princess, escorted by the Staffordshire Yeomanry, arrived at Pitchford, where they were to be the guests of Lord Liverpool. On one day during their visit there was a meet of the hounds, who ran into their fox under the carriage in which their Royal Highnesses were sitting; on another day Shrewsbury and its old school were visited. Leaving Pitchford, and passing through Church Stretton, a stay was made at Oakley Court, the seat of Mr. Clive. Thence the journey lay through Ludlow. Here the mechanics formed a procession. Lord Clive and Mr, Clive walking on foot at their head. At Tenbury the Worcestershire Yeomanry relieved the Shropshire Yeomanry as escort, and attended the carriage. Lord Plymouth riding by the side, to Newell Grange, his lordship's seat. During the two days which were passed there, a visit was paid to Bromsgrove, where an address was presented to the Duchess, and the Princess received a present of a gold box full of small nails, as specimens of the manufacture of the town. THE^QUEBN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 47 The next day the homeward journey was continued through Stratford-on-Avon, Shipston-on-Stour, and Woodstock, to Wytham Abbey, the seat of the Earl of Abingdon. The Duchess and the Princess passed one day in Oxford, where an address was presented by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Dr. Rowley, in the Theatre, and another by the Mayor and Cor- poration in the Town Hall ; they were then escorted by Dean Gaisford through Christ Church, the Cathedral, and Librarj', and on to the Bodleian, where amongst other curiosities Princess Victoria took great interest in Queen Elizabeth's Latin exercise book, which she used when thirteen years old, the Princess's own age. The royal visitors were entertained at luncheon b}' the Vice-Chancellor at his own College, University, and after visiting New College were conducted to the University Press, with which the Princess was greatly pleased ; here a copy of the Bible was presented to her, with a memorial of her visit printed on white satin. On the following day, the gth of November, the journey was resumed through High Wycombe and Uxbridge to Kensington Palace. It is noted in the Princess's diary of the time, from which these particulars are taken by permission, that at all these visits the Princess dined at about seven o'clock with the Duchess of Kent and the guests. Soon after their return home an interesting inter- 48 QUEEN VICTORIA. view took place with Captain Back, who was pre- paring to start, early in the following year, on his chivalrous enterprise to the Polar regions in search of Captain Ross. The Princess took extreme interest in the proposed route, which was explained by maps, and expressed much anxiety for the success of the expedition, and this interest in Polar exploration and its dangers has ever since been maintained. The early part of the year 1833 was passed at Kensington. There the course of study was kept up as before, but the Princess now went out more into society and was seen more in public ; twice during January she sat for her picture — to Wilkin and to Hayter. On the 25th of February, the birthday of Queen Adelaide, the Duchess of Kent and the Prin- cess Victoria went to the Queen's Drawing Room. On this occasion they were attended by the Duchess of Northumberland, Lady Charlotte St. Maur, Lady Catherine Jenkinson, Lady Cust, Sir John and Lady Conroy, Baroness Lehzen, Sir Frederick Wetherall, and Sir George Anson. On Easter Sunday their Royal Highnesses went as usual to the Chapel Royal at St. James's ; on other days service was attended at Kensington Palace. On the 24th of April the Duchess of Kent gave a dinner to the King ; the Queen was not well enough to be present. The Dukes of Cumberland and Gloucester were among the guests, who numbered about thirty. Princess THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 49 Victoria, on this as on other similar occasions, did not dine, but went into the drawing-room before dinner, and again after dinner till the guests left. On the 24th of May, the Princess's fourteenth birthday, she received a large number of presents, and in the evening with the Duchess of Kent, and attended by the Duchess of Northumberland and other members of her suite, went to a juvenile ball given at St. James's Palace by the King and Queen in honour of the day. The King led Her Royal Highness into the ballroom, and again to supper, when the Princess sat between the King and Queen and her health was drunk by the company. On the 28th the Princess again attended the Queen's Drawing Room, and records the impression made upon her by the beauty of Lady Seymour, Mrs. Norton, Lady Clanricarde and others. In June the Duchess and Princess, with the Princes Alexander and Ernest of Wurtemberg and Prince Leiningen (all three staying on a visit at Kensington Palace), attended by the Duchess of Northumberland and others, drove to Woolwich, where they visited the Arsenal, Barracks, and Storehouse, where was pre- served the carriage which had conveyed Napoleon to his tomb. They witnessed also the firing of several pieces of artillery. At home the Princess's amusements were her pets, and her walks and drives, and during the spring and 4 50 QUEEN VICTORIA. summer she much enjoyed riding. Another great enjoyment was the frequency of her visits to the opera, where she greatly enjoyed the performances of Duvernay and TagHoni, and listened with delight to Pasta, Malibran, Grisi, Tamburini, Rubini, and other celebrated singers, as well as to Paganini's playing on the violin. During the summer visits were paid both to Sion and Claremont, and on the 1st of July the Duchess of Kent and the Princess Victoria, accompanied by the Princes of Wiirtemberg and Prince Leiningen and attended by Sir John and Lady Conroy and Baroness Lehzen, left Kensington en route for the Isle of Wight, passing by Esher, Guildford, and Petersfield to Portsmouth. The streets of the town were lined with troops, and Sir Colin Campbell rode beside the royal carriage. The Admiral, Sir Thomas Williams, took the royal party in his barge to the yacht Emerald, which was then towed by a steamer to Cowes, whence the party proceeded to Norris Castle, which was to be for the second time their abode. Sir John Conroy with his family lived at Osborne Lodge, an old thatched cottage which after- wards came into the possession of the Queen and stood on the present site of Osborne Cottage. From Norris Castle the Duchess with the Princess made many excursions to Southampton, Ryde, and the back of the Island ; they attended divine service at THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 51 the church at Whippingham, and were present at the consecration of the new church at East Cowes. On the i8th of July they went on board the Emerald and were towed by^the Messenger steamboat to Ports- mouth. Here in the Admiral's barge they visited his flagship the Victory, and saw the spot on the deck where Nelson fell and the cockpit where he died. "The whole ship," notes Princess Victoria, "is re- markable for its neatness and order." A contemporary account states that the Duchess and the Princess tasted some of the men's dinner at one of their mess- tables, and much liked the fare. On the 29th the Messenger again took the Emerald in tow for Weymouth, where the night was passed on shore at the Hotel. Addresses were presented and the town was illuminated in honour of the royal visitors, who next day left by road, escorted by the Dorsetshire Yeomanry, for Melbury, the seat of Lord Ilchester, where a stay was made of two nights ; leaving again by road, and, passing Beaminster and Bridport, they embarked on board the Emerald at Lyme Regis for Torquay, where they slept. During this journey the Duchess and Princess always slept on shore, as the accommodation on board was very scanty. On the afternoon of the 2nd, as the yacht was approaching Plymouth, the Admiral, Sir William Hargood, who had served under Nelson, and under the King, came on board. When entering the harbour 52 QUEEN VICTORIA. the little Emerald ran foul of the Active hulk, and those on board were in considerable danger. The mast was broken in two places b}' the collision, but did not fall, though many stories were current at the time of falling spars and rigging. No one was hurt, though every one was greatly frightened. The repair of the mast caused a delay of a couple of days. On the 3rd an address was presented by the Mayor and Corporation of Plymouth, and afterwards their Royal Highnesses and suite were present at a review of the 89th, 22nd, and 84th Regiments. The Duchess of Kent made a speech, in which she referred to her residence in the Isle of Wight, which enabled her, in pursuance of her system of education for her daughter, to visit the great ports and arsenals so intimately associated with the naval power and glories of the country. The Princess Victoria then presented new colours to the 8gth Regiment, giving them into the hands of Ensigns Miles and Egerton. After the troops had marched past, and luncheon had been served at the Admiral's house, a visit was paid to the San Josef, the flagship, which had been taken by Nelson from the Spaniards at St. Vincent, a fine vessel of 120 guns, after which the Caledonia, 120, and the Revenge, 74, were inspected. On Sunday the Duchess and Princess attended morning service in the Dockyard Chapel, and in the afternoon rowed across to Mount Edgecumbe. Next day, on board THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 53 the Forie frigate, Commander Pell, they sailed to the Eddystone Lighthouse. After lunch on board the sailors danced a hornpipe, and the royal party danced a quadrille and a country dance. The Princess danced iirst with Lieutenant Baker, and afterwards with Captain Thiringham. They afterwards landed on the Breakwater, whence they rowed to Mount Wise, and drove home. On Tuesday, the 6th, they re-embarked on the Emerald, the repairs to which had been completed, and, accompanied as far as the Sound by the Admiral and his captains, were again towed as far as Dartmouth, where they landed and drove to Torquay in the carriage of Mrs. Seale, as there were no post-horses to be had. Thej' were expected to arrive by sea, and the change of plan caused some disappointment ; however, a procession was formed of young girls with flowers, a little girl in the middle, the daughter of a sailor named Pep- perill, carrying a crown. Leaving Torquay early next morning, and passing through Teignmouth and Dawlish, Exeter was reached, where the usual ad- dresses were presented ; thence through Honiton, Axminster, Bridport, Dorchester, and Wareham, Swanage was at last reached after a journey of 105 miles in thirteen and a half hours. Next morning the ladies of Swanage presented Princess Victoria with a straw bonnet, "the growth, make, and trade of the place," and later in the day, after returning on 54 QUEEN VICTORIA. board the Emerald, the Duchess and Princess returned to Norris. In the early part of the year 1834 there was less gaiety. The principal State ceremony of the year was when in June the Princess went with the King and Queen and the Duchess of Kent to the first perform- ance of the Royal Musical Festival at Westminster Abbey. The performance began with Handel's Coro- nation Anthem, and lasted for more than three hours. The Princess was everywhere greeted with enthusiasm. Later, a house was taken at Tunbridge Wells for two months, and while there visits were paid to Lord Delaware at Buckhurst, and to Lord Camden at Bayham Abbey. Afterwards, a move was made to St. Leonards-on-Sea, where two very enjoyable months were passed. The early part of 1835 was spent as usual at Kensington Palace. This year the Princess was present for the first time at Ascot Races, where she accompanied the King and Queen in the State Pro- cession. A description of the scene has been given by Mr. N. P. Willis: "In one of the intervals I walked under the King's Stand and I saw Her Majesty the Queen and the young Princess Victoria very dis- tinctly. They were leaning over a railing listening to a ballad singer, and seeming as much interested and amused as any simple country folk could be. . . ■ The Princess is much better looking than any picture THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 55 of her in the shops, and for the heir to such a crown as that of England, unnecessarily pretty and interest- ing. She will be sold, poor thing ! bartered away by those dealers in royal hearts, whose grand calcula- tions will not be much consolation to her if she happens to have a taste of her own." The American did not turn out a true prophet. On the 30th oT July, 1835, the Princess having completed her sixteenth year, the ceremony of Con- firmation was performed at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by the Bishop of London, in the presence of the King and Queen and several members of the Royal Family. The scene is described as very touching, and the Princess, after the address of the Archbishop, was profoundly affected. On the following Sunday, Divine Service was performed in the Chapel at Kensington Palace, and then the Princess, accompanied by her mother, received for the first time the Holy Sacrament from the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Dean of Chester, her preceptor. Soon after this a visit of a month was paid to Avoyne House, Tun- bridge Wells, where, as also later in the year at Ramsgate, the Princess took much interest in the schools and the children educated in them. In Sep- tember of this year another lengthy tour was made by Hatfield, Stamford, Grantham, Newark and Don- caster, to York, where their Royal Highnesses were 56 QUEEN VICTORIA. for a week the guests of the Archbishop, Dr. Harcourt, at Bishopsthorpe, whence many visits were paid to the Minster. Leaving the Palace, a stay of three days was made with Lord Harewood, when the journey was continued by Leeds, Wakefield and Barnsley, to Wentworth House, the seat of Lord Fitz- William. Here it was noticed that in the servants' hall the old style was retained and trenchers were still used. Rotherham and Newark were passed on the way to Belvoir Castle, where the Royal Party were enter- tained by the Duke of Rutland for some days. From Belvoir they passed to Burghley ; here they remained for two nights, on the second of which a grand ball was given in their honour by their host, the Marquess of Exeter. Greville in his Memoirs says of it : "Three hundred people at the ball, which was opened by Lord Exeter and the Princess, who, after dancing one dance, went to bed ". They started earl}' next morning by way of Peterborough, Thorney, Wisbeach and King's Lynn, to Holkham, where they were the guests of the Earl of Leicester. Lord Albemarle, who was there to meet them, mentions that they were late for dinner in consequence of the enthusiastic loyalty of the people at Lynn, who insisted on drawing the carriage through the town. He also notes of the royal visitors, " Both were affable. The youthful Princess in particular showed in her demeanour that winning courtesy with which millions of her subjects THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 57 have since become familiar." Euston Hall, the seat of the Duke of Grafton, was the next house where a stay was made, from which the homeward journey was made without further interruption. Later, as has been mentioned, Ramsgate was visited, and a stay of a month there enabled the Princess to see Walmer Castle and Dover. The event of most importance in the following- year was the arrival at Kensington Palace, on a visit of some weeks, of the Duke of Coburg with his two sons, Ernest and Albert. Then, for the first time, the Queen saw her future husband. The visit was brought about by the agency of King Leopold, who in this carried out the long-cherished idea of his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Coburg, who had earl}' set her heart on the union of her two grand- children. They were received with every attention by the King and Queen, and the other members of the Royal Family, and spent a busy time in seeing all they could in London and the neighbourhood. They were much impressed by the sight of the great anni- versary gathering of the children of the charity schools in St. Paul's, after which they enjoyed the hospitality of the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House. Of this visit Prince Albert writes on the ist of June, 1836, " My first appearance was at a levee of the King's, which was long and fatiguing, but very interesting. The same evening we dined at Court, and at night 58 QUEEN VICTORIA. there was a beautiful concert, at which we had to stand till two o'clock. The next day the King's birthday was kept. We went in the middle of the day to a drawing-room at St. James's Palace, at which about 3,800 people passed before the King and Queen and the other high dignitaries to offer their congratula- tions. There was again a great dinner in the evening, and then a concert which lasted till one o'clock. You can well imagine that I had many hard battles to fight against sleepiness during these late entertain- ments. The day before yesterday, Monday, our Aunt gave a brilliant ball here at Kensington Palace, at which the gentlemen appeared in uniform and the ladies in so-called fancy dresses. We remained till four o'clock. Duke William of Brunswick, the Prince of Orange and his two sons, and the Duke of Welling- ton were the only guests that you will care to hear about. Yesterday we spent with the Duke of North- umberland at Sion, and now we are going to Claremont. From this account you will see how constantly engaged we are, and that we must make the most of our time to see at least some of the sights in London. Dear Aunt is very kind to us, and does everything she can to please us, and our Cousin also is very amiable." Almost simultaneously with the departure of the Prince from England, King Leopold spoke to his niece on the subject of his wishes, and in writing to him on the 7th of June the Princess concludes her THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 59 letter by saying, " I have now only 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 pros- perously and well on this subject now of so much importance to me." The autumn of this year, after a visit to Lord Liverpool at Buxted Park, near Uckfield, was spent quietly at Ramsgate. On the 24th of May, 1837, the Princess attained her majority : she was wakened by a serenade, and later received a number of costly presents, including a grand piano from the King, who earnestly wished to see his niece of age before his death. The day was kept as a general holiday at Kensington, there were addresses of congratulation from many public bodies, among them one from the Corporation of London, to which the Duchess of Kent replied, "... The Princess has arrived at that age which now justi- fies my expressing my confident expectation that she will be found competent to execute the sacred trust which may be reposed in her ; for communi- cating as she does with all classes of society, she cannot but perceive that the greater the diffusion of religious knowledge and the love of freedom in a country, the more orderly, industrious and wealthy is its population ; and that with the desire to pre- serve the constitutional prerogatives of the Crown 6o QUEEN VICTORIA. ought to be co-ordinate the protection of the hberty of the people ". To the address presented to herself the Princess simply replied, " I am very thankful for your kindness, and my mother has expressed all my feelings ". On the evening of this day a state ball was given at St. James's, at which neither the King nor Queen were able to be present, both being very ill. The Princess opened the ball with Lord Fitzalan, the eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk, and danced also with Prince Esterhazy. Before her next appearance at St. James's the Princess had succeeded to the throne. Many portraits were painted, during her early years, of the Princess upon whom the hopes of the nation were fixed. One of the earliest was a minia- ture painted by Anthony Stewart, who had come from Scotland to London, where he painted a miniature of Princess Charlotte, which brought him to the notice of Prince Leopold. The Princess sat to him repeatedly, and the engravings from these very delicate works were exceedingly popular. Shortly afterwards the Duchess of Kent sat with her daughter to Sir William Beechey, whose portraits of the Royal Family are well known ; in this picture, the infant Princess stands on the sofa where her mother is sitting, and holds in her hand a miniature of her father. This picture was painted specially for Prince Leopold. Another charming portrait of the THE QUEEN'S EARLY YEARS, 1819-1837. 61 Princess is that by Westall, in which she is re- presented as sketching from nature. Westall, as has been mentioned before, was drawing-master to the Princess ; he died in 1836, so that this picture is probably one of his latest works. Of other early portraits mention may be made of a bust by Behnes, taken when the Princess was very young. It is now in the corridor at Windsor Castle, and is widely known by an engraving which had extensive circulation at the time, but gives a most distorted view of the excellent original. 62 CHAPTER IV. ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. The demise of the Crown by the death of King Wilham IV. had been expected for some time. On Tuesday, the 20th of June, 1837, at twelve minutes past two, His Majesty expired. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who had performed the last religious rites, and Lord Conyngham, Lord Chamberlain, who was also in attendance, started as soon as was pos- sible from Windsor to convey the news to Kensington. They arrived at five in the morning, and with some difficulty aroused the sleeping household. After much delay, an attendant stated that the Princess was in such a sweet sleep that she could not be disturbed ; to which the messengers replied, " We have come on business of State to the Queen, and even her sleep must give way to that ". In a few minutes she came into the room, a shawl thrown over her dressing- gown, her feet in slippers, and her hair falling down her back. She had been wakened by the Duchess of Kent, who told Her Majesty she must get up ; she went alone into the room where Lord Conyng- ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 63 ham and the Archbishop were waiting. The Lord Chamberlain then knelt down, and presented a paper announcing the death of her uncle to the Queen ; and the Archbishop said he had come by desire of Queen Adelaide, who thought the Queen would like to hear in what a peaceful state the King had been at the last. Meanwhile, at the Council Office, to which the news of the late King's death had been conveyed by special messenger from Windsor, summonses were issued with all possible haste to the Privy Coun- cillors to attend at Kensington, to present a loj'al address of fealty, and to offer homage. This address, which had been kept in readiness, was conveyed at once to the Palace by Mr. Barrett Lennard, chief clerk of the Council Office, whose son, acting as his private secretary, has communicated an account of the ceremony, of which he is now, besides Her Majesty, the only survivor. In the antechamber to which they were introduced, six persons at most were present, amongst whom were the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Wellington, with Lord Melbourne, who had previously been received in audience alone at 9 A.M. Subsequently about a dozen ministers, prelates, and officials were admitted, when the doors were closed. The address was read aloud and signed by the Duke of Sussex and then by the others present, after which the doors were opened, " disclosing a large 64 QUEEN VICTORIA. State Saloon, close to whose threshold there stood unattended a small, slight, fair-complexioned young lady apparently fifteen years of age. She was attired in a close-fitting dress of black silk, her light hair parted and drawn from her forehead ; she wore no ornament whatever on her dress or person. The Duke of Sussex advanced, embraced, and kissed her — ^his niece, the Queen. Lord Melbourne and others kissed hands in the usual form, and the Usher taking the address, closed the folding doors, and the Queen disappeared from our gaze. No word was uttered by Her Majesty or by any present, and no sound broke the silence, which seemed to me to add to the im- pressive solemnity and interest of the scene." The subsequent meeting of the Queen's first Council has been described by many of those who were privileged to attend it ; and a fairly accurate picture of it has been painted by Sir David Wilkie, who, at the ex- pense of truth, has emphasised the principal figure by painting her in a white dress instead of the black which was actually worn, the Queen being already in mourning for the death of the mother of Queen Adelaide. The Council met at ii o'clock, and at that hour the Queen, who had been accompanied to the adjoining room by her mother, was met by her uncles, the Dukes of Cumberland and Sussex, who introduced her to the Council Chamber, where she took her seat on a chair at the head of the table. ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 65 No better description of the scene can be given than that, often quoted, by Greville, clerk of the Council : " Never was anything like the first impression she produced, or the chorus of praise and admiration which is raised about her manner and behaviour, and certainly not without justice. It was very extraor- dinary, and something far beyond what was looked for. Her extreme youth and inexperience, and the ignorance of the world concerning her, naturally ex- cited intense curiosity to see how she would act on this trying occasion, and there was a considerable assemblage at the Palace, notwithstanding the short notice which was given. . . . She bowed to the Lords, took her seat, and then read her speech in a clear, distinct, and audible voice, and without any appearance of fear or embarrassment. She was quite plainly dressed and in mourning. " After she had read her speech, and taken and signed the oath for the security of the Church of Scotland, the Privy Councillors were sworn, the two Royal Dukes (of Cumberland and Sussex) first, by themselves ; and as these two old men, her uncles, knelt before her, swearing allegiance and kissing her hand, I saw her blush up to the eyes, as if she felt the contrast between their civil and their natural relations, and this was the only sign of emotion which she evinced. Her manner to them was very graceful and engaging : she kissed them both, and rose from 5 66 QUEEN VICTORIA. her chair and moved towards the Duke of Sussex, who was furthest from her and too infirm to reach her. She seemed rather bewildered at the multitude of men who were sworn, and who came one after another to kiss her hand, but she did not speak to anybody, nor did she make the slightest difference in her manner, or show any in her countenance, to any individual of any rank, station, or party. I particularly watched her when Melbourne and the Ministers and the Duke of Wellington and Peel approached her. She went through the whole ceremony — occasionally looking at Melbourne for instruction when she had any doubt what to do, which hardly ever occurred — with perfect calmness and self-possession, but at the same time with a graceful modesty and propriety particularly interesting and ingratiating. When the business was done she retired as she had entered. . . . Peel said how amazed he was at her manner and behaviour, at her apparent deep sense of her situation, her modesty, and at the same time her firmness. She appeared, in fact, to be awed, but not daunted, and afterwards the Duke of Wellington told me the same thing, and added that if she had been his own daughter he could not have desired to see her perform her part better." This description, from the pen of one not given to flattery, is corroborated by the testimony of many others present. Earl Grey writes to the Princess Lieven : " When called upon ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 67 for the first time to appear before the Privy Council, and to take upon herself the awful duties with which at so early an age she has been so suddenly charged, there was in her appearance and demeanour a com- posure, a propriety, an aplomb, which were quite extraordinary. She never was in the least degree confused, embarrassed, or hurried ; read the declara- tion beautifully; went through the forms of business as if she had been accustomed to them all her life." Lord Palmerston says in a letter to Lord Granville, " The Queen went through her task with great dignity and self-possession ; one saw she felt much inward emotion, but it was fully controlled. Her articula- tion was particularly good, her voice remarkably pleasing." The same impression was conveyed by her de- meanour at her high Council on the day following, at St. James's ; here, at 10 o'clock, the new monarch was formally proclaimed Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. The quadrangle of the Palace in front of the window where Her Majesty was to appear was filled by her loyal subjects, conspicuous among whom was Daniel O'Connell, waving his hat and cheering vociferously. A salute was fired in St. James's Park, and the Queen appeared at the window of the Pre- sence Chamber, beneath which were posted the heralds, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal of England, and Sir William Woods (father of the 68 QUEEN VICTORIA. present Garter King-at-Arms), the Sergeants-at-Arms, and State trumpeters. Sir William Woods, acting Garter King-at-Arms, read the Proclamation an- nouncing the Queen's accession, and ending with the words " to whom we do acknowledge all faith and constant obedience, with all hearty and humble affection, beseeching God, by whom all Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the royal Princess Victoria with long and happy years to reign over us. God save the Queen." The band of the Guards then played the National Anthem amid the cheers of the crowd. The second Council was held at noon, of which Greville writes : " She presided with as much ease as if she had been doing nothing else all her life, and though Lord Lansdowne and my colleague had contrived between them to make some con- fusion with the Council papers, she was not put out by it. She looked very well, and though so small in stature, and without much pretension to beauty, the gracefulness of her manner and the good expres- sion of her countenance give her on the whole a very agreeable appearance, and with her youth inspire an excessive interest in all who approach her, and which I can't help feeling myself. After the Council she received the archbishops and bishops, and after them the judges." Crabb Robinson, in his diary, relates an incident which proves that, though the Queen ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 69 could behave with extraordinary dignity when it was required, she had not lost the gaiety and spirit of her youth. "The Bishop of London told Amyot," he says, "that when the bishops were first presented to the Queen, she received them with all possible dignity and then retired. She passed through a glass door, and, forgetting its transparency, was seen to run off like a girl as she is. . . . This is just as it should be. If she had not now the high spirits of a girl of eighteen, we should have less reason to hope she would turn out a sensible woman at thirty." On the morning of her accession one of the first acts of the new Queen was to write a letter of con- dolence to her widowed Aunt Adelaide, now Queen Dowager. This she addressed to "Her Majesty the Queen " ; it was pointed out that the correct address would have the additional word " Dowager," but she refused to make the alteration, saying, " I will not be the first person to remind her of it ". Greville remarks of this, " Conyngham, when he came to her with the intelligence of the King's death, brought a request from the Queen Dowager that she might be permitted to remain at "Windsor till after the funeral, and she has written a letter couched in the kindest terms, begging her to consult nothing but her own health and convenience, and to remain at Windsor just as long as she pleases. In short, she appears to act with every sort of good taste and good feeling, as ^o QUEEN VICTORIA. well as good sense, and as far as it has gone nothing can be more favourable than the impression she has made, and nothing can promise better than her man- ner and conduct. . . . The young Queen, who might well be either dazzled or confounded with the grandeur and novelty of her situation, seems neither the one nor the other, and behaves with a propriety and de- corum beyond her years." Of all the letters and congratulations received at this time by the Queen, we rnay well believe that the most welcome was that from her cousin, Prince Albert, who, on hearing of the late King's death, wrote instantl)' as follows : — " Bonn, -zGth June, 1837. " My Dearest Cousin,— I must write you a few lines to present you my sincerest felicitations on that great change which has taken place in your life. Now you are the Queen of the mightiest land of Europe, in your hand lies the happiness of millions. May Heaven assist you and strengthen you with its strength in that high and difficult task. I hope that your reign may be long, happy and glorious, and that your efforts may be rewarded by the thankfulness and love of your subjects. May I pray you to think, likewise, sometimes of your cousins in Bonn, and to continue to them that kindness you favoured them with till now. Be assured that our minds are always ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 71 with you. I will not be indiscreet and abuse your time. Believe me, always, your Majesty's most obe- dient and faithful servant, Albert." This is the first letter written by the Prince in English, and shows what proficiency he had made in the language so soon to be his own. " How much," says one who had deeply studied his character, " of the Prince's great nature is visible in it — though ad- dressed to a young and powerful Queen, there is not a word of flatter}' in it. His first thought is of the great responsibility of the position, the happiness of the millions that was at stake. Then comes the anxious hope that the reign may be glorious, and then how gracefully and naturally the tender regard of an affectionate relation comes in at the last." To his father, at the same time, he writes, " The death of the King of England has everywhere caused the greatest sensation. From what Uncle Leopold, as well as Aunt, writes to us, the new reign has begun most successfully. Cousin Victoria is said to have shown astonishing self-possession. She undertakes a heavy responsibility, especially at the present moment, when parties are so excited, and all rest their hopes on her. Poor Aunt has again been violently attacked in the newspapers, but she has also found strenuous supporters." On the 13th of July the Queen and the Duchess 72 QUEEN VICTORIA. of Kent, greatly to the regret of the lo3'al subjects of the royal suburb, took their departure from Ken- sington to take up their residence at Buckingham Palace, formerly known as the Queen's House, having been bought by George III., and settled on Queen Charlotte, in lieu of Somerset House, the ancient home of the Queens of England. It was rebuilt by George IV., but not completed till the reign of William IV., who disliked it extremely, and never lived there. The Queen was greeted with hearty cheers, and seemed to leave with much regret the place of her birth and the home of her childhood. From Buckingham Palace, four days later, she went in state to dissolve Parliament ; the route from the Palace to the House of Parliament was densely thronged to see the young Queen, who was dressed, on this occasion, in white, with a tiara of brilliants, and wore the ribbon of the Garter over her shoulder. At three o'clock she entered the House of Lords and ascended the throne ; when, prompted by Lord Melbourne, who stood by her side, she desired the Lords to be seated. Her Majesty then read her speech, with that clear intonation for which her voice has always been distinguished, concluding by saying, " I ascend the throne with a deep sense of the responsibility which is imposed upon me ; but I am supported by the consciousness of my own right intentions, and by my dependence upon the ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 73 protection of Almighty God. It will be my care to strengthen our institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, by discreet improvement, wherever improvement is required ; and to do all in my power to compose and allay animosity and discord. Acting upon these principles, I shall, upon all occasions, look with confidence to the wisdom of Parliament and the affections of my people, which form the true support of the dignity of the Crown, and ensure the stability of the Constitution." Among those present in the House of Lords was Fanny Kemble, than whom no one could have been more competent to give an opinion on elocution : " The enunciation was as perfect as the intonation was melodious, and I think it is impossible to hear a more excellent utterance than that of the Queen's English by the English Queen ". The American statesman, Charles Sumner, was also present, and has recorded his own impres- sion : " Her voice is sweet and finely modulated, and she pronounced every word distinctly and with a just regard to its meaning ; I think I never heard anything better read in my life than her speech ". On the 22nd of the following month the Queen removed with the Court to Windsor Castle, where she soon had the pleasure of welcoming her uncle. King Leopold, and his consort. Queen Louise. Of this first sojourn at Windsor some interesting details are preserved in the diary of the late Sir Charles 74 QUEEN VICTORIA. Murra}', who was then a newly-appointed Groom- in-Waiting, from which post he was shortly afterwards promoted to be Master of the Household. On his arrival at Windsor he writes, " I was presented and kissed hands, after which I joined the cavalcade, con- sisting of twenty-five or thirty equestrians, and we made a promenade about the Great Park for two hours. The Queen rode generally in front, accompanied by the Queen of the Belgians (who was here on a short visit with her royal husband), the King, the Duchess of Kent, and now and then she called up Lords Conyngham, Wellington, or Melbourne to ride beside her. Her Majesty's seat on horseback is easy and graceful, and the early habit of command observ- able in all her movements and gestures is agreeably relieved by the gentle tone of voice, and the natural playfulness, with which she addresses her relatives or the ladies about her. I never saw a more quick or observant eye. In the course of the ride it glanced occasionally over every individual of the party, and I am sure that neither absence nor impropriety of any kind could escape detection. At half-past seven the guests and the household again met Her Majesty in the corridor, and we proceeded to dinner, the ar- rangements for which were handsome and without parade. The ladies retired to the drawing-room, and we followed in a quarter of an hour. The band was in attendance at and after dinner, and played ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 75 some excellent music, chiefly of Rossini and Bellini. During the evening Her Majesty conversed with her principal guests. She also played two games at draughts with the Queen of the Belgians, both of which she gained. Quod felixfaustumque omen. There was a whist table, consisting of the Duchess of Kent, the King of the Belgians, Duke of Wellington, and Lilford." A few days after he writes: " We rode out at four, and as the King and Queen of the Belgians were of the party, we went rather slow and had but a short ride. . . . Our j^oung Queen's manner to King Leo- pold is most respectful and affectionate ; indeed, her manner to everyone about her is perfectly winning and appropriate, and her countenance lights up with the most agreeable and intelligent expression possible. September loth. — This being Sunday we accompanied Her Majesty to the Chapel, and the party included her royal visitors, as well as the Chancellor, the Premier, Master of the Horse, etc. In the afternoon she took a short drive in the Great Park, and I went out on the terrace, which presented a very gay and beauti- ful appearance, as the bands both of the Grenadier and Life Guards were playing near the new fountain, and all the officers of the two regiments, as well as the belles of Windsor and the neighbourhood, were enjoying their holiday promenade. At dinner I had a very interesting conversation with Baroness Lehzen, 76 QUEEN VICTORIA. who has been for many years Her Majesty's governess and preceptress. I know of nothing more creditable to herself or to her illustrious pupil, than the fact that one of the first acts of her reign was to secure and retain her preceptress in an honourable situation about her own person. Her Majesty treats the Baroness with the most kind and affectionate confi- dence, and the latter tells me that she has carefully copied every letter of private correspondence of her young mistress, both before and since her coming to the throne ; but that, since she has been Queen, Her Majesty has never shown her one letter of Cabinet or State documents, nor has she spoken to her, nor to any woman about her, upon party or political questions. As Queen she reserves all her confidence for her official advisers, while, as a woman, she is frank, gay, and unreserved as when she was a young girl. What a singular and excellent judgment is shown in this — Heaven grant it may be kept up, and rewarded by the affection and prosperity of her sub- jects. I had a long conversation with her on the 24th, while riding, chiefly on the subject of modern languages. She speaks French perfectly, and both reads and understands German, but does not like speaking it. Her Majesty is also a good Italian scholar. Her conversation is very agreeable ; both her ideas and language are natural and original, while there is a latent independence of mind and strength ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 77 of judgment discernible through the feminine gentle- ness of tone in which her voice is pitched. Every day that I have passed here has increased my admira- tion of the excellent judgment shown by Mme. de Lehzen in her education, and of the amiable and grateful feeling evinced by Her Majesty towards her governess. It does the highest honour to both. There is another person in the household whose character it is not easy to penetrate or to describe, Baron Stockman He is certainly possessed of great abilities, but is silent and reserved, while his general state of health seems almost to preclude the possibility of his being lively or communicative. At dinner he eats nothing, and talks less than he eats ; but I ob- serve that he holds quiet conversations with Lord Melbourne and Paimerston in the morning, and I should think it likely that he was much in the con- fidence of the Queen. He is a most intimate and faithful friend of the King of the Belgians. A day or two ago, she (the Queen) inspected the Life Guards and Grenadiers, on horseback, accompanied by the Duchess of Kent, Lord Hill, Conyngham, and the rest of her suite. She was dressed in a habit of the Windsor uniform, and wore a military cap, with a gold band passing under the chin. As the several companies and squadrons passed and saluted her, she raised her hand and returned the salute of each ; and the grave earnestness of her manner as well as the 78 QUEEN VICTORIA. graceful self-possession of her attitude, struck me particularly." These graphic details give a pleasing impression of the routine of the Court life, and, indeed, with a few alterations, a tolerably accurate description of the manner in which the time is passed at the pre- sent day. Here, also, is recorded the first impression made on a shrewd observer by that remarkable man who afterwards so unobtrusively, but so powerfully, influenced the conduct of affairs in the British Court, by his profound knowledge and practical wisdom. In the autumn of the year 1837 the Court moved to Brighton, but the stay at the Pavilion was not prolonged, as the crowding of the mob, whenever the gates of the grounds were passed, was anything but pleasant. Returning to London on the 4th of November, Her Majesty on the gth paid her first visit, in State, to the City of London, and dined with the Lord Mayor in the Guildhall. The Queen travelled in the State Carriage, attended by the Mistress of the Robes and the Master of the Horse, and escorted by the Life Guards, along the Strand to the Guildhall. At Temple Bar the procession halted, and the keys of the City were dutifully offered and graciously re- turned to the Lord Mayor, who then mounted his horse, and holding the City Sword preceded the Royal Carriage. At St. Paul's another halt was made, and the Senior Scholar of Christ's Hospital, ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 79 according to ancient custom, delivered an address of welcome. On this occasion the great City hall was magnificently decorated, and plate of fabulous value was displayed. In return for this splendid entertain- ment Her Majesty conferred a baronetcy on the Lord Mayor, and was pleased to knight both the Sheriffs, one of whom was Mr. Moses Montefiore, the first of his faith to receive the honour from an English Sovereign. On the 24th of December, after going to the Houses of Parliament before the recess, the Queen went to Windsor for the Christmas holidays. At this Session of Parliament the details of the Queen's Civil List had been arranged and passed, the whole amount- ing to the sum of £385,000 per annum. From the moment of her accession to the throne, she had been constantly brought into the most in- timate relations with the Prime Minister, of whom Greville writes : " No man is more formed to in- gratiate himself with her than Melbourne. He treats her with unbounded consideration and respect, he consults her taste and her wishes, and! he puts her at her ease by his frank and natural manners, while he amuses her by the quaint, queer, epigrammatic turn of his mind, and his varied knowledge upon all sub- jects. It is not, therefore, surprising that she should be well content with her present Government, and that during the progress of the elections she should have testified great interest in the success of the 8o QUEEN VICTORIA. Whig candidates. Her reliance upon Melbourne's advice extends at present to subjects quite beside his constitutional functions, for the other day somebody asked her permission to dedicate some novel to her, when she said she did not like to grant the permission without knowing the contents of the work, and she desired Melbourne to read the book, and let her know if it was fit that she should accept the dedication. Melbourne read the first volume, but found it so dull that he would not read any more, and sent her word that she had better refuse, which she accordingly did. She seems to be liberal, but at the same time prudent, with regard to money, for when the Queen Dowager proposed to her to take her band into her service, she declined to incur so great an expense without further consideration, but one of the first things she spoke to Melbourne about was the payment of her father's debts, which she is resolved to discharge " — and they were discharged accordingly. Later he writes on the same subject : " George Villiers, who came from Windsor on Monday, told me he had been exceedingly struck with Lord Melbourne's manner to the Queen, and hers to him : his, so parental and anxious, but always so respectful and deferential ; hers, indicative of such entire confidence, such pleasure in his society. She is constantly talking to him ; let who will be there, he always sits next her at dinner, and evidently by arrangement, because he always takes in the lady- ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837.38. 81 in-waiting, which necessarily places him next her, the etiquette being that the lady-in-waiting sits next but one to the Queen. It is not unnatural, and to him it is peculiarly interesting. I have no doubt he is passionately fond of her, as he might be of his own daughter if he had one, and the more because he is a man with a capacity for loving without having anything in the world to love. It is become his province to educate, instruct, and form the most interesting mind and character in the world. No occupation was ever more engrossing or involved greater responsibility. I have no doubt that Mel- bourne is both equal to and worthy of the task, and that it is fortunate that she has fallen into his hands, and that he discharges this great duty wisely, honourably, and conscientiously. There are, however, or rather may be hereafter, inconveniences in the establishment of such an intimacy, and in a connec- tion of so close and affectionate a nature between the young Queen and her Minister; for whenever the Government, which hangs by a thread, shall be broken up, the parting will be painful, and their subsequent relations will not be without embarrassment to them- selves, nor fail to be the cause of jealousy in others. It is a great proof of the discretion and purity of his conduct and behaviour, that he is admired, respected, and liked by all the Court." This rppture, however, apparently so imminent, did not occur till another, 6 82 QUEEN VICTORIA. and a permanent, Counsellor took his place as a husband by the Queen's side. On June 27tli, 1838, the Queen was crowned in Westminster Abbey, an event which, on account of the age and sex of the Sovereign, excited an extra- ordinary degree of interest among all classes. It was afterwards computed that no less than four hundred thousand persons came into London to see the pro- cession and festivities, and that upwards of ;£"2oo,ooo was in consequence expended. The ceremonial was conducted in nearly all respects in the same manner as that of the coronation of William IV. ; the walking procession of all the estates of the realm, the ban- quet in Westminster Hall, with all the feudal services attendant thereon, being dispensed with ; not without some protests from the antiquaries, as well as from interested tradesmen. The procession, however, out- side the Abbey was considerably increased in number as well as in splendour, and the route from the Palace to the Abbey lengthened, so as to give the vast throngs of people more opportunity of seeing their Sovereign. As nearly as possible at ten o'clock the Queen stepped into her carriage, a new Royal Standard (30 by 18 ft.) was hoisted on the Marble Arch, the bands played the National Anthem, and a salute of twenty-one guns was fired in the Park. Following the Trumpeters and Life Guards came the magnificent State Carriages of the Foreign Ambassadors, a novel sight on such an ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 83 occasion. Conspicuous among them was the splendid coach of Marshal Soult, Duke of Dalmatia, the old antagonist of the Duke of Wellington, and now Ambassador from the King of the French ; the veteran was greeted all along the line of procession, and even in the Abbey itself, with the heartiest cheers. Next came the members of the Roj^al Family, preceding the Queen's carriages conveying the Members and Officers of the Household ; after which, surrounded by a briUiant staff and escort, came the State Carriage bearing the Sovereign, in attendance upon whom were the Mistress of the Robes, the Duchess of Sutherland, and the Master of the Horse, the Earl of Albemarle ; the Captain-General of the Royal Archers, the Duke of Buccleuch, on horseback, followed the carriage. The Queen reached the west door of the Abbey at half-past eleven, and was there received by the great Officers of State, the noblemen bearing the Regalia, and the Bishops carrying the Patina, the Chalice, and the Bible. Her Majesty then repaired to her robing chamber, and soon after twelve the grand pro- cession passed up the nave into the choir, in the centre of which was a raised dais covered with cloth of gold, on which was placed the chair of homage. Farther on, within the chancel and facing the altar, was placed St. Edward's chair. The altar was covered with mag- nificent gold plate. As the Queen advanced, the anthem, " I was glad when they said unto me, Let 84 QUEEN VICTORIA. US go into the House of the Lord," was sung by the choir, at the close of which the boys of Westminster School shouted " Vivat Victoria Regina ". Then, amid a solemn hush, the Queen passed to a faldstool and knelt in silent prayer, after which the Cere- monial proceeded. First came " The Recognition," by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who advanced to the Queen, accompanied by the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Lord High Constable, and the Earl Marshal, preceded by the Deputy-Garter, and repeated these words, " Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Victoria, the undoubted Queen of this realm; wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage, are you willing to do the same ? " In answer burst forth the universal cry, " God save Queen Victoria," repeated as the Archbishop turned to the north, south, and west, the Queen turning at the same time in the same direction. Her Majesty then ad- vanced to the altar and made her first offering of a pall or altar-cloth of gold, which was laid on the altar, on which had been previously placed the Chalice, Patina, and Bible. An ingot of gold, of one pound weight, was then presented by the Queen to the Arch- bishop, by whom it was placed in the oblation-basin. After the Litany and the first portion of the Com- munion Service, the Sermon was preached by the Bishop of London, at the conclusion of which the Oath was administered by the Archbishop of Canter- ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 85 bury. After asking the Queen if she would govern according to the Statutes of ParHament, and the laws and customs of the realm, and whether she would cause law and justice in mercy to be executed, he further asked, " Will you, to the uttermost of your power, maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant reformed religion, established by law ; and will you maintain and pre- serve inviolably the settlement of the United Church of England and Ireland, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof as by law estab- lished, within England and Ireland, and the territory thereunto belonging ; and will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England and Ireland, and to the churches there committed to their charges, all such rights and privileges as by law do or shall apper- tain to them or any of them ? " Having answered these questions in the affirmative, and preceded by the Great Officers of State, Her Majesty went to the Altar, where kneeling, and with her right hand upon the Gospels held before her by the Archbishop, she said, " The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep. So help me God." The Queen having kissed the book, and signed a transcript of the Oath, then knelt upon the faldstool while the choir sang " Veni, Creator, Spiritus ". The Archbishop then said the prayer preceding the anointing, after which the choir sang the Corona- 86 QUEEN VICTORIA. tion Anthem, at the beginning of which the Queen retired to St. Edward's Chapel with her ladies and train-bearers, and was divested of her crimson robe and kirtle. She then put on the super-tunica of cloth of gold, also in the shape of a kirtle, over a linen gown trimmed with lace, and taking off her circlet of diamonds returned bare-headed to the Abbey, where she took her seat in King Edward's chair; four Knights of the Garter held over her head a rich canopy of cloth of gold, the Archbishop then anointed the head and hands of the Sovereign, marking them in the form of a cross, and pronouncing the words, " Be thou anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests, and prophets were anointed. And as Solomon was anointed King by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so be you anointed, blessed, and consecrated Queen over this people, whom the Lord your God hath given you to rule and govern, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen." A benediction from the Archbishop fol- lowed ; after which the spurs were presented by the Lord Great Chamberlain, and the Sword of State by Lord Melbourne, who, according to custom, redeemed it with a hundred shillings, and carried it unsheathed during the rest of the ceremony. The Queen, who had been invested with the Im- perial mantle, or dalmatic robe of cloth of gold lined with ermine, then received the Orb, which she found ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 87 very heavy. In the investure " per annulum et bacu- lum," the ring and sceptre, which followed, it was found that the ring was too small, and it was only by great exertion that it could be placed on the third finger, where it caused great pain, and could only be removed after the ceremony by bathing the hand in iced water. The Archbishop having offered a prayer to God to bless Her Majesty and "crown her with all princely virtues," received the crown from the Dean, and reverently placed it on the Queen's head. This was no sooner done, than from every part of the Abbey rose a loud and enthusiastic cry of " God save the Queen ! " At this moment, the Peers and Peer- esses present put on their coronets, the Bishops their caps, and the Kings-at-Arms their crowns ; the trum- pets sounded, the drums beat, and salutes were fired by signal from the Park and Tower guns. The Bible was then presented to the Queen. She returned it to the Archbishop, who, after restoring it to the Altar, pronounced the Benediction, after which the " Te Deum " was sung by the choir, and the Queen was then "enthroned" or "lifted," according to the formulary, by the Archbishops, Bishops, and Peers, surrounding her, into the chair of homage, where first the Archbishop of Canterbury knelt, and did homage for himself and other Lords Spiritual, who all kissed the Queen's hand. Then the Queen's uncles, the Dukes of Sussex and Cambridge, removing their core- 88 QUEEN VICTORIA. nets, did homage in these words : " I do become your liegeman of life and limb, and of earthly worship ; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of folks. So help me God," They touched the Crown on the Queen's head, kissed her left cheek, and retired ; it was noticed that Her Majesty's bearing to her uncles was very affectionate. Then, according to their precedence, the Dukes and other Peers performed their hoiiage, the senior of each rank reciting the words, each Peer kissing Her Majesty's hand and touching the Crown. The aged Lord Rolle, who was over eighty, trying to mount the steps, fell down, and with difficulty was raised. He again attempted to perform his duty, when the Queen, rising from her seat, went to meet him, to prevent him coming up farther, and extended her hand for him to kiss ; " an act of graciousness and kindness which made a very great sensation ". Whilst the homage was performed by the Lords, the Earl of Surrey, Lord Treasurer of the Household, threw to the occupants of the choir, and the lower galleries, the silver Coronation medals ; these were scrambled for with great eagerness. After the homage was over, the anthem, "This is the day which the Lord hath made," was sung, followed by the sound of the drums and trumpets, and nine loud and hearty cheers from the House of Commons, who then joined in the homage. The remainder of the Communion ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 8g Service was then read, and the Queen, divested of the symbols of Sovereignty, received the Holy Sacrament ; then resuming her crown, and holding the Sceptres, she took her seat on the Throne, when the Service was concluded, and the final blessing pronounced, followed by the singing of the " Hallelujah Chorus '. This ended the long ceremonial ; Her Maiesty left the throne, and proceeded to the west door of the Abbey, wearing the crown, her right nand holding the Sceptre with the Cross, and the left supporting the Orb ; she was followed by the Pei^rs and Peeresses, now wearing their coronets, and the brilliant after- noon sun pouring through the wmdows made the scene one of incomparable splend^iur. Along the homeward route the manifestations j^f loyalty were even more enthusiastic than in the morning ; for the Queen was now fully apparelled in State, and wore the crown, in the front of which blazed the historic ruby of Poitiers and Agincourt. Mrs. Jamieson, who witnessed the procession, writes: "When she returned, looking pale and tremulous, crowned, and holding her sceptre in a manner and attitude which said, ' I have it, and none shall wrest it from me ! ' even Carlyle, who was standing near me, uttered with emotion, 'A blessing on her head'." It has been recorded that after this tiring ceremony the Queen gave a banquet at the Palace to a hundred guests; but this is hardly accurate. go QUEEN VICTORIA. as no one was at dinner except those in the house, among whom were Her Majesty's half-brother and sister, and her future father-in-law, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg. The crowd was too great, indeed, for any one to have come, had they been invited. The Ministers gave official State dinners, and the Duke of Wellington a grand ball, to which 2,000 guests were mvited ; and a fair was held in Hyde Park, which lasted -four days; the theatres were thrown open, and the whole of London was illuminated ; the conduct of the crowds being excellent. Of the routine of the Court after its return to Windsor in this year Greville gives a full account : " The life which the Queen leads is this : She gets up soon pfter eight o'clock, breakfasts in her own room, and is employed the whole morning in transacting business ; she reads all the dispatches, and has every matter of interest and importance in every department laid before her. At eleven or twelve Melbourne comes to her, and stays an hour, more or less, according to the business he may have to transact. At two she rides with a large suite (and she likes to have it numerous) ; Melbourne always rides on her left hand, and the equerry-in-waiting generally on her right ; after riding she amuses herself for the rest of the afternoon with music and singing, playing, romping with children, if there are any in the Castle (and she is so fond of them that she generally ACCESSION AND CORONATION, 1837-38. 91 contrives to have some there), or in any other way she fancies. The hour of dinner is nominally half- past seven o'clock, soon after which time the guests assemble ; but she seldom appears till near eight. When the guests are all assembled, the Queen comes in, preceded by the gentlemen of her household, and followed by the Duchess of Kent and all her ladies. She remains at table the usual time, but does not suffer the men to sit long after her, and we were summoned to coffee in less than a quarter of an hour. In the drawing-room she never sits down till the men make their appearance. Coffee is then served to them in the adjoining room, and then they go into the drawing-room, when she goes round and says a few words to each. When this little ceremony is over, the Duchess of Kent's whist table is arranged. At about half-past eleven Her Majesty goes to bed. This is the whole history of her day ; she orders and regulates every detail herself; she knows where everybody is lodged in the Castle, settles about the riding or driving, and enters into every particular with minute attention." This regularity in allotment of time, and careful attention to every point of detail, both in her own household and the discharge of public duty, has been one of the marked characteristics of Her Majesty's life throughout the whole of her long reign. Even in its earliest days, she would refuse to sign a document declared to be of paramount 92 QUEEN VICTORIA. importance without having mastered its contents ; but the story, which has gained extensive currency, that once she rephed to Lord Melbourne, who was urging the expediency of a measure, " I have been taught to judge between right and wrong, but ex- pediency is a word I neither wish to hear nor to understand," is quite a myth. The last matter of importance before the great change in her life, to be told in the next chapter, was the fall and restoration of the Melbourne administration, when, on the question of the retirement with the Government of the Ladies of the Household, the firmness of the young Queen resulted in her retaining them in her service, and the Ministry remained practically unchanged. 93 CHAPTER V. ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. On the 26th of August, 1819, almost exactly three months after the birth of the Princess Victoria of Kent, was born the second son of Ernest, Duke of Saxe- Coburg-Saalfeld, and of his wife, Louise, daughter of Augustus, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He was born at Rosenau, a favourite summer residence of his father, and received the names of Francis Albert Charles Augustus Emmanuel. At his baptism an address was pronounced by the Superintendent Genzler, who had officiated the year before at the mar- riage of the Duke and Duchess of Kent at Coburg. In it occur two passages which are singularl}' prophetic of the after life of the infant Prince. "The good wishes," said the preacher, " with which we welcome this infant as a Christian, as one destined to be great on earth, and as a future heir to everlasting life, are the more earnest when we consider the high position in life in which he may one day be placed, and the sphere of action to which the will of God may call him, in order to contribute more or less to the pro- 94 QUEEN VICTORIA. motion of truth and virtue, and to the extension of the Kingdom of God. . . . The thoughts and suppHca- tions of the loving mother are : that her beloved son may one day enter into the Kingdom of God, as pure and innocent after the trials of this life as he is at this moment (the joy and hope of his parents) received into the Communion of this Christian Church, whose vocation it is to bring up and form upon earth a God- fearing race." These words, spoken at his baptism, could not have been more descriptive of the Prince had they been used after his premature death. The child received his first name of Francis from the Emperor of Austria. But he was always called by his second name, Albert, given him after a Duke of Saxe Teschen, an ancestor whose branch of the family subsequently became extinct. Duke Ernest, the father of Prince Albert, succeeded his father, Francis Anthonj- of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, in 1806, and afterwards, in 1826, by a redivision of the family titles and estates, became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The Duke's second brother, Ferdinand George, married the heiress of the Prince of Kohary, in Hungary, and their son became King Consort of Portugal by his marriage with Queen Donna Maria II. of that kingdom. The third brother was Leopold, King of the Belgians. Of the four daughters of Duke Francis mention has been made in a preceding chapter. As has been before stated, the union of the Prince ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. 95 with his cousin Victoria was the cherished hope of their common grandmother, who died when her grand- children were only twelve years old ; but their uncle, King Leopold, steadily pursued this plan, afterwards crowned with such conspicuous success. The first meeting of the cousins has already been mentioned, and the strong affection entertained by the Queen for the Prince is shown by her letter to her uncle at the close of the visit to Kensington. The probability of the union was no secret at the time, though King William IV. preferred the idea of an alliance with Prince Alexander of the Netherlands. But after the Queen's accession to the throne, rumours of her contemplated marriage with Prince Albert became general. It was in order to quiet these reports that, in the autumn of 1837, by the advice of the King of the Belgians, the Prince, with his brother. Prince Ernest, went for a tour in Switzerland. The Queen, alluding in 1864 to this tour, relates that the Prince sent her a small book of sketches. " The whole of these were placed in a small album, with the dates at which each place was visited in the Prince's handwriting; and this album the Queen now considers one of her greatest treasures, and never goes anywhere without it. Nothing had at this time passed between the Queen and the Prince ; but this gift shows that the latter, in the midst of his travels, often thought of his young cousin." 96 QUEEN VICTORIA. In the early part of the next year the Prince paid a visit to his uncle Leopold at Brussels, when the King spoke to him fully about his future prospects. The King had already mentioned to the Queen the idea of the marriage, and the proposal must have been favourably entertained, for, in writing to Baron Stockmar, he alludes to the manner in which Prince Albert had received the communication which, of course with the Queen's consent, he had made to him. In his letters he expresses the very high opinion which he had formed of his nephew's character. " He looks at the question from its most elevated and honourable point of view ; he considers that troubles are inseparable from all human positions, and that, therefore, if one must be subject to plagues and annoyances, it is better to be so for some great or worthy object, than for trifles and miseries. I have told him that his great youth would make it necessary to postpone the marriage for a few years." The interval of postponement was not long. On the 8th of October, 1839, the Princes Ernest and Albert left Brussels on the expedition which decided the fate of the younger brother. At Windsor, two days later, they were most cordially and affectionately received by the Queen. Four days were spent in the usual manner, riding in the afternoon, with dinner parties and sometimes dances in the evening, and on the 14th the Queen, in an interview with Lord ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. 97 Melbourne, told him that she had made up her mind to the marriage. He expressed great satisfaction at the decision, and said to her, as Her Majesty records in her Journal, '"I think it will be verj' well received; for I hear that there is an anxiety now that it should be, and I am very glad ot it ' ; adding, in quite a paternal tone, ' )f ou will be much more comfortable ; for a woman cannot stand alone for any time, in whatever position she may be ' ". Can we wonder that the Queen, recalling these circumstances, should exclaim, " Alas ! alas ! the poor Queen now stands in that painful position ! " An intimation was conveyed to the Prince that the Queen wished to speak to him next day, and, accordingly, soon after noon he obeyed the summons to her room, where he found her alone. After a few moments' conver- sation the Queen told him why she had sent for him. His old friend, Baron Stockmar, is thus informed by the Prince of his engagement, " I write to you on one of the happiest days of my life to give you the most welcome news possible ". " Victoria is so good and kind to me, that I am often puzzled to believe that I should be the object of so much affection. I know the interest you take in my happiness, and therefore pour out my heart to you. . . . More, or more seriously, I cannot write, I am at this moment too much bewildered to do so — 7 g8 QUEEN VICTORIA. " ' Heaven opens on the ravish'd eye, The heart is all entranced in bliss.' " These lines are thus translated from Schiller's Song of the Bell, by Sir Theodore Martin, in his Life of the Prince Consort, where more correspondence be- tween the different members of the family, at this interesting time, is given at length. It had been originally intended to communicate the approaching event to Parliament when it as- sembled, in the ordinary course, at the beginning of the coming year. This intention was, however, sub- sequently abandoned. Writing to the King of the Belgians on the agth of October, 1839, the Queen says : " Before I proceed further, I wish just to men- tion one or two alterations in the plan of announc- ing the event. As Parliament has nothing whatever to say respecting the marriage— can neither approve nor disapprove it (I mean in a manner which might affect it) — it is now proposed that, as soon as my cousins are gone (which they now intend to do on the 14th of November, as time presses), I should assemble all the Privy Council, and announce my intention to them." Writing from Windsor at this time to Baron Stockmar, Prince Albert strikes, as it were, the keynote of his future career: "I have laid to heart your friendly and kind-hearted advice as to the true foundation on which my future happiness must rest, ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. 99 and it agrees entirely with the principles of action which I had already privately framed for myself. An individuality, a character, which shall win the respect, the love, and the confidence of the Queen and of the nation, must be the gi-oundwork of my position. This individuality gives security for the disposition which prompts the actions ; and even should mistakes occur, they will be more easily pardoned on account of that personal character ; while even the most noble and beautiful undertakings fail in procuring support to a man who is not capable of inspiring that confidence. If, therefore, I prove a ' noble ' Prince, in the true sense of the word, as you call upon me to be, wise and prudent conduct will become easier to me, and its results more rich in blessings. I will not let my courage fail. With firm resolution and true zeal on my part, I cannot fail to continue ' noble, manly, and princely ' in all things. In what I may do, good advice is the first thing necessary ; and that you can give better than any one, if you can only make up your mind to sacrifice your time to me for the first year of my existence here." In the same strain of thought, the devotion of all his own individual powers for the good and happiness of millions, he writes to his stepmother : " With the exception of my relations towards her (the Queen), rny future position will have its dark sides, and the loo QUEEN VICTORIA. sky will not always be blue and unclouded. But life has its thorns in every position, and the consciousness of having used one's powers and endeavours for an object so great as that of promoting the good of so many, will surely be sufficient to support me." Of the character of the Prince at this time, perhaps the best analysis is to be found in a letter addressed by Baron Stockmar to the Baroness Lehzen. It was important to give a proper estimate of him to the members of the Royal Household, and to show that, though so young, he was deserving of their admiration and respect. The letter is dated 15th of December, 1839. " With sincere pleasure I assure you the more I see of the Prince the better I esteem and love him. His intellect is so sound and clear, his nature so unspoiled, so childlike, so predisposed to goodness as well as truth, that only two external elements will be required to make of him a truly distinguished Prince. The first of these will be opportunity to acquire a proper knowledge of men and of the world ; the second will be intercourse with Englishmen of experience, culture, and integrity, by whom he may be made thoroughly conversant with their Nation and Constitution. ... As regards his future relation to the Queen, I have a confident hope that they will make each other happy by mutual love, confidence, and esteem. As I have known the Queen, she was always quick and acute in her ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-^0. 101 perceptions, straightforward moreover, of singular purity of heart, without a trace of vanity or preten- sion. She will consequently do full justice to the Prince's hand and heart ; and if this be so, and the Prince be really loved by the Queen, and recognised for what he is, then his position will be right in the main, especially if he manage at the same time to secure the goodwill of the Nation. Of course he will have storms to encounter, and disagreeables, like other people, especially those of exalted rank. But if he really possesses the love of the Queen and the respect of the Nation, I will answer for it that after every storm he will come safely into port. You will therefore have my entire approval, if you think the best course is to leave him to his clear head, his sound feeling and excellent disposition." On the 20th of November, 1839, the Queen, who had already communicated to all the members of the Royal Family the news of her intended marriage, came up from Windsor to Buckingham Palace to confer with Lord Melbourne upon the form of the declaration to be made to the Privy Council at its meeting on the 23rd. On that day the Council, upwards of eighty in number, assembled in the bow-room at the Palace, where the Queen read the following declaration : "I have caused you to be summoned at the present time in order that I may acquaint you with my resolution in a matter which I02 QUEEN VICTORIA. deeply concerns the welfare of my people, and the happiness of my future life. It is my intention to ally myself in marriage with the Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Deeply impressed with the solemnity of the engagement which I am about to contract, I have not come to this decision without mature consideration, nor without feeling a strong assurance that with the blessing of Almighty God it will at once secure my domestic felicity and serve the interests of my country. " I have thought fit to make this resolution known to you at the earliest period, in order that you may be apprised of a matter so highly important to me and to my kingdom, and which, I persuade myself, will be most acceptable to all my loving subjects." "Whereupon," it is stated in the Minutes of Council, "all the Privy Councillors present made it their humble request to Her Majesty that Her Majesty's most gracious declaration to them might be made public ; which Her Majesty was pleased to order accordingly." The announcement of the forthcoming marriage was hailed with great rejoicing through the country. Mixed with the cordial sympathy felt by the people with the prospect of the happiness of their beloved sovereign, was a feeling of profound satisfaction at the removal of all uncertainty as to the object of the Queen's choice. ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. 103 During the period immediately following the declaration, precedents were searched for bearing on the Prince's position and the composition of his household. Unfortunately the precedent commonly refen-ed to was that of Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne, who was a Peer, and also for some time Lord High Admiral of England. Prince Albert, however, as had been previously de- cided between the Queen and himself, refused every title. Other matters, too, had to be discussed, such as the naturalisation of the Prince, the formation of his household, and the income which was to be settled upon him. This last matter and the question of his precedence were not arranged without some difficulty and annoyance. On the i6th of January, 1840, the Queen opened Parliament in person, meeting a most enthusiastic reception from the crowds which had assembled along the route from the Palace to the Houses of Parliament, the Queen herself recording in her Journal that she " was more loudly cheered than she had been for some time ". The House itself was densely thronged, and the whole assemblage was deeply touched at hearing the youthful sovereign, with her clear voice and distinct articulation, an- nouncing to the assembled Parliament her own approaching marriage. " Since you were last assembled, I have declared my intention of allying myself in marriage with the I04 QUEEN VICTORIA. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. I humbly implore that the Divine blessing may prosper this union, and render it conducive to the interests of my people, as well as to my own domestic happiness ; and it will be to me a source of the most lively satisfaction to find the resolution I have taken approved by my Parliament. "The constant proofs which I have received of your attachment to my person and family, persuade me that you will enable me to provide for such an establishment as may appear suitable to the rank of the Prince, and the dignity of the Crown." In answer to the Queen's Speech, lo3''al addresses were moved in both Houses. Sir Robert Peel, as leader of the Opposition, joined heartily in the con- gratulations offered by the Address, saj'ing : " I do entirely enter into the aspirations for the happiness of Her Majesty in her approaching nuptials. . . . Her IVIajesty has the singular good fortune to be able to gratify her private feelings while she performs her public duty, and to obtain the best guarantee for happiness by contracting an alliance founded on affec- tion. I cordially hope that the union now contemplated will contribute to Her Majesty's happiness, and enable her to furnish to her people an exalted example of connubial felicity." Cordial, however, though the general feeling of both Houses was as to the intended marriage, the ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-^0. 105 omission of any mention of tlie Prince's religion from the Queen's Speech was the subject of debate in the Upper House ; and in the House of Commons a long and heated discussion arose on the proposal to grant an annual sum of £50,000 to Prince Albert on his marriage. The amount of the grant was finally fixed at £30,000, much to the annoyance of the Queen, and to the disappointment of the Prince, who had looked forward to the prospect of being able to promote the interests of literature, science, and art in a more generous manner than his reduced income permitted. From the first he rose superior to anything like personal considerations, and his future relations with the leaders of the party by whose means the vote was reduced, showed how little his conduct was influenced by these political quarrels. A more mortifying event, occurring on the same day in the House of Lords, was the defeat of the Government on the question of the precedence to be granted in this country to the Prince. The Queen, in her Journal, says that she was most indignant at what had occurred, and that it cannot be wondered at that the first impression made on the Prince's mind should have been a most painful one. But, as has already been said, he soon understood the nature of our political parties, and recognised that the pro- ceedings in Parliament were only the result of high io6 QUEEN VICTORIA. party feeling, and were bj' no means to be taken as marks of personal disrespect or of want of kind feeling to himself. For details of these controversies and the feeling they produced, the reader is referred to Sir Theodore Martin's Life of the Prince Consort. The immediate result was an order in Council which settled the Prince's position as following next after that of the Queen. The news of these debates in the Houses of Par- liament met the Prince on his way to England at Aix. He was naturally somewhat disturbed, but remarks in his letter to the Queen, " All I have to say is, that, while I possess your love, they cannot make me un- happy". Any misgiving as to his popularity must, however, have been dispelled by the warmth of his reception at Dover, where he landed on the 6th of February, 1840, and by the enthusiastic greeting which welcomed him along his journey through Kent till he reached Buckingham Palace on the 8th. The marriage was fixed for one o'clock on the loth at the Chapel Royal, St. James's, and at half- past twelve the Queen left Buckingham Palace with the Duchess of Kent and the Mistress of the Robes, the Duchess of Sutherland. The morning had been dark and dismal, with rain and fog. The Prince, who was supported by his father, the Duke of Saxe- Coburg and Gotha, and by his brother Ernest, had preceded the Queen to the Chapel. He wore the ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. 107 Garter, and the Star of the Order in brilliants which had been presented to him the day before by the Queen. After a short interval, to the strains of the National Anthem, the procession of the bride entered. The Queen was preceded by the members of the Royal Family and the officers of State, the Sword of State being carried before Her Majesty by Lord Melbourne. She wore a wreath of orange blossom, and round her shoulders the collar of the Garter. Her train was borne by twelve bridesmaids, daughters of Peers. They were the Lady Adelaide Paget, Lady Caroline Gordon Lenno.x, Lady Sarah Villiers, Lady Elizabeth Howard, Lady Frances Cowper, Lady Ida Hay, Lady Elizabeth West, Lady Catherine Stan- hope, Lady Mary Grimston, Lady Jane Bouverie, Lady Eleanora Paget, and Lady Mary Howard. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the royal bride was given away by the Duke of Sussex. At the instant when the ring was placed on her finger, the signal was given for firing the guns which communicated to the whole city the glad news of the union of the sovereign with the husband of her choice. The scene, as the newly-married pair left the chapel, has been described by the Dowager Lady Lyttelton, one of the ladies-in-waiting, who, writing a few days after- wards, says, " The Queen's look and manner were very pleasing; great happiness in her countenance; io8 QUEEN VICTORIA. and her look of confidence and comfort at the Prince, when they walked away as man and wife, was very pleasing to see. I understand she is in extremely high spirits since. Such a new thing for her to dare to be wigtiarded in conversing with any- body ; and with her frank and fearless nature, the restraints she has hitherto been under from one reason or another must have been most painful." After the conclusion of the ceremony the Queen and Prince Albert, with the members of the Royal Family and the principal Ministers of State, passed into the throne-room. Here the marriage register was signed. The signatures were attested by the Queen Adelaide and others present to the number of twenty-one ; the Duke of Wellington's name does not appear, though it has often been said that he was one of the signatories. The united procession then returned to Buckingham Palace, the Queen being accompanied in her carriage by her husband alone. After the wedding breakfast the newly married pair started for Windsor ; the sun, as they left the Palace, bursting through the clouds — an omen of brightness and happiness for the future. Windsor was reached in the evening, where the reception was no less loyal and enthu- siastic than had been the greetings of the populace in London. On the 28th of February the Duke of Coburg left ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE, 1839-40. 109 England. The separation was keenly felt by the Prince. " He said to me," the Queen records in her Journal, " that I had never known a father, and could not therefore feel what he did. His childhood had been very happy. Ernest, he said, was now the only one remaining here of all his earliest ties and recollec- tions ; but that if I continued to love him as I did now, I could make up for all. . . . Oh, how I did feel for my dearest, precious husband at this moment. Father, brother, friends, country — all has he left and all for me. God grant that I may be the happy per- son, the most happy person, to make this dearest, blessed being happy and contented ! What is in my power to make him happy I will do." CHAPTER VI. MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. Royalty claims much from, and lays heavy burdens on, those who have to sustain its duties and responsi- bilities. Little time can be given to rest and repose, and in the case of the Queen and Prince Albert the privacy, which newly married subjects are privileged to enjoy for weeks, was, after four short days, ex- changed for the routine of State ceremonial and public business. The Court returned to London on the 14th of February, and addresses were received both by the Queen and the Prince from the two Houses of Parliament, and other bodies. In the evenings State dinners were given and visits paid to the theatres. On the igth the first levee was held, at which the Prince, as on all subsequent occasions, led the Queen in, and stood on her left hand. On the 7th of March the Prince received and personally answered no less than twenty-seven addresses. In writing to his grand- mother he remarks : " It is not to be told what a quantity of presentations I have, and how many people I must become acquainted with. I cannot yet quite MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. in remember their faces, but this will come right. After the last levee, Victoria gave me the Order of the Bath." The Prince had already received the Garter, and had been made a Field-Marshal in the British Army. He was, in addition, appointed Colonel of the nth Regi- ment of Light Dragoons, which regiment then received and still bears the title of Prince Albert's Own Hussars. His Royal Highness's household had also by this time been appointed. On this subject he had expressed a very earnest wish in a letter to the Queen on the loth of December, 1839 • " Now I come to a second point which you touch upon in your letter, and which I have also much at heart ; I mean the choice of the persons who are to belong to my household. The maxim, ' Tell me whom he associates with, and I will tell you who he is,' must here especially not be lost sight of. I should wish particularly that the selection should be made without regard to politics ; for if I am really to keep myself free from all parties, my people must not belong exclusively to one side. Above all, these appointments should not be mere 'party rewards,' but they should possess other recommendations besides those of party. Let them be either of any high rank, or very rich, or very clever, or persons who have per- formed important services for England. It is very necessary that they should be chosen from both sides — the same number of Whigs as of Tories ; and above all do I wish that they should be well-educated 112 QUEEN VICTORIA. men, and of high character, who, as I have already said, shall have already distinguished themselves in their several positions, whether it be in the army, or navy, or in the scientific world. I know you will agree with my views." The Prince's household consisted of a Groom of the Stole, of two Lords-in- Waiting, two Equerries, after- wards increased to four, two Grooms-in-Waiting, and a Private Secretary. These officers were appointed on the principle which was observed in the Queen's household, namely, that those appointments only should be permanent which were held by men entirely unconnected with politics. This regulation, however, only affected the Groom of the Stole, Lord Robert Grosvenor (afterwards Lord Ebury), and one of the Lords-in-Waiting. The nomination of Mr. Anson as Private Secretary was not made without considerable hesitation, and was consented to by the Prince with reluctance, on the ground that, as Mr. Anson had been for some time Private Secretary to Lord Melbourne, his appointment to so confidential a post might seem inconsistent with the entire freedom from partisanship which the Prince had desired should be observed in the formation of his household. The appointment, however, proved singularly satisfactory. Mr. Anson's straightforward conduct and absolute devotion to the service and interests of his master soon won the en- tire confidence and friendship of Prince Albert, His MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 113 sudden death at a later date deeply affected the Prince, who said to the Queen, " He was my only intimate friend in this country. We went through everything together since I came here. He was almost like a brother to me." Up to this time her mother had been the Queen's constant companion. But on the 13th of April Her Royal Highness removed to Ingestre House, Belgrave Square. Here the Duchess lived till after the death of the Princess Augusta, when she moved to Clarence House, St. James's, which for the rest of her life was her London home. At the same time Frogmore House, which became vacant from the same cause, was also assigned to the Duchess, who, when the Court was at Windsor, came over almost daily to lunch or dine with the Queen. Easter, 1840, was spent at Windsor, and for the first time the Queen and Prince received the Sacra- ment together in St. George's Chapel. " The Prince," the Queen says, " had a very strong feeling about the solemnity of this act, and did not like to appear in company either the evening before or on the day on which he took it, and he and the Queen almost always dined alone on these occasions." The Queen notes this strong feeling on the part of the Prince more than once in her Journal for 1840 and 1841. On another occasion a few months later, about Christmas time, when they again took the Sacrament in the 114 QUEEN VICTORIA. private chapel at Windsor, she says, "We two dined together, as Albert likes being quite alone before he takes the Sacrament ; we played part of Mozart's Requiem, and then he read to me out of the Stunden dcr Andacht (Hours of Devotion) the article on Selbster- kenntniss (Self-knowledge) ". On the 23rd of May the Queen and Prince went to Claremont to keep Her Majesty's birthday in private. This continued to be the Queen's custom till 1848, when Claremont was given up to the exiled royal family of France. In later years the birthday was passed at Osborne, but since 1861 the Queen has usually spent the day at Balmoral. On the loth of June, 1840, an event occurred which created intense excitement throughout the country. While the Queen and Prince were driv- ing in the afternoon along Constitution Hill on their way to Hyde Park, a young man named Edward Oxford advanced within a few yards of the carriage, and fired a pistol at the Queen. He missed his aim, but, as the carriage proceeded on its way, the would- be assassin called out, " I have another," and dis- charged a second pistol, again without effect. The Queen's first thought was for her mother, and changing her route to Belgrave Square, the Duchess of Kent heard of the attempt and of her daughter's safety at the same moment. On leaving Ingestre House and driving through MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 115 the Park on their return to the Palace, the Queen and the Prince were received by an immense crowd, which had collected on hearing the news, with en- thusiastic demonstration of loyalty and rejoicing at the escape of their sovereign. The trial of Oxford for high treason was held in the Central Criminal Court on the 8th of July. The jury returned the verdict of " Not guilty on the ground of insanity," and the prisoner was therefore ordered to be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure. After thirty-five years' imprisonment at Bedlam and Dartmoor he was released on condition that he would emigrate to Australia. About the same time the prospect of an heir to the throne rendered it expedient to provide for the possibilities of the death of the Queen, and of a prolonged minority. The question of a Regency had therefore to be considered. The Queen in her Journal says : "A Council of Regency was first suggested; but when Lord Melbourne spoke to the Duke of Wellington, he immediately answered for himself, ' that it could and ought to be nobody but the Prince'." A Bill for the purpose was brought in and passed with only one dissentient voice, that of the Duke of Sussex. On the 2nd of August the Prince writes : " The Regency Bill has passed safely through all its stages, and is now conclusively settled. ... It is very gratifying that not a single voice was ii6 QUEEN VICTORIA. raised in opposition in either House, or in any one of the newspapers." And this was more gratifying, as Lord Melbourne told the Queen it was entirely owing to the golden opinions the Prince had won every- where since his arrival. " Three months ago," Lord Melbourne said to the Queen, " they would not have done it for him " ; adding, the Queen writes in her Journal, "with tears in his eyes, 'it is entirely his own character '." On the nth of August the Queen prorogued Par- liament in person, and next day the Court left London for Windsor, where the Queen and Prince received the King and Queen of the Belgians, the Princess Hohenlohe and her children, and Queen Adelaide. A short visit was paid in September to Claremont at the time of the death of the Princess Augusta, in order to be away at the time of Her Royal Highness's funeral, which, on account of the Queen's health, the Prince could not attend. On the 13th of November, 1840, the Court returned to Buckingham Palace, and there, on the 21st, the Queen's first-born saw the light. In a letter to his father, on the 23rd, the Prince writes : " The little one is very well and very merry. ... I should certainly have liked it better if she had had a son, as would Victoria also ; but, at the same time, we must be equally satisfied and thankful as it is. . . . The rejoicing in the public is universal." MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 117 " For a moment only," the Queen says, "was he disappointed at its being a daughter, and not a son. His first thought was for the safety of the Queen, and during the time she was laid up, his care and devotion were quite beyond expression." During the Queen's illness the Prince, who, in the previous September, had been introduced into the Privy Council, saw the Ministers, and transacted all necessary business for her. From the very first, the Queen, on the advice of Lord Melbourne, had com- municated all despatches on foreign affairs to the Prince, who, writing to his father, says, " I think I have already done some good. I always commit my views to paper, and then communicate them to Lord Melbourne. He seldom answers me, but I have often had the satisfaction of seeing him act entirely in ac- cordance with what I have said." Again, in 1841, when the Eastern Question was approaching a crisis, the Prince writes: "I study the politics of the day with great industry. I speak quite openly with the Ministers on all subjects, so as to gain information. . And I endeavour quietly to be of as much use to Victoria in her position as I can." The Prince had, in fact, already qualified himself to render the Queen invaluable service in the political crisis that was now rapidly approaching. On the 23rd of June, 1841, Parliament had been dissolved. But the elections went against the Government, who. ii8 QUEEN VICTORIA. on the 28th of August, were defeated in the new ParHament by a majority of ninety-one, in the debate on the Address. Two days later the Ministry re- signed. In thus resigning. Lord Melbourne had the consolation of feeling that he left a devoted, sagacious, and permanent counsellor at the Queen's side. " For four years," he said, " I have seen you every day ; but it is so different now to what it would have been in 1839. The Prince understands everything so well, and has a clever, able head." The Queen, as she records in her Journal, saw Lord Melbourne before he left the Castle, and was much affected in taking leave of him. "You will find," he said, "a great support in the Prince : he is so able. You said when you were going to be married that he was perfection, which I thought a little exaggerated then, but really I think now that it is in some degree realised." And a few days afterwards, writing to King Leopold, Her Majesty says : " I cannot say what a comfort and support my beloved Albert is to me — how well and how kindly and properly he behaves. 1 cannot resist copying for you what Lord Melbourne wrote to me about him, the evening after we parted. He had already praised him greatly to me before he took leave of me. It is as follows : ' Lord Melbourne cannot satisfy himself without again stating to your Majesty in writing what he had the honour of saying to your Majesty respect- ing His Royal Highness the Prince. Lord Melbourne MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. iig hasformed the highest opinion of His Royal Highness's judgment, temper and discretion, and he cannot but feel a great consideration and security in the reflection that he leaves your Majesty in a situation in which your Majesty has the inestimable advantage of such advice and assistance. Lord Melbourne feels certain that your Majesty cannot do better than have recourse to it whenever it is needed, and rely upon it with confidence.' This naturally gave me great pleasure, and made me very proud, as it comes from a person who is no flatterer, and would not have said it if he did not think so or feel so." The same impression of ability was made by the Prince, in the early years of his married life, on the succeeding Minister. Sir Robert Peel, writes Lord Kingsdown in his Recollections (quoted by Sir Theodore Martin), "when he introduced me to him in 1841, said that I should find him one of the most extra- ordinary young men I have ever met with. So," adds Lord Kingsdown, " it proved. His aptitude for business was wonderful ; the dullest and most in- tricate matters did not escape or weary his attention ; his judgment was very good; his readiness to listen to any suggestions, though against his own opinions, was constant ; and though I saw his temper very often tried, yet in the course of twenty years I never once saw it disturbed, nor witnessed any signs of impatience." I20 QUEEN VICTORIA. On the loth of February, 1841, the first anni- versary of the marriage of her parents, the infant Princess Royal was christened at Buckingham Palace. A new silver-gilt font had been provided for the occa- sion, richly ornamented with the arms of the Princess and her father and mother — a font which has always since been used for royal baptisms to the present day. The water used on the occasion was brought from the river Jordan. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was assisted by the Archbishop of York, the Bishops of London and Norwich, and the Dean of Carlisle. The sponsors were Queen Adelaide, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duchess of Kent, the King of the Belgians, the Duke of Sussex, and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was represented by the Duke of Wellington. The names " Victoria Adelaide Mary Louisa " were given to the infant by Queen Adelaide. Prince Albert wrote to the Dowager-Duchess of Gotha, " The christening went off very well; your little great- grand-daughter behaved with great propriety and like a Christian. She was awake but did not cry at all, and seemed to crow with immense satisfaction at the lights and brilliant uniforms, for she is very intelligent and observing. The ceremony took place at half-past 6 P.M. After it there was a dinner, and then we had some instrumental music. The health of the little one was drunk with great enthusiasm." MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 121 It was in this year that the Queen had the great satisfaction of seeing Prince Albert placed at the head of the Royal Commission appointed to promote and encourage in the United Kingdom that study of the iine arts for which a unique opportunity was afforded by the building of the new Houses of Parliament. To fill such a post the Prince was exceptionally fitted. King Leopold in his Reminiscences, in writ- ing of his own father, says, " His great love and knowledge of everything connected with the fine arts was inherited by Albert. No one else in the family possessed it to the same degree." The chairmanship of this Commission brought the Prince into connec- tion with the leading public and literary men of the country, and he followed up the connection with characteristic energy and ability. By constant and unremitting labour he was able to influence, more than any single man, the movement which, from this date and through the Great Exhibition of 1851, raised the artistic level of the country from the depths in which it had previously stagnated. At this time the Queen and the Prince were both practising the art of etching, under the able tuition of Mr., afterwards Sir Edwin, Landseer, one of the few English artists of the day of brilliant and original genius. In quantity their work was necessarily limited by the pressure of important business ; but in quality it was excellent, and the precision of drawing and 122 QUEEN VICTORIA. neatness of execution in the plates, which were all bitten in under their own supervision, have always excited the admiration of those who possess, or have seen, these interesting productions. On the 9th of November, 1841, a male heir was born to the throne. The event was announced by a Gazette Extraordinary, dated " Buckingham Palace, gth November. This morning, at twelve minutes before eleven o'clock, the Queen was happily delivered of a Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Albert, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, several Lords of Her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council, and the Ladies of Her Majesty's Bedchamber being present. This great and important news was immediately made known to the town by the firing of the Park and Tower guns ; and the Privy Council being assembled as soon as possible thereupon, at the Council Chamber, White- hall, it was ordered that a Form of Thanksgiving for the Queen's safe delivery of a Prince be prepared by his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, to be used in all churches and chapels throughout England and Wales, and the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, on Sun- day the 14th of November, or the Sunday after the respective ministers shall receive the same. Her Majesty and the infant Prince are, God be praised, both doing well." Successive bulletins confirmed the glad news of the convalescence of Her Majesty and of the health of the Prince. The only drawback MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 123 to the national rejoicing was the serious illness of the Queen Adelaide, who lay in a very critical state, from which, in the course of a short time, she happily recovered. The news of the birth of the Prince nowhere created more excitement and satisfaction than in the City of London, where the citizens were engaged in celebrating the inauguration of their chief magistrate, and the Lord Mayor and the authorities immediately proceeded in great state to the Palace to tender their loyal congratulations to their Sovereign. The Prince, who was born Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothe- say, was shortly afterwards created, by letters patent, Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. The Queen's recovery was so rapid that, on the 6th of December, the Court removed to Windsor. "We arrived here sains et saufs," writes the Queen to King Leopold, " with our awfully large nursery establishment yesterday morning. I wonder very much whom our little boy will be like. You will understand how fervent are my prayers, and I am sure everybody's must be, to see him resemble his father in every, every respect, both in body and mind ! Oh, my dearest uncle, I am sure if you knew how happy, how blessed I feel, and how proud in possess- ing such a perfect being as my husband, and if you think that you have been instrumental in bringing about this union, it must gladden your heart ! " 124 QUEEN VICTORIA. Again, on the 14th of December, the Queen con- tinues, "We must all have trials and vexations, but if one's home is happy then the rest is comparatively nothing. I assure you, dear uncle, that no one feels this more than I do. I had this autumn one of the severest trials I could have, in parting with my government, and particularly from one kind and valued friend, and I feel even now this last very much : but my happiness at home, the love of my husband, his kindness, his advice, his support, and his company make up for all, and make me forget it." On the 25th of January, 1842, the Prince of Wales was christened in St. George's Chapel at Windsor. The choice of sponsors was not easy. The difficulty was met by inviting the King of Prussia to undertake the office. Though not connected with the parents by the tie of blood, his position as sovereign of the most important Protestant kingdom on the Conti- nent justified the selection. King Frederic William, who had long been anxious to visit England, accepted the invitation. Arriving at Greenwich on the 22nd, he proceeded at once to Windsor. Royal baptisms had been hitherto, as a rule, celebrated within the Palace ; but, in the special circumstances, it was con- sidered expedient that the heir to the throne should be christened in a consecrated and historical build- ing. No fitter shrine for the purpose could have MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 125 been chosen than the re^al chapel which was raised in honour of, and dedicated to, the Patron Saint of the land. The rite was performed at 10 a.m., with great state and splendour. Besides the King of Prussia, the other sponsors were the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg, represented by the Duchess of Kent, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duchess of Saxe-Gotha, represented by the Duchess of Cambridge, the Prin- cess Sophia, represented by the Princess Augusta of Cambridge, and Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg. The Queen, in her Journal, says : " It is impossible to describe how beautiful and imposing the effect of the whole scene was in the fine old chapel, with the banners, the music, and the light shining on the altar ". The King of Prussia remained in this country for a fortnight, and on the 3rd of February, the day before his departure, he was present at the opening of Parliament by the Queen in person. Of this brilliant scene the Baroness Bunsen gives a graphic account in a letter quoted in her husband's Memoirs : " On Thursday was the opening of Parliament — the great scene from which I had expected most, and was not disappointed. The throngs in the streets, in the windows, on every spot where foot could stand — all looking so pleased — the splendid Horse Guards, the Grenadier Guards— of whom it might be said, as the King did on another occasion, ' an appearance 126 QUEEN VICTORIA. SO fine you know not how to believe it true ' — the Yeomen of the Body Guard ; then in the House of Lords, the Peers in their robes, the beautifully dressed ladies, with many, many beautiful faces ; last the procession of the Queen's entr}', and herself, looking worthy and fit to be the converging point of so many rays of grandeur. . . . The composure with which she filled the throne, while awaiting the Commons, was a test of character — no fidget and no apathy. Then her voice and her enunciation could not be more perfect. In short, it could not be said that she did well, but she was the Queen ; she was, and felt herself to be, the acknowledged chief among grand national realities. Placed in, a narrow space behind Her Majesty's mace-bearers, and peeping over their shoulders, I was enabled to hide and subdue the emotion I felt, in consciousness of the mighty pages of the world's history condensed in the words, so impressively uttered in the silver tones of that femi- nine voice — Peace and War, the fate of millions, relations of countries, exertions of power felt to the extremities of the globe, alterations of corn laws, the birth of a future sovereign — mentioned in solemn thankfulness to Him in whose hands are nations and rulers ! With what should one respond, but with the heartfelt aspiration, ' God bless and guide her ! for her sake, and the sake of all ! ' " At the time of this opening of Parliament, the MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 127 condition of home and foreign affairs was very serious. Scarcity of work inflicted widespread suffering on the manufacturing districts ; riots among the workers in the iron and coal industries, and the risings threatened by Chartist agitators, caused deep anxiety to the Ministry, whose powers of dealing with disturbances at home were enfeebled by the drain of troops re- quired for operations abroad. The country was at war with China ; in the West Indies and at the Cape the authorities needed all the help that could be spared ; in Afghanistan a life and death struggle was raging, in which the British army had already met with the terrible disaster of the Cabul Pass ; and in every quarter the outlook was full of menace and danger. A falling revenue demanded bold measures of finance, and the Queen cordially con- curred in the proposal of Sir Robert Peel to impose an Income Tax, a step never before taken except under the pressure of a war expenditure, and always to the last degree unpopular. The Queen authorised her Ministers to announce that it was her wish not to be exempt from the operation of the tax, and this announcement was not without effect in reconciling her subjects to an impost previously unknown to that generation. In order to revive the trade in London, every effort was made by the Court to stimulate its de- pressed condition. Dinners, concerts, and balls were 128 QUEEN VICTORIA. frequently sivcn> and on the 7th of May, with .the same object, a grand costume ball was held in Buck- ingham Palace. At this the Queen appeared as Queen Philippa and the Prince as Edward III. Most of the guests wore costumes of the same date. The dress of the Queen was of Spitalfields manu- facture. On the 26th the Queen and Prince went in state to a ball given at Covent Garden Theatre on behalf of the distressed Spitalfields weavers. Fancy balls were also held at Apsley House and at Staffoi'd House with the same charitable object. On the 29th of May, 1842, an attempt on the Queen's life, repeated by him next day, was made by a man named John Francis. An account of this outrage, confirmed by the Prince as authentic, has been given by Colonel Arbuthnot, one of the equer- ries. " On Sunday, the 29th of May, at about two P.M., as Her Majesty alighted from her carriage at Buckingham Palace on her return from church, she spoke to Prince Albert, and on His Royal Highness entering the Palace he called me aside, and stated to me that a man in the crowd had presented a pistol towards the carriage, and he distinctly heard the noise, the same as the shutting of a pocket-knife. His Royal Highness suggested to me the importance of keeping this a profound secret, but at once to con- sult the Inspector of Police. ... In the evening Sir James Graham arrived, and he. Sir R. Peel, Colonel MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 129 Rowan and I went into a lower drawing-room, where Sir Robert wrote down His Royal Highness's deposi- tion to him. It was then fully agreed on the vital importance of our keeping the matter a profound secret. . . . Her Majesty determined on the after- noon of Monday to drive out. I took every possible precaution, and His Royal Highness directed me to ride close to Her Majesty, and to request Colonel Wylde to do the same, but His Royal Highness was so alive to the importance that the attempt on Sunday afternoon should be perfectly secret, that he desired me not to mention it even to him. Her Majesty appeared to be as fully alive as I was to the danger she was incurring, but was, notwithstanding, most calm, cheerful and composed, at the same time, I am sure, fully alive to the probability that from behind every tree she might be shot at. His Royal Highness, I know, was fully conscious this might be the case. " I had a strong feeling that, as the man had failed, and could not be aware that he was seen, he would take the earliest opportunity of renewing the attempt ; so strong was my feeling, that I went myself to the stables to desire that on no accoxmt might Kangaroo be sent for me to ride, as he was a sluggish horse, and difficult to keep near the carriage, but notwithstanding, to my horror, Kangaroo was sent for me to ride and too late for me to change. 9 130 QUEEN VICTORIA. The Queen drove through Hyde Park, the Regent's Park, and to Hampstead. I got, as soon as we were out of observation, on my groom's horse, and then I experienced a relief I cannot express, as I was able then to keep close to Her Majesty. We went fast home, but on passing through the gate at Constitu- tion Hill, I desired the wheel postillion to drive even faster, which he did. Before arriving at the pump, I observed a man seemingly eager to see the Queen ; on approaching him he snatched a pistol out of his breast and, levelling quickly, aimed at the Queen, but owing to the rapid pace at which we were going, my horse being very near him, he was disconcerted, and by the mercy of Providence aimed too low. Her Majesty heard the report, and her extraordinary calmness was wonderful. She was naturally affected, but did not betray the slightest appearance of alarm, but was as calm and as collected as when looking at the view at Hampstead. . . . His Royal High- ness struck me as being very much affected at Her Majesty's providential escape. On seeing the man after he had fired, His Royal Highness exclaimed, ' It is the same man '." Prince Albert in his letter to his father, de- scribing the occurrence, says, "The shot must have passed under the carriage, for he lowered his hand. We felt as if a load had been taken off our hearts, and we thanked the Almighty for having MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 131 preserved us a second time from so great a danger. John Francis (tliat is the man's name) was standing near a policeman, who immediately seized him, but could not prevent the shot. It was at the same spot where Oxford had fired at us, two years ago, with this difference only, that Oxford was standing on our left, with his back to the garden wall." Mr. Anson, the Prince's Secretary, in his memo- randa of the same day, says, " Her Majesty seemed none the worse. She told me she had fully expected it, and it was a relief to her to have it over. She had for some time been under the impression that one of these mad attempts would be made. . . . Her Majesty said she never could have existed under the uncertainty of a concealed attack. She would rather run the immediate risk at any time, than have the presentiment of danger constantly hovering over her. She had been much gratified by the kind feeling people had shown." Contrary to her usual custom, she had on this day dispensed with the attendance of her ladies. To Miss Liddell, afterwards Lady Bloom- field, the Queen said on her return to the Palace, " I daresay, Georgy, you are surprised at not driving with me this afternoon, but the fact was, that as we returned from church yesterday, a man presented a pistol at the carriage window, which flashed in. the pan ; we were so taken by surprise that he 132 QUEEN VICTORIA. had time to escape ; so I knew what was hanging over me, and I was determined to expose no Hfe but my own ". Francis was examined before the Privy Council, and committed to Newgate for trial at the next session of the Central Criminal Court. On the day following the attempt, an immense concourse of people as- sembled at the Palace in expectation that the Queen would take her accustomed drive. Nor were they disappointed. The royal carriage contained the Queen and Prince with the Duke of Saxe-Meiningen. Following on horseback were the Count Mensdorff with his four sons, and the two equerries. The royal party was loudly cheered, and the drive was quite a triumphal progress; Her Majesty's subjects appreciating with delight, not only the presence of mind displayed by their youthful sovereign at the moment of danger, but the nerve with which she could go to meet it. The Queen, writing to King Leopold, says, " I was not really at all frightened, and feel very proud at dear uncle Mensdorff calling me ' very courageous,' which I shall ever remember with delight, coming from so distinguished an officer as he is". In the evening the Queen with Prince Albert went to the Italian Opera, where the audience, with tumultuous gratulations, called for the National Anthem, bursting into cheers at almost every line. On the day following addresses of congratulation MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 133 were voted by both Houses of Parliament, followed by others from all parts of the kingdom. Francis was tried for high treason on the 17th of June, found guilty, and sentenced to death. The Queen was most anxious that the sentence should not be carried out, and the Government, after con- sultation with the judges, commuted the sentence to transportation for life. The very next day after this exercise of clemenc\-, another outrage was attempted, as the Queen, with the King of the Belgians, was driving to the Chapel Royal, St. James's. A de- formed youth, named Bean, pointed a pistol at the Queen, but it fortunately missed fire, nor did the Queen know anything of the matter till her return to Buckingham Palace. On being told of it, she merely said that, so long as the law remained that these attempts could only be dealt with as acts of high treason, a recurrence of them must be expected. The Ministry, therefore, with as much haste as pos- sible, brought in a bill making these attempts high misdemeanours, to be punished by transportation for seven years, or imprisonment, with, or without, hard labour, for a term not exceeding three years, the cul- prit " to be publicly, or privately, whipped, as often, and in such manner and form, as the Coui-t shall direct, not exceeding thrice ". The bill became law on the i6th of July, and under it Bean was, on August 25th, sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment. 134 QUEEN VICTORIA. At Bucicingham Palace, in the summer of 1842, the Queen and Prince Albert had received Mendels- sohn. The celebrated musician has given graphic details of his visit. He says in his letter to his mother: " I must tell you all the details of my last visit to Buckingham Palace. It is, as G. says, the one really pleasant and comfortable English house where one feels a son aise. Of course, I do know a few others, but yet, on the whole, I agree with him. Prince Albert had asked me to go to him on Saturday at two o'clock, so that I might try his organ before I left England. I found him alone, and, as we were walking away, the Queen came in, also alone, in a simple morning-dress. ... I begged that the Prince would first play me something, so that, as I said, I might boast about it in Germany ; and he played a chorale, by heart, with the pedals, so charmingly and clearly and correctly, that it would have done credit to any professional. . . . Then it was my turn, and I began my Chorus from St. Paul, ' How lovely are the Messengers'. Before I got to the end of the first verse they both joined in the chorus ; and all the time Prince Albert managed the stops for me so cleverly — first a flute, at the. forte the great organ, at the D major part the whole ; then he made a lovely diminuendo with the stops, and so on to the end of the piece, and all by heart, that I was really quite en- chanted. . . . The Queen asked if I had written any MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 135 new songs, and said she was very fond of singing my published ones. ' You should sing one to him,' said Prince Albert ; and, after a little begging, she said she would try the Friihlingslied in B flat, ' if it is still here,' she added, ' for all my music is packed up for Claremont.' Prince Albert went to look for it, but came back saying it was already packed. . . . The servants were sent after it without success ; at last the Queen went herself, and, while she was gone. Prince Albert said to me : ' She begs you will accept this present as a remembrance,' and gave me a little case with a beautiful ring, on which is engraved — 'V.R., 1842'. "Then the Queen carrie back, and said: 'Lady — — is gone, and has taken all my things with her. It really is most annoying.' I then begged that I might not be made to suffer for the accident, and hoped she would sing another song. After some consultation with her husband, he said : ' She will sing you something of Gluck's. . . . We proceeded to the Queen's sitting-room, where there was a piano. The Duchess of Kent came in, and, while they were all talking, I rummaged about amongst the music, and soon discovered my first set of songs. So, of course, I begged her rather to sing one of those than the GliJck, to which she kindly consented ; and which did she choose ? — ' Schoner and schoner schmiickt sich ! ' — sang it quite charmingly in strict time and tune. 136 QUEEN VICTORIA. and with very good execution . . . the last G 1 have never heard better or purer, or more natural from any amateur. Then I was obliged to confess that Fanny had written the song (which 1 found very hard, but pride must have a fall), and begged her to sing one of my own also. If I would give her plenty of help, she would gladl}- try, she said ; and then she sang the Pihj;ersprnch, ' Lass dich nitr,' really quite faultlessly, and with charming feeling and expression. I thought to myself, one must not pay too many com- pliments on such an occasion, so I merely thanked her a great man}- times, upon which she said, ' Oh, if I only had not been so frightened ; generally, I have such long breath '. Then I praised her heartily and with the best conscience in the world ; for just that part with the long G at the close she had done so well, taking the three following and connecting notes in the same breath, as one seldom hears it done ; and therefore it amused me doubh' that she herself should have begun about it. "After this Prince Albert sang the Erndtelied, ' Es ist ein Schnitter ' ; and then he said I must play him something before I went, and gave me as themes the chorale which he had plaved on the organ, and the song he had just sung. If everything had gone as usual, 1 ought to have improvised most dreadfully badly, for it is almost alwa3's like that with me when I want it to go well — and then I should ha\'e gone MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. ijy away vexed the whole morning. But — ^just as if I was to keep nothing but the pleasantest, most charm- ing recollection of it — I never improvised better. I was in the best mood for it, and played a long time and enjoyed it myself; so that between the two themes I brought in the two songs which the Queen had sung, naturally enough ; and it went off so easily that I would gladly not have stopped ; and they fol- lowed me with so much intelligence and attention that I felt more at ease than I ever did in improvising to an audience. She said several times she hoped I would soon come to England again, and pay them a visit ; and then I took leave." The Queen, it may be added, always took a deep interest in Mendelssohn's work and career, and a marble bust of him has been placed by her command in the corridor at Windsor Castle. A visit to Belgium and a meeting with some of the French Royal Family had been proposed for the autumn of 1842, but the melancholy death of the Duke of Orleans, brother of the Queen of the Belgians, entirely disarranged all these plans, and a short tour in Scotland was arranged at the conclusion of the session. Parliament was prorogued by the Queen in person on the 12th of August. Her Majesty in a speech referred to the reverses sustained by the army to the westward of the Indus, and to the subsequent defence of Jellahabad, and, in touching on home 138 QUEEN VICTORIA. affairs, which were in a dangerous condition, par- ticularly at Manchester, where rioting had assumed formidable proportions, she said, "There are, I trust, indications of gradual recovery from that depression which has affected many branches of manufacturing industry, and has exposed large classes of my people to privation and sufferings, which have caused me the deepest concern. You will, I am confident, be actuated on your return to your several counties by the same enlightened zeal for the public interests which you have manifested during the discharge of your Parliamentary duties ; and will do your utmost to encourage by your example, and active exertions, that spirit of order and submission to the law which is essential to the public happiness, and without which there can be no enjoyment of the fruits of peaceful industry, and no advance in the career of social im- provement." On the 29th of August the Queen and Prince Albert, attended b}' the Duchess of Norfolk and Lord Morton, with other members of their households, embarked at Woolwich in the Royal George, com- manded by Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence. The yacht, in tow of a steamer, was saluted on reaching Tilbury Fort, and passed along the coast, welcomed every- where by demonstrations of loyalty. About i a.m., on the 1st of September, the royal squadron came to anchor in Aberlady Bay. Shortly after eight. Her MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 139 Majesty landed at Granton Pier, and proceeded at once to Dalkeith Palace, the home of the Duke of Buccleuch, escorted through Edinburgh by the Duke, and the Archers of the Royal Body Guard. On the 3rd, the Queen made her public entry into the Scottish capital, escorted by the Inniskilling Dragoons. At the Canongate the Body Guard of Archers joined the procession, the 53rd Regiment guarding the line of route. At the barriers which had been erected near the Exchange, the Lord Provost, accompanied by the members of the Council in their robes of office, pre- sented the keys of the City, which were returned by Her Majesty with the words: "I return the keys of the City with perfect confidence into the safe keeping of the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council". At the Castle gate the Queen was received by Sir Niel Douglas, -commanding the Forces, and, alighting from the carriage, was conducted through the ancient fortress, where she inspected the various objects of interest, noticing particularly Mons Meg, and the ancient regalia of the Scottish kingdom, deposited in the Crown Jewel Office. In her Journal the Queen writes: "The view from both batteries is splendid, like a panorama in extent. We saw from them Heriot's Hospital, a beautiful old building, built in the time of James by a jeweller, whom Sir Walter Scott has made famous in his Fortunes of Nigel. After this we again got into the carriages, and proceeded in the I40 QUEEN VICTORIA. same way as before, the pressure of the crowd being really quite alarming. Both I and Albert were quite terrified for the Archers Guard, who had very hard work of it ; but the}- were of the greatest use. They all carry a bow in one hand, and have their arrows stuck through their belts. Unfortunately, as soon as we were out of Edinburgh, it began to rain, and continued raining the whole afternoon without interruption. We reached Dahncny, Lord Rosebery's, at two o'clock. The park is beautiful, with the trees grovN'ing down to the sea." On the 5th the Queen held a Drawing-room in the gallery of Dalkeith Palace. Holyrood House was not available for this State ceremony on account of a dangerous fever lately prevalent in the vicinity. The Drawing-room was very numerously attended, and before it Her Majesty received and responded to addresses from the Lord Provost and the iVIagistrates, from the Scottish Church, and from the Universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow, and Edinburgh. On the 6th the Duke of Buccleuch's royal guests left Dalkeith, and, crossing from Queensferry into Fifeshire, pro- ceeded to Dupplin Castle, where they lunched with the Earl of Kinnoull, on their way to Scone Palace, the seat of the Earl of Mansfield, where they dined and slept. Next morning, after inscribing their names in the Guildry books of the City of Perth, the last royal signatures in which were those of James VI. MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 141 and Charles I., the Queen and Prince started for Taymouth, the seat of the Marquis of Breadalbane. On the loth of September, after planting trees as a memorial of their visit, they left Taymouth, and were rowed for sixteen miles up Loch Tay to Auchmore, whence they journeyed by Crieff to Drummond Castle, and there they were received by Lord and Lady Willoughby D'Eresby. Here, on the 12th, the Prince shot his tirst stag. On the 13th a visit was paid to Stirling, and, after a journej' of sixty-five miles, Dalkeith was again reached. The last day of this visit, the first of many subsequently paid to the Northern Kingdom, was spent in seeing Rosslyn Chapel and Hawthornden. Leaving Dalkeith early on the morning of September the 15th, and embarking on board the Trident, a steamer belonging to the General Steam Navigation Company, the Queen and Prince reached Woolwich dockyard on the morning of the 17th, and arrived at Windsor shortly after noon . Writing on the next day to the Duchess of Saxe- Gotha, Prince Albert thus records his impression of the country : " Scotland has made a most favourable impression upon us both. The country is full of beauty of a severe and grand character ; perfect for sport of all kinds, and the air remarkably pure and light in comparison with what we have here. The people are more natural, and marked by that honesty 142 QUEEN VICTORIA. and sympathy which always distinguishes the inhabi- tants of mountainous countries, who Hve far away from towns. There is, moreover, no country where historical traditions are preserved with such fidelity, or to the same extent. Every spot is connected with some interesting historical fact, and with most of these Sir Walter Scott's accurate descriptions have made us famihar." Before quitting Scotland the Queen had expressed her own gratification at the hearti- ness of her reception, in a letter to Lord Aberdeen : " The Queen cannot leave Scotland without a feeling of regret that her visit on the present occasion could not be further prolonged. Her Majesty fully expected to witness the loyalty and attachment of her Scottish subjects ; but the devotion and enthusiasm evinced in every quarter, and by all ranks, have produced an impression on the mind of Her Majesty which can never be effaced." On the loth of November the Queen and Prince Albert, with the royal children, left Windsor for Walmer Castle, near Deal, the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, which had been placed at their disposal by the Duke of Welling- ton. Here they were received by His Grace, and enjoyed the sea breezes till the 3rd of December. At all the places on their journey through Kent, particu- larly at Canterbury, the travellers were received with every demonstration of loyalty and affection. MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 143 On the 23rd of November, a special messenger from Downing Street brought despatches containing the welcome news of the recapture of Ghuznee and Cabul, the defeat of Akbar Khan, and the liberation of his captives. On the same day the Queen heard, with much delight, of the Peace which had been concluded with China, on terms that afforded a new opening for commercial enterprise, and gave a fresh stimulus to the trade of the manufacturing districts, where want of employment had caused widespread suffering and discontent. On the 2nd of February, 1843, Parliament as- sembled. For the first time since her accession, the Queen was unable to open it in person. On the 25th of April, Her Majesty's third child and second daughter was born at 4 A.M., Prince Albert and the Lord Steward, the Earl of Liverpool, being present. On the same day, at Pembroke Dockyard, took place the launch of Her Majesty's yacht the Victoria and Albert, which was then looked upon as one of the most beautiful steamers afloat, and has ever since been the favourite vessel of the Queen. The infant Princess was christened on the 2nd of June, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. The sponsors were the King of Hanover, represented by the Duke of Cambridge ; the Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, represented by the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz ; the Princess of Hohenlohe 144 QUEEN VICTORIA. Langenburg, represented by the Duchess of Kent, and the Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester. The rite was performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the infant received the names of Alice Maud Mary. On the 29th of June the Queen, accompanied by Prince Albert and the King and Queen of the Bel- gians, visited Westminster Hall to inspect the prize cartoons prepared for the decoration of the new Houses of Parliament, which were then exhibited to the public. This exhibition was the result of the labours of the Royal Commission on the Fine Arts, of which the Prince was President. The execution of the cartoons in fresco has unfortunately not been successful ; the artists were not familiar with the peculiar conditions of the technical process of the work, and little now remains to be seen of their de- signs. The Queen and Prince showed their own personal interest in this little-practised method of decoration by erecting a pavilion in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, the walls of which were covered with designs in fresco by Eastlake, Landseer, Maclise, Uwins, Leslie, Stanfield, and others. In a letter written at the time Uwins remarks : " History, Literature, Science, and Art seem to have lent their stores to form the mind of the Prince. He is really an accomplished man, and, withal, possesses so much good sense and consideration, that, taken apart from MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 145 his playfulness and good-humour, he might pass for an aged and experienced person, instead of a youth of two or three-and-twenty. The Queen, too, is full of intelligence, her observations very acute, and her judgment matured apparently beyond her age. . . . Coming to us twice a day, unannounced and without attendants, entirely stript of all state and ceremony, courting conversation, and desiring reason rather than obedience, they have gained our admiration and love. In many things they are an example to the age. They have breakfasted, heard morning prayers with the household in the private chapel, and are out some distance from the Palace talking to us in the summer-house before half-past nine o'clock — sometimes earlier. After the public duties of the day, and before their dinner, they come out again, evidently delighted to get away from the bustle of the world, to enjoy each other's society in the soli- tude of the garden." Shortly after the cartoon exhibition, the Court removed to Windsor, where, on the 26th of August, the Queen, in honour of the Prince's twenty-fourth birthday, gave an entertainment at Virginia Water. Two days later, the Queen and Prince travelled to Southampton. There they met the new yacht, Vic- toria and Albert, which conveyed them to Cowes Roads. Next day they visited Norris Castle and Appuldurcombe, and, again embarking, proceeded to 10 146 QUEEN VICTORIA. Dartmouth, Plymouth, and Falmouth, where loyal addresses were presented. M Falmouth the Mayor, who was a Quaker, was permitted to keep his hat on in the royal presence. Thence the course was across the Channel to the coast of France. The Queen had for some time been anxious to visit Louis Philippe and to make the acquaintance of Queen Marie Amtflie and their famil)', with whom the Queen had been long connected by the marriage of her uncle, King Leopold, with the Princess Louise of Orleans. A favourable opportunity now presented itself for a friendly visit, as the French Court was at the Chateau d'Eu, near Treport. In Lady Bloomfield's Reminiscences occurs the following story of an incident of the voyage : "I remained on deck a long time with Her Majesty, and she taught me to plait paper for bonnets, which was a favourite occupation of the Queen. Lady Canning and I had settled ourselves in a very sheltered place, protected by the paddle- box ; and, remarking what a comfortable spot we had chosen, Her Majesty sent for her camp-stool, and settled herself beside us, plaiting away most composedly, when suddenly we observed a commotion among the sailors, little knots of men talking together in a mysterious manner ; first one officer came up to them, then another, looking embarrassed, and at last Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence was called. The Queen, much puzzled, asked what was the matter, and MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 147 inquired whether we were going to have a mutiny on board ? Lord Adolphus laughed, but remarked that he really did not know what would happen unless Her Majesty would be graciously pleased to remove her seat. ' Move my seat,' said the Queen, ' why should I ? What possible harm can I be doing here ? " ' Well, ma'am,' said Lord Adolphus, ' the fact is, your Majesty is unwittingly closing up the door of the place where the grog-tubs are kept, and so the men cannot have their grog ! ' ' Oh, very well,' said the Queen, ' I will move on one condition : that you bring me a glass of grog.' This was accordingly done, and, after tasting it, the Queen said : ' I am afraid I can only make the same remark I did once before, that I think it would be very good if it were stronger ! ' This, of course, delighted the men, and the little incident caused much amusement on board." When the royal yacht arrived at Treport, King Louis Philippe came off in his barge to welcome his guests. The Queen in her Journal writes : " I felt, as it came nearer and nearer, more and more agitated. At length it came close, and contained the King, Aumale, Montpensier, Augustus (Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and husband of Princess Clementine of Or- leans), M. Guizot, Lord Cowley, and various officers and ministers. The good kind King was standing on the boat, and so impatient to get out that it was very difficult to prevent him, and to get him to wait 148 QUEENrVICTORIA. till the boat was close enough. He got out and came up as quickly as possible and embraced me warmly. It was a fine and really affecting sight, and the emotion which it caused I shall never forget. . . . The King expressed again and again how delighted he was to see me." As the Queen left her own yacht the Royal Standard was lowered from the masthead, and hoisted side by side with that of France on the King's barge. It was the first time they had floated together since the Field of the Cloth of Gold. On landing the Queen was escorted by the King up a somewhat steep stair to where the Queen Amelie with the Queen of the Belgians and other members of the Royal Family awaited their approach. After an interchange of cordial greetings and amid the firing of salutes and the shouts of the spectators, the royal cortege departed for the Ch&teau. In the evening a grand banquet was given. The Queen sat on the right of the King of the French, and on Her Majesty's right was the Prince de Joinville. Queen Amelie sat opposite the King, having Prince Albert on her right. Next day, being Sunday, was spent very quietly; the Queen had no chaplain with her, but prayers were read by one of the members of the suite. " At half-past two," the Queen records in her Journal, "the King and Queen came to fetch us and took us over the greater part of the Chateau. The number MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 149 of family pictures is quite enormous. The little chapel is beautiful, and full of painted windows and statues of saints, etc., quite a little bijou. It is the first Catholic Chapel I have seen. There are numbers of pictures and reminiscences of Made- moiselle de Montpensier. She built part of the Chateau, and there are some interior decorations still of her time. The rooms of the Queen, including a little cabinet de toilette, are charming. They contain many old family pictures, and pictures of their own family, and there are some of poor Chartres, when a child, the sight of which, we see, is heartrending to the dear excellent Queen." On Monday, September the 4th, the Journal proceeds, " Up at half-past seven and breakfasted at eight. Good news from the children. The band of the 24th Regiment (Infanterie legere) played under my window, and extremely well. ... At half-past ten the King and familj' came and fetched us to their delightful, cheerful breakfast. I sat between the King and Aumale. I feel so ga}' and happy with these dear people. . . . Later we saw M. Guizot, who came to express his great joy at our visit. It seems to have done the greatest good, and to have caused the greatest satisfaction to the French. ... I hear that I should have been most kindly received at Paris even. The French naval officers give this evening a banquet on board the Pluton to our naval I50 QUEEN VICTORIA. officers, and I trust that the ' haine pour les perfides Anglais' will cease." The great event of the day was a fete chanipetre at the Mont d'Orleans in the forest of Eu. About four o'clock the King with Queen Victoria and the Queen of the French, with other ladies, drove up to the large tent, which was pitched on a spot com- manding the finest view, and here the party lunched. Prince Albert, with other gentlemen, had already arrived on horseback. The Queen records : " I sat between the King and Queen. Poor Helene (the widowed Duchess of Orleans) sat next the King ; it was the first time she had sat at table with them since her terrible misfortune. . . . The King's liveli- ness and vivacity, and little impatiences, are my delight and amusement." After luncheon, the King, giving his arm to Queen Victoria, walked round the platform before the tent ; Prince Albert came next with the Queen of the French, the rest of the company following. The large crowd which had assembled cheered the royal party with much en- thusiasm. On the return to the Chateau, after dinner, "There was," as the Queen notes, "very fine music by the artistes du Conservatoire. They played beautifully, particularly the things from Beethoven's symphonies." The next morning Prince Albert, accompanied by the Dukes of Aumale and Montpensier and others, MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 151 was present at a review of the French cavalry regi- ment, the Carabiniers, and afterwards of a regiment of the hne, at the Caserne de Montpensier. In the afternoon the whole party visited the church of Notre-Dame, and the crypt containing the monu- ments of the Counts of Artois and of the Counts of Eu, the maternal ancestors of the King. On this day the King presented Queen Victoria with the two splendid pieces of tapestrv representing the chase of the Calydonian boar and the death of Meleager, which had been in hand at the Gobelins for thirty years, and now form the principal decora- tion of Her Majesty's dining-room at Windsor. The next day there was another fete chainpctre in the forest, the scene being the Mont Ste Catherine, and the dejeuner entirely al fresco, no tent having been pitched. " We came home," the Queen writes — "the evening lovely — at half-past six. After dinner we remained in a little room near the dining- room — -as the galevie where we generally are was fitted up as un petit theatre. At a little after nine we went in. The little stage and orchestre were per- fectly arranged, and we were al! seated in rows of chairs one above the other. The pieces were all ad- mirably performed. The first was Le Chateau de ma Niece, in which Madame Mira acted delightfully ; the second, L'Humoriste, in which Arnal sent us into fits of laughter. . . . Thursday, September 7. — At a 152 QUEEN VICTORIA. quarter to six we got up, le cceur gros at the thought we must leave this dear interesting family. At half- past six the King (who, with all the Princes, was in uniform) and the Queen and all the family came to fetch us to breakfast. Joinville was already gone to Treport. I felt so sad to go. At half-past seven we went in the large State carriage, precisely as we came the day we arrived, with the Princess riding, and the same escort. It was a lovely morning and many people out. We embarked in the King's fine barge with great facility. ... At last the mauvais moment arrived, and we were obliged to take leave and with great regret. . . . We stood on the side of the paddle-box, and waited to see them pass by in a small steamer, which they had all got into, and the King waved his hand and called out ' Adieu ! Adieu ! ' We set off before nine. ... At half-past three we got into the barge off Brighton, with Joinville, the ladies, Lord Aberdeen, and Mr. Tonchard. . . . When we arrived at the Pavilion, we took Joinville upstairs with us, and he was very much struck with the strangeness of the building." A few days after their return the Queen and Prince Albert again embarked on their yacht, and landed at Ostend to pay a visit to the King and Queen of the Belgians. They remained in Belgium for nearly a week, visiting Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, and Antwerp. MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 153 To the Prince the old masters of the Low Countries were a great deHght, and he afterwards formed the collection of their works since bequeathed to the National Gallery. After their return the Queen and Prince paid, in October, a visit to Cambridge, where, the next morning, the degree of LL.D. was conferred on the Prince. On the return journey to Windsor two days were spent at Wimpole, the seat of Lord Hardwicke. Before the close of the year other visits were paid. One to Sir Robert Peel at Drayton Manor gave the Prince an opportunity long desired of inspecting some of the chief manufactories of Birmingham. Another was paid to Chatsworth, where three days were spent, and a third to Belvoir. Of the visit to Birmingham the Prince writes to Baron Stockmar : " Sir James Graham and others had advised me strongly not to go, as the town is entirely in the hands of the Chartists, and even the Radicals dare not show them- selves in it. Nevertheless I was received with an indescribable enthusiasm. The people regarded the visit as a great proof of confidence, and did all they could to give assurance of their loyalty. In short, our excursion was one unbroken triumph." On the 2gth of January, 1844, Prince Albert lost his father after a few days' illness. The sympathy of the Queen in his trial was his one consolation. Writing to Baron Stockmar a few days after- r54 QUEEN VICTORIA. wards, he mentions his sister-in-law Alexandrine as being, in the house of mourning at Coburg, "the consoling angel. Just such," he continues, " is Victoria to me, who feels and shares my grief, and is the treasure on which my whole existence rests. The relation in which we stand to one another leaves nothing to desire. It is a union of heart and soul." The Queen, too, had her trial to bear. When Easter came and Parliament adjourned the Prince left England, feeling that duty demanded his presence in Coburg ; since her marriage she had never been one day apart from him, and the separation was proportionately painful. In June, 1844, shortly after the Prince's safe return, the Queen received a visit from the Emperor of Russia. The Emperor at first took up his quarters at the Russian Embassy, but afterwards, on Her Majesty's pressing invitation, became the Queen's guest at Buck- ingham Palace. The object of this visit he stated in one of his interviews with Sir Robert Peel: "Years ago Lord Durham was sent to me, a man full of prejudices against me. By merely coming to close quarters with me all his prejudices were driven clean out of him. This is what I hope by coming here to bring about with you, and with England generally. By personal intercourse I trust to annihilate these prejudices, for I esteem England highly ; but as to what the French say about me I care not." The MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 155 Queen, writing on the nth of June to her uncle, thus records the personal impression made upon her by her visitor: "I, will now give you my opinions and feelings on the subject, which I may say are Albert's also. I was extremely against the visit, fearing the gene and bustle, and even at first I did not feel at all to like it ; but by living in the same house together quietly and unrestrainedly (and this Albert, and with great truth, says is the advantage of these visits, that I not only see these great people, but know them), I got to know the Emperor and he to know me. There is much about him which I cannot help liking, and I think his character is one which should be understood, and looked upon for once as it is. He is stern and severe, with strict principles of duty which nothing on earth will make him change. Politics and military concerns are the only things he takes great interest in ; the arts and all softer occupations he does not care for ; but he is sincere, I am certain — sincere even in his most despotic acts — from a sense that it is the only way to govern. ... He was not only civil but ex- tremely kind to us both, and spoke in the highest praise of dearest Albert to Sir Robert Peel, saying he wished any Prince in Germany had as much ability and sense. He is not happy, and that melancholy which is visible in the countenance made us sad at times." The hearty reception given to the Emperor by 156 QUEEN VICTORIA. the Court, and by the whole nation, caused some irritation in the poHtical circles of France. It even seemed at one time as if the projected visit of King Louis Philippe might be interfered with for this reason ; and the Queen, in the letter to her uncle, an extract from which has been already quoted, writes : " I hope you will persuade the King to come all the same in September. Our motives and politics are not to be exclusive, but to be on good terms with all — and why should we not ? We make no secret of it." This irritation, and the estrangement between the two countries, were, however, intensified at this moment by the harsh measures adopted by the French officials towards Queen Pomare in Tahiti. The ex- treme gravity of the situation caused much anxiety and suffering to our Queen, who was at the time in need of quiet and repose, as on the 6th of August her second son was born. In the first letter she was able to write after her confinement, she says to King Leo- pold: "The only thing almost to mar our happiness is the heavy and threatening cloud which hangs over our relations with France, and which, I assure you, distresses and alarms us sadly. The whole nation here is very angry. . . . God grant all may come right, and I am still of good cheer." In September, when all disputes had been satisfactorily arranged, the Queen again wrote to her uncle; "The good MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 157 ending of our difficulties with France is an immense blessing ; but it is really and truly necessary that you and those in Paris should know that the danger was imminent. . . . We must try and prevent these difficulties for the future." The infant Prince who had appeared at this critical moment was christened at Windsor on the 6th of September, 1843, receiving the names of Alfred Ernest Albert. At this ceremony the Prince of Prussia was present, afterwards the first Emperor of Germany and father-in-law of the Princess Royal. Three days later, the Queen and Prince with their eldest child left Windsor for Scotland. Landing at Dundee, they took up their residence at Blair Athol, which had been placed at their disposal by Lord Glenlyon, subsequently Duke of Athole. There they arrived on the nth, and stayed till the end of the month, returning to Windsor, on the 3rd of October, to receive the King of the French. The King landed on the 8th at Portsmouth, where he was received by Prince Albert and the Duke of Wellington, who accompanied him to Windsor. The Queen in her Journal writes of her guest: "I never saw anybody more pleased or more amused in looking at every picture and bust. He knew every bust and everything about everybody here in a most wonderful way. Such a memory, such activity ! . . . He is enchanted with the castle, and repeated to me 158 QUEEN VICTORIA. again and again (as did also all his people) how delighted he was to be here, how he feared that what he had so earnestly wished since I came to the throne would not take place." On the gth of October the King was invested by Her Majesty with the Order of the Garter, an honour which had been conferred on His Majesty's prede- cessors, Charles X. and Louis XVHI., and in earlier years on Francis I., Henry II., and Charles IX. As the Queen, on her visit to France, had not entered Paris, it was not thought advisable that the King of the French should visit London. But on the 12th of October the King received an address from the Lord Mayor and Corporation of London, who came to Windsor in State for the purpose. The reply of the King to their address had a great effect on English feeling. "The union of France with England," he said, "is of great importance to both nations, but not from any wish of aggrandisement on the part of either. Our view should be peace, while we leave every other country in possession of those blessings which it has pleased Divine Providence to bestow upon them. France has nothing to ask of England, and England has nothing to ask of France, but cordial union." Soon after the termination of the King's visit, on October 28th, the Queen opened the new Royal Exchange. The Queen, describing the ceremony MARRIED LIFE, 1840.52. 159 to her uncle, writes: "I seldom remember being so pleased with any pubhc show, and my beloved Albert was most enthusiastically received by the people. . . . The articles in the papers, too, are most kind and gratifying. They say, no sovereign was ever more loved than I am (I am bold enough to say), and this because of our happy domestic home, and the good example it presents." This feeling was not confined to London. North- ampton, stronghold of Radicalism though it was, welcomed the Queen with loyal enthusiasm, when, during the next month, she passed through the city on the way to Burleigh. A similar welcome greeted her when, in the early part of the next year, 1845, she and the Prince paid visits, first to Stowe, the seat of the Duke of Buckingham, and afterwards to Strathfieldsaye, where the Duke of Wellington realised his cherished wish to entertain his Sovereign under his own roof. Of this visit Mr. Anson writes : " The Duke takes the Queen in to dinner, and sits by Her Majesty, and after dinner gets up and says, 'With your Majest\'s permission I give the health of Her Majest}'' ; and then the same for the Prince. They then adjourn to the library, and the Duke sits on the sofa by the Queen for the i"est of the evening, until eleven o'clock, the Prince and the gentlemen being scattered about in the library or the billiard room, which opens into it. In a large conservatory i6o QUEEN VICTORIA. beyond, the band of the Duke's Grenadier regiment plays throughout the evening." The Queen and Prince returned to Windsor on the 4th of February for the reassembling of Parliament, which was opened by Her Majesty in person. In the Royal Speech mention was made of the visits of the Emperor of Russia and the King of the French, and the more cordial relations established with the latter nation ; the success of recent measures for supplying the deficiencies in the public revenue was noticed ; the probable increase of the Navy estimates owing to the progress of steam navigation was alluded to ; and the policy of extending the facilities of academical education in Ireland was recommended. Notwith- standing the state of political tension, on the 6th of June the Queen gave her second costume ball at Buckingham Palace. The guests all wore the dress of the period of George II. ; it was, to quote Greville, " most brilliant and amusing". When the King of the French left England he was accompanied by the Queen and Prince Albert as far as Portsmouth. This gave them an oppor- tunity of inspecting the estate of Osborne, which had been brought to their notice by Sir Robert Peel, who knew their wish to have a seaside residence more convenient and private than the obsolete Pavilion at Brighton. The inspection was satisfactory, and negotiations for the purchase of the estate were con- MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 161 eluded in March, 1845. Adjoining land has since been added, so that the whole estate now extends over 2,000 acres. The old house not having sufficient accommodation for the royal household, a new build- ing was erected, the first stone of which was laid in the following June. The laying out and planting of the gi-ounds, and the working of the home farm, were sources of endless delight to the Prince. Writing at the time to Baron Stockmar, he says : " Our property pleases us better and better every day, and is a most appropriate place of residence for us. It gives us the opportunity of inspecting the experimental squadron (which consists of five sail of the line, four frigates and several steam vessels), and of having it man- oeuvred before us. Since the war no such fleet has been assembled on the English coast, and it has this additional interest, that every possible new invention and discovery in the naval department will be tried." On the gth of August, 1845, the Queen in person prorogued Parliament, and the same evening Her Majesty and the Prince started from Woolwich in the royal yacht for Antwerp, on their way to pay a visit to the King of Prussia, who met his royal guests at Aix-la-Chapelle, and travelled with them to Cologne. From that city the Queen visited Bonn, where so much of Prince Albert's youth was spent. Thence they passed up the Rhine, and after spending one day at the King's Castle of Stolzenfels, on the II i62 QUEEN VICTORIA. igth entered Coburg. Here they were received by the Duke Ernest, and by the King and Queen of the Belgians and the Duchess of Kent. During their stay at Coburg the Queen and Prince were lodged at the Rosenau, occupying the room in which the Prince had been born, and on the 26th keeping the Prince's birthday. On the next morning, " with heavy hearts," the Queen and he left the well-loved place for Rheinhardtsbrunn. This, next to the Rosenau, pleased the Queen more than any of the places she had visited, and here she would have gladly stayed longer ; but time did not permit. After a few days' sojourn at Gotha, the journey homeward was continued by the Rhine to Antwerp, where the Victoria and Albert met the royal party. The yacht left the Scheldt on the 7th of September, and next morning arrived off Treport, where the King and Queen of the French received them as their guests for one night at the Chateau d'Eu. The winter of 1845-46 was an anxious and critical time. The appearance of the potato disease in Ire- land seemed to foreshadow a famine, and the con- sequent necessity of a settlement of the Corn Law question agitated the whole of the political world. During the progress of the struggle between the rival parties the Queen, on the 25th of May, 1846, gave birth to her third daughter, who, on the 25th of July, was christened Helena Augusta Victoria, her spon- MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 163 sors being the Duchess of Orleans, represented by the Duchess of Kent, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and the Duchess of Cam- bridge. The Court removed from Buckingham Palace to Osborne on the 7th of August, and on the i8th the Queen and Prince, with some of their children, started for a cruise in the Victoria and Albert. They visited Weymouth, Mount Edgcumbe, and the Channel Is- lands, with which they were much delighted. They also saw the Land's End and St. Michael's Mount, and landing at Fowey, inspected the Castle and Mine of Restormel. Returning to the Isle of Wight on the loth of September, they took possession a few days later of their new home at Osborne. In the same autumn they stayed with Queen Adelaide at Cassio- bury, and thence passed to Hatfield, where they met the Duke of Wellington, Lord John Russell, and Lord Melbourne, who, since his retirement from public life, had been very rarely seen by the Queen. Later in the year a visit was paid by the Queen and Prince to the Duke of Norfolk at Arundel. Christmas was spent at Osborne. On the I2th of February, 1847, the Chancellorship of the University of Cambridge became vacant by the death of the Duke of Northumberland, and on the 27th Prince Albert was elected to the vacant post, to the great gratification of the Queen, who, writing to i64 QUEEN VICTORIA. her uncle, says : " Of course you have seen that Albert (after having declined, so that he had nothing to do with the unseemly contest) has been elected Chancellor of Cambridge. He could not do otherwise than accept it. We have been gratified at the great kindness and respect shown towards Albert by such numbers of distinguished people." The public installation of the Prince took place in July, when he was accompanied by the Queen to Cambridge, where they stayed at the Lodge of Trinity College. On the day of installation at the Senate House, the Queen was received at the door by the Prince and conducted by him to her place ; then after the giving of the prizes, the In- stallation Ode, written for the occasion by Words- worth, the Poet Laureate, was performed ; concerts, receptions, and a levee were held, and after a most successful visit in beautiful weather, the Court re- turned to Buckingham Palace. On the 23rd of July the Queen in person prorogued Parliament in the recently-completed House of Lords, and on the nth of August the Queen and Prince, who had gone from London to the Isle of Wight, left Os- borne, with their two eldest children, on the royal yacht for a journey to Scotland, where they proposed to stay at Ardverikie, a shooting-lodge placed at their disposal by Lord Abercorn, who rented it from Lord Henry Bentinck. On the way the Scilly Isles were visited, then Milford Haven and the Isle of Man, MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 165 whence the squadron passed to the west coast of Scotland, and up the Clyde to Dumbarton ; and, pass- ing the Kyles of Bute, up Loch Fyne to Inverary, where the Queen was received by the Duke and Duchess of Argjdl in true Highland fashion. Here the Queen saw for the iirst time the young Marquis of Lome, just two years old, afterwards to become her son-in-law. On leaving Inverary, Staffa and lona were visited, and at Fort William Prince Albert went to Glencoe. From Fort William the whole party journeyed by land to Loch Laggan, by which Ardverikie is built. It was then remarkable for the drawings made on the walls by Sir E. Landseer, which unfor- tunately were destroyed later by fire. After a month's stay at this delightful spot, details of which are to be found in the Queen's Leaves from the Journal of otir Life in the Highlands, the royal party left for the south on the 17th of September, and landing at the new harbour of Fleetwood, after a short stay at the Isle of Man returned to London. Christmas was spent at Windsor, and with the new year came the beginning of the great outbreak of revolution which spread over all the continent. Writing to Stockmar on the 27th of Februar}', 1848, Prince Albert says : " The posture of affairs is bad ; European war is at our doors ; France is ablaze in every quarter ; Louis Philippe is wandering about in disguise, so is the Queen. . . . Guizot is a prisoner, i66 QUEEN VICTORIA. the republic declared, the army ordered to the frontier, the incorporation of Belgium and the Rhenish pro- vinces proclaimed. Here they refuse to pay the income tax, and attack the Ministry ; Victoria will be confined in a few days ; our poor good grand- mamma (the Duchess Dowager of Gotha) is taken from this world." The King and Queen of the French eventually landed at Newhaven, and were joined at Claremont b}' the other members of their family; here they passed the remainder of their lives. Amid the gloom of these events, a Princess was born at Buckingham Palace on the i8th of March, and was christened Louise Caroline Alberta on the 14th of the following May by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Throughout these stormy and troublous times the Queen continued in excellent health and spirits. Writ- ing on the 4th of April to King Leopold, Her Majesty says: "From the first I heard all that passed; and my only thoughts and talk were politics. But I never was calmer and quieter, or less nervous. Great events make me calm ; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves." The leaders of the Chartist movement in London at this time were endeavouring to imitate the revolu- tions in Continental states. A huge demonstration was planned for the loth of April, 1848, when they announced their intention to assemble on Kennington Common to the number of 150,000, and to present to MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 167 Parliament a monster petition, which, it was asserted, had been signed by more than 5,000,000 sympa- thisers. The magnitude of the assembly, and the threats of their leaders, were met by the Govern- ment with well-devised preparations. The Bank and other pubhc buildings were put in a state of defence, and more than 170,000 civilians enrolled themselves as special constables, among the num- ber being Prince Louis Napoleon, afterwards Em- peror. The Duke of Wellington, as Commander- in-Chief, disposed the troops at his command in readiness for any real disturbance, should it arrive, and in conversation at Lord Palmerston's house, said to Chevalier Bunsen, "Yes, we have taken our measures ; but not a soldier or piece of artillery shall you see, unless in actual need. Should the force of law, the mounted or unmounted police, be overpowered or in danger,then the troops shall advance — then is their time ! But it is not fair on either side to call them in to do the work of police ; the military must not be confounded with the police, nor merged in the police." Owing to the admirable precautions taken for the public safety, the demonstration was a complete and ignominious failure. The Queen and Prince, under the advice of the Ministry, had left London for Osborne, whence, on the following day, the Queen addressed to the Duke of Wellington the following letter : — i6S QUEEN VICTORIA. "OsEORNE, iitli April, 1848. " The Queen must write a line to Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington in order to express to him personally her high sense of the service which he has again rendered to his sovereign and his country, on the occasion of the expected riots. The arrangements seem to have been most perfect, and to have inspired the whole of London with complete confidence. The Queen was pleased to hear of the hearty way in which the Duke of Wellington was cheered when- ever he showed himself." In Ireland, at the same time, the forces of sedition were particularly active ; but the timely arrest of the leaders, and the sentence of John jMitchel to trans- portation for fourteen years, effectually checked any serious insurrection. On the 5th of September, 1848, when Her Majesty prorogued Parliament in person, she was able to say : " I have had the satisfaction of being able to preserve peace for my own dominions, and to maintain our domestic tranquillity. The strength of our institu- tions has been tried, and has not been found wanting. I have studied to preserve the people committed to my charge in the enjoyment of that temperate freedom which they so justly value. My people, on their side, feel too sensibly the advantages of order and security to allow the promoters of pillage and confusion any chance of success in their wicked designs." MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. i6g On the 8th of the same month the Queen saw for the first time Balmoral, which had been rented from the Earl of Aberdeen on the recommendation of Sir James Clark. The site and scener}' delighted both the Queen and Prince, who soon became possessors of the whole domain, which they afterwards enlarged, till it has become one of the finest estates in the Highlands, and the Queen's favourite abode. In the Queen's Leaves from the Journal of our Lfe in the Highlands she gives her impression of the place: "We walked out and went up to the top of the wooded hill opposite our windows, where there is a cairn, and up which there is a pretty winding path. The view from here, looking down upon the house, is charming. ... It was so calm and so solitary ; it did one good as one gazed around ; and the pure mountain air was most re- freshing. All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils. The scenery is wild, and yet not desolate ; and every- thing looks much more prosperous and cultivated than at Laggan. Then the soil is delightfully dry. We walked beside the Dee, a beautiful rapid stream which is close behind the house. The view of the hills to- wards Invercauld is exceedingly fine. In the first deer drive in the Balloch Buie forest, the Prince shot a fine royal stag ; and the keepers said ' it was Her Majesty's coming out that brought good luck '. I I70 QUEEN VICTORIA. was supposed to have a lucky foot, oi' which the High- landers think a great deal." Christmas of this year was spent at Windsor, and here, a few days later, was given the first of the series of theatrical performances which was con- tinued at intervals till 1861. Her Majesty had always delighted in the dramatic art, and was a constant visitor to the theatres as well as to the Opera in London, and the playbill of every per- formance she has honoured with her presence has been carefully preserved. The performances at Windsor Castle took place during the stay of the Court in the winter season, and were given in the large room on the north side known as the Rubens Room, in which a stage of fairly ample dimensions could be erected. The iirst performance was The Merchant of Venice, in which Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean appeared as Shylock and Portia. Mr. Kean continued to direct the entertainments till he gave up his London management in 1857, and under his direction thirty-live performances were given. After his retirement, Mr. W. B. Donne, Her Majesty's Examiner of Plays, was entrusted with the direction, and under him ten more evenings were devoted to dramatic representations. Plays of Shakespeare were performed on fourteen occasions. The last of this series of entertainments was on the 31st of January, i85i. The next Christmas was the time of the MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 171 saddest sorrow in the lite of the Queen, and it was not till thirty years had passed away that a stage was erected and that the Queen again witnessed a play in the Castle. In March, 1891, the Savoy Theatre Compan}' performed The Gondoliers. The stage was not as formerly in the Rubens Room, but was fitted up at one end of the Waterloo Gallery, which afforded more ample accommodation. Since then, at various times, other performances have taken place, and the Queen has had the opportunity of seeing the most eminent of the actors and actresses of the day. Besides these professional performances, the members of the Royal family, many of whom have inherited the Queen's love of the drama, have organised in the comparative privacy of Osborne and Balmoral entertainments of a similar character, carried out with much care and completeness. On the 2nd of February, 1849, the Queen again personally opened Parliament. The outlook was clouded by the continued distress in Ireland and by a revolt in the Punjab ; the latter was speedily quelled, but the former still gave ground for serious anxiety. It had long been the wish of the Queen and Prince to visit Ireland, and it was hoped that the sympathy of their sovereign, marked by her presence among her suffering subjects, might have a cheering influence. In August, therefore, the Queen and Prince, with their four children, embarked 172 QUEEN VICTORIA. at Cowcs on the ro3'al 3'acht, under an escort of four steamers, and landed at the Cove of Cork. At the moment when the Queen stepped for the first time on Irish shore, the sun burst in splendour from the clouds, and to a deputation of the townsmen Her Majesty communicated her pleasure that the town of Cove, in commemoration of her visit, should hence- forth bear the name of Queenstown. Having re- embarked, the royal party proceeded up the river to Cork, where their reception was most enthusiastic. The Queen in her Journal specially notes, "The beauty of the women is very remarkable and struck us much ; such beautiful dark eyes and hair, and such fine teeth ; almost every third woman was pretty, and some remarkably so". On the morning of August the 5th, the squadron dropped down the river, and made direct for Dublin, arriving at Kingstown the next afternoon. Of this approach to the capital of Ireland the Queen says, " It is a splendid harbour and was full of ships of every kind. The wharf, where the landing place was prepared, was densely crowded ; and, altogether, it was a noble and stirring scene. It was just seven when we entered, and the setting sun lit up the countr)', the fine buildings, and the whole scene with a glowing light, which was truly beautiful. We were soon surrounded by boats, and the enthu- siasm and excitement of the people were extreme." MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 173 The Queen landed on the 6th of Au;-ust, and, passing through Dublin to the Viceregal Lodge in the Phcenix Park, was again highly gratified with her reception. " It was," as she records in her Journal, " a wonderful and striking scene, such masses of human beings, so enthusiastic, so excited, yet such perfect order maintained ; then the number of troops, the different bands stationed at certain distances, the waving of hats and handkerchiefs, the bursts of welcome which rent the air — all made it a never-to-be-forgotten scene, when one reiiected how lately the country had been in open revolt and under martial law." On the 8th the Queen held a Court and Levee at the Castle, at which addresses were received from the Lord Mayor and Corporation, the University, the clergy, and others, and two thousand of the Irish gentry were presented. Next morning was devoted to a review, and in the evening the Queen again visited the Castle to hold a Drawing-room, at which 1,600 ladies were presented. After a short visit to Carton, the seat of the Duke of Leinster, Her Majesty re-embarked at Kingstown. It is recorded that, as the yacht approached the end of the pier where the crowd was densest, the Queen ran along the deck and, mounting the paddle-box to join Prince Albert, took his arm, and waved her hand to the people on the piers. The speed of the vessel was slackened, and the Royal Standard was lowered five times in courtesy to the cheering thousands on shore. 174 QUEEN VICTORIA. After a rough passage Belfast was reached, where the reception was as loyal and hearty as in Cork and Dublin. In her progress through the city Her Majesty witnessed with much interest the exhibition of the flax and linen manufacture. In the afternoon the royal party returned down the Lough, intending to make for the Firth of Ch'de ; but a heavy gale rendered it impossible to get under way, and it was not till the next afternoon (Sunday) that it was decided to attempt the journey. After a most tempestuous passage, Loch Ryan on the west coast of Argyllshire was reached, and the yacht anchored. From Loch Ryan Prince Albert made a visit to Loch Lomond, the weather being too stormy for the Queen to attempt to accompany him, and rejoined Her Majesty at Roseneath Ba}', whence they proceeded to Glasgow, and after spending a night in Perth, passed by the Spittal of Glenshee to Balmoral, where their younger children were waiting their arrival. The life of the Queen and the Prince in their Highland home is best described in the Queen's own book ; but an interesting account of a visit paid to the Castle during this year (1849) is given by Greville in his Journal : " I am glad to have made this ex- pedition, and to have seen the Queen and Prince in their Highland retreat, where they certainly appear to great advantage. The place is very pretty, the house very small. They live here without any state MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 175 whatever ; they live not merely like private gentle- folk, but like very small gentlefolk — small house, small rooms, small establishment. There are no soldiers, and the whole guard of the Sovereign and the whole Royal Family is a single policeman, who walks about the grounds to keep off impertinent in- truders or improper characters. . . . The)' live with the greatest simplicity and ease. The Prince shoots every morning, returns to luncheon, and then they walk and drive. The Queen is running in and out of the house all day long, and often goes about alone, walks into the cottages, and sits down and chats with the old women. I never before v\'as in society with the Prince, or had any conversation with him. ... I was greatly struck with him. I saw at once (what I had always heard) that he is very intelligent and highly cultivated, and, moreover, that he has a thoughtful mind, and thinks of subjects worth think- ing about. He seemed very much at his ease, very gay, pleasant, and without the least stiffness or air of dignity." The Prince's mind was indeed at this moment full of things worth thinking about. Before leaving London for the visit to Ireland he had held the first meeting on the subject of the Great Exhibition, which was two years later to inaugurate a new era in the arts and manufactures of the country. The first germ of the movement may be traced to the Frank- 176 QUEEN VICTORIA. fort fairs of the sixteenth century. The idea was still further developed by the French, who brought together great collections of art and industry with a view to the improvement of both. The Society of Arts in London had also held on a small scale several exhibi- tions of the same nature, which had produced bene- ficial results on our own manufactures. But to Prince Albert is due the idea that, by making this kind of exhibition international — an idea for the first time practicable owing to the improved means of com- munication afforded by steam and rail — an opportunity would be given for every country to show what it could produce in raw material and finished products of every kind, as well in arts as in manufactures. This would enable each nation to see what itself was doing, and to compare its work with that of other countries whose competition in the markets of the world would have to be taken into account. On the 30th of July the Prince summoned to Buckingham Palace four of the most active members of the Society of Arts— Mr. Cubitt, Mr. Cole, Mr. Fuller, and Mr. Scott Russell — and to them he explained his views. These gentlemen, with Mr. Digby Wyatt, undertook to make the necessary inquiries of the great body of manufacturers throughout the kingdom, and to see whether the idea would meet with their favour and support. Their reports proved highly encouraging. The sympathies of the Colonies and of the East India MARRIED LIFE. 1840-52. 177 Company were enlisted, and the cordial assent of the Prince President of the French Republic was given. From this time the movement went forward, without serious hindrance, towards the attainment of its mag- nificent success. On the 27th of September the Queen and Prince left Balmoral, and, halting for a night at Howick on a visit to Earl Grey, proceeded to Osborne. There, a few days afterwards, news reached them of the sudden death of Mr. Anson, the Prince's private secretary, and Keeper of the Queen's Privy Purse — offices afterwards filled by Colonel the Hon. Sir Charles Phipps and General the Hon. Charles Grey. Of the Prince's regard for Mr. Anson mention has already been made. The opening of the new Coal Exchange of the City of London had been fixed for the 30th of October, 1849, but the Queen was unfortunately prevented from performing the ceremony in person owing to a slight attack of chicken-pox. The building was therefore opened by Prince Albert, accompanied on the occasion by the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, who thus made their first public appearance. The route to the City was by water. The royal barge, manned by seven-and-twenty watermen, con- veyed the party down the river, which on the north side was covered by a Hne of steamers moored close to each other from Whitehall to London Bridge, and 12 lyS QUEEN VICTORIA. on the south side by a similar line of barges and lighters, the whole of which were thronged with spectators. The royal barge was escorted by the city barge, and followed by the barges of the Admir- alty and the Trinity House. No pageant of the same character had been seen on these waters for scores of years, and has never been witnessed again. On land- ing at the Custom House, an address was presented to Prince Albert, after which the party were enter- tained at luncheon by the Lord Mayor, when, among other toasts, the health of the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal was received with enthusiastic demonstrations. For some time past the Dowager Queen Adelaide had been seriously ill, and on the 2nd of December she died at her house at Stanmore. A few days before, the Queen and Prince Albert had seen her for the last time, and in a letter to King Leopold the Queen wrote : " 1 shall never forget the visit we paid to the Priory last Thursday. There was death written in that dear face. It was such a picture of misery, of complete aneantissement — and yet she talked of everything. I could hardly command my feelings when I came in, and when I kissed twice that poor dear thin hand ... I love her so dearly. She has ever been so maternal in her affection to me. She will find peace and a reward for her many suffer- ings." Again on the 4th the Queen wrote to her MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. lyg uncle : " Though we daily expected this sad event, yet it came as suddenly, when it did come, as if she had never been ill, and I can hardly realise the truth now. You know how very kind she was at all times to me, and how admirably she behaved from the time the King died. She was truly motherly in her kind- ness to us and to our children, and it always made her happy to be with us, and to see us ! She is a great loss to us both, and an irreparable one to hundreds and hundreds. She is universally regretted, and the feeling shown is very gratifying. . . . Poor Mama is very much cut up by this sad event, and to her the Queen is a very great and serious loss." The early part of 1850 was entirely devoted by the Prince to the organisation of the great enterprise he had undertaken for the next year. He had re- ceived warm encouragement from many and influential quarters, but there was an undercurrent of hostile criticism which occasioned him much anxiety. The first great public meeting on the subject of the Exhibi- tion, held on the 21st of February at Willis's Rooms, was a conspicuous success. But the strongest impetus to the movement was given by the Prince himself in his speech at the banquet held at the Mansion House on the 2ist of March, when he explained to the Am- bassadors of foreign States, to the Royal Commis- sioners for the Exhibition, and to the chief magistrates of more than two hundred towns, his conception of i8o QUEEN VICTORIA. the scope and purpose of the proposed Exhibition. This memorable speech, too long to be quoted in these pages, but well worth perusal, was received with enthusiasm, and the congratulations which the Prince received assured him that his cherished scheme had taken a firm hold on the hearts of the people. The Queen was deeply touched by the warmth with which her husband's powers of mind and heart were received, and writing to her uncle a few days after- wards, says of the Prince ; " People are much struck by his great power and energy ; by the great self- denial and constant wish to work for others which are so striking in his character. But this is the happiest life. Pining for what one cannot have, and trying to run after what is pleasantest, invariably end in disappointment." Of the great self-denial invariably shown by the Prince a conspicuous instance occurred almost im- mediately after these lines had been written by the Queen. The Duke of Wellington proposed that the Prince should succeed him in his office of Commander- in-Chief. This " tempting offer for a young man," as the Prince himself terms it, was fully discussed, and eventually refused, for reasons which the Prince embodied in a letter to the Duke. One paragraph of this letter is quoted here, as it explains the course of action which His Royal Highness had adopted when first he became the Consort of the Queen, and MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 181 this he continued to pursue while his life was spared to Her Majesty and to the nation. " Whilst a female Sovereign has a great many disadvantages in com- parison with a King, yet, if she is married, and her husband understands and does his duty, her position, on the other hand, has manj' compensating advan- tages, and, in the long run, will be found even to be stronger than that of a male Sovereign. But this requires that the husband should entirely sink his own individual existence in that of his wife ; that he should aim at no power by himself or for himself ; should shun all contention, assume no separate re- sponsibility before the public, but make his position entirely a part of hers ; iill up every gap which, as a woman, she would naturally leave in the exercise of her regal functions ; continually and anxiously watch every part of the public business, in order to be able to advise and assist her at any moment in any of the multifarious and difficult questions or duties brought before her, sometimes international, sometimes political, or social, or personal. As the natural head of her family, superintendent of her household, manager of her private affairs, sole con- fidential adviser in politics, and only assistant in her communications with the officers of the Government, he is, besides, the husband of the Queen, the tutor of the royal children, the private secretary of the Sovereign, and her permanent Minister." The Duke i82 QUEEN VICTORIA. of Wellington was convinced by the arguments of the Prince, and Lord John Russell, to whom the whole correspondence, which may be found in Sir Theodore Martin's Life, was submitted, also agreed in the conclusions at which the Queen and Prince had arrived. On the 1st of May, 1850, the Queen's seventh child and third son was born at Buckingham Palace. The day was the birthday of the veteran Duke of Wellington, and this coincidence gave the Queen and Prince the opportunity of marking their friend- ship and esteem for one of their most valued subjects. Writing a few days afterwards to Baron Stockmar, the Prince says of the infant : " He is to be called Arthur William Patrick Albert. His first name is in compliment to the good old Duke, on whose eighty- first birthday he first saw the light. Patrick is in remembrance of our recent visit to Ireland ; William, of the Prince of Prussia (late Emperor of Germany), whom we shall ask to be godfather, and also in remem- brance of poor Queen Adelaide, on whose account we have also selected the Duchess Ida of Saxe-Weimar (Queen Adelaide's sister) as godmother. My name the Queen insists on retaining by way of coda." The infant Prince, now Duke of Connaught, was baptised in the following June, the Prince of Prussia and the Duke of Wellington both being present. On the 27th of May the Queen was again the MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 183 object of a cowardly outrage while leaving Cambridge House, where her uncle was lying at the point of death. A man, dressed as a gentleman, darted for- ward and struck with a stick at the Queen's face ; the force of the blow was fortunately broken by the bonnet, which was crushed in, but Her Majestj^'s forehead was severely bruised. The injury was not so serious as to prevent a visit to the opera in the evening, where, on the appearance of Her Majesty, the performance was stopped, and the National Anthem sung amidst enthusiastic cheering. The ruffian proved to be one Robert Pate, formerly holding a commission in the loth Hussars. He was tried on the nth of July, found guilty, and sentenced to seven years' transportation. On the 2gth of July of this year the Queen lost a valued friend and counsellor in Sir Robert Peel, who died from the effects of a fall from his horse on Constitution Hill. In a letter written to her uncle a few days afterwards Her Majesty says : " The sorrow and grief at his death are most touching, and the country mourns over him as over a father. Every one seems to have lost a personal friend." Nor was this the only loss which this year was to bring. Be- fore Sir Robert Peel was laid in his grave, the Duke of Cambridge, who had been long ill, died, and the news arrived of the serious illness of the Queen of the'Belgians, an illness which proved fatal in October i84 QUEEN VICTORIA. following. Her father, the exiled Louis Philippe, had passed away at Claremont on the 25th of August, just as the Queen and Prince were starting for Scotland to enjoy a brief respite from the cares of State, which, at this crisis, were more than usually burdensome, owing to the state of foreign affairs. On the journey to the north the Queen and Prince rested at Castle Howard, the seat of the Earl of Carlisle, and on the continuation of the journey to Edinburgh opened the railway bridge at Newcastle over the Tyne, and another at Berwick over the Tweed. At Edinburgh the Queen occupied the Royal Palace of Holyrood, which then for the first time since the flight of Mary, Queen of Scots, sheltered a Queen. The stay in the northern capital was keenly enjoyed, the Queen especially admiring the view from Arthur's Seat, to which she climbed. During this visit the Prince laid the first stone of the Scottish National Gallery. The whole of the month of Sep- tember was passed at Balmoral, and on the loth of October the royal party returned to the south, passing one night at Holyrood on the journey. The serenity of the political atmosphere at the close of the year was seriously disturbed by a Brief from the Vatican, which re-established in the kingdom of England a hierarchy of Bishops, deriving their titles from English Sees. It came at a moment when the " Tractarian " movement had caused much excite- MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 185 ment among the members of the Church of England, and the popular indignation at this "aggression" was raised to fervent heat. Sir Theodore Martin, in his Life of the Prince Consort, writes: "Men of all classes and all denominations poured in addresses to the Crown condemning in the strongest terms the invasion of the Royal supremac)-, and urging deter- mined resistance to the Papal pretensions. The Universities of O.xford and Cambridge, and the Cor- poration of London, sent their representatives by hundreds with similar addresses to Windsor Castle, where they were presented in St. George's Hall on the lOth of December. To each of these replies were returned by Her Majesty in person. The Oxford address, presented by the Duke of Wellington as Chancellor, was noted at the time as having been read by him ' in his peculiar energetic manner, with great vigour and animation '. The Cambridge address," the same chronicler states, "was read by the Prince ' with great clearness and well-marked emphasis,' and responded to by Her Majesty ' with great deliberation and with decided accents '."' These addresses and replies were drawn up with a modera- tion which might well have been imitated by some of 'Her Majesty's Ministers. In a letter on the subject to her aunt, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Queen writes : " I would never have consented to say any- thing which breathed a spirit of intolerance. Sincerely i86 QUEEN VICTORIA. Protestant as I always have been and always shall be, and indignant as I am at those who call themselves Protestant while they are, in fact, quite the contrary, I must regret the unchristian and intolerant spirit exhibited by many people at the public meetings. I cannot bear to hear the violent abuse of the Catholic religion, which is so painful and so cruel towards the many good and innocent Roman Catholics. However, we must hope and trust this excitement will cease, and that the wholesome effect of it upon our Church will be lasting." On the 4th of February, 1851, Parliament was opened by Her Majesty in person. The Queen was loudly cheered, the cheers being mingled with the cry of " No Popery ! " Fierce debates on the Eccle- siastical Titles Bill followed ; the Government was beaten, and resigned ; but, as Lord Stanley was not prepared to form a Government, Lord John Russell and his colleagues resumed office. It was not till the middle of the year that the excitement caused by the explosion died away. During this anxious time the Queen and Prince were much occupied with the hard work and anxieties caused by the approach of the opening of the Great Exhibition. Croakers and prophets of evil were busy all around. Writing to the Dowager Duchess of Coburg, the Prince, a fort- night before the appointed day, says : "Just at present I am more dead than alive from overwork. MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 187 The opponents of the Exhibition work with might and main to throw all the women into panic and to drive myself crazy. The strangers, the}' give out, are certain to commence a thorough revolution here, to murder Victoria and myself, and to proclaim the Red Republic in England ; the plague is certain to ensue from the confluence of such vast multitudes, and to swallow up those whom the increased price of everything has not already swept away. For all this I am to be responsible, and against all this I have to make efficient provision." The success of the Exhibition is a matter of history : no building like it had ever before been seen, and no such collection of arts and manufactures had ever been brought together. Of the opening cere- mony the Queen gives her own impressions in her diary: " May i. — The great event has taken place — a complete and beautiful triumph — a glorious and touching sight, one which I shall ever be proud of for my beloved Albert and my country. . . . Yes, it is a day which makes my heart swell with pride and glory and thankfulness! . . . The ghmpse of the transept through the iron gates, the waving palms, flowers, statues, myriads of people filhng the gal- leries and seats around, with the flourish of trumpets as we entered, gave us a sensation which I can never forget, and I felt much moved. . . . The sight as we came to the middle, where the steps and chair i88 QUEEN VICTORIA. (which I did not sit on) were placed, with the beauti- ful crystal fountain just in front of it, was magical — so vast, so glorious, so touching. One felt — as so man}' did whom I have since spoken to — filled with devotion — more so than by any service I have ever heard. The tremendous cheers, the joy expressed in every face, the immensity of the building . . . the organ (with 200 instruments and 600 voices) which sounded like nothing, and my beloved husband, the author of this ' Peace Festival,' which united the industry of all nations of the earth — all this was moving indeed, and it was, and is, a day to live for ever. God bless my dearest Albert, God bless my dearest country, which has shown itself so great to- day ! One felt so grateful to the great God, who seemed to pervade all and to bless all. The only event it in the slightest degree reminded one of was the Coronation, but this day's festival was a thousand times superior. In fact, it is unique, and can bear no comparison, from its peculiarity, beauty, and combination of such different and striking objects. ... I must not omit to mention an interesting episode of this day, viz., the visit of the good old Duke on this his eighty-second birthday to his little godson, our dear little boy. He came to us both at five, and gave him a golden cup and some toys which he had himself chosen, and Arthur gave him a nose- gay. We dined en Jamille, and then went to the MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 189 Covent Garden Opera. I was rather tired, but we were both so happy, so full of thankfulness ! God is indeed our kind and merciful Father ! " On the 13th of June Her Majesty gave a State ball of great magnificence, at which all the company wore costumes of the time of the Restoration, and on the gth of July the Queen and Prince accepted the invitation of the Lord Mayor and the Corporation of London to an entertainment to celebrate the success of the Great Exhibition. The route lay through the City from Temple Bar ; it was brilliantly illuminated, and the crowd in the streets enormous. The Guild- hall was magnificently decorated, and supper was served in the ancient crypt. After a short stay at Osborne the Queen and Prince returned to London for the prorogation of Parliament on the 8th of August, and for another visit to the Exhibition. On the 2gth they arrived at Balmoral, now the property of Her Majesty, to enjoy the rest and quiet so much needed after the strain and anxieties of the summer. The journey was for the first time made by the Great Northern Railway. It had been arranged that on the return journey a visit should be paid to Liverpool, now the first ship- ping port of the kingdom. After halting at Lancaster to see " Gaunt's embattled pile," the royal party paid a visit to Croxteth, the seat of the Earl of Sefton, whence, next morning, passing through Knowsley, igo QUEEN VICTORIA. they reached Liverpool. Here the warmth of their reception was unchilled by the unusually inclement weather. Having viewed the docks, Her Majesty left Liverpool by canal for Worsley Hall, the seat of the Earl of Ellesmere. Thence she visited Man- chester, where, in finer weather, she was received by enthusiastic multitudes. The great feature of the reception was the gathering of 80,000 children of schools of all denominations, who were arranged in fourteen tiers of galleries round the Peel Park. Of this spectacle the Queen in her diary speaks as "A most extraordinary and totally unprecedented sight. . . . All the children sang ' God save the Queen ' extremely well together, the director being placed on a very high stand, from which he could command the whole park. It was a very pleasant and interesting visit. We went through Manchester and had an opportunity of seeing the extraordinary number of warehouses and manufactories it contains, and how large it is." Windsor was reached on the nth of October. On the 14th the Queen paid her final visit to the Exhibition, which was formally closed on the morrow. Lord John Russell, writing to the Queen on the 17th, sums up its career and results in the following words : "The grandeur of the conception, the zeal, invention and talent displayed in the execution, and the perfect order maintained from the first day to the last, have MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 191 contributed together to give imperishable fame to Prince Albert. If to others much praise is due for their several parts in the work, it is to his energy and judgment that the world owes both the original design and the harmonious and rapid execution. Whatever may be done hereafter, no one can deprive the Prince of the glory of being the first to conceive and to carry into effect this beneficent design, nor will the Monarchy fail to participate in the advantage to be derived from this undertaking. No Republic of the Old or New World has done anything so splendid or so useful." In acknowledging this letter the Queen wrote : " We are both much pleased and touched at Lord John's kind and gratifying expressions relative to the success of the Great Exhibition, the closing of which we must much regret, as, indeed, all seem to do. Lord John is right in supposing it is particularly gratifying to her to see her beloved husband's name stand ever immortalised by the conception of the greatest triumph of Peace which the world has ever produced, and by the energy and perseverance with which he helped to carry it out. To feel this and to see this so universally acknowledged by a country, which we both daily feel more attached to and more proud of, is indeed a source of immense happiness and gratitude to the Queen. . . . The day of the closing of the Ex- hibition (which the Queen regretted much she could not witness) was the twelfth anniversary of I9i QUEEN VICTORIA. her betrothal to the Prince, which is a curious coin- cidence." In November of this year the Queen lost her only remaining uncle on her father's side, by the death of Ernest, Duke of Cumberland and King of Hanover. On the 2nd of December, 1851, occurred the coup d'Etat of Louis Napoleon. The year 1852 opened more cheerfully with a revival of trade, an influx of gold from Australia causing a season of such unusual animation and gaiety, that King Leopold was afraid of the effects for his nephew and niece. To calm his apprehension, the Queen wrote to him on the ist of June: " Allow me just to say one word about the London season. The London season consists for us of two State balls and two concerts. We are hardly ever later than twelve o'clock at night, and our only dissipation is going three or four times a week to the play or opera, which is a great amusement and delassement to us both. As for going out, as people do here every night, to balls and parties, and to breakfasts and teas all day long besides, I am sure no one would stand it worse than I should. So you see, dearest uncle, that in fact the London season is nothing to us. The person who really is terribly fagged during the season with business and seeing people so constantly is Albert. This often makes me anxious and unhappy." Parliament was prorogued, somewhat earl}', on the MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 193 1st of July, by the Queen in person, and two days after- wards the Court moved to Osborne. From this centre several pleasant yachting trips were made. Dart- mouth, Plymouth and Mount Edgcumbe were visited, and in the smaller yacht Fairy a cruise was made up the Tamar. Tempestuous weather prevented a pro- jected trip to the Channel Islands, but on the loth of August it was found practicable to cross to the Scheldt, and to pay King Leopold a visit at Laeken. Here the Queen and Prince remained until the 14th, and then crossed to England, the weather again being boisterous. On the 30th the Court left Osborne for Balmoral, whence they returned to Windsor on the 14th of October, passing through Edinburgh, Preston and Chester to Bangor, to see the new tubular bridge built by Mr. Robert Stephenson over the Menai Straits. During this sojourn at Balmoral the news came to the Queen that a large fortune had been left her by a Mr. John Camden Nield. Writing to King Leopold, Her Majesty remarked, " It is astonishing, but it is satisfactory to see that people have so much confidence that it will not be thrown away. And so it certainly will not be." A sadder message reached Balmoral a few days after, when the great Duke of Wellington on the 14th passed peacefully away at Walmer Castle. A report had been received on the morning of the i6th, but was not generally believed, and it was not till the afternoon that Her Majesty, 13 194 QUEEN VICTORIA. who was sketching at the Dhu Loch, received a letter from Lord Derby, "which," the Queen writes, "I tore open ; and alas ! it contained the confirmation of the fatal news that England's, or rather Britaiii's, pride, her glory, her hero, the greatest man she had ever produced, was no more ! Sad day ! Great and irreparable national loss ! . . . In him centred almost every earthly honour a subject could possess. His position was the highest a subject ever had — above party, looked up to by all, revered by the whole nation, the friend of the Sovereign ; and how simply he carried these honours ! . . . He was a link which connected us with bygone times, with the last century. Not an eye will be dry in the whole country." Im- mediately on her return from Balmoral the Queen issued a general order to the Army which the deceased soldier had so long commanded. Its closing paragraph ran as follows : " The discipline which he exacted from others, as the main foundation of the military character, he sternly imposed upon himself; and the Queen desires to impress upon the Army that the greatest commander whom England ever saw has left an example for the imitation of every soldier, in taking as his guiding principle in every relation of life an energetic and unhesitating obedience to the call of duty." The public funeral of the Duke was celebrated at St. Paul's on the i8th of November with great magnificence and solemnity. MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 195 On the 1st of December of this year the Senate and the Legislative Corps of the French Repubhc announced to their President that he had been elected Emperor of France b}' a majority of 7,500,000 votes. Under the title of Napoleon III., the new Emperor was recognised in England and by the principal foreign powers, with the exception of Russia. On the 7th of April, 1853, the fourth son of Her Majesty was born at Buckingham Palace. The infant Prince was christened at the same place on the 28th of June, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, receiving the names of Leopold George Duncan Albert ; the iirst after the King of the Belgians, the second after his sponsor, the new King of Hanover, and the third as a compliment to Scotland. At this time the urgent representations of the Queen and the Prince had called the attention of the Ministry to the condition of our naval and military forces. In the early part of the year 1853 Chobham Common was selected for a camp to test the efficiency of the military organisation. The idea of a permanent camp of instruction was also pressed upon the Govern- ment, and later on resulted in the acquisition of the tract of land where the military station of Aldershot is now fixed. In the summer the site selected at Chobham was occupied by an encampment of a small, but well-ap- pointed force of about 10,000 men of various branches ig6 QUEEN VICTORIA. of the service. The spectacle was novel and interesting to a generation which had not for nearly forty years had the opportunity of seeing a mass of troops to- gether under arms. On the 21st of June the Queen and Prince Albert, with whom were the King of Hanover and the Duke of Coburg, witnessed the first trial of field manoeuvres. Her Majesty, mounted on a black charger, wore a military habit. An attack of measles, which ran through the whole family, with the exception of the two youngest children, prevented the Prince from taking the active part in the work of the camp to which he had been looking forward with eagerness ; and it was not till the 4th of August that he was able to accompany the Queen to witness the operations, which were on that day carried out by the fresh body of troops who had taken the places of the original occupants of the camp. On the 6th they returned to Chobham with their four eldest children, celebrating by this treat the birthday of the Prince. Of this visit the Queen wrote to King Leopold : " We went twice more to our dear (as I call it) camp, and had two interesting days there. It has been most successful, and the troops have been particularly well all the time. When I think that this camp, and all our large fleet, are, without doubt, the result of Albert's assiduous and unceasing representations to the late and present Government, without which I fully believe very little would have been done, one MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. 197 may be proud and thankful ; but, as usual, he is so modest that he allows no praise. He works for the general good, and is sufficiently rewarded when he sees this cai-ried out." The camp was broken up on the 20th, having proved a complete success, and a most important and valuable training for the active warfare in which the troops who had taken part in it were so soon to be engaged. The review of the large fleet assembled at Spithead took place on the nth of August ; the force assembled was the most powerful which, up to that time, had ever been brought together, consisting of six ships of the line propelled by steam, three sailing ships of the line, and sixteen steam frigates and sloops, carrying 1,076 guns and nearly 10,000 men. The steam power, it was recorded with admiration at the time, was nominally of 9,680 horses, but really of double the amount, and therefore exceeded the horse-power of the whole collected cavalry of the State ! The review had a melancholy interest also ; it was the last time when a squadron of sailing ships of the line was watched from the English shores. On the 29th of the same month the Queen, accompanied by Prince Albert and their two eldest sons, arrived at Kingstown from Holyhead to pay their long-expected visit to the Exhibition of Irish igS QUEEN VICTORIA. Industry, which had been opened earlier in the year at Dublin. They were received by the Lord Lieu- tenant and proceeded to the Viceregal Lodge, and on the following day visited the Exhibition. The Queen says of it, " Everything was well conducted, and the people most kind ". In deplorable weather the Queen and Prince paid a visit the same day to Mr. Dargan, at whose sole expense the Exhibition building had been constructed. His demeanour is noted as "trustingly simple and modest. I would have made him a Baronet, but he was anxious it should not be done." After a week's stay in Dublin, during which every morning was devoted to the Exhibition, the royal visitors left Ireland on the 3rd of September. Writing on that date Her Majesty says: "A beautiful morning, and this the very day we are going away, which we felt quite' sorry to do, having spent such a pleasant, gay, and interesting time in Ireland. . . . We drove quietly, though not at a foot's pace, through Dublin, which was un- usually crowded (no soldiers lining the streets), to the station, where again there were great crowds. In eight minutes we were at Kingstown, where again the crowds were immense, and most enthusiastic. The evening was beautiful and the sight a very fine one — ^all the ships and yachts decked out and firing salutes, and thousands on the quay cheering." On the following morning they crossed to Holyhead, and MARRIED LIFE, 1840-52. igg journeyed by rail to Balmoral. Here on the 28th the foundation-stone of the new house was laid with much ceremony. It was in the early part of this year that the Prince had commenced a work which was a source of keen enjoyment to him for the rest of his life, and helped to distract his mind from the worry and tur- moil of foreign politics. With the Queen he had been paying m^uch attention not only to the literary treasures with which, under the care of Mr. Glover, the new Royal Library was being gradually filled ; he had also carefully examined and superintended the rearrangement of the great mass of drawings and engravings by old masters left by George III., to which was added the priceless collection of por- trait miniatures collected from the different palaces. Every evening, when time could be spared, the Queen and Prince would visit the Library, and spend hours in arranging these treasures, and here the Prince conceived the idea of illustrating the life and work of one great master — -Raphael — - by a complete series of reproductions of his de- signs, arranged systematically, with fac-similes of every known study for, and variation of, each subject. The acquisition of the early engravings and of the photographs necessary for a complete elucidation of the master's work in painting fresco or tapestry was a matter of long and arduous QUEEN VICTORIA. labour, but the Prince lived to see a great mass of the work completed, and the catalogue of the collec- tion, which has since been printed, remains as a lasting record of his power of organisation, and a work of permanent interest to every student of art. CHAPTER VII. MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. In the winter of 1853 and the early part of the next year the Queen had much trouble to endure. War had been declared between Russia and Turkey, and public feeling in England, already vehemently ex- cited, was raised to a supreme pitch by the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Sinope. The resignation of Lord Palmerston, who repre- sented the warlike spirit of the people, inflamed the public mind ; a loud outcry was raised in the Press about Court intrigues, and absurd rumours were circulated that Prince Albert was acting as a hostile influence behind the throne. It was impossible for the Queen not to feel very keenly the injustice of these unfounded and mischievous attacks. In a letter to Lord Aberdeen of the 4th of January, 1854, she wrote : " In attacking the Prince, who is one and the same with the Queen herself, the throne is assailed ; and, she must say, she little expected that any por- tion of her subjects would thus requite the unceasing labours of the Prince ". On the 30th of January 202 QUEEN VICTORIA. Parliament was opened by the Queen in person ; the calumnies were completely refuted by the Ministerial leaders in both Houses, and the reception accorded to the Queen and the Prince is described by Her Majesty as "very friendly,". In the course of the same letter, to Baron Stockmar, she writes: "We are both well, and I am sure will now recover our necessary strength and equanimity to meet the great difficulties and trials which are before us". These difficulties and trials were the most serious with which, since her accession, the Queen had been called upon to cope. For the first time she had been obliged to commence hostilities against one of the European Powers, and, as was stated in Her Majesty's declaration on the 28th of March, 1854, actuated " by a desire to divert from her dominions most disastrous consequences, and to save Europe from the predomi- nance of a Power which had violated the faith of treaties, and defied the opinion of the civilised world, to take up arms, in conjunction with the Emperor of the French, for the defence of the Sultan. Her Majesty is persuaded that in so acting she will have the support of her people ; and that the pretext of zeal for the Christian religion will be used in vain to cover an aggression undertaken in disregard of its holy precepts and of its pure and beneficent spirit." Before this formal declaration troops had already been despatched to the East. Of one detachment, MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 203 the Queen in a letter to King Leopold, on the 28th of February, says : " The last battalion of the Guards (Scots Fusiliers) embarked to-day. They passed through the courtyard here at seven o'clock this morning. We stood on the balcony to see them. The morning fine, the sun shining over the towers of Westminster Abbey, and an immense crowd collected to see the fine men, and cheering them immensely as with difficulty they marched along. They formed line, presented arms, and then cheered us very heartily, and went off cheering. It was a touching and beautiful sight. Many sorrowing friends were there, and one saw the shake of many a hand. My best wishes and prayers will be with them all." On the loth of March the Court left London for the Isle of Wight. At Spithead lay the magnificent fleet, under the command of Sir Charles Napier, which was under orders to sail for the Baltic. Through the twenty ships, all but three propelled by steam, the Queen and Prince were conveyed in the Fairy from Portsmouth to Osborne. The next day, in the same yacht, they returned to witness the departure of the first division of the squadron for the North. The Fairy led for some miles, and then stopped while the fleet passed by, saluting as it went. The Queen, in a letter to Baron Stockmar, expresses her own feel- ings in these words, " I am very enthusiastic about my dear Army and Navy, and wish I had two sons 204 QUEEN VICTORIA. in both now. I know I shall suffer much when I hear of losses among them." During the progress of the war the thoughts of the Queen and Prince never strayed from the sailors and soldiers ; the success of their arms was a source of deep pride and joy, but these feelings were saddened by the tales of loss, suffering, famine, and disease, which arrived from the Camp before Sebastopol. The winter was one of unusual severity, and the hardships caused by its rigour at home increased the sympathy felt by all classes, as each mail brought news of the sufferings of the troops on the bleak hills of the Crimea. To Lord Raglan at the close of the year the Queen wrote : "The sad privations of the Army, the bad weather, and the constant sickness are causes of the deepest concern and anxiety to the Queen and Prince. The braver her noble troops are, the more patiently and heroically they bear all their trials and sufferings, the more miserable we feel at this long continuance. The Queen trusts that Lord Raglan will be very strict in seeing that no unnecessary privations are incurred by any negligence of those whose duty it is to watch over their wants. . . . Lord Raglan cannot think how much we suffer for the Army, and how painfully anxious we are to know that their privations are decreasing. . . . The Queen cannot conclude without wishing Lord Raglan and the whole MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 205 of the Army, in the Prince's name and her own, a happy and glorious New Year." In the summer of 1854 the Queen and Prince received a visit from their young relatives, the King of Portugal and his brother the Duke of Oporto, the sons of the late Queen Donna Maria de Gloria, whom Her Majesty had known from her childhood. With the Queen and Prince they went to Ascot Races, and were present at the opening of the new Crystal Palace at Sydenham. On the 4th of September, in response to a very cordial invitation from the Emperor Napo- leon, Prince Albert left Osborne for Boulogne, to inspect the encampments of French troops which had been formed in the vicinity. In the mutual liking and esteem which resulted from this visit began a lasting friendship, drawn closer by the tie of common sorrow which still unites the widowed Queen and the widowed and now childless Empress of the French. Parliament, which had been opened by the Queen in person on the 12th of December, after a short but stormy and exciting session, in which the conduct of the Ministry was severely criticised, adjourned till the 23rd of January, 1855, when it re-assembled. The attacks on the Ministry were pressed with such energy, that Lord Aberdeen and his colleagues were forced to retire. Though the Queen's difficulties and ajg^icieties were at length somewhat alleviated by the formation 206 QUEEN VICTORIA. of a Ministry under Lord Palmerston, yet the criticism of public men grew more and more bitter. There was httle brightness in the position of things : the brilhant victories of Alma and Inkermann had produced no tangible result ; Sebastopol still deiied, and under Todleben grew stronger to defy, the attacks of a force which, exposed to the rigour of a Scythian winter, was daily thinned by sickness and privation. On the 2nd of March, 1855, the Emperor Nicholas died at St. Petersburg, and was succeeded by the Emperor Alexander II. A week later began the series of deliberations between the Powers of Europe for the restoration of peace which resulted in the abortive labour of the Vienna Conference. The war in the Crimea still continued. It was on the day following the receipt in England of the news of the death of the Cxar that the Queen with the Prince visited the military hospitals at Chatham, where the wounded soldiers, who had been conveyed home, were lying. The visit made a great impression upon Her Majesty, who urged upon the Secretary for War the necessity for more military hospitals, and for better arrangements for the treatment of their inmates. The great establishment at Netley was the result of this direct intervention of the Sovereign. On the i6th of April, 1855, occurred the memor- able visit of the Emperor Napoleon with the Empress to these shores, an event remarkable from the fact MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 207 that it arose out of an alliance so unforeseen that the whole traditionary policy of Europe was based upon the assumption of its impossibility. The success of the visit was, however, great and enduring. The imperial visitors, after an enthusiastic welcome in the course of their journey from Dover through London, arrived at Windsor Castle in the evening, where they were received by the Queen and the Royal Family, and lodged in the principal suite of rooms on the north side, which had been before, by a strange irony of fate, tenanted by the Emperor Nicholas and by King Louis Philippe. The pleasing impression made upon the Queen by her first con- versation with the Emperor was confirmed during the course of the visit. Her Majesty notes that her guest was " very quiet and amiable and easy to get on with. . . . Nothing can be more civil or amiable or more well-bred than the Emperor's manner — so full of tact." On the afternoon of the 17th a review was held in the Great Park, where the Queen, accompanied by the Empress, the Emperor and Prince Albert being on horseback, reviewed a body of cavalry, composed of the 2nd Life Guards, the Royal Horse Guards, the Carabiniers, and a troop of Horse Artillery, under the command of Lord Cardigan. In the evening there was a ball in the Waterloo Gallery, of which the Queen writes: "How strange to think that I, the grand-daughter of George IIL, should dance with 2o8 QUEEN VICTORIA. the Emperor Napoleon, nephew of England's greatest enemy, now my nearest and most intimate ally, in the Waterloo Room, and this ally only six years ago living in this country an exile, poor and unthought of". " Strange indeed ! " writes Sir Theodore Martin, "and none could have been so deeply impressed by the contrast as the Emperor himself, when he looked round at the portraits, with which the room is panelled, of the great statesmen and soldiers, the struggle and glory of whose lives it had been to hold his famous ancestor in check." Another ceremony which must have called up strange thoughts in the minds of the spectators took place next day, when at a Chapter of the Order of the Garter, held in the Throne Room, the Sovereign invested the Emperor with the insignia of the Order. The last knight who had been invested by the Sovereign in person, in a full Chapter of the Order at Windsor, was King Louis Philippe. On the following day the Queen with her imperial guests and the whole Court moved to Buckingham Palace, whence the Emperor and Empress paid a visit to the City of London, and in the evening, with the Queen and Prince Albert, to the Royal Italian Opera. The reception of the imperial visitors on these occa- sions showed how cordially the alliance between the two Powers was welcomed by all classes of their subjects. The welcome was no less apparent the MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 209 following day when the newly-opened Crystal Palace at Sydenham was visited. The next day the Emperor and Empress took leave of the Queen, and, escorted by Prince Albert as far as Dover, returned to France. Of the visit the Queen has noted in her Journal : " It went off so well — not a hitch or contretemps — fine weather, everything smiling ; the nation enthusiastic, and happy in the firm and intimate alliance and union of two great countries, whose enmity would be fatal. We have war now, certainly, but war which does not threaten our shores, our homes, and internal pros- perity, which war with France ever must do. ... I am glad to have known this extraordinary man. . . . I believe him to be capable of kindness, affection, friendship, and gratitude. I feel confidence in him as regards the future." That the esteem was mutual may be inferred from an extract from the letter written to the Queen by the Emperor on the 25th of April, in which he says, " I feel it to be my first duty again to assure you how deep is the impression left upon my mind by the reception, so full of grace and affec- tionate kindness, vouchsafed to me by your Majest)^. Political interests first brought us into contact, but to-day, permitted as I have been to become personally known to your Majesty, it is a living and respectful sympathy by which I am, and shall be henceforth, bound to your Majesty. In truth, it is impossible to live for a few days as an inmate of your home 14 iio QUEEN VICTORIA. without yielding to the charm inseparable from the spectacle of the grandeur and the happiness of the most united of families. Your Majesty has also touched me to the heart by the delicacy of the consideration shown to the Empress ; for nothing pleases more than to see the person one loves be- come the object of such flattering attentions." On the i8th of May, 1855, in the centre of the Horse Guards' Parade, the Queen with her own hand presented to the officers of the army of the Crimea, and to a portion of the non-commissioned officers and privates of regiments which had been engaged in the East, who had returned to this country on leave or disabled by their wounds, the war medals they had deserved by their gallant service. The Queen herself best describes this touching ceremonial in a letter of the 22nd of May to the King of the Belgians. "Ernest will have told you what a beautiful and touching sight and ceremony (the first of the kind ever witnessed in England) the distribution of the medals was. From the highest prince of the blood to the lowest private all received the same distinction for the bravest con- duct in the severest actions, and the rough hand of the brave and honest private soldier came for the first time in contact with that of their Sovereign and their Queen. Noble fellows ! I own I feel as if they were my own children — my heart beats for them as for my nearest and dearest 1 They were so touched, so pleased MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 211 — many, I hear, cried ; and they won't hear of giving up their medals to have their names engraved upon them, for fear that they should not receive the identical one put into their hands by me ! Several came by in a sadly mutilated state. None created more interest or is more gallant than young Sir Thomas Trowbridge, who had at Inkermann one leg and the foot of another carried awaj' by a round shot, and continued com- manding his batter}' till the battle was over. . . . He was dragged by in a Bath-chair, and when I gave him his medal, I told him I should make him one of my aides-de-camp for his very gallant conduct, to which he replied ' I am amply repaid for everything '. One must love and revere such soldiers as those." On the i8th of August, 1855, the Queen and Prince Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, left Osborne for Boulogne and Paris, to return the visit of the Emperor and Empress of the French to England. No English Sovereign had visited the French capital since the coronation of the infant Henry VI. at Paris in 1422. In 1688 James II., it is true, had sought the protection of Louis XIV., and was lodged by him in one of his palaces, but he was a fugitive and an exile, and the throne of England was occupied by his son-in-law. In 1815, four centuries after the expulsion of the Plantagenets, the generals of an English army, which had given the first Emperor Napoleon his final overthrow, and stormed the defences 2IZ QUEEN VICTORIA. of Paris, occupied its gates and palaces as conquerors. They restored to his throne the heir of the Bourbons, Louis XVIII., whose great-grandfather had waged war against England for the restoration of the heir of the Stuarts. Fifteen years later his brother, Charles X., fled again to England, and the throne of France was occupied by a Bourbon of the House of Orleans. He, in his turn, eighteen years afterwards, fled to the shores of England, and there remained the guest of the English Queen. His fallen sceptre was seized by the nephew of the great Emperor whom the English arms had overthrown in 1814, and who had died a prisoner on an English island. The new ruler had lived in exile under the protection of the English laws ; he had borne himself as a citizen of the land of his refuge, and, when the safety of its capital was menaced, had enrolled himself as a special constable for its de- fence. He was now absolute Sovereign of the French people, and the state visit of the Queen of England to the French Emperor in his own capital was, therefore, from every point of view a most remarkable event. The Queen and Prince on their arrival passed through Paris to Saint-Cloud, which had been placed at their disposal by the Emperor, and here they were received by the Empress. The next day being Sun- day was kept as a day of rest, and on Monday the royal party, under the guidance of Prince Napoleon, inspected the Palais des Beaux-Arts, a portion of the MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 213 Great Exposition de I'lndustrie. On Tuesday a visit was paid to Versailles, and next day was devoted to a further examination of the Palais de I'lndustrie. On Thursday the Queen and Prince were conducted over the Louvre, with its multifarious treasures of art, and in the evening the Municipality of Paris gave a magnificent ball in the Hotel de Ville, which had been decorated with a brilliance and splendour sur- passing all previous experience. On Friday, after again visiting the Palais de I'lndustrie, the Queen was present at a review of forty-five thousand troops in the Champ de Mars, and exceedingly admired the appearance and equipment of the battalions. After this, as the Queen wrote in her Journal, " We drove straight to the Hotel des Invalides, under the dome of which Napoleon lies, late as it was, because we were most anxious not to miss this, perhaps the most important act of all in this very interesting and event- ful time. It was nearly seven when we arrived. All the invalids — chiefly of the former, but some of the present war — were drawn up on either side of the court into which we drove. . . . There were four torches which lit us along, and added to the solemnity of the scene, which was striking in every way. The church is line and lofty. We went to look from above into the open vault. . . . The coffin is not yet there, but in a small side chapel de St. Jerome. Into this the Emperor led me, and there I stood, at the arm 214 QUEEN VICTORIA. of Napoleon III., his nephew, before the coffin of Eng- land's bitterest foe ; I, the grand-daughter of that King who hated him most and who most vigorously opposed him, and this very nephew, who bears his name, being my nearest and dearest ally ! The organ of the church was playing ' God save the Queen ' at the time, and this solemn scene took place by torchlight, and during a thunder-storm. Strange and wonderful indeed ! It seems as if in this tribute of respect to a departed and dead foe, old enmities and rivalries were wiped out, and the seal of Heaven placed upon that bond of unity which is now happily established between two great and powerful nations. May Heaven bless and prosper it ! " On Saturday the royal party visited the Palace of St. Germains, where James II. of England lived and died in exile. In the evening the Emperor gave a splendid fete at Versailles, which outdid even the magnificence of the Hotel de Ville. Of this ball the Queen remarks : " It was one of the finest and most magnificent sights we had ever witnessed ; there had not been a ball at Versailles since the time of Louis XVI., and the present one had been arranged after a print of a fete given by Louis XV." Sunday was again passed in quiet, and on Monday the homeward journey began. Boulogne was reached in the after- noon, and after a short rest " We drove down," writes the Queen, "at once to the sands, where were MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 215 assembled all the troops of the camp, thirty-six thousand infantry, besides cavalry, lancers, and dra- goons, and the gendarmerie. We. drove down the lines, which were immensely deep — quite a forest of bayonets. The effect they produced, with the back- ground of the calm blue sea, and the setting sun, which threw a glorious crimson light over all — for it was six o'clock — was most magnificent. . . . Near the end of the march past our squadron saluted ; and, indeed, it was one of the not least rernarkable of the many striking events and contrasts with former times which took place during this visit, that at this very place, on these very sands. Napoleon I. reviewed his army which was to invade England, Nelson's fleet lying where our squadron lay, watching that very army. Now our squadron saluted Napoleon III. while his army was filing past the Queen of England, several of the bands playing ' Rule Britannia '. . . . We thanked the Emperor much for all his kindness and for this delightful visit. ... It was past twelve when the Emperor left. ... I shall always look on this visit to France, not only on account of the delightful and splendid things we saw and enjoyed, but on the time we passed with the Emperor, as one of the pleasantest and most interesting periods of my life. The Empress, too, has a great charm, and we are all very fond of her." On the following morning the Queen and Prince 2i6 QUEEN VICTORIA. reached Osborne, and on the 7th of September, being, as the Prince wrote, " sorely in want of the moral rest and the bodily exercise," arrived at Balmoral, where the principal part of the new house was ready for their reception. Here in close succession came telegrams conveying the welcome news from the seat of war of the sinking of the Russian ships in the harbour, of the capture of the Malakoff by the French, and, finally, that Sebastopol was in the hands of the Allies. On the receipt of this welcome news the Queen writes : " God be praised for it ! Our delight was great ; but we could hardly believe the good news, and from having so long, so anxiously expected it, one could not realise the actual fact. Albert said they should go at once and light the bon- fire which had been prepared when the false report of the fall of the town arrived last year, and had remained ever since waiting to be lit. On the 5th of November, the day of the battle of Inkermann, the wind upset it, strange to say ; and now again, most strangely, it only seemed to wait for our return to be lit. The new house seems to be lucky indeed, for from the first moment of our arrival we have had good news." Another piece of good news, though of a different character, came to the Queen and Prince a few days later — best described by an extract from the Queen's Leaves from the Journal : " September 29, 1855. — MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 217 Our dear Victoria was this day engaged to Prince Frederick William of Prussia, who had been on a visit to us since the 14th. He had already spoken to us on the 20th of his wishes ; but we were uncertain, on account of her extreme youth, whether he should speak to her himself, or wait till he came back again. However, we felt it was better he should do so ; and during our ride up Crag-na-Ban this afternoon he picked a piece of white heather (the emblem of good luck), which he gave to her, and this enabled him to make an allusion to his hopes and wishes, as they rode down Glen Girnoch, which led to this happy conclusion." On the 2nd of January, 1856, the Queen opened Parliament in person with the usual ceremonial. The Speech from the Throne, after mentioning the signal and important successes of the Allies, con- tinued : " The naval and military preparations for the ensuing year have necessarily occupied my serious attention ; but while determined to omit no effort which could give vigour to the operations of the war, I have deemed it my duty not to decline any overtures which might reasonably afford a pro- spect of a safe and honourable peace. . . . Negotia- tions for such a treaty will shortly be opened at Paris." On the 30th of March, 1856, at ten o'clock at night, the metropolis was aroused by the sound of a 2i8 QUEEN VICTORIA. royal salute from St. James's Park, announcing the signature of the Treaty of Peace, which next day was officially proclaimed, to the joy and relief of the nation. The public celebration of the national re- joicing took place on the 29th of May, when the whole of London was brilliantly illuminated, and there were magnificent displays of fireworks from Hyde Park, the Green Park, Victoria Park, and Primrose Hill. The news of the conclusion of an armistice had reached the Russian and the Allied Generals on the 28th of February, and the final evacuation of the Crimea took place on the 12th of July, when General Codrington formally gave up to the Russians Sebas- topol and Balaclava. On the 20th of March the Princess Royal was confirmed in the private chapel of Windsor Castle, her parents, her godfather the King of the Belgians, most of the members of the Royal Family, the great officers of State, and the members of the household being present. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Oxford took part in the ceremony. On the i6th of April Her Majesty paid a second visit to the wounded soldiers at the Brompton Hospitals. About four hundred convalescent patients were drawn up in the barrack square and in the hospital : all who were able to leave their beds were assembled, and received from the Queen, whom they MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 219 had so gallantly served, kind words and marks of interest more precious even than the liberal dona- tions which were left for the alleviation of their sufferings. Two days afterwards the Queen and Prince made a formal visit to Aldershot Camp, the arrangements of which were now considered as completed. Alighting at Farnborough Station, Her Majesty was received by General Knollys, the Commandant, with his Staff. On arriving at the camp the Queen exchanged her carriage for a chestnut charger, on which she rode to inspect the troops. These amounted in number to about 14,000 men, among them being several fine regiments of militia. The Queen with the Prince and the Royal Family remained in the camp the same night, and on the following morning witnessed a field-day, in which 18,000 troops took part. Her Majesty wore a Field-Marshal's uniform, with the star and riband of the Garter, a dark blue skirt and scarlet tunic. On the 23rd of the same month Spithead was the scene of a review by the Queen of the greatest naval force which up to that time had ever been assembled. Twenty-two steamships-of-the-line, of from 60 to 131 guns, 53 frigates and corvettes, 140 gunboats, 4 floating batteries, and 50 mortar vessels and mortar boats, composed this magnificent fleet, the number of the guns being 3,002, and the engines working to an aggregate power of 30,671 horses. The Queen's yacht. 320 QUEEN VICTORIA. steaming through the fleet, which was anchored in a double line, was saluted by each ship. The gunboats then steamed down the line, passing in review before Her Majesty; after which the royal yacht anchored off the Nab Light, and was followed by the ships of the ileet under steam, who, passing round two pivots, returned in the same order to their former stations. These manoeuvres were executed with splendid accuracy and precision in a sea crowded with every kind of craft, and thronged to the utmost limits of their capacity by enthusiastic spectators. After dark, on a calm, still night, the whole fleet was illuminated ; the lines of the masts and yards were traced out with lamps, and blue lights burned at every port. On the 19th of May, 1856, the Queen crossed from Osborne to Netley to lay the foundation-stone of the great Military Hospital. Writing ne.xt day to her uncle. Her Majesty says : " Last week, but particularly on Sunday, it blew a fearful gale, and, if it had not moderated, we could not have performed the interest- ing ceremony of laying the first stone of a large Military Hospital, near Netley, the first of the kind in this country, and which is to bear my name, and be one of the finest in Europe. Loving my dear brave army as I do, and having seen so many of my poor sick and wounded soldiers, I shall watch over this work with maternal anxiety." MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 221 By the beginning of July the greater part of the British troops had returned from the Crimea. A field-day and review of those who were in camp at Aldershot had been arranged for the 8th, but was greatly marred by inclement weather. At the close of the usual evolutions the Crimean regiments ad- vanced and formed three sides of a square round the royal carriage. The officers who had been under fire, together with four men of each company and troop, stepped forward. The Queen's carriage was thrown open, and, rising from her seat, Her Majesty spoke to them as follows : " Officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers ! I wish personally to convey through you to the regiments assembled here this day my hearty welcome on their return to England in health and full efficiency. Say to them that I have watched anxiously over the difficulties and hardships which they have so nobly borne, that I have mourned with deep sorrow for the brave men who have fallen in their country's cause, and that I have felt proud of that valour which, with their gallant allies, they have displayed on every field. I thank God that your dangers are over, while the glory of your deeds remains ; but I know that should your services be again required, you will be animated with the same devotion which in the Crimea has rendered you invincible." The Queen's words were received with an outburst of cheering, and waving of helmets, 222 QUEEN VICTORIA. bearskins, and sabres. Next day London welcomed the Guards on their return home. The battaHons marched from Vauxhall, by the Houses of Parhament, past Buckingham Palace, from the centre balcony of which the\- were seen by the Queen as thej' went by Constitution Hill to Flyde Park. Here they were met by the Prince, who was soon joined by Pier Majesty, and in brilliant weather four battalions of household and three of Crimean troops passed before their Sovereign — the closing scene of a long and arduous war. The Court remained at Osborne till the 27th of August, the Queen and Prince making occasional excursions by sea, among others one to Devonport, when the weather was so stormy that they were obliged to leave the yacht and return to Osborne by land. On the 30th Balmoral was reached, where the old house had now entirely disappeared. Here, as all over the kingdom, the weather continued cold, wet, and stormy. Among the visitors at Balmoral, not the least honoured was Miss Florence Nightingale. On the 21st of Sep- tember she was introduced to the Queen and Prince by Sir James Clark, with whom she was then staying at Birkhall. " She put before us," the Prince notes in his diary, " all the defects of our present military hospital system, and the reforms which are needed. We are much pleased with her; she is extremely modest." A fortnight afterwards Miss Nightingale MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 223 was invited to Balmoral, the time of her visit being fixed to coincide with that of Lord Panmure, the Minister for War, so that he might have the oppor- tunity of hearing from her own lips the story of what she had seen, and the conclusions she had drawn from her great and remarkable experience in the East. On the i6th of Octoberthe Court arrivedat Windsor from Balmoral. At the beginning of the next month the Queen heard the sad news that her half-brother, Prince Leiningen, had had a second stroke of paralysis : from this he never recovered, and died at Wald- Leiningen on the 13th. The Queen felt her loss most keenly. Writing to her uncle on the igth she says : " Oh, dearest uncle, this blow is a heavy one — my grief very bitter. I loved my dearest only brother most tenderly. You loved him, you knew how delightful a companion he was. . . . Mamma is terribly distressed, but calm and resigned, and thinks that God has taken our poor dear Charles in love and mercy to save him from more suffering." Again, a fortnight later, Her Majesty writes : " I feel my loss very much. A sad, sad feeling comes over me just when I may seem happiest and most cheerful. We three were particu- larly fond of each other, and never felt or fancied that we were not real Geschwister [children of the same parents]. We knew but one parent, our mother, so we became very closely united, and so I grew up ; the distance which difference of age placed between us QUEEN VICTORIA. entirely vanished. . . . God's will be done ! November has brought us another sad anniversary." The close of the year witnessed an event of no little interest. During the last English Arctic Ex- pedition one of Her Majesty's ships, the Resolute, had been abandoned in the ice. Sixteen months afterwards she was discovered by some American explorers and taken by them to America. There the derelict was refitted at the national expense, and was sent to England by Congress as a present to the Queen. On the arrival of the vessel Her Majesty at once arranged to accept this gracious gift in person, and on the i6th of December proceeded on board for the purpose. The prompt and cordial courtesy of the Sovereign produced a great effect upon the Americans, who, as Lord Clarendon reported, "are most grateful to your Majesty, and, as Mr. Dallas (the American Minister) says, are Overwhelmed with the kindness of their reception here ". The formal surrender of the ship to the British Government took place on the 30th, when, after the last gun of the salute from the Victory had been fired, the American flag was lowered, and the Union Jack floated again at the peak. The year 1857, which was to end in such anxiety, opened in what seemed to be a prosperous and tran- quil state. Europe was peaceful, and only in Persia and China was the nation in a state of hostility. On MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 225 the 14th of April the Queen's youngest child was born, and two days after the Queen heard with much grief of the sudden illness of her aunt, the Duchess of Gloucester, the last survivor of the family of George III. This most excellent and lovable Prin- cess died at the age of eighty-one, on the 30th of the month. Of her the Queen writes, in a letter to King Leopold : " Her age and her being a link with by- gone times and generations, as well as her great kindness, amiability, and unselfishness, rendered her more and more dear and precious to us all, and we all looked upon her as a sort of grandmother. Her end was most peaceful." To her memory the Queen has since erected an alabaster tomb in the south aisle of St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, where she is buried. The month of May was memorable for the open- ing of the marvellous Art Treasures Exhibition at Manchester, a collection of works of art of every kind and description, but more particularly of pictures of all schools, the like of which has hardly ever been brought together. The exhibition afforded a remark- able proof of a fact which before was not generally appreciated, namely, the enormous amount of works of art of the highest class gathered in the private collections throughout this country. On the 19th of May the official announcement was made to Parliament, in a message from the 15 226 QUEEN VICTORIA. Queen, of the intended marriage of the Princess Royal to Prince Frederick William of Prussia. The approval of the union by the representatives of the nation was manifested by the almost unanimous vote of the House of Commons to settle a dowry of ;^4o,ooo, with an annuity of ;^4,ooo, upon the Prin- cess Royal. A few weeks afterwards the Princess's youngest sister was christened in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, receiving the names of Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodora, the second of which was given in memory of the late Duchess of Gloucester. On the 25th of June an Order of Council was issued, conferring by letters patent the title and dignity of Prince Consort upon His Royal Highness Prince Albert. Hitherto the husband of the Queen had possessed no distinctive title, and no other place in Court ceremonial than that which he held by courtesy. This anomaly was now rectified. On the next day a ceremony of great interest took place in Hyde Park ; this was the distribution to the gallant men who had earned it of the new decoration of the Victoria Cross. Up to this date there had been no badge or mark of distinction peculiarly destined to mark heroic deeds. Her Majesty, therefore, by Royal Warrant, instituted a new naval and military decoration, to be designated "The Victoria Cross," bearing the inscription " For Valour," to be given only to men who, serving before the enemy, have MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 227 performed some signal act of bravery or devotion to their country. Some time necessarily elapsed before the list of those entitled to this honour could be drawn up, and in order to inaugurate the institution of the Order with becoming ceremony Her Majesty resolved to confer the decoration upon its recipients in person. About 4,000 troops were drawn up in the Park, and more than 100,000 spectators assembled to witness the ceremony ; the recipients of the Cross were sixty- two. Her Majesty, wearing a scarlet jacket with a black habit, and mounted on a grey roan, rode to the centre of the ground, and pinned the Cross with her own hands upon the breast of each man as he was called up in turn. After all the brave warriors had received their decorations. Her Majesty reviewed the troops. On the 29th the Queen and Prince, with their four eldest children, and Prince Frederick William of Prussia, left London, in order to inspect the Art Treasures Exhibition at Manchester, which the Queen had not been able to visit earlier in the year. Towards the end of this month news arrived in England of the mutiny of the native regiments at Meerut on the loth of May, and of the massacre by them of numbers of English officers, women and children, followed by the retreat of the mutineers to Delhi, and the spread of mutiny among the troops there. For some time past the disaffection among 228 QUEEN VICTORIA. the native troops had been known, and some regi- ments disbanded ; but the receipt of the news of the outbreak showed that a danger had arisen which imperilled the lives of thousands of English men, women and children, and menaced the very existence of the British Empire in the East. The Queen was especiall)' grieved that, owing to a mistaken economy, the army at home had been reduced in number, and wrote to Lord Panmure very seriously on the subject, concluding with the words, " If we had not reduced in such a hurry this spring, we should now have all the men wanted ". The Queen and Prince spent the 17th and i8th of July at Aldershot in order to witness the evolutions of the troops there assembled under General Knollys. Five regiments of cavalry and ten battalions of infantry with a large force of artillery and engineers were en- gaged. Her Majesty watched the movements of the troops on horseback, wearing her usual militarj' dress. In a memorandum sent by the Queen for communica- tion to the Government on the measures to be taken to render her army able to cope with the demands made upon it by the increase of the Empire, and the pressing emergency of the Indian Mutiny, the con- cluding paragraph is as follows : " The present position of the Queen's army is a pitiable one. The Queen has just seen, in the camp at Aldershot, regiments which, after eighteen years' foreign service in most MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 229 trying climates, had come back to England to be sent out after seven months to the Crimea. Having passed through this destructive campaign, they have not been home for a year before they are to go to India for perhaps twenty years. This is most cruel and unfair to the gallant men who devote their services to the country, and the Government is in duty and humanity bound to alleviate their position." Fortunately the heroic defenders of the Empire in India had not to wait for the reinforcements from home. The English regiments which had been despatched for the operations in China were, at the request of Lord Canning, the Governor-General, directed by Lord Elgin to be turned aside to Calcutta. Their arrival had an immediate influence in crushing the rebellion. It was not only the total absence in the Army of any reserve which could be of use on emergency which caused the Queen anxiety. On the 19th of August the royal yacht, with the Queen and Prince and six of the royal children on board, entered the harbour of Cherbourg. The visit was unexpected, and, after a stay of a couple of days, was brought to a close, the Victoria and Albert conveying Her Majesty to Alderney. Of this visit the Prince writes to Baron Stockmar : " We made a delightful run to Cherbourg and Alderney. Cherbourg is a gigantic work that gives one grave cause for reflection. The works at 230 QUEEN VICTORIA. Alderney, by way of counter-defence, look childish." The Queen's own comment was, " It makes me unhappy to see what is done here, and how well- protected the works are, for the forts and the break- water (which is treble the size of the Plymouth one) are extremely well defended ". What they had seen caused the Queen to call for reports on the progress that had been made with works of defence at Ports- mouth and elsewhere, as it was felt to be of the utmost importance that a sudden descent upon our shores should not find the country defenceless. On the 29th of August, 1857, the Court arrived at Balmoral, where the details awaited them of the tragedy of Cawnpore. Delhi was uncaptured, Lucknow unrelieved. A special day of fast and humiliation was ordered, which was kept on the 7th of October throughout the country with great solemnity. On the i6th of October the Court re- turned to Windsor, having passed, on the waj', a night at Haddo House, on a long-promised visit to Lord Aberdeen. From India news arrived of the capture of Delhi, and the victorious career of General Havelock. This cheering intelligence was saddened by a private sorrow. The Duchess of Nemours, first cousin to the Queen and the Prince Consort, who had given birth to a daughter on the 28th of October, died suddenly, on November loth, at Claremont. In MARRIED LIFE, 1S53-1861. 231 a letter to Baron Stockmar the Prince writes : " The fresh disaster to which eventful November has given rise in eventful Claremont will have caused you deep emotion. I thought at once of you and of the old wounds which the similarity of the circumstances would re-open in your heart, just forty years and four days since poor uncle lost his darling wife in child-bed. Nemours has lost his dear, to us all so dear, Victoire ! in the room nearly above that in which the Princess Charlotte died." On Monday the 25th of January, 1858, the Princess Royal was married at St. James's to Prince Frederick William of Prussia. The first marriage in the new generation was made the occasion of much rejoicing and festivity in the metropolis. Four State represen- tations were given at Her Majesty's Theatre : a State Ball was also held at Buckingham Palace. Of the ceremonj' itself the Queen has recorded in her Diary : "The sun was shining brightly ; thousands had been out since very early, shouting, bells ringing, etc. Albert and uncle, in Field-Marshal's uniform, with batons, and the two eldest boys went first. Then the three girls in pink satin, trimmed with Newport lace, Alice with a wreath, and the two others with only bouquets in their hair of cornflowers and mar- guerites ; next the four boys in Highland dress. . . . Then the procession was formed, just as at my marriage, mama last before me — then Lord Palmer- 232 QUEEN VICTORIA. ston with the Sword of State, then Bertie and Alfred. I with the two httle boys on either side (which they say had a most touching effect) and the three girls behind." When the ceremony was over, the newly- married couple drove from St. James's to Buckingham Palace, whence they proceeded to Windsor, to which two days afterwards the Court removed, and on the following day the bridegroom was invested with the Order of the Garter. On the 2nd of February came the parting, the bitterness of which not even the thought of the brilliant future which la}' before the Princess could soften. Striking proof was given, at the beginning of the year 1858, that the apprehension of the Queen and Prince as to the state of the Arm)' and the national defences, and the want of preparation against sudden danger were not groundless. Ten days before the royal wedding occurred the attempt by Orsini and others to assassinate the Emperor of the French. The plot, prepared by them in England, was executed on the evening of January 14th, as the Emperor and Empress arrived in their carriage at the Opera House. Though the intended victims escaped almost un- injured, ten of the surrounding crowd were killed and one hundred and fifty-six wounded. The violent language used in France against this country not only provoked extreme indignation on this side of the Channel, but led to the subsequent formation of MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 233 the great \'olunteer force, which now is looked upon as a valuable and necessary addition to the forces of the Crown for the purpose of national defence. On the 2nd of August, 1S59, the Queen bestowed the Victoria Cross on twelve men who had won the distinction, some in the Crimea, some in India, and on the same day was published the Act for the transfer of the Government of India to Her Majesty from the old East India Company. Two da3-s later the Queen and Prince Consort, \\'ith the Prince of Wales, embarked at Osborne to visit in state the great arsenal at Cherbourg, which they had seen privatel}' the year before. The recep- tion to the ro3-al visitors, given, as it was, at the very height of the friendship between the sovereigns, was, if noise constitutes welcome, hearty indeed. Never, in time of peace, had such a cannonade been heard. Returning to England, the Queen and Prince Consort embarked, a few days later, for another visit to the Continent, this time as the guests of their daughter in her own home. At ilagdeburg they were met by Prince Frederick William, who escorted them to Wildpark Station, where the Princess Royal met her mother for the first time since her marriage. This happy visit lasted till the 27th of August, and on the 31st the Queen and Prince reached Ports- mouth, to learn that Prince Alfred had just passed an excellent examination for the Navy. 234 QUEEN VICTORIA. On their way to Scotland, on the 6th of September, the Queen and Prince stopped at Leeds, a city which no British sovereign had ever before visited, and opened the New Town Hail — a building second only to St. George's Hall at Liverpool in size and beauty. The reception accorded to them was enthusiastic in the extreme. From Balmoral the Court moved, on the 19th of October, to Windsor, where another gap in the family circle was created by the departure of Prince Alfred to join the Euiyalus, which was attached to the Mediterranean fleet for two years. The first month of the year 1859 brought with it one piece of good news, to mitigate the anxiety caused by the critical condition of affairs on the Continent. This was the birth of the first child of the Princess Frederick William, the Queen thus becoming a grand- mother at the age of fort}'. " The joy and interest taken here," the Queen writes from England to King Leopold, " are as great as in Prussia, which is very gratifying." On the 3rd of February, 1859, ^^r Majestj' opened Parliament in person, and her reception was, owing to the excited state of public feeling, unusually cordial and demonstrative. Questions of reform at home, and danger of war between France and Austria on the question of the possession of Lombardy, were the principal causes of disquietude. By the beginning of May all hope of averting war, though it had not been MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 235 officially declared, was abandoned ; and the struggle which was to end in such momentous consequences to Italy had begun. A dissolution of Parliament had just taken place, followed by a general election, and on the 7th of June Her Majesty opened her new Parliament. In the House of Lords the address was carried without a division, but in the House of Commons an amendment, expressive of want of con- fidence, was carried, and on the resignation of Lord Derby, Lord Palmerston was entrusted with the for- mation of the ministry. The prorogation on the 13th of August set the Queen and Prince free to seek fresh air and rest in a short excursion to the Channel Islands, followed by their departure for the High- lands. On the 14th of October their journe}' south was interrupted in order that the Queen might open at Loch Katrine the waterworks by which the town of Glasgow was supplied. On the same journey a visit was paid to Penrh3'n Castle, near Bangor, where the famous slate quarries were inspected, and the singing of the workmen was much admired. The Princess Royal arrived with her husband from Berlin in time for the Prince of Wales's birthday on the gth of November ; they stayed till the 3rd of the following month, to the great delight of their parents. Christ- mas was spent at Windsor. " We began i860 very peaceably and happily," the Queen writes, on the 3rd of January, to King Leopold, 236 QUEEN VICTORIA. " and I never remember spending a pleasanter New Year's Day, surrounded by our children and dear mama." The Queen again opened Parliament on the 24th of January, and was accompanied for the first time by the Princesses Alice and Helena. In the early part of the year was published the first series of the Idylls of the King, afterwards dedicated to the memory of Prince Albert. Though the aspect of affairs at home was bright, the Italian policy of the French Emperor and his designs upon Savoy were disquieting. His continued restlessness, the large additions to his army, and the great increase to his fleet alarmed the country. In response to these threatening demonstrations, the inadequacy of the national defences, and the plans for necessary measures to be taken, were subjects of prolonged debate in Parliament. At the same time the enthu- siasm of the nation, now thoroughly aroused to its danger, caused an enormous increase in the number and efficiency of the Volunteer force. Of these citizen soldiers the Queen held a great review in Hyde Park on the 23rd of June, when 21,000 men passed before Her Majesty. Later in the year, on the way to Balmoral, the Queen at Edinburgh inspected the Scottish volunteers, of whom 18,000 marched past in review order beneath Arthur's Seat. Of the whole force the Prince, who took the warmest interest in the movement, writes : " The Volunteers have already run MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 237 up to 124,000 men, and make an excellent appearance — a proof there is no lack of patriotism in the country". On the 2nd of July the Queen, who had become Patron of the National Rifle Association, opened its first meeting at Wimbledon, and fired the first shot at a target on this historic ground, and made the first bull's-eye ever scored upon its targets. The Queen's Prize has always been the blue ribbon of the annual competition. In June, i860, the Prince, writing to Baron Stock- mar, announced a piece of news of much family interest: "The two young Princes of Hesse-Darm- stadt leave England to-day, and have just taken leave. There is no doubt that the eldest (Louis) and Alice have formed a mutual liking, and although the visit fortunately has passed over without any declaration, I have no doubt that it will lead to further advances from the young gentleman's family. We should not be averse to such an alliance, as the family is good and estimable, and the young man is unexceptionable in morals, manly, and both in body and mind dis- tinguished by youthful freshness and vigour. As heir-presumptive to the Grand Duchy his position would, moreover, not be unsuitable. . . . The Queen and myself look on as passive observers, which is undoubtedly our best course, as matters at present stand." A month later the Princess Charles of Hesse, mother of Prince Louis, informed the Princess 238 QUEEN VICTORIA. Frederick William of her son's attachment, and by he this was communicated to the Queen. An extract, sent at the same time, of a letter from the young Prince himself, produced such an impression upon the Queen and the Prince Consort that they felt bound to ascertain the state of their daughter's feelings. The result was such as to justify the encouragement of the young Prince's hopes. No engagement was made ; but some months later Prince Louis was to return, and have an opportunity of pressing his suit in person. A few weeks later came the news that to the Princess Frederick William was born a daughter, and to the Queen and Prince a second grandchild. To the mother her father wrote on the 28th of July from Osborne: "The little girl must be a darling. Little girls are much prettier than boys. I advise her to model herself after her Aunt Beatrice. That excellent lady has not now a moment to spare. ' I have no time,' she says, when she is asked for anything ; ' I must write letters to my niece.' " On the 8th of August the Court arrived at Bal- moral, and an interesting account is given, in the Leaves from the Journal of our Life, of an expedi- tion to Glen Fishie and Grantown. Attended by only Lady Churchill and General Grey, the Queen and Prince passed two days in the wildest scenery of the Highlands, travelling unrecognised as " Lord and MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 239 Lady Churchill and party ". Shortly after the return south, on the 22nd of September, the Queen and the Prince Consort, with Princess Alice, left Gravesend, in the Victoria and Albert, on their way to Coburg. Here they were welcomed by the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg Gotha, and had the additional delight of seeing again the Prince and Princess Frederick William of Prussia. But the festivities which were intended to enliven their visit were prevented by the death of the Dowager Duchess of Saxe-Coburg. The royal travellers left Coburg on the 12th of October, passing through Coblentz and Aix-la- Chapelle to Antwerp, where the yacht re-embarked her passengers and brought them to Gravesend on the 17th. During the stay at Coburg. the Prince narrowly escaped a serious carriage accident. In thankfulness for his escape, the Queen founded a permanent charity in the town of Coburg, from which a benevolent distribution should be made an- nually on the ist of October, the day of the Prince's escape. This trust, called the Victoria-Stift (Victoria foundation), still provides means for apprenticing or helping a number of young men and women just entering life in the way of earning their own livelihood. On the gth of November Prince Alfred arrived safely from his visit to the Cape, and on the loth the Prince of Wales returned home after his memorable visit to Canada and to the United States. On the 30th 240 QUEEN VICTORIA. another event of deep interest to the family took place, described by the Queen in her Diary. " After dinner, while talking to the gentlemen, I perceived AHce and Louis talking before the fire-place more earnestly than usual, and, when I passed to go to the other room, both came up to me, and Alice in much agitation said he had proposed to her, and he begged for my blessing. I could only squeeze his hand and say ' Certainly,' and that we would see him in our room later. Got through the evening, working as well as we could ; Alice came to our room . . . agitated but quiet. . . . Albert sent for Louis to his room — went first to him, and then called Alice and me in. . . . Louis has a warm noble heart." The welcome news of the satisfactory conclusion of the war with China contributed to the enjoyment of the Christmas festivities at Windsor. The condition of the country at the beginning of 1861, when the Queen on the 5th of February opened Parliament in person, was tranquil and prosperous. Abroad were difficulties, the most ominous being the rupture between the northern and southern portions of the United States ; and the Italian question also caused the Queen and Prince much anxiety. The loth of February was the twenty-first anniversary of the Queen's wedding, of which the Queen wrote to her uncle as "a daj' which has brought to us, and I may say to the world at large, such incalculable MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 241 blessings ! Very few can say with me, that this husband at the end of twenty-one years is not only full of the friendship, kindness, and affection which a truly happy marriage brings with it, but of the same tender love as in the very first days of our marriage. We missed dear mama and three of our children, but had six dear ones round us." The Duchess of Kent, who was so missed at this gathering, never again joined the family circle. On the 15th of March the alarming news was brought to Buckingham Palace that Her Royal Highness had been seized with a shivering fit. With all possible speed the Queen and Prince hastened to Frogmore, to find the Duchess unconscious. She passed away on the morning of the next day. The loss of her mother was the deepest sorrow which the Queen had ever felt. Writing to her uncle the same day, Her Majesty says : " She is gone — that precious, dearly beloved, tender mother, whom I have never parted from but for a few months — without whom I cannot imagine life — has been taken from us ! It is too dreadful ! But she is at peace ! " In this great sorrow the Queen was supported by a husband's love. It was also no small consolation to feel that the heart of the whole nation sympathised with her in her loss. Addresses of condolence were voted in both Houses of Parliament. " In the history of our reigning house," said Mr. Disraeli, who seconded 16 2+2 QUEEN VICTORIA. the Address in the House of Commons, " none were ever placed as the widowed Princess and her royal child. Never before devolved upon a delicate sex a more august or more awful responsibility. How these great duties were encountered — how fulfilled — may be read in the conscience of a grateful and a loyal people. Therefore the name of the Duchess of Kent will remain in our history from its interesting and benignant connection with an illustrious reign. For the great grief which has fallen upon the Queen there is only one source of human consolation — the recollection of unbroken devotedness to the being whom we have loved and whom we have lost. That tranquillising and sustaining memory is the inherit- ance of our Sovereign. She who reigns over us has elected, amid all the splendour of Empire, to establish her life on the principle of domestic love. It is this, it is the remembrance and consciousness of this, which now sincerelj' saddens the public spirit, and permits a nation to bear its heartfelt sympathy to the foot of a bereaved throne, and to whisper solace to a royal heart." The funeral of the Duchess took place on the 25th of March in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, where the remains were deposited till the completion of a mau- soleum in the grounds of Frogmore. The death of the Duchess of Kent added much to the labours of the Prince Consort, upon whom unremitting work MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 243 had begun seriously to tell. He was much occupied with the anxious state of affairs in Europe, and the preparations for the International Exhibition of 1862, which he was never to see, engaged much of his thoughts. When on the 5th of June he appeared, for the last time, at a public ceremonial, in order to open the Royal Horticultural Gardens at South Kensington, it was noticed how pale and worn he looked, and a much-needed move was made to Osborne, where the whole of July was passed. On the 2ist of August the Queen and Prince, with the Princesses Alice and Helena and Prince Alfred, crossed in the royal yacht from Holyhead to Dublin. Landing next morning at Kingstown, they took up their residence in the Viceregal Lodge in the Riding Park. On the 24th a grand review of about 10,000 troops in the Curragh Camp was held, but the spectacle was unfortunately spoilt by rain. Two days later they left Dublin, and spent some days in the enjoyment of the magnificent scenery at Killarney, where they stayed on a visit with Lord Kenmare at Kenmare House, and with Mr. Herbert at Muckross Abbey. On the 2gth the journey was resumed by Dublin to Holyhead and on to Balmoral. In Leaves from the Journal details are given of the expeditions made by the Royal Family through the Highlands in the same manner as those of the previous year. The description of that made on the 244 QUEEN VICTORIA. i6th of October concludes with the words, " We returned at twenty minutes to seven o'clock, much pleased and interested with this delightful expedition. Alas ! I fear our last great one ! (It was our last one ! — 1867.)" The Court returned to Windsor on the 24th of October. For a short time the Prince seemed to be in fair health, and was able to attend as usual to the man}' matters of interest that claimed his attention. The deaths of the j'oung King of Portugal and his brother, however, within a few days of each other, gave him a severe shock. Still he continued, though feeling very unwell, and suffering much from sleep- lessness, to take an active part in public affairs. On the 22nd of November he went over to Sandhurst to inspect the buildings for the new Staff College and the Royal Military Academy, in which he had taken the keenest interest. The fatigue of this journey and the exposure to incessant rain had a most injurious effect. From this time he was in constant suffering from rheumatic pain, and to this were added the depression and weakness caused by continued want of sleep. On the 25th he paid, in cold and stormy weather, a visit to the Prince of Wales at Cambridge. On the 28th the alarming news arrived of the outrage by the Americans on the British flag, when the steamer Trent was boarded in mid-ocean by Captain Wilkes of the San Jacinto, and Messrs. Mason and Slidell, MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 245 the envoys accredited by the Confederated States to England and to France, were removed by force from its protection. The news was received in England with such indignation and excitement that to ordinary observers it appeared as if war was inevitable. It was then that the drafts of the despatches which it was proposed by the Cabinet to send to Lord Lyons at Washington were carefully read over by the Prince, and early in the morning of the ist of December he was able, though suffering much from weakness, to draft the last memorandum that he ever wrote. The document led to the removal from the despatch of everything which could irritate a proud and sensitive nation, and afforded the United States an opportunity for receding from the position in which they had been placed by the over-zealous action of their agent. The conciliatory tone of the amended despatch had its due effect ; the news of the liberation of the prisoners reached London on the gth of January, 1862, and was communicated to the Queen on the same day. Her Majesty, in the depth of her sorrow, replied : " Lord Palmerston cannot but look on this peaceful issue of the American quarrel as greatly owing to her beloved Prince, who wrote the observations on the draft to Lord Lyons, in which Lord Palmerston so entirely concurred. It was the last thing he ever wrote." Lord Palmerston in his answer, on the I2th of January, wrote as follows : " As your Majesty 246 QUEEN VICTORIA. observes, the alterations made in the despatch to Lord Lyons contributed essentially to the satisfactory settlement of the dispute. But these alterations were only one of innumerable instances of the tact and judgment, and the power of nice discrimination which excited Lord Palmerston's constant and unbounded admiration." Meanwhile the Prince was slowly losing strength. He slept little, and could take no nourishment ; but he rose and endeavoured to exert himself. He had, on the 2gth of November, witnessed the march past of the Eton College Volunteers, though conscious that his strength was overtaxed by the exertion. " Unhappily, I must be present," is the note in his Diary, and it is the last entry in it. On the 7th of December typhoid fever was declared. All went well till the 12th, when the lungs became affected, and on the 14th the end came. By the bedside knelt the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Ahce and Princess Helena. To quote the words of Sir Theodore Martin : " In the solemn hush of that mournful chamber there was such grief as has rarely hallowed any death-bed. A great light which had blessed the world, and which the mourners had but yesterday hoped might long bless it, was waning fast away. A husband, a father, a friend, a master, endeared by every quality by which man in such I'e- lations can win the love of his fellow-man, was passing MARRIED LIFE, 1853-1861. 247 into the Silent Land, and his loving glance, his wise counsels, his firm, manly thoughts should be known among them no more. The Castle clock chimed the third quarter after ten. Calm and peaceful grew the beloved form ; the features settled into the beauty of a perfectly serene repose ; two or three long, but gentle, breaths were drawn ; and that great soul had fled, to seek a nobler scope for its aspirations in the world within the veil, for which it had often yearned, where there is rest for the wearj', and where the spirits of the just are made perfect." 248 CHAPTER VIII. LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. At midnight of the 14th of December, 1861, the tolKng of the great bell of St. Paul's had announced to the citizens of London the mournful tidings of the Prince Consort's death, but large numbers of the people iirst learnt, by the omission of his name from the Litany, what a blow had fallen on their Queen. On every side was heard the sympathetic outburst of grief for the Sovereign so early widowed. The wreck of the Queen's domestic happiness, and the loss of that support which had divided the burthens and lightened the cares of sovereignty, were felt by all classes of her subjects as a private as well as a public calamity. No such affliction had fallen upon the nation since the death of the Princess Charlotte, and the universal feeling of sorrow has never been surpassed in its depth and sincerity. In the general mourning for Princess Charlotte a note of sympathetic compassion was struck by the fate of a young and beautiful Princess suddenly removed at the most interesting crisis of a woman's life. The LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 249 tribute which the nation paid to Prince Albert was different in character, though not less heartfelt. Grati- tude for the great services which he had rendered to the country, for the example of moral purity he had displayed, and for the salutary influence he had exer- cised in his exalted station, admiration for his re- markable talents and accomplishments, respect for the wisdom with which he had kept himself clear from the conflicts of political parties, and appreciation of the self-effacing modesty with which he had so ably aided the Queen in all the affairs of State — these were the sentiments that inspired the addresses of condolence which were sent up from every part of the United Kingdom. To the addresses of the Houses of Parliament, meeting in February, the Queen re- plied : "I return you my most sincere thanks for your dutiful and affectionate address, especially for the manner in which you have assured me of your feelings on the irreparable loss sustained by myself and the country, in the afflicting dispensation of Providence which bows me to the earth ". But, pro- strated as she was by the burthen of a sorrow which never could pass away, the Queen, strengthened by the cherished example of the loving counsellor she had lost, resolutely overcame her physical exhaustion and the depression of inconsolable grief, and fulfilled those arduous duties, the performance of which she regarded as a sacred trust for her family and her 250 QUEEN VICTORIA. people. Speaking on this subject some years after- wards, a statesman of high rank remarked : " It is a circumstance worthy of observation, and which ought to be known to all the people of this country, that 4uring all the j'ears of the Queen's affliction, during which she has lived necessarily in comparative re- tirement, she has omitted no part of that public duty which concerns her as Sovereign of this country ; and I am sure that when the Queen reappears again on more public occasions, the people of this country will regard her only with increased affection, from the recollection that during all the time of her care and sorrow she has devoted herself, without one day's intermission, to those cares of government which belong to her position". The funeral of the Prince Consort took place on Monday, the 23rd of December, 1861, in St. George's Chapel. The remains were removed from the Castle and temporarily deposited in the entrance to the Royal Vault, where they were to remain until the completion and consecration of a mausoleum to be afterwards erected. The site for this building had been chosen by the Queen herself on the i8th, when with Princess Alice she drove to the gardens at Frog- more for that purpose. The Queen had before the funeral left Windsor to spend a sad and desolate Christmas at Osborne. Such consolation as was possible in a grief so over- LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 251 whelming was afforded by the presence of the King of the Belgians and of the Princess of Hohenlohe, her half-sister. But Her Majesty had already learnt that the only anodyne to personal grief is sympathy with the sorrows of others. When the terrible disaster happened at the Hartley Colliery, by which the whole male population of three hamlets had been swept away, Sir Charles Phipps writes by the Queen's com- mand : " The appalling news has afflicted the Queen very much. Her Majesty commands me to say that her tenderest sympathy is with the poor widows and mothers, and that her own misery only makes her feel the more for them." On the 6th of February, 1862, the Queen took leave of the Prince of Wales, who, in pursuance of the scheme for his education laid down by the Prince Consort, left England for the tour, which had been for some time arranged, to Egypt and the Holy Land. The most memorable incident of this tour was the visit paid by the Prince and his suite to the Mosque of Hebron, which covers the Cave of Machpelah. Into this sacred building no Euro- pean or Christian had been, up to this time, per- mitted to enter, and it was not without some difficulty, and even danger, that the visit was accomplished. It has been fully described by Dean Stanley, who accompanied the Prince on his journey. The party returned on the 14th of June, in time 252 QUEEN VICTORIA. for the marriage of the Princess Alice with Prince Louis of Hesse. At the time of the death of the Prince Consort the Princess Ahce had been the principal support of the broken-hearted Queen. Though herself filled with intense sorrow at the death of her beloved father, she became at once the means of communication between the outer world and her mother, whom she strove to shield from every possible trouble. The decision to leave Windsor for Osborne directly after the Prince's death, according to the earnest wish of the King of the Belgians, which it was so difficult for the Queen to make, was obtained by the Princess's influence. For the Queen to part from one who had thus become so necessary to her was a terrible struggle, but it had been the desire of the Prince Consort that the marriage should take place during the early part of the year, and it was, therefore, only postponed to the ist of July, when it was solemnised at Osborne. Though the ceremony was simple and private, it may be doubted whether any royal marriage excited keener interest and profounder sympathy in the mass of the people, who had so highly appreciated the strength of mind and self-sacrifice shown by the Princess Alice during the dreadful days of her father's illness and death, and who were aware that to her exertions it was in a great measure due that the Queen was able to bear with such fortitude her own irreparable loss. LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 253 The Queen passed the autumn in seclusion at Balmoral ; here on the 21st of August was begun the cairn in memory of the Prince. In More Leaves from the Journal the Queen writes ; "At eleven o'clock started . . . for Craig Lowrigan. . . . Here at the top is the foundation of the Cairn — fort)' feet wide — to be erected to my precious Albert, which will be seen all down the valle}'. I and my poor six orphans all placed stones on it ; and our initials as well as those of the three absent ones are to be carved on stones all round it." On the 1st of September the Queen, accompanied by several of her family, left England for Germany, paying on the way a brief visit to King Leopold at Laeken. There for the irrst time the Queen met the Princess Alexandra of Denmark, soon to become Princess of Wales. From Laeken the Queen went to Reinhardtsbrunn in Thuringia, where she was joined by the Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia, by Princess Alice with her husband, and by Prince Alfred. On the i8th of December, 1862, the remains of the Prince Consort were transferred from St. George's Chapel to the mausoleum which had just been built for their reception by Her Majesty in the grounds of Frogmore, not far from the spot where the Duchess of Kent had been laid. The Prince of Wales had met the Princess Alex- 254 QUEEN VICTORIA. andra at Heidelberg in the autumn of 1861, when a mutual attachment had been formed ; but the death of the Prince Consort had postponed any announce- ment of an engagement. It was not till the 4th of November, 1862, that the Queen gave public consent to the marriage, and the Princess came for a brief visit to Osborne. In February, 1863, the Prince of Wales took the oath and his seat in the House of Lords, and in the House of Commons resolutions were passed for the establishment and maintenance of His Royal Highness's household on a proper scale. The alacrity shown by Parliament in thus making a suitable provision expressed the universal feeling of satisfaction in the proposed union. The Prince had gained the personal regard of all those with whom he had been brought into contact, while the beauty and charm of the Princess won every heart. At the same time the alliance with Denmark, by the complete absence of State interests, and of those political aims to which the domestic happiness of princes has been too often sacrificed, strongly ap- pealed to the sympathy of the nation. The Princess landed at Gravesend on the 7th of March, and never to any person in the history of the kingdom has a warmer welcome been offered. Through the City, which was approached by London Bridge, there was one immense concourse of enthusiastic crowds. In Hyde Park were drawn up 17,000 Volun- LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 255 teers, between whose ranks the procession passed to Paddington. The reception at Eton was as warm as that of London, and the illuminations at Windsor closed a memorable da}'. On the loth the marriage was solemnised with great pomp in St. George's Chapel, the Prince and the other Knights of the Garter wearing their robes. The Queen herself took no part in the ceremony, but witnessed the whole from the windows of the royal closet above the north side of the altar. On the gth of May the Queen, accompanied by the Princess Alice, paid a visit to the Military Hospital at Netley, the foundation stone of which she had, with the Prince Consort, laid nearly seven years be- fore. Though her features bore the traces of deep and abiding sorrow, she bore with firmness the fatigue of her long walk through the hospital, and the trying scenes which she witnessed. In August and Septem- ber the Queen paid a visit to Belgium and Germany, staying for some time with King Leopold, and passing on to Rosenau, the birthplace of the Prince Con- sort. On the journey home, she spent a day with Princess Ahce at Kranichstein, near Darmstadt. The first public appearance of the Queen since the death of her husband was made on the 13th of October, when Her Majesty unveiled the statue which had been erected to the memory of the Prince Consort at Aberdeen. In her reply to the address of 256 QUEEN VICTORIA. the Provost, the Queen said, " I could not reconcile it to myself to remain at Balmoral while such a tribute was being paid to his memory, without making an exertion to assure you personally of the deep and heartfelt sense I entertain of your kindness and affec- tion ; and, at the same time, to proclaim in public the unbounded reverence and admiration, the devoted love that fills my heart for him whose loss must throw a lasting gloom over all my future life." On the 8th of January, 1864, the Queen received at Osborne from the Prince of Wales the glad news of the birth at Frogmore of a Prince, who, on the loth of March following the first anniversary of the wedding of his parents, was christened at Bucking- ham Palace, receiving the names of Albert Victor Christian Edward. The advent of a male heir in direct succession to the Throne was a source of much joy and consolation to the Queen and to the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as of gratification to the whole nation. On the 24th of May the anniversary of Her Majesty's birthday was kept this year with the old outward tokens of rejoicing, which had not been observed since the year 1861. On her way to Balmoral in the autumn the Queen unveiled a statue which had been erected by her loyal subjects of Perth to the Prince Consort. During the year 1865 the Queen remained in LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 257 seclusion, attending to all affairs of State, but seldom appearing in public. On the 24th of March she visited the Consumption Hospital at Brompton, the first stone of which had been laid by the Prince Consort in 1844. Her Majesty was much interested in the hospital, and spent some time in examining the wards and noticing the patients, of whom there were upwards of two hundred. On the 8th of August Her Majesty, accompanied by Prince Leopold and the Princesses Helena, Louise and Beatrice, embarked at Woolwich for Germany, and, arriving at Coburg on the nth, proceeded at once to Rosenau. On the 26th the Queen inaugurated the memorial statue which had been erected to her late husband in his native town. The solemn and elaborate ceremony reached its climax when the Queen, leaving her pavilion, walked with her family to the monument, and laid at the feet of the statue the flowers which she had brought for the purpose. On her return homewards the Queen saw for the last time her loved and respected uncle, King Leo- pold. He died at Laeken on the gth of the following December, within a few days of completing his seventy-fifth year. Small and new as was his king- dom, he yet occupied a position in Europe which the most powerful monarch might envy. International disputes were referred to him for settlement, the secrets of most royal houses were in his keeping, 17 258 QUEEN VICTORIA. and private as well as public grievances were sub- mitted to his arbitration : he was known everywhere by the title of Juge de Paix de V Europe. As son-in- law of the King of the French and uncle of Queen Victoria he was able to mediate with great effect between the two countries, both in 1840 on the Eastern question, and later in the more irritating disputes about the Spanish marriages. Throughout the whole of the Queen's life he had been her trusted counsellor, confident, and friend, and his loss, follow- ing on that of her mother and her husband, left her more completely alone. A happier event this year was the birth on the 3rd of June of the second son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, now Duke of York. After the return of the Court from Germany, the Queen spent the remainder of the autumn at Balmoral, whence excursions were made to Invermark and to Dunkeld to visit the widowed Duchess of Athole, who, whilst these pages are passing through the press, has also been taken away. On the 6th of February, 1866, the Queen, who since the death of the Prince Consort had not entered the walls of the Palace of Westminster, opened Par- liament in person, to the great joy of both Houses and of all her subjects. In the Speech from the Throne Her Majesty declared her consent to the marriage of the Princess Helena with Prince Chris- LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 259 tian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, which marriage was solemnised on the 5th of July in the private chapel of Windsor Castle. On the 13th of March, after an interval of five years, the Queen visited Aldershot and reviewed the troops there in garrison. The visit was repeated on the 5th of April, when new colours were presented by Her Majesty to the 8gth Regiment, now the 2nd Bat- talion of the Princess Victoria's I?.oyal Irish Fusiliers, the regiment to which the Queen, as Princess Victoria, had presented colours in 1833. Affairs on the Continent at this time were a source of deep anxiety to the Queen, particularly because in the war between Austria and Prussia her two sons- in-law, the husbands of the Princess Royal and of Princess Alice, were engaged upon opposite sides. While the conflict was raging round her home Princess Alice gave birth to a daughter, who, when the war came to an end, received the name of Irene. On the i6th of October the Queen journeyed from Balmoral to Invercannie, twenty-two miles from Aber- deen, in order to open the new works just completed for the supply of water to the city. Of her reply to the address of the Provost the Queen, in More Leaves from the Journal, writes : " Then I had to read my answer, which made me very nervous ; but I got through it well, though it was the first time I had read anything since my darling husband was 26o QUEEN VICTORIA. taken from me". In this answer the Queen said, " I have felt that, at a time when the attention of the country has been so anxiously directed to the state of the public health, it was right that I should make an exertion to testify my sense of the import- ance of a work so well calculated as this to promote the health and comfort of your ancient city ". At Wolverhampton, on the 30th of November, the Queen, accompanied by Prince and Princess Christian and Princess Louise, unveiled a statue to the Prince Consort. On the 5th of February, 1867, the Queen was again able to open Parliament in person, the Speech from the Throne being, as on the former occasion, read by the Lord Chancellor. The aspect of affairs generally was gloomy : the cattle plague, the out- break of the Fenian insurrection in Ireland, and the disturbances occasioned by the Reform agitation gave no promise of a prosperous year. The meetings held on the latter question, fortunately, passed over without riot, though considerable apprehension was felt. The first stone of the Albert Hall at Kensington, adjoining the gardens of the Horticultural Society, was laid by the Queen on the 20th of May. The building was finished in 1871, when the Queen per- formed the opening ceremony. Among the events of the year 1867 none is more memorable than the visit which the Sultan Abdul LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 261 Azziz paid to England in July. It was the first time that any " Commander of the Faithful " had set foot on British ground. His Majesty was lodged at Buckingham Palace, and on the day following his arrival paid a visit to the Queen at Windsor before her departure for Osborne. On the 17th of July what had been intended to be the most interesting of all the spectacles offered to the Sultan — a naval review at Spithead — was marred by stormy weather. Forty-nine vessels mounting i,ogg guns were an- chored in two columns, through which the royal yachts passed with the imperial and royal visitors. On the deck of the Victoria and Albert the Queen invested the Sultan with the Order of the Garter. Having again visited the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley, in which her interest was unabated, the Queen on the 20th of August left Osborne for Bal- moral, stopping at the Border to pay a visit to the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe at Floors Castle. During the stay here Melrose Abbey and Abbotsford were visited, where the Queen wrote her name in Sir Walter Scott's journal, "which," as she says in More Leaves frofit the Journal, " I felt it to be a presumption in me to do". During the stay at Balmoral an excursion was made to Glenfiddich, a graphic description of which is given in the same Journal. On the 15th of October, the day of the Queen's engagement, the statue erected 262 QUEEN VICTORIA. in memor}' of the Prince was unveiled at Bal- moral. In March of the following year the Queen was much alarmed by the news from New South Wales that an attempt to assassinate the Duke of Edinburgh had been made at Port Jackson. Succeeding tele- grams fortunately confirmed the news that the Duke's condition was favourable and that no danger was anticipated. This dastardl)' attack caused universal horror and indignation throughout Australia. Open- ing the new buildings of St. Thomas's Flospital on the banks of the Thames opposite to the Houses of Parliament, on the 13th of May, Her Majesty feelingly acknowledged the sympathy shown to her by the nation in her distress. In June, 1868, 27,000 Volun- teers were reviewed in the Great Park at Windsor ; and on the 5th of August Her Majesty, travelling as the Countess of Kent, left Osborne for Cherbourg, passing through Paris to Lucerne, where she re- mained with Prince Leopold and the Princesses Louise and Beatrice for a month. Returning through Paris, the happy memories of earlier days were recalled by a short visit to Saint-Cloud. Windsor was reached on the nth of September, and three days afterwards the Court left for Balmoral. During this visit the Glassalt Shiel, so well known as a favourite resort of the Queen, was occupied for the first time. It was about this time widely rumoured that the LATER YEARS, 1861-1897, 2(13 Queen intended to take her former place in social life. In order to contradict this unfounded report a special notice was published in The Times : "An erroneous impression seems generally to prevail, and has latel}- found tVequent expression in the newspapers, that the Queen is about to resume the place in society which she occupied before her great afJ^iction ; that is, that she is about to hold levees and drawing-rooms in person, and to appear as before at Court balls, concerts, etc. This idea cannot be too explicitly contradicted. " The Queen appreciates the desire of her subjects to see her, and whatever she can do to gratify them in this loyal and affectionate wish she will do. When- ever any real object is to be obtained by her appearing on public occasions, any national interest to be pro- moted, or anything to be encouraged which is for the good of the people. Her Majesty will not shrink, as she has not shrunk, from any personal sacrifice or exertion, however painful. " But there are other and higher duties than those of mere representation which are now thrown upon the Queen, alone and unassisted — duties which she cannot neglect without injury to the public service — which weigh unceasingly upon her, overwhelming her with work and anxiety. The Queen has laboured conscientiously to discharge these duties till her health and strength, already shaken by the bitter 264 QUEEN VICTORIA. and abiding desolation wiiich has taken the place of her former happiness, have been impaired. "To call upon her to undergo, in addition, the fatigue of those mere State ceremonies, which can be equally well performed by other members of her family, is to ask her to run the risk of entirely disabling herself for the discharge of those other duties, which cannot be neglected without serious injury to the public interests. The Queen will, however, do what she can — in the manner least trying to her health, strength, and 'spirits — to meet the loyal wishes of her subjects ; to afford that support and countenance to society, and to give that encouragement to trade, which is desired of her. More the Queen cannot do ; and more the kindness and good feeling of her people will surely not exact of her." Her Majesty has more than redeemed this promise, though, as years have passed, the mass of business which she alone can transact has almost daily in- creased in volume. This necessary work could only be mastered by the strictest economy of time. Wherever the Queen is residing, whether at home or abroad, the same method and regularity are maintained. Nor has she failed to answer those special demands which have been made by the ceremonies attached to the commencement or com- pletion of works of public importance. Holborn Viaduct, the buildings of the London University, LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 265 the new wing of the London Hospital, the new Law Courts, the People's Palace at Mile End, the Imperial Institute, were opened by Her Majesty in person. In her presence Epping Forest was dedicated to the use of the public for all time. By her hand was laid the foundation stone of the new Medical Hall of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons on the Thames Embankment. By opening the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at South Kensington the Queen showed how great was her interest in the welfare of these branches of her Empire, and her desire that they should be better known to her subjects at home. In the provinces the Queen has also endeavoured to promote the same spirit of public activity. At Birmingham she laid the foundation stone of the new Law Courts, and at Derby of the Infirmary ; at Manchester she opened the Ship Canal ; at Glasgow and at Sheffield the new muni- cipal buildings; at Liverpool the International Exhi- bition; at Southampton the deep docks. These instances illustrate the many-sided sym- pathies of the Queen in national life as a whole. Her Majesty has also, at all times, proved her warm appreciation of the loyalty of her subjects who have entered into her own service. Her interest in the Navy has been great and exhibited wherever a suitable opportunity has presented itself. Thus, in 1878, and again in 1887 on the occasion of the ^66 QUEEN VICTORIA. Jubilee, when IJ4 ships of various descriptions were collected at Spithead, she reviewed the fleet, and in i8gi she visited Portsmouth to christen and launch the Royal Sovereign, the largest ironclad afloat, and the Royal Arthur, anew and powerful cruiser. For reviews of troops opportunities have more frequently occurred. Aldershot and its garrison has been man}- times honoured by the presence of the Queen ; at Windsor also the Queen has reviewed her regular troops, taking advantage of the visit of the Shah of Persia to assemble there some 10,000 men, and in Jul}-, 1881, Her Majesty reviewed the English volunteers, then celebrating their majority, when upwards of 50,000 marched past. This review was followed bj' another at Edinburgh in the following month, when 40,000 volunteers of the North paraded before the Queen. The 79th Cameron Highlanders and the 2nd Battalion of the Berkshire Regiment received new colours from the Queen's hands in the Isle of Wight, and at Windsor the 4th Regiment was similarly honoured. In 1876 the Queen was able, for the second time since her widowhood, to open Parliament in person on the 8th of February. In the Speech from the Throne occurred the following passage: "At the time that the direct government of my Indian Empire was transferred to the Crown, no formal addition was made to the style and titles of the Sovereign. I have LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 267 deemed the present a fittinj^: opportunity for supplying this omission, and a Bill upon the subject will be presented to you." This Bill was introduced in the House of Commons by Mr. Disraeli on the 17th of February. The title selected by the Queen was " Empress of India ". The Bill was resisted with some show of vigour by the Opposition, but was eventually passed, and received the Royal Assent. The proclamation of the new title was made on the 1st of May by the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, and also at Edinburgh. The formal proclamation of the Empire in India took place on New Year's Day, 1877, at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, and Delhi. At the last-named place the Viceroy, Lord Lytton, presided at a magnificent Durbar, when sixty-three ruling chiefs were assembled. At the opening of ParHament by Her Majesty in person on the 8th of February, the Queen's Speech contained this paragraph : " My assumption of the imperial title at Delhi was welcomed by the chiefs and people of India with professions of affection and loyalty most grateful to my feelings ".■ In com- memoration of the event a large gold medal was struck, copies of which were presented to the native chiefs and the principal officials of the new Empire. At the same time the Queen founded the Most Emi- nent Order of the Indian Empire, in addition to the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India, which had 268 QUEEN VICTORIA. been instituted by Her Majesty in 1865 after the termi- nation of the Indian Mutiny, and to the Order of the Crown of India for ladies, and especially for ladies connected with the Indian Empire. Among other Orders instituted or enlarged during the Queen's reign, mention should be made of the Order of " Victoria and Albert," originally worn as a badge by Royal Ladies and Princesses of the Queen's family, but created an Order in 1862. Another Order is the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George. Originally instituted in 1818 in connection with the Ionian Islands, it was enlarged in 1868, and again in 1877, for subjects of the Crown who had held high and confidential offices within Her Majesty's Colonial possessions, or for service in relation to the Foreign affairs of the Empire. In 1886 the Queen created a new naval and military Order for the reward of individual instances of meritorious or distinguished service in the field or before the enemy; this is called "the Distinguished Service Order ". Mention has been made earlier of the institution in 1856 of the Victoria Cross for rewarding individual acts of heroism in war. Ten years after- wards the Queen instituted the Albert Medal for the purpose of rewarding by royal favour the many daring and heroic actions performed by mariners and others in saving life at sea. By another warrant a year later, in 1877, this decoration was extended to cases LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 269 of gallantry in preventing loss of life from accidents in mines, at fires, and other perils on shore. On the 2ist of April, 1896, the Queen instituted the Royal Victorian Order, to be conferred as a mark of high distinction upon those who have rendered personal service to Her Majesty. In the long course of years, uniformly occupied with the laborious discharge of the complicated business of the State, and marked by special efforts to encourage national movements, or to promote the efficiency of the public services, the Queen has witnessed many changes, some happy, some painful, in the expanding circle of her domestic life. In the autumn of the year 1870 the Queen in Council gave her consent to the marriage of Princess Louise with the Marquis of Lome, eldest son of the Duke of Argyll. The engagement had taken place at Balmoral in October, and the marriage ceremony was solemnised, on the 21st of March, 1871, in St. "^jeorge's Chapel, Windsor, the Queen herself giving away the bride. The next marriage of one of Her Majesty's children was that of the Duke of Edinburgh, who on the 23rd of January, 1874, was united at St. Petersburg to the Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, only daughter of the Emperor Alexander II. This was the first alliance ever formed between the Royal Houses of England and Russia, and the Princess was received. 270 QUEEN VICTORIA. on her arrival in England, with the warmest welcome. It was the first time also that, since the Act of Settlement, a British Prince had taken a wife not belonging to the Protestant communion ; but in that Act the Greek Church was not mentioned, so no objection was made to the daughter of the Emperor of Russia retaining her allegiance to her own faith when she became Duchess of Edinburgh. Five years later the Queen saw the marriage of another son. On the 13th of March, 1879, the Duke of Connaught was married, at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, to the Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, daughter of Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia, well known as "the Red Prince". In this same year, on the 1 2th of May, the Queen's first great-grand- child, a daughter of the Princess Charlotte of Saxe- Meiningen, daughter of the Princess Royal, was born. On the 27th of April, 1882, Prince Leopold, Duke of Alban)', the youngest, and only unmarried, son of the Queen, was married at St. George's Chapel to the Princess Helen of Waldeck-Pyrmont. Only a few days before the ceremony, a man named Maclean had been tried and convicted for the cowardly outrage of firing at Her Majesty, as she with Princess Beatrice was leaving Windsor Station. One onl}' of the Queen's children was now un- married, the youngest Princess. Since her father's death. Princess Beatrice, who was then four years LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 271 old, had been the daily companion of her mother, and the knowledge of the dutiful manner in which she had watched bj' Her Majesty, and done her utmost to cheer and lighten the solitude of her life, had given her a strong hold on the affection of the nation. It was therefore with no little interest that in 1885, at the beginning of the year, the announcement was received that the Queen had approved of her marriage with Prince Henry of Battenberg. The Prince was no stranger to the family, as his eldest brother, Prince Louis, had already married the Princess Victoria of Hesse, eldest daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse and Princess Alice, and was a distinguished officer in Her Majesty's navy. The marriage was performed at Whippingham Church on the 23rd of July, 1885; but, unlike the marriages of the Queen's other chil- dren, it entailed no separation from her daughter, who with her husband continued to live with Her Majesty wherever she resided. Although in these additions to her familj' the Queen has found much happiness and consolation, yet sorrow and suffering have rarely been long absent, and successive losses have left gaps in the circle never to be filled, and memories never to be forgotten. The Queen passed through a time of terrible trial and anxious suspense when the Prince of Wales, on the 23rd of November, 1871, was attacked by typhoid fever. So grave were the symptoms that the Queen 272 QUEEN VICTORIA. on the 29th, having just returned from Balmoral, determined to go to Sandringham, where the Prince was lying. The Princess Louis of Hesse was there also on a visit to her brother, and it was fresh in the memories of a sympathising nation how assiduous her attentions had been, just ten years before, when her lamented father lay dying from a fever of the same nature. The intensity of public feeling was allayed for a time by reports of the normal course of the disease ; but it was deepened on the 8th of December, when a serious relapse occurred, and the Queen, who had returned to Windsor on the ist, hurried back to Sandringham to watch over her son. On the loth, by Her Majesty's desire, forms of prayer for the recovery of the Heir to the Throne were issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and religious communities of all kinds throughout the Empire joined in the universal intercession. It was not till December the 14th, the anniversary of the Prince Consort's death, that the illness took a favourable turn, and from that day the Prince slowly but surely recovered. The loyalty and sympathy shown to the Queen by her subjects in this time of trial were acknowledged in the following letter : — "Windsor Castle, 26^/1 December, 1871. " The Queen is very anxious to express her deep sense of the touching sympathy of the whole nation on the occasion of the alarming illness of her dear LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 273 son the Prince of Wales. The universal feeling shown by her people during those painful, terrible days, and the sympathy evinced by them with her- self and her beloved daughter the Princess of Wales, as well as the general joy in the improvement of the Prince of Wales's state, have made a deep and lasting impression upon her heart which can never be effaced. It was, indeed, nothing new to her, for the Queen had met with the same sympathy when, just ten years ago, a similar illness removed from her side the best, wisest, and kindest of husbands. " The Queen wishes to express, at the same time, on behalf of the Princess of Wales, her feelings of heartfelt gratitude, for she has been as deeply touched as the Queen by the great and universal manifesta- tions of loyalty and sympathy. "The Queen cannot conclude without expressing her hope that her faithful subjects will continue their prayers to God for the complete recovery of her dear son to health and strength." This letter addressed to her subjects aroused among the people a deep feeling. Each one read it as a personal acknowledgment, and the warmth of affection to their Sovereign and family was manifested by the spontaneity and sincerity of the national thanks- giving for the restoration to health of the Prince of Wales, which was held on the 27th of February, 1872. This service had at first been arranged more 274 QUEEN VICTORIA. as a private act of devotion 'on: the part of the Queen and her household ; but it assumed, day by day, the proportions of a national festival, until it culminated in the grandest outburst of unanimous popular emotion which had been witnessed since the times of the Tudors. Two days after the ceremony at St. Paul's, the following letter was published in the London Gazette : — " Buckingham Palace, 29^/; February, 1872. " The Queen is anxious, as on a previous occasion, to express publicly her own personal very deep sense of the reception she and her dear children met with on Tuesday, February 27th, from millions of her subjects on her way to and from St. Paul's. "Words are too weak for the Queen to say how very deeply touched and gratified she has been by the immense enthusiasm and affection exhibited towards her dear son and herself, from the highest down to the lowest, on the long progress through the capital, and she would earnestly wish to convey her warmest, and most heartfelt thanks, to the whole nation for this great demonstration of loyalty. " The Queen, as well as her son and her dear daughter-in-law, felt that the whole nation joined with them in thanking God for sparing the beloved Prince of Wales's life. " The remembrance of this day, and of the re- markable order maintained throughout, will for ever LATER YEARS, iSfii-iSgy. 275 be affectionately remembered bv the Queen and her family." Another period of deep sUvSpense and anxiet}', for- tunately coming, like the illness of the Prince of Wales, to a joyful termination, was the Egyptian War of 1882, which brought home to Her Majesty the anxiety and suspense inseparable from those who have near and dear relations in the field. The Queen has always watched the movements of her brave sailors and soldiers with a tender and anxious care ; but it was not till September, 1882, that one of her own sons was under fire in a distant land. An English army had been despatched to Egypt to assist the Khedive in the subjugation of his rebellious army under Arabi Pasha. The troops were commanded by Sir Garnet, now Lord Wolseley, and under him the Duke of Connaught was in command of the brigade of Guards. The Egyptian army, in a strongly entrenched position at Tel-el-Kebir, awaited the final attack of the British troops, which was delivered on the I2th of September. In More Leaves from the Journal the Queen writes : — Monday, nth September, 1882. " Received a telegram in cypher from Sir John McNeill (who was on the Duke's personal staff), marked very secret, saying that it was ' determined to attack the enemy with a very large force on 276 QUEEN VICTORIA. M'ednesday '. How anxious this made us, God only knows ; and yet this long delay had already intensified our suspense. No one to know, though all expected something at the time." Tuesday, 12th September. "... I prayed earnestly for my darling child, and longed for the morrow to arrive. Read Korner's beautiful Gebet vor der Schlacht, ' Vater, ich rtife Dich ' (Prayer before the battle, ' Father, I call on Thee'). My beloved husband used to sing it often. My thoughts were entirely fixed on Egypt and the coming battle. My nerves were strained to such a pitch by the intensit}' of my anxiety and suspense that they seemed to feel as though they were all alive." " Wednesday, i^th September. "... Took my short walk and breakfasted in the cottage. Had a telegram that the army marched out last night. What an anxious moment ! . . . Another telegram, also from Reuter, saying that fighting was going on, and that the enemy had been routed with heavy losses at Tel-el-Kebir. Much agitated. " On coming in got a telegram from Sir John McNeill, saying, ' A great victory ; Duke safe and well'. Sent all to Louischen (the Duchess of Con- naught). The excitement was very great. Felt un- bounded joy and gratitude for God's great goodness and mercy. ... A little later, just before two, came LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 277 the following most welcome and gratifying telegram from Sir Garnet Wolseley : — "'IsMALiA, i^th September, 1882. " 'Attacked Arabi's position at five this morning. His strongly entrenched position was most bravely and gallantly stormed by the Guards and line, while cavalry and horse artillery worked round their left flank. At seven o'clock I was in complete possession of his whole camp. . . . Enemy completely routed, and his losses have been very heavy ; also regret to say we have suffered severely. Duke of Connaught is well and behaved admirably, heading his brigade to the attack.' " Brown brought the telegrams, and followed me to Beatrice's room, where Louischen was, and I showed it to her. I was myself quite upset, and embraced her warmly, saying what joy and pride and cause of thankfulness it was to know our darling was safe, and so much praised ! I feel quite beside myself for joy and gratitude, though grieved to think of our losses, which, however, have not proved to be so serious as first reported. We were both much over- come. ... A telegram from Sir Garnet Wolseley to Mr. Childers, with fuller accounts, arrived. The loss, thank God ! is not so heavy as we feared at first. A bonfire was to be lit by my desire at the top of Craig Gowan at nine, just where there had been one in 1856, 278 QUEEN VICTORIA. after the fall of Sebastopol, when dearest Albert went up to it at night with Bertie and Affie. That was on the 13th of September, very nearly the same time, twenty-six years ago." That very day, a few hours afterwards, the Duke of Albany arrived with his bride. On the 23rd of September, 1872, the Queen received the distressing news of the death, at Baden-Baden, of her sister, the Dowager Princess of Hohenlohe- Langenburg. The declining health of the Princess had been for some time a source of anxiety, but so rapid a termination of the illness was unexpected and was a painful shock to Her Majesty, who lost a most affectionate sister to whom she had always been warmly attached. Six years later came a yet deeper sorrow, when the first of the Queen's own children was to follow the husband and father into the Silent Land — Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse, who had been taken ill on the 7th of December, 1878, with diphtheria, caught in attendance upon her husband and upon her children, all of whom, except Princess Elizabeth, now the Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, had suffered, and one of whom had died from the illness. Her own sufferings were borne with wonderful patience, and at first it was believed that her life might be spared ; but it was not to be, and on the fatal 14th December she died, murmuring to herself, " From Friday to Saturday, four weeks — May — ^dear Papa — ! " It was LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 279 exactly four weeks to the day since her child, Princess Marie, known to her family by the pet name of May, had died, and seventeen years since the death of the Prince Consort. In her grief the Queen had the warm sympathy of the whole nation, which well remembered the devotion of the Princess to her father in the illness from which he died, and to her brother during that from which he mercifully recovered. In the land of her adoption her loss was equally deplored, for there she had won the love of the people by her constant care for their interests, more especially during the trying times of the Franco-German War, when the sick and wounded learned to bless her name as their comforter and friend. Her remains were laid to rest in the mausoleum at Rosenhohe, where a tomb, bearing a recumbent ef&gy by Boehm, representing the Princess holding in her arms the Princess Marie, is now placed. This effigy was copied from that which adorns the mausoleum of the Prince Consort at Frogmore. A memorial of another kind is to be found in the Bio- graphical Sketch and Letters of the Princess so ably edited by her sister, Princess Helena, Princess Chris- tian of Schleswig-Holstein, in which it can be seen that the love of husband and children only deepened the affection which she had for her loved and widowed mother. The following letter from the Queen appeared in the London Gazette : — 28o QUEEN VICTORIA. " Osborne, 26th December, 1878. " The Queen is anxious to take the earliest oppor- tunity of expressing publicly her heartfelt thanks for the universal and most touching sympathy shown to her by all classes of her loyal and faithful subjects on the present occasion, when it has pleased God to call from this world her dearly-beloved daughter, the Prin- cess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse. Overwhelmed with grief at the loss of a dear child, who was a bright example of loving tenderness, courageous devotion, and self-sacrifice to duty, it is most soothing to the Queen's feelings to see how entirely her grief is shared by her people. The Queen's deeply afflicted son-in-law, the Grand Duke of Hesse, is also anxious to make known his sincere gratitude for the kind feelings ex- pressed towards himself and his dear children in their terrible bereavement, and his gratification at the ap- preciation shown by the people of England of the noble and endearing qualities of her whom all now mourn. Seventeen years ago, at this very time, when a similar bereavement crushed the Queen's happiness, and this beloved and lamented daughter was her great comfort and support, the nation evinced the same touching sympathy, as well as when, in December, 1871, the Prince of Wales was at the point of death. Such an exhibition of true and tender feeling will ever remain engraven on the Queen's heart, and is more to be valued at this moment of great distress in the LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 281 country, which no one more deeply deplores than the Queen herself." At the funeral of the Princess Alice two of her brothers were present — the eldest, whose recovery she had herself witnessed, and the youngest, who was fated to follow her. Prince Leopold had, from his early years, been always of delicate constitution — as the Princess Alice had said, he had been three times given back to his family from the brink of the grave. Living a retired and studious life, he gave promise of succeeding to his father's position as head of all progressive movements in literature and art. Trained while young at home, in 1872 he went, at his own particular wish, to Oxford, and matriculated at Christ Church. Here he mixed freely with those of his own age, but he equally cultivated the society of those older in years who were distinguished in literature and science. He was sworn of the Privy Council in 1874, and later received a commission in the Army and the command of the Seaforth High- landers. In the debates of the House of Lords, which he entered as Duke of Albany in 1881, he took little part, though his interest in the politics of the day was keen and intelligent, but he made a great reputation as a public speaker, particularly in London, and at Manchester, where he pleaded the cause of music and of education. His health, as he grew older, so much improved, that it was hoped he might 282 QUEEN VICTORIA. be able to throw off his constitutional weakness ; but after two years of married happiness he died suddenly at Cannes, on the 28th of March, 1884, leaving his widow with one daughter. A son was born to him, after his death, on the igth of July. His remains were brought over to England, and he now lies in the Albert Chapel at Windsor, within the sound of the organ he loved so well when alive. A most touching tribute to his memory is the poem called "The Un- travelled Traveller," by Dean Stanley, originally written in 1875, and reprinted at the time of his death. On the eve of her departure for the Continent to be present at the marriage of her grand-daughter Princess Victoria of Hesse with Prince Louis of Battenberg, the Queen, through the Home Secretary, addressed the following letter to her people : — " Windsor Castle, 14^/1 April, 1884. " I have on several previous occasions given personal expression to my deep sense of the loving sympathy and loyalty of my subjects in all parts of my Empire. I wish, therefore, in my present grievous bereavement, to thank them most warmly for the very gratifying manner in which they have shown not only their sympathy with me and my dear so deeply-afflicted daughter-in-law, and my other children, but also their high appreciation of my beloved son's great qualities of head and heart, and of the loss he is to the country LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 283 and to me. The affectionate sympathy of my loyal people, which has never failed me in weal or woe, is very soothing to my heart. " Though much shaken and sorely afflicted by the many sorrows and trials which have fallen upon me during these past years, I will not lose courage, and, with the help of Him who has never forsaken me, will strive to labour on for the sake of my children, and for the good of the country I love so well, as long as I can. " My dear daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Albany, who bears her terrible misfortune with the most admirable, touching, and unmurmuring resignation to the will of God, is also deeply gratified by the universal sympathy and kind feeling evinced towards her. " I would wish, in conclusion, to express my grati- tude to all other countries for their sympathy — above all, to the neighbouring one where my beloved son breathed his last, and for the great respect and kind- ness shown on that mournful occasion. " Victoria, R. and I." A recumbent effigy by Sir Edgar Boehm, R.A., of the lamented Prince, in his uniform as Colonel of the Seaforth Highlanders, has been placed on his tomb. It has been one consequence of the early age at which the Queen came to the throne that the friends 284 QUEEN VICTORIA. and associates of her youth have passed away, and latterly in greater numbers. The catalogue of these is long and recalls many sad memories. Among the ladies of the Court who have been closely connected with Her Majesty may be mentioned the Duchess of Sutherland, Lady Jocelyn, Lady Caroline Barring- ton, Lady Augusta Stanley, Lady Gainsborough, Lady Ely, the Duchess of Roxburghe, and the Duchess of Athole ; among other members of the Royal House- hold who have served their Royal Mistress with single-minded devotion the names of General the Hon. Charles Gre}', the Hon. Sir Charles Phipps, Sir Thomas Biddulph, Sir John Cowell, and Sir Henry Ponsonby rise to the memory immediately. The thoughtful kindness which the Queen has always shown to her servants, and the implicit con- fidence which she has reposed in their loyalty, have won from those in her employment that devoted per- sonal service which has so long distinguished her domestic establishment. Among those who, by their tried fidelity, have thus earned and enjoyed her trust, Mrs. Macdonald and John Brown may be taken as types, both of whom passed upwards of thirty years in close and daily attendance upon Her Majesty. The 20th of June, 1887, was the fiftieth anniversary of the Queen's accession. Three times only in the history of the country had the reign of an English Sovereign attained this number of years, and Her LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 285 Majesty's Jubilee was celebrated throughout the Empire with universal rejoicing. No preceding half- century had ever witnessed such striking progress in the prosperity and power of a nation, and it was deemed fitting that this anniversary should be cele- brated with all the loyalty and enthusiasm which a united people could evince towards a Sovereign who, through weal and woe, had presided with such wisdom and prudence over the councils of the State, had set so beneficent an example of domestic virtue, and had so closely identified herself with the joys and sorrows of all her subjects. On the 2 1st of June the Queen, accompanied by her children and grandchildren, and attended by a number of foreign Sovereigns or their representatives, went in State from Buckingham Palace to West- minster Abbey, where a special service was held. Her Majesty's carriage, escorted by a brilliant body of officers of Indian Cavalry, was preceded by a cortege of Princes all nearly related to the Queen, conspicuous among whom towered the Crown Prince of Germany in the white uniform of the Prussian Gardes du Corps. Since the Coronation the Abbey had never seen so impressive a spectacle. The Queen sate in the chair of Edward the Confessor, in which, fifty years before, she had been crowned ; the Abbey was filled with a brilliant throng, and the service of thanks- giving was striking and magnificent. The " Te 28(1 QUEEN VICTORIA. 1 )eum " was sun^- b\' three hundred voices to the music of the Prince Consort, and a special Jubilee Anthem, composed by Dr. (now Sir John Frederick) Bridge, was also performed. At the conclusion of the service, which had been conducted by the Arch- bishop of Canterbury, Dr. Benson, the Queen kissed each of her children and retired, passing to Buck- ingham Palace amid the renewed greetings of her subjects. To the Home Secretarj' after this event the Queen addressed the following letter : — " Windsor Castle, 24*/! June. " I am anxious to express to my people my warm thanks for the kind, and more than kind, reception I met with on going to, and returning from, West- minster Abbey, with all my children and grand- children. "The enthusiastic reception I met with then, as well as on these eventful days, in London as well as in Windsor, on the occasion of my Jubilee, has touched me most deeply. It has shown that the labours and anxiety of fifty long years, twenty-two of which I spent in unclouded happiness shared and cheered by my beloved husband, while an equal number were full of sorrows and trials, borne with- out his sheltering arm and wise help, have been appreciated by my people. "This feeling, and the sense of duty towards my LATER YEARS, 1861-18Q7. 287 dear countr)- and subjects, who are so inseparablj' bound up with my life, will encourage me in my task, often a very difficult and arduous one, during the remainder of my life. " The wonderful order preserved on this occasion, and the good behaviour of the enormous multitudes assembled, merits my highest admiration. "That God may protect and abundantly bless my countr}' is my fervent praj'er. "Victoria, R. and I." On the 2nd of July, 1887, the Queen, at Buckingham Palace, saw a march past of over 23,000 Volunteers, and t.wo days later Her Majesty laid the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute. In her reply to the address from the organising committee, read by the Prince of Wales, the Queen said: "I concur with you in thinking that the counsel and exertions of my beloved husband initiated a movement which gave increased vigour to commercial activity, and produced marked and lasting improvements in industrial efforts. One indirect result of that movement has been to bring more before the minds of men the vast and varied resources of the Empire over which Providence has willed that I should reign during fifty prosperous years. I believe and hope that the Imperial Institute will play a useful part in combining those resources for the common advantage of all my subjects, and 288 QUEEN VICTORIA. conducing towards the welding of the Colonies, India, and the Mother Country into one harmonious and united community." On the gth of July the Queen reviewed her troops, 58,000 men with 102 guns, at Aldershot. Before the march past the Queen received from the Duke of Cambridge, Commander-in-Chief, the congratulations of the army on her Jubilee, to which Her Majesty returned a gracious reply. On the 23rd of the same month a great naval review at Spithead concluded the Jubilee celebrations. The fleet consisted of 135 vessels, mounting about 500 guns, with a complement of officers and men of 20,000. After passing through the line Her Majesty summoned the commanders of the ships on board the royal yacht, and expressed to each the satisfaction the display had given her, and her appreciation of the hearty reception accorded to her by the crews. On the 15th of the same month, the Queen, before leaving Windsor, laid at Smith's Lawn, in the Great Park, the foundation stone of the equestrian statue of the Prince Consort presented by the women and girls of the United Kingdom ; the surplus of this Jubilee offering was, by Her Majesty's decision, de- voted to the benefit of nurses and nursing establish- ments — a much-needed movement of practical utility, which had for some time engaged Her Majesty's serious attention, and had been fostered by her LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 289 daughter Princess Christian, who has spared neither time nor trouble in promoting its success. Among those nearest and dearest to the Queen, who took part in the Jubilee of 1887, four have since passed away— the Emperor Frederic, the Grand Duke of Hesse, the Duke of Clarence, and Prince Henry of Battenberg. The Crown Prince of Germany, who had for some time suffered from an affection of the larynx, passed the winter of 1887-88 at San Remo, and only left for Berlin on the loth of March, 1888, when he received the news of his accession to the throne of Prussia and of the German Empire, by the death of his father the day before. The malady from which he suffered, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of his medical attendants, continued to increase in an alarming manner, though his own vitality and courage at times gave hope of amendment. He battled bravely against fate, but on the r5th of June the end came, and after a short reign of ninety-nine days the Emperor Frederic, whose noble character was fitly shrined in a commanding figure and a stately pre- sence, was lost to his sorrowing family and to his country, and the Queen's eldest daughter was left a widow. The Queen had paid a visit to her son-in- law at Charlottenburg on the 24th of April, where she had had the melancholy satisfaction of seeing him during one of the temporary rallies. 19 290 QUEEN VICTORIA. Another Prince, who had taken part in the pro- cession of 1887, was the Grand Duke of Hesse. Though less known in England than the Crown Prince of Prussia, the Grand Duke had been closely associated with the Queen in many happy hours of her life, and his death, which severed another link with the golden past, was deeply felt by Her Majesty, who was warmly attached to the husband of Princess Alice. A loss which appealed more directly to the British people was that of the Duke of Clarence and Avon- dale, the eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and ultimate heir to the throne. Attacked by the prevailing epidemic of influenza in January, 1892, he was unable to struggle against the com- plication of pneumonia, which set in at an early stage of his illness. On the 14th of January he died — a few days after his birthday and within a few weeks of his marriage. Youth, brilliant position, and his ap- proaching marriage lent peculiar pathos to the death of the Duke, whose loss was deeply felt by his parents and his grandmother. He was buried in the Albert Chapel at Windsor on January 20th, 1892. On the same day the Queen wrote from Osborne to the Home Secretary as follows : — " I must once again give expression to my deep sense of the loyalty and affectionate sympathy evinced by my subjects in every part of my Empire on an LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 291 occasion more sad and tragical than any but one which has befallen me and mine, as well as the nation. The overwhelming misfortune of my dearly- loved grandson having thus been suddenly cut off in the flower of his age, full of promise for the future, amiable and gentle, and endearing himself to all, renders it hard for his sorely stricken parents, his dear young bride, and his fond grandmother to bow in submission to the inscrutable decrees of Provi- dence. " The sympathy of millions, which has been so touchingly and vividly expressed, is deeply gratifying at such a time, and I wish, both in my own name and that of my children, to express from my heart my warm gratitude to all. " These testimonies of sympathy with us, and appreciation of my dear grandson, whom I loved as a son, and whose devotion to me was as great as that of a son, will be a help and consolation to me and mine in our affliction. " My bereavements during the last thirty years of my reign have indeed been heavy. Though the labours, anxieties, and responsibilities inseparable from my position have been great, yet it is my earnest prayer that God may give me health and strength to work for the good and happiness of my dear country and Empire while life lasts. "Victoria, R.I." 292 QUEEN VICTORIA. Another deep shadow was thrown over the Queen and her family by the removal of one more of the company of Princes in the procession of 1887. Since his marriage in 1885, Prince Henry of Battenberg, the husband of Princess Beatrice, had been seldom away from the Court, whether at Windsor, Balmoral, or Osborne, and had accompanied Her Majesty on her annual visits to the Continent in the spring. Adapting himself thoroughly to English life, ardently attached to the institutions and sports of the country, he had by his genial, courteous manner, and unob- trusive tact won the affection of all with whom he was associated, and his bright presence is now sorely missed. Sprung from a family of soldiers, and brother of Prince Alexander, the hero of Slivnitza, it is not to be wondered at that, when a chance occurred of distinguishing himself in the field, he accepted it with eagerness, and volunteered for the expedition to Ashantee, which had just been organ- ised. Throughout the march from the coast, Prince Henry proved his willingness to share the fatigue and labours of his comrades, and his presence was most useful in negotiations with native chiefs. The expedition had reached Kwisa, between Prahsu and Kumassi, the capital of King Prempeh, when the Prince was struck down by fever. He was promptly conveyed to the coast, and rallied after the journey. He embarked on board H.M.S. Blonde on the 17th LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 293 of January in a weak state, and at one time seemed to regain strength. On the igth, however, a change for the worse set in, and he passed peacefully away on the evening of the 20th of January, off the coast of Sierra Leone. The sudden and tragic close of a life so bright and promising shocked the whole nation, and stirred to the depths their sympathies for the widow, for the fatherless children, and for the Queen. To Her Majesty, apart from its wholly unexpected character, the blow was the more severe because, as her other children had been parted from her by the exigencies of their positions, she had learnt to rely on her daughter's husband for that sympathy, support, and assistance which, as years passed on, became more valuable. In response to the universal expression of national feeling. Her Majesty wrote from Osborne on the 14th of February, 1896 : — " I have, alas ! once more to thank my loyal sub- jects for their warm sympathy in a fresh grievous afflic- tion which has befallen me and my beloved daughter, Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of Battenberg. " This new sorrow is overwhelming, and to me is a double one, for I lose a dearly-beloved and help- ful son, whose presence was like a bright sunbeam in my home, and my dear daughter loses a noble, devoted husband, to whom she was united by the closest affection. 294 QUEEN VICTORIA. " To witness the blighted happiness of the daughter who has never left me, and has comforted and helped me, is hard to bear. But the feeling of universal sympathy so touchingl}- shown by all classes of my subjects has deeply moved my child and myself, and has helped and soothed us greatly. I wish from my heart to thank my people for this, as well as for the appreciation manifested of the dear and gallant Prince who laid down his life in the service of his adopted country. " My beloved child is an example to all in her courage, resignation, and submission to the will of God. Victoria, R.I." The lamented Prince was, by his own wish, laid to rest at Whippingham, in the Isle of Wight, of which he had been Captain and Governor — an office which has since been conferred upon his widow. By her acceptance of this office Princess Henr)' showed, and it is but one proof among many, her courageous resolve not to allow any private sorrow to interfere with the performance of public duties. On the 3rd of May, 1893, the official announce- ment was made of the betrothal of the Duke of York, the only surviving son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, to the Princess Victoria Mary, only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Teck. The marriage took place at St. James's Palace on the 6th of July, amid universal rejoicing, and never since the marriage LATER i'EARS, 1861-1897. 295 of the Prince of Wales or the Queen's Jubilee pro- cession had London been more thronged with loyal and enthusiastic crowds. The ceremony was per- formed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence of the Queen and all the Royal Family, with whom were the King and Queen of Denmark and the Czarevitch, now Emperor, of Russia. The brides- maids were grandchildren and one great-grandchild of the Queen. After the rejoicings and congratula- tions from all parts of the Empire, the Queen ad- dressed another letter to her people, in which she wrote of the universal loyalty shown to her. " It is, indeed, nothing new to the Queen, for in weal or woe she has ever met with the warmest, kindest sympathy, which she feels very deeply. She knows that the people of her vast Empire are aware how truly her heart beats for them in all their joys and sorrows, and that in the existence of this tie between them and herself lies the real strength of the Empire." The Duke and Duchess of York have now three children; the eldest — a son — born on the 23rd of June, 1894, has been christened Edward ; the second — also a son — named Albert, was born on December 14th, 1895 ; the third— a daughter— named Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, was born on April 25th, 1897. The name "Alice" commemorates the Grand Duchess of Hesse, and " Mary " the Duchess of Gloucester, on 296 QUEEN VICTORIA. whose birthday the infant Princess was born. The descent of the crown in a direct line is thus, it is hoped, happily assured. During the whole of her long life, in the midst of public business which has daily become more volu- minous and exacting, the Queen has never entirely abandoned the pursuits which were the pleasure and relaxation of her earliest years. Mention has been made of her practice of music and of her instructors, and here it may be noted that within the last fifteen years Her Majesty has sung with Signer Tosti, as at an earlier period she sang with Lablache and Men- delssohn. In all the extracts from the Queen's journals which have from time to time been made public, it will have been noticed how constantly she mentions that she sketched the scenery of the places visited by her. The early instruction, given by Westall and supplemented by the hints occasionally given by Sir E. Landseer, was not in landscape drawing, which was taught by Mr. Lear in 1846 and 1847. Since that time the Queen has taken lessons from Mr. Leitch, and within the last twelve years also from Mr. Green. The Queen has always followed with the closest interest the course of current events, which have necessarily absorbed the greater part of her time and attention. But Her Majesty has also made herself familiar with great imaginative writers, with poets such as Shakespeare, Scott and Tennyson, LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 297 or with novelists such as jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, and, it may be added, Mrs. Oliphant, whose recent illness and death aroused the Queen's deepest sympathy. The Queen's acquaint- ance with German and French literature is consider- able, and her intimate knowledge of these languages is very noticeable in the purity with which she speaks them. In the last ten years a signal proof of the warm interest which Her Majesty has always taken in her Indian Empire has been given by the Queen's study of Hindustani, under the instruction of the Munshi Abdul Karim. It is impossible to close this brief record of Her Majesty's life without mention of the memorable event of the 22nd of June, 1897. No such scene has ever been witnessed in any capital of the world as was afforded by London on that day, and through- out the whole Empire the commemoration of our Sovereign of Great Britain and Ireland was cele- brated with a burst of enthusiasm absolutely without parallel. The course to be followed by the State procession in going to and returning from St. Paul's Cathedral had been carefully planned, in order that the largest possible number of Her Majesty's subjects might be enabled to witness its passage through the streets. Eleven Prime Ministers of Colonial Houses of Repre- sentatives, accompanied by detachments of troops. 298 QUEEN VICTORIA. whose presence from distant lands bore living witness to the extent and loyalty of the Empire, preceded the procession through crowds of enthusiastic spectators. The Queen herself, accompanied by children, grand- children, and great-grandchildren, escorted by caval- cades of Princes, and preceded by representatives accredited by every Foreign Power, and by troops drawn from all portions of a realm on which the sun never sets, passed slowly through the thronged and gaily-decorated streets to the Cathedral of St. Paul. There " Te Deum Laudamus " was sung with a genuine fervour of national thanksgiving for the pro- longation of the life of a Sovereign whose rule has fostered all that is best in the character of the British people, and throughout the world has ever made for peace. Before leaving Buckingham Palace Her Majesty sent to her subjects the message: "From my heart I thank my beloved people. May God bless them," which, in its adequacy and appropriateness, shows the perfect simplicity, womanly perception, and delicate tact, which has always enabled the Queen to strike the chord that vibrates through the heart of the nation. In every town of Great Britain the occasion was celebrated with rejoicing, and the population of each city and village vied with each other in raising memorials of the event. In London and throughout the country the Prince of Wales took the lead in LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 299 instituting a fund to defray the debts of the existing hospitals and to provide with more certainty for their future maintenance. Towards this object nearly a quarter of a million has been contributed, and this notwithstanding that half a million had been sub- scribed early in the year for the relief of the famished and plague-stricken natives of the East Indies. The Princess of Wales made the destitute population of London her care, and the letter written by her to the Lord Mayor of London met with such a hearty response that 300,000 of the poor of the metropolis took part in the rejoicings. The magnificent fleet assembled at Spithead was reviewed, on the 26th of June, by the Prince of Wales on behalf of the Queen, who, to her deep regret, was unable, owing to the fatigue of the journey from Windsor, to be present in person. No finer fleet had ever been assembled in any waters, and the sight was the more impressive when it was known that this tremendous naval power was assembled without draw- ing upon the fleets, always in commission upon the seas, for one ship or one man. At Aldershot a large force of troops was reviewed by Her Majesty in person ; 28,000 men of the British and Colonial troops, under the command of H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, passed before the Queen, conspicuous among them being the Guards, the whole seven bat- talions forming this historic brigade being assembled 300 QUEEN VICTORIA. together for the first time for forty years. The Queen afterwards held a special review of the Colonial contingent at Windsor. There also she received the hundred Bishops who had come to attend the Pan- Anglican Conference at Lambeth, the sixtieth anni- versary of the Queen's reign being also the 1,300th anniversary of the conversion of Britain to Christianity. From the Universities, and from all the great corporations and societies, came deputations and addresses, all alike congratulating the Queen, and hoping that her beneficent rule might be still further prolonged. In answer the Queen published the fol- lowing letter : — "Windsor Castle, i^thjuly, 1897. " I have frequently expressed my personal feelings to my people, and though on this memorable occasion there have been many official expressions of my deep sense of the unbounded loyalty evinced, I cannot rest satisfied without personally giving utterance to these sentiments. " It is difficult for me on this occasion to say how truly touched and grateful I am for the spontaneous and universal outburst of loyal attachment and real affection which I have experienced on the completion of the Sixtieth year of my Reign. " During my progress through London on June 22nd this great enthusiasm was shown in the most LATER YEARS, 1861-1897. 301 striking manner, and can never be effaced from my heart. " It is indeed deeply gratifying, after so many years of labour and anxiety for the good of my be- loved Country, to find that my exertions have been appreciated throughout my vast Empire. " In weal and woe I have ever had the true sympathy of all my people, which has been warmly reciprocated by myself. " It has given me unbounded pleasure to see so many of my Subjects from all parts of the World assembled here, and to find them joining in the ac- clamations of loyal devotion to myself, and I would wish to thank them all from the depth of my grateful heart. " I shall ever pray God to bless them and to enable me still to discharge my duties for their welfare as long as life lasts. Victoria, R.I." Limits of space have excluded all but the most incidental allusions to salient events of Her Majesty's reign. Scarcely any reference has been made to con- stitutional changes which have peacefully effected a vast transference of political power, and yet, through the wisdom of the Sovereign, have only served to strengthen the British Monarchy. In like manner the enormous growth of the Empire has been barely mentioned, an Empire which, in spite of varieties of race, language and climate, in spite also of differences 302 QUEEN VICTORIA. of constitutions and creeds and customs, has been welded into unexampled unity by the tie of personal loyalty to Queen Victoria. Nothing has been said of the religious forces which have added, at home and abroad, new chapters to the romance of spiritual chivalry, and enriched and purified the springs of national life ; of the poets, novelists, historians, and artists who have added the lustre of their genius to the Victorian era ; of the achievements of science, which has opened up new worlds of thought, revolu- tionised the arts alike of peace and war, ameliorated the conditions of existence, and lightened the burden of suffering ; of the spread of education, which has given to millions the means of acquiring the knowledge that was once the possession only of the few. Nothing, finally, has been said of the material progress of the nation, of the revolution effected by the application of steam to manufacture and locomotion, or of the social and industrial problems, which rapid changes have set for our solution. Yet we might trust with confidence that such difficulties would be conquered, if, in future generations, all those who direct the counsels of the realm are as just, as prudent, as laborious, as unselfish, as permeated with love of country, as profoundly interested in the true well- being of the labouring classes, as Queen Victoria. 303 CHAPTER IX. TO THE CLOSE. The Jubilee rejoicings in the summer of 1897 neces- sarily strained the Queen's strength. But the effect was temporary. The sense of weariness soon passed away. The change lirst to Osborne, then to Balmoral, rapidly restored Her Majesty's vigour, and fortified her to bear the shock caused by the death of her first cousin, the Princess Mary of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck. The blow was sudden and heavy. Throughout their lives the Queen and the Duchess had been closelj' united by bonds of family affection, which were strengthened by the marriage of the grandson of the Queen with the daughter of the Duchess. The sunny charm of her personality, the kindliness of her char- acter, and her untiring benevolence had always en- deared the Duchess of Teck to the British people. At the time of the Jubilee she had so far recovered from a dangerous illness as to take her place in the procession and receive an enthusiastic reception. But four months later the same malady recurred, 304 QUEEN VICTORIA. and in a few hours proved fatal. The Duchess died on the 27th of October at the White Lodge, Richmond. Sincerely mourned by the nation, her remains were on the 3rd of November laid to rest in the royal vault in St. George's Chapel. At the solemn ceremony the Queen was represented by the Prince of Wales. The year 1898 was, on the whole, uneventful. Within her own immediate circle the Queen suffered none of those personal losses which are the trials of advancing years, while the rapid recovery of the Prince of Wales from a painful injury speedily removed the apprehensions caused by a serious accident. But by the death of Mr. Gladstone, on the igth of May, Her Majesty lost one of her most distinguished public servants, a statesman who had been four times Prime Minister and was intimately associated with the his- tory of the country from the earliest years of the reign. To his devoted wife the Queen, on the day of his funeral, sent the following message of sympathy with her sorrow : — " Balmoral, 28^1 May, 1898. " My thoughts are much with you to-day, when your dear husband is laid to rest. To-day's ceremony will be most trying and painful for you ; but it will be at the same time gratifying to see the respect and regret evinced by the nation for the memory of one whose character and intellectual abilities marked him as one of the most distinguished statesmen of my TO THE CLOSE. 305 reign. I shall ever gratefully remember his devotion and zeal in all that concerned my personal welfare and that of my family. "Victoria, R.I." A few weeks in the spring of the year were passed at Cimiez. Shortly after her return Her Majesty paid a visit to the Queen's College, Harley Street. The occasion was the jubilee of the foundation of an institution in which as patron the Queen was warmly interested. The chief event in which Her Majesty took a public part was, however, the review at Aldershot in July. Keenly sensitive, both as Queen and woman, to the sufferings of those who served the Empire, she had already, on the nth of January, visited the soldiers wounded in the Indian Frontier War at the Military Hospital of Netley. A second visit was paid on May the 14th, when two of the men received from their Sovereign the Victoria Cross, the highest reward for bravery in the field. Nor were older members of the service forgotten. On the i6th of May, in the great quadrangle of Windsor Castle, a body of one hundred and five veteran sailors and soldiers who had served in the Crimean Campaign and the arduous work of the suppression of the Indian Mutiny were inspected by Her Majesty. These men were all members of an association established for their benefit at the city of Bristol. 20 3o6 QUEEN VICTORIA. Two months later, on the 6th of Jul}^, Her Majesty paid a visit to Aldershot, when the newly- raised third battalion of the Coldstream Guards re- ceived their colours from her hands. The next day a force of 12,000 troops of all arms was reviewed. Another military ceremony closed the events of the year. At Balmoral, on the 2gth of October, the Queen marked her recognition of the services of that distinguished corps, the Cameron Highlanders, which had up to this date remained the only regiment in the army with a single battalion, by presenting new colours to its newly-raised second battalion. In the early spring of i8gg the Queen again paid a visit to Cimiez. Both going and returning in the previous year, the crossing to Cherbourg had been delayed by boisterous weather. A new route was therefore adopted, and the passage across the Channel was made by the Calais-Dotivres, in place of the royal yacht, from Folkestone to Boulogne, a port which Her Majesty had not entered since 1855. On the journey to Nice the train was stopped at Toulon, To the Sous-Prefet of the Department the Queen expressed the regret with which she had heard the news of the disastrous and fatal explosion which had recently occurred at the ammunition depot, and gave' a contribution towards the relief of the sufferers and those who had been left destitute. The sojourn in the South was prolonged till the beginning of May, TO THE CLOSE. 307 as Her Majesty received much benefit from the climate of the Riviera. On the 15th of May the Queen, accompanied by Princess Henry of Battenberg, arrived in London, and on her way to Buckingham Palace visited her birthplace and early home at Kensington Palace. Here, as has been previously recorded, the first news was brought of her accession to the throne ; and here she first sat in Council with those relations and statesmen, who have all now passed away. These rooms, full of memories, have by Her Majesty's gracious permission been opened to all her subjects, who now may wander where William and Mary lived, where Queen Anne dined in her curious little parlour, and where the Hanoverian monarchs held their court. In another room the Queen was christened, and else- where in the palace relics of her infancy are preserved in the same room in which years afterwards the Duchess of York first saw light. But it was not only to revive the memories of her childhood and youth that Her Majesty visited her capital. On the 17th of the same month the founda- tion of the new buildings of what had been known as the South Kensington Museum was laid by the Queen in state. The new building received the name of the Victoria and Albert Museum, in memory of the Sovereign, in whose reign it was founded, and of her illustrious Consort, to whose foresight and 3o8 QUEEN VICTORIA. energy its inception and progress are due. The Prince's recognition of the necessity for the improve- ment in the arts of design, and his perseverance in carrying out his ideas in the face of opposition and even of ridicule, were at first misrepresented and mis- understood. It is not so now. The practical value of the Museum has been demonstrated to the full. The first collections of objects of art, workmanship and purity of design, brought together as models for the rising craftsmen who were to rescue British art from the abyss in which, before the new era, it had been allowed to drop, were ignominiously housed and poorly exhibited. A period of nearly half a century has, however, passed since the day of the old " Brompton Boilers". Now in the great galleries of the new museum is collected a wealth of historical and artistic treasures unsurpassed in completeness by any collection in the world. It is not only from an archaeological point of view that its richness must be estimated. Every class has been arranged, and every specimen of each class collected to exhibit the progress of design, and to afford instruction to the student and the craftsman. The 24th of May was the Queen's eightieth birth- day. Throughout the whole Empire — that is, in eveiy portion of the globe — it was celebrated with the most loyal enthusiasm. Nor were the United States of America lacking in their generous congratulations, TO THE CLOSE. 309 To Her Majesty herself it was a day of happiness. Surrounded by sons and daughters, grand and great- grandchildren, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, she sat after breakfast in the window of her room in the great quadrangle of Windsor Castle and listened to a performance in honour of the day given by the Windsor and Eton Madrigal and Choral Society, conducted by Sir Walter Parratt. They sang " God save the Queen," the Queen's Jubilee Hymn written by Bishop Walsham How, a four-part song by Men- delssohn, and madrigals composed by Sir W. Parratt and Mr. Elgar. The great quadrangle was filled by the Mayor and Corporation of Windsor, the Military Knights and the Eton College Volunteer Battalion, among them Prince Arthur of Connaught, behind whom were massed the whole body of the masters and boys of the college. After three cheers had been given for the Queen with the vigour of school- boys. Her Majesty came to the window and said, " I am very much pleased, and I thank you very much ". At noon the second battalion of the Scots Guards formed up on the lawn opposite the east terrace and fired a feu de joie, after which they marched past the Queen, who was seated below the terrace in her pony carriage. The Duke of Connaught, colonel of the regiment, stood by her side, accompanied by his brother, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and his nephew, the Grand Duke of Hesse. Immediately 310 QUEEN VICTORIA. afterwards Her Majesty planted a young oak tree in the grounds as a memorial of her birthday. In the evening, after a large family dinner party in the castle, a special performance of Lohengrin was given by the Covent Garden Opera Company in the Waterloo Gallery, which had been fitted up as a theatre for that purpose, M. Jean de Reszke taking the principal part. At the close of the performance Her Majesty's guests were received in the green drawing-room. On the Friday following, the Queen left Windsor for Balmoral, where she met with an equally cordial reception. Before leaving for the North, Her Majesty returned her thanks for the affection and loyalty with which her subjects had greeted her. Her message was in the following terms : " The number of congratula- tory telegrams and letters received by the Queen from all parts of the world is so overwhelming that it will not be possible to answer them individually. Her Majesty therefore takes this opportunity of expressing her heartfelt thanks for all these testi- monies of loyalty and affection, the receiving of which has deeply touched and gratiiied Her Majesty." At Balmoral, on the 2gth of September, the Queen presented new colours to the second battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders. This, as it proved, was the last peaceful act of the Sovereign as head of the army. The air was charged with rumours of impending danger to TO THE CLOSE. 311 the peace of the Empire. A few days later came the explosion. On the loth of October the Secretary of State for the Transvaal presented to the British agent at Pretoria an ultimatum demanding that all British troops should be instantly withdrawn from the borders, that those who had arrived after the ist of June should be removed from South Africa, and that those who were at that time on the high seas should not be landed in any South African port. The ultimatum was virtually a declaration of war. On the nth of October the period allowed by the Transvaal for the withdrawal of British troops ex- pired ; the Boers invaded Natal ; at the same time the President of the Orange Free State proclaimed war against Gi'eat Britain. The ne.xt day the hostile forces came into collision. Sympathy for this country in her hour of struggle was not wanting. Its most touching proof was the gift of a perfectly equipped hospital ship, the Maine, which was offered by a number of American ladies and others who were not unmindful of British sym- pathy in their conl^ict with the forces of Spain. A representative number of the subscribers were re- ceived by Her Majesty at "Windsor, and received from her own lips the assurance of her deep gratitude for their timely gift. The Queen's sympathy with her people and espe- cially with her army was conspicuously displayed on 312 QUEEN VICTORIA. her return from Balmoral to Windsor in November. She had travelled all through the night on the long journey from the Highlands. But, within a few hours from her arrival, she was at the Spital barracks to inspect and to say farewell to the regiment of House- hold Cavalry, which she had permitted to be formed for active service in South Africa. When the officers were presented to the Queen, Her Majesty, speaking in a clear and distinct voice, said to them : " I have asked you, who have always served near me, to come here that I might take leave of you before you start on your long voyage to a distant part of my Empire, in whose defence your comrades are now so nobly fighting. I know that you will always do your duty to your Sovereign and country, wherever that duty may lead you, and I pray God to protect you and bring you back safely home." These words were received with a burst of cheers from officers and men, who in a few hours left for the seat of war. Four days later, on the 15th of November, the Queen paid a state visit to Bristol, and there opened a Convalescent Home which had been erected as a memorial of the Jubilee. Her Majesty, who had not visited the city since 1830, when she was a girl of eleven, received from the citizens an enthusiastically loyal greeting. The Queen returned the same day to Windsor, where, on the 20th, she had the gratifi- cation of welcoming the German Emperor and Em- TO THE CLOSE. 313 press. In their honour, on the following day, a state banquet was given in St. George's Hall. But the festivities were marred by a note of sorrow. On the 24th the Queen received the sad news of the death of her much-loved relation, the Princess of Leiningen, with whom she had always lived on terms of the closest and most affectionate intimacy. The weeks that followed were a time of gloom and suspense. At no time during her long reign did the Queen more accurately interpret the feelings of her subjects. Never did she so closely identify herself with their anxieties. Never did she show more self- sacrificing devotion m meeting the new claims which the war imposed upon her energies. Feeling deeply the sufferings of her soldiers abroad, the Queen's heart went out to the wives and children they had left be- hind them at home. Her usual visit to Osborne, where she had for many years spent Christmas, was postponed, and on Boxing Day the families of the men of the Guards stationed at Windsor were enter- tained in St. George's Hall. A splendid Christmas tree, hung with hundreds of toys and gifts of every de- scription, and illuminated with the electric light, was provided for their amusement. The Queen, who was present in her chair, heartily enjoyed the scene. The wives of the soldiers were all brought up to her with their children. To the little ones she gave her presents with her own hands, and showed the greatest 314 QUEEN VICTORIA. pleasure when they thronged round her and proved in their artless way their delight in their toys. At long tables the children were afterwards feasted in the ancient hall, which had been for many centuries the scene of the banquets of the Knights of the Garter. On the 28th Her Majesty left the Castle to spend the New Year in the Isle of Wight. From Osborne she despatched messages of sympathy to the heroic defenders of Ladysmith and to the City Imperial Volunteers, who had come forward so bravely to the support of Her Majesty's regular forces. On the 21st of January arrived the news of the sudden death of the Duke of Teck, the father of the Duchess of York and of three sons all serving their Sovereign in the war. He had never recovered the shock of the loss of his wife, and, from the time of her death, had lived in retirement at Richmond. The loth of February, igoo, was an anniversary of sorrowful interest. On that day, sixty years before, the Queen had been united to her beloved husband, whose untimely end, twenty-two years afterwards, left Her Majesty alone in the world. But the ever- returning and deepening sense of personal desolation only increased her sympathy with the sorrows and sufferings of her subjects, who were now united by a common anxiety for the future of the South African war. Her Majesty repeatedly visited the hospital at TO THE CLOSE. 315 Netley, and on her return to Windsor made a long visit to the Herbert Hospital at Woolwich. This hospital, holding some 400 patients, had never been previously seen by the Queen, and of the vast crowds that cheered her on the route few had before had an opportunity of greeting their Sovereign. Some days earlier the Queen came to London, and during her stay at Buckingham Palace took the opportunity of receiving the welcome of her subjects by daily drives through all parts of the city. The siege of Ladysmith had just been raised, and the cheers were the more hearty because the people knew that their Queen had come among them to share their jo}^ During her stay in London Her Majesty inspected her Guards at Buckingham Palace, and again at Windsor, where she also reviewed the detachment of Royal Berkshire Volunteers who were proceeding to the front. The Queen had, according to her custom of late years, intended to spend the early spring in the south of France, the climate of which had always proved beneficial. But this year, though repose and change were more than ever necessary, Her Majesty refused to leave her own people, and announced her intention to spend some weeks in Ireland. It was a gracious and tactful proposal, which was received on every side with a burst of appreciative gratitude. The whole nation was feelingly alive to the splendid valour exhibited in the war by the gallant Irish troops, whose 3i6 QUEEN VICTORIA. conduct the Queen had recognised by an order that the national emblem should be worn by all Irish regiments on St. Patrick's Day, and it was felt that this visit would mark still further the confidence Her Majesty felt in the loyalty of the great mass of the Irish people. Nor was this confidence misplaced. The Queen's son, the Duke of Connaught, had already been welcomed as Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in Ireland, and the advent of the Queen herself was anticipated with real enthusiasm. On the 3rd of April the royal yacht left Holyhead. On the follow- ing day the Queen entered Dublin amid cheers even louder than those which had welcomed her when she last visited the capital, forty years before. From Kingstown a dense mass of people extended for ten miles to the city with waving banners and shouts of welcome. At the city gate, which was represented by a turreted archway reproducing one of the ancient gates, the cortege was halted, while the Athlone Pursuivant-at-arms demanded admission. At his summons the gates were opened wide, and the Queen passed through to be welcomed by the Lord Mayor with an address and to receive from his hands the sword of state and the ancient keys of the city. Through the cheering crowds Her Majesty passed on to the Viceregal Lodge, where she was received by the Lord Lieutenant and Lady Cadogan. Along the route no jarring note was struck. The inbred TO THE CLOSE. 317 politeness of the nation would have brooked no insult to their august visitor and Sovereign. During her visit the Queen pursued her usual routine, taking exercise in the private grounds of the lodge in the morning and devoting the afternoons to drives through Dublin or the outskirts. On the 7th of April there was a monster gathering of over 50,000 children, brought together from all parts of the country, many from very long distances. They were arranged in two great divisions on either side of the drive, and behind them was a dense mass of spectators. The children of the Lady Mayoress presented Her Majesty with a basket of lilies of the valley and violets entwined with shamrock. Another afternoon was passed in a visit to Kil- mainham Hospital, where one hundred and forty veterans were inspected. The senior, Hugh Ma- gorian, a few months older than the Queen, wore the medal for Ghuznee, the first which was issued in her reign. A far larger and more imposing scene was a review in the Phoenix Park of the troops of the Dublin Garrison, reinforced by the sailors of the Channel Squadron and the Marines. There were in all about 7,000 troops, and a smart contingent was furnished by the boys of the Royal Hibernian School. The homeward voyage was made from Kingstown to Holyhead on the 26th of April. Before leaving Ireland the Queen conferred baronetcies on the Lord 3i8 QUEEN VICTORIA. Majors of Dublin and Belfast, and knighthoods on the Mayors of Cork and Londonderry, the former also receiving the title of Lord Mayor. One lasting com- memoration of this visit will be the formation of a new regiment of Irish Guards, who may be sure to emulate, as defenders of the Sovereign, the heroic achievements of a race of soldiers. The Queen arrived at Windsor on the 27th of April by no means distressed with the journey. Im- mediately before her departure, and on the day of her arrival in Ireland, two events had happened, which to a mother who watched with such tender care every incident in the lives of her children must have caused her pleasure and distress. On the 31st of March news was received of the birth of a third son to the Duke and Duchess of York. The other event was of a different nature, and the Queen heard with dismay that on the day of her landing at Kingstown a dastardly attempt had been made on the life of the Prince of Wales, while he and the Princess were passing through Brussels. Fortunately the attempt failed ; but it naturally excited a deep and widespread indignation throughout the land. On the 2nd of May the men of H.M.S. Powerful, who formed part of the force besieged at Ladysmith, were inspected by the Queen in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle. They were under the command of Captain the Hon. H. Lambton, and on the ground was TO THE CLOSE. 319 General Sir George White, who had received from the Queen shortl3' before the Grand Cordon of the Victorian Order. After the inspection and march past of the men with their guns, Her Majesty, ad- dressing Captain Lambton, said : " I wish you heartily welcome on 3'our return home after the great trials you have so nobly borne, and I thank you warmly for the great service you have rendered to your Queen and the Empire ". Captain Lambton made a brief but effective reply. The men were entertained by Her Majesty in the Riding School of the Castle, and on their return, as on their arrival at Windsor, were cheered in the heartiest way by the crowds of spec- tators who had flocked into the Royal borough. On the loth of May the Queen went to Buckingham Palace and there held the only Drawing Room at which she had been present during the season. At the close of the week she returned to Windsor. Thence, on the 17th, a visit was paid to the wounded at Netley, where the Queen saw over six hundred men who had taken part in the war, and, stopping at each bedside, gave to its occupant a bunch of flowers with words of kindness and sympathy. On the next da}', in the private chapel at Windsor, the infant son of the Duke of York was christened in the presence of the Queen and of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The solemn rite was celebrated by the Bishop of Winchester, Clerk of the Closet. The sponsors were 320 QUEEN VICTORIA. the Queen, Princess Henry of Battenberg, the Duches: of Cumberland, represented by the Princess of Wales Princess Charles of Denmark, represented by Princesi Victoria of Wales ; the German Emperor, represente( by Prince Albrecht of Prussia ; Prince George of Greece represented by the Prince of Wales ; Prince Alexande of Teck, represented by the Duke of Cambridge ; am Lord Roberts, represented by Sir Dighton Probyn. Th Queen, receiving the infant from Lady Eva Dugdale placed him in the arms of the Bishop and gave him th names of Henry William Frederick Albert. On the igth of May came the news of the relie of the garrison of Mafeking. The same day th Queen paid a visit to Wellington College, where he grandson. Prince Alexander of Battenberg, the eldes son of Princess Beatrice, had just commenced hi career. On the 22nd the Queen left to keep her birthday £ usual at Balmoral, the official celebration of whic took place in London on the 23rd. Before her di parture Her Majesty inspected the reinforcemen of the 1st Battalion of Grenadier Guards, who wei on the way to join their comrades in South Afric The stay on the Deeside was not prolonged and wi without incident, and on the 20th of June the Cou returned to Windsor. On the 26th of June a pe formance of Cavalleria Rusticana, with a selection fro Carmen, was given in the Waterloo Gallery, whii TO THE CLOSE. 321 the Queen heartily enjoyed, afterwards receiving her guests in the Green Drawing Room. It had been expected that the Khedive of Egypt, who had arrived in the country, would have been present, but he was still suffering from illness on board the royal yacht. It was not till the 28th that His Highness was suf- ficiently recovered to travel to Windsor and pay his respects to the Queen, who gave a State dinner in his honour in the evening, and before his departure next morning invested him with the Victorian Order. On the nth lof July the Queen ^travelled from Windsor, on an ideal day of typical Queen's weather, to meet her guests lini the gardens of Buckingham Palace. On the i6th of July another opera was given in the Waterloo Gallery, which Her Majesty seemed to enjoy equally with that of three weeks previously, and sat, without any sign of undue fatigue, through the whole performance of Faust. On the 20th the Court was moved to Osborne. All the arrangements which had been made for this visit were cancelled when, on the 31st, came the news of the death of Her Majesty's second son, the Duke^of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, better known in England as the Duke of Edinburgh. He had been for some time in delicate health, and had been obliged to forego his intended visit to this country ; but though the Queen knew of his serious condition, the suddenness of the blow was terrible. All the sympathy of her own family and 21 322 QVEEN VICTORIA. of the nation at large went out to her in her sorrow. The bereaved mother bore herself with her wonted bravery. There was no remission of her daily labour in the duties she was called upon to perform for the State, though the heaviness of her heart was increased by the anxiety caused by the illness of her eldest daughter, the Empress Frederick, and by the tragic news from abroad of the assassination of the King of Italy. Reports from the war in South Africa and the crisis in China were also matters which increased the tension of affairs, and perhaps at no time in the course of her long life did so many grave and various questions simultaneously demand the attention of the Queen and of her ministers. On Friday, the 28th of September, the Queen left Osborne for Balmoral. Before leaving, Her Majesty had received a visit of condolence from the Empress Eug6nie, entertained the inmates of the Convalescent Home for Soldiers at East Cowes, and given rewards and decorations to officers and men who had dis- tinguished themselves in her service. In the North there were no festivities. The annual gathering at Braemar was abandoned, and it was hoped that the congenial air of her Highland home might per- manently benefit Her Majesty's health, which was already beginning to cause some anxiety among her immediate attendants. Public duties were performed with the same scrupulous attention as ever. First TO THE CLOSE. 323 among these duties was the recognition of the great fact of the consolidation of the Austrahan Common- wealth. In assenting to the proposal that the Duke of York, accompanied by his Duchess, should bear Her Majesty's commission to open the first session of the Parliament of the Commonwealth in her own name, the Queen's words were that she " fully re- cognises the greatness of the occasion which will bring her colonies of Australia into federal union, and desires to give this special proof of her interest in all that concerns the welfare of her Australian subjects. Her Majestj' at the same time wishes to signify her sense of the loyalty and devotion which have prompted the spontaneous aid so liberally offered by all the colonies in the South African War, and of the splendid gallantry of the colonial troops." Her Majesty's message to her Australian soldiers was shortly followed by a similar recognition of the services of the West African Field Force and of the Indian Army. A detachment of the West African Field Force was received at Balmoral and marched past the Queen on the lawn. With the Yorubas were sixteen of the Queen's own Madras Sappers and Miners, to whom Her Majesty said : " I am ver}' pleased to see you here. I am very proud of my Indian Army, and watch with the greatest interest the excellent work they have been doing not only in Africa, but also in China." 324 QUEEN VICTORIA. Towards the end of the month the Earl of Hopc- toun, who ihad for some years served the office of Lord Chamberlain of the Household, paid a visit to the castle to,;, resign that office and kiss hands on his appointment as first Governor-General of the Com- monwealth of Australia. He was invested by the Queen with the Order of the Thistle. In October a fresh sorrow fell upon the -Queen. On the 29th of that month arrived the news of the death of Prince Christian Victor, the eldest son of Prince Christian of; Schleswig - Holstein and the Queen's third daughter, the Princess Christian. Born on the 14th of April, 1867, and brought up under Her Majesty's eye, he had always shown her the most affectionate devotion. A keen soldier, an excellent cricketer, popular both with his brother officers and his men. Prince Christian Victor had seen much active service. His death in South Africa cut short a promising career. The Queen, anxious to see and console her daughter, returned from Scotland somewhat earlier than usual, and arrived at Windsor on the 7th of November. It was apparent to all who had been accustomed to see her that her strength was not what it had been when she left the South, and there was a lack of the old liveliness and keen interest in all around. Still, whenever occasion demanded, the indomitable will and sense of duty prevailed. TO THE CLOSE. 325 On the i6th of November the Queen, who had bidden God-speed to so many of her soldiers, had the satisfaction of welcoming some of her troops on their homeward voyage. Fitly enough, the Colonial detachment, which had so loyally rallied to the assistance of the British forces, was among the first to receive Her Majesty's greetings. They were re- ceived by Her Majesty in St. George's Hall, and marched past by groups, each representing a colony. Addressing the men, the Queen said : " It is with the greatest pleasure I welcome you here to-day, and I thank you for all your loyal services. I wish you God-speed and a safe return." These words were received with the typical Colonial cheers. The Queen had already held a private reception of the detachment of the First Life Guards, quartered at Windsor, on their return from South Africa ; and on the 30th there was a special parade in the Great Quadrangle of the Second Canadian Regiment, which had just arrived on its homeward way and had been ordered to Windsor that they might see the Queen and receive her thanks for their loyalty. Her Majesty addressed them as follows : "I am very glad to see you here to-day, and to express my warm thanks for the admirable service rendered in the war by the Canadian troops. I wish you all a safe and happy return to your homes." These words were responded to by hearty cheers. Her Majesty spoke for some 326 QUEEN VICTORIA. time to Corporal Armstrong of New Brunswick, who had lost a foot and had followed the troops on crutches, and, as she was leaving the Quadrangle, she gave the Vicar of Windsor a special message to the widow of one of the men of the Life Guards who had died on the voyage home. On the r2th of December the Queen made her last pubhc appearance in Windsor, when she paid a visit to an exhibition and sale of Irish work at the Town Hall. Here Her Majesty showed a keen in- terest in the various articles, of which she bought a large number. The 14th was the anniversary of the death of the Prince Consort. The Queen attended, at the Mausoleum, for the last time, the solemn service which has been held there on that day ever since the stately edifice was raised. On the i8th the Queen left for Osborne, where it was hoped that change of air would restore Her Majesty's strength, and also alleviate the distress of sleepless- ness which had of late been a serious trouble. But this was not to be. Preparations had been made for the usual entertainments for children and depen- dants. But on Christmas morning it was found that Jane, Lady Churchill, Her Majesty's Lady-in-Wait- ing, and one of her life-long friends, had passed away in her sleep. The blow was a heavy one, and it made a sad and sorrowful end to a year of accumulated sorrow. The successive shocks, which had been felt TO THE CLOSE. 327 acutely by the Queen, were, at her advanced age, almost more than any human frame could be expected to endure. To the deaths of her son, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, of her grandson, Prince Christian Victor, and now of Lady Churchill, may be added the critical illness of the Empress Frederick, the assas- sination of the King of Italy, and the attempt on the life of the Prince of Wales. The nation prayed fervently that the opening of a new century might bring renewed health and happiness to the Sovereign, with the blessings of peace and prosperity to all the people of her Empire. Here it was intended that this brief summary of the personal history of our Queen should end ; but while the pages were passing through the press came news of the illness with which the life of Her Majesty was threatened and of the hopeless nature of its result. A few more words, therefore, have been added to bring the narrative to a conclusion. On the first day of January, igoi, the new Com- monwealth of Australia was formally inaugurated— one of the most important events that has happened in the history of the Empire, the influence of which will be felt in the future of the world. Her Majesty was spared to witness this great acquisition to her realm, the translation into a constitutional fact of the personal veneration with which she was regarded by her colonial subjects. 328 QUEEN VICTORIA. On the 2nd the Queen had the gratification of re- ceiving Field-Marshal Lord Roberts on his return from his victorious campaign 'in South Africa. Her Majesty, in recognition of his services, conferred upon him an earldom, and herself presented him with the Order of the Garter. On another day Mr. Chamber- lain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, was received in audience by Her Majesty, This was the last inter- view the Queen had with any of her ministers. The 15th of January is memorable as being the last day on which the Queen passed through the gates of Osborne. She was accompanied by the widowed Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and from that day none but her immediate attendants were privileged to see her alive. The Court Circular of the igth announced : " The Queen is suffering from great physical prostration, accompanied by symptoms that cause great anxiety ". After this the progress of the decay was steady, and no reassuring news came to console ^ the anxious beating of the heart of the whole nation. On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 22nd, came the message, "The Queen is slowly sinking, " and at 6.30 p.m. Queen Victoria passed away, surrounded by her, children and grand- children. Of the life of the Queen and the great and wide- spread influence she exercised over the history of her own and other peoples, no less by the purity of her TO THE CLOSE. 329 life than by the integrity and wisdom she brought to bear on the conduct of affairs, the story has yet to be written. No finer or more eloquent tributes could be paid to her memory than the speeches of her ministers in the Houses of Parliament ; no more touching proof of the love with which she had inspired her people could be given than the depth and sincerity of grief which found spontaneous expression in uni- versal mourning. In her all grieved for a friend as well as a sovereign ; they had sympathised with her in her joys and had shared her sorrows, for they knew that her life and strength had been spent in their service. To the ordinary toiler come intervals for leisure and stated periods of repose. To the Queen these never came. By the placid waters of the Solent and the rushing stream of the Dee the same rigorous routine was invariably pursued, and though, as the years passed on, the pressure of work increased, as the Empire enlarged and family duties became heavier, yet no relaxation was allowed. The same careful thought was bestowed as in earlier years on every matter brought before her for decision or ad- vice. No subject was too large, no detail too minute for her attention. Whether matters of State had to be discussed or arrangements of family or household to be decided, all were settled with a soundness of judgment and an invariable kindness of heart which commanded the admiration of statesmen and the love 21* 330 QUEEN VICTORIA. and reverence of those to whom fell the privilege of attendance upon her. She died full of years, retaining her faculties to the last, till body and brain gave way together, worn out by unremitting and anxious labour for her people's good. No sovereign who has ever ruled will be regretted more deeply or mourned more sincerely than Queen Victoria ; and her monument will be in the hearts of her subjects, in the ideal of sovereignty which she created, and in the undying tradition by which her name will be hallowed while the Empire shall endure. THE ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY PRESS LIMITED. Messrs. LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.'S CLASSIFIED CATALOGUE WORKS IN GENERAL LITERATURE. History, Politics, Polity, Political Memoirs, &c. Abbott.— A History of Greece. By Evelyn Abbott, M.A., LLD. Part I. — From the Earliest Times to the Ionian Revolt. Crown 8vo., loj-. 6c/. Part 11. — 500-445 B.C. Cr. 8vo., los. 6d. Part III. — From the Peace of 445 B.C. to the Fall of the Thirty at Athens in 403 B.C. Crown 8vo., 105. 6d. Acland and Ransome.— A Hand- book IN Outline of the Political History of England to 1896. Chro- nologically .Arranged. By the Right Hon. .\. H. Dyke Acland, and Cyril Ransome, M.A Crown 8vo., 6s. Amos.— Primer of the English Constitution and Government. For the Use of Colleges, Schools, and Private Students. By Sheldon Amos, M.A. Cr. 8vo.,6j-. ANNUAL REGISTER (THE), A Re- view of Public Events at Home and Abroad, for the year 1899. 8vo. , i8j. Volumes of the Annual Register for the years 1863-1898 can still be had. i8j. each. Arnold. — Introductory Lectures on Modern History. By Thomas Arnold, D.D., formerly Head Master of Rugby School. 8vo,, yj. 6d, Ashbourne.— Pitt : Some Chapters on His Life and Times. By the Right Hon. Edward Gibson, Lord Ashbourne, Lord Chancellor of Ire- land. With II Portraits. 8vo. ,2ij. Atkinson.— Michel de l'Hospital : being the Lothian Prize Essay for 1899. By C. T. Atkinson, Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford ; formerly Demy of Magdalen College. Crown 8vo, , 4J. net. Baden-Powell.— The Indian- Village Community. Examined with Reference to the Physical, Ethno- graphic, and Historical Conditions of the Provinces ; chiefly on the Basis of the Revenue-Settlement Recordsand District Manuals. By B. H. B.^den-Povvell, M.A., CLE. With Map, 8vo.,i6j. Bag-well.— Ireland under the Tudors. By Richard B.^gwei.l LL.D {3V0IS.) Vols. I. andll. From the first invasion of the Northmen to the year 1578, 8vo., saj. Vol. III. 1578- 1603. 8vo., i8j. Besaut. — The History of London. By Sir Walter Besant. With 74 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., \s, gd. Or bound as a School Prize Book, 2s. 6d. Brassey (Lord).— Papers and Ad- dresses. Naval and Maritime, 1872-1893. 2 vols. Crown 8vo. , 10s. Mercantile Marine and Naviga- tion, from 1871-1894. Cr. Svo. , 55. Imperial Federation and Coloni- sation from 1880-1894. Crown Svo. , 55. Political AND Mlscellaneous, 1861- 1894. Crown 8vo., 5J. Bright.- A History of England. By the Rev. J. Franck Bright, D.D. Period I. Medi.«val Monarchy : A. D. 449-1485. Crown Svo., 4J-. 61!?. Period II. Personal Monarchy: 1485-1688. Crown Svo. , ^s. Period III. Constitutional Mon- archy: 1689-1S37. Cr. Svo., js. 6d. Period IV. The Growth of Demo- cracy : 1837-1S80. Crown 8vo., 6i. Buckle.- History of Civilisation in England, France, Spain, and Scotland. By Henry Thomas Buckle. 3 vols. Crown 8vo., 24s. Burke. — A History of Spain, from the Earhest Times to the Death of Ferdi- nand the Catholic. By Ulick Ralph Burke, M.A. Edited by Martin A. S. Hume. With 6 Maps. 2 vols. Crown Svo. , 16s. net. Chesney. — Indian Polity: a View of the System of Administration in India. By General .Sir George Chesney, K.C. B. With Map showing all the .'Administrative Divisions of Bi-itish India. Svo, , 21s. 2 LONGMANS AND CO.' S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. History, Politics, Polity, Political Memoirs, &c. — continued. Gardiner (Samuel Rawson, D.C.L. Churchill (Winston Spencer). The River War : an Historical Ac- count of the Reconquest of the Soudan. Edited by Colonel F, Rhodes, D.S.O. With 34 Maps and 51 Illustrations, also 7 Portraits. 2 vols. Medium 8vo., 36.T. The Story of the Malakand Field Force, 1897. With 6 Maps and Plans. Crown 8vo. , 3J. ^d. London to Ladysmith viA Pre- toria. With 3 Folding-out Maps and I Map and 4 Plans in the Te.xt. Crown 8vo. , 6j. Corbett.— Drake and the Tudor Navy, with a History of the Ri.se of Eng- land as a Maritime Power. By Julian S. Corbett. With Portraits,, Illustra- tions and Maps. 2 vols. Crown 8vo. , i6.f. Creighton (M., D.D. , Lord Bishop of London). A History ok the Papacy from the Great Schism to the Sack of Rome (1378-1527). 6 vols. Cr. 8vo., 6j" each. Queen Elizabeth. With Portrait. Crown 8vo. , bs. Curzon.— Persia and the Persian Question. By the Right Hon. Lord Curzon OF Kedleston. With 9 Maps, 96 Illustrations, Appendices, and an In- dex. 2 vols. 8vo. 42J. De Tocqueville.-— Democracy in America. By Alexis de Tocque- ville. Translated by Henry Reeve, C.B., D.C.L. 2 vols. Cr. 8vo., i6j. Dickinson.— The Development of Parliament during the Nine- teenth Century By G. Lowes Dickinson, M.A. Svo. , ts. 6d. Proude (James A.). The History of England, from the Fall of Wolsey to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada. 12 vols. Crown Svo. , 3J. 6d. each. The Divorce of Catherine of Ara- GON. Crown 8vo. , ^. 6d. The Spanish Story of the Armada, and other Essays. Cr. Svo , y. 6d. The English in Irf.i.and in the Eighteenth Centui^y. 3 vols. Crown Svo. , loj. 6d. English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century. Crown Svo., 6s. The Council of Trent. Cr.Svo. .si.Oo'. Short Studies on Great Si.jjects. 4 vols. Cr. 8vo., 3.^. 6d. each. CAESAR : a Sketch. Cr. Svo. , y. 6(« ll.d.; History of England, from the Ac. cession of James I. to the Outbreak of the Civil War, 1603-1642. 10 vols. Crown Svo. , 6s. each. A History of the Great Civil War, 1642-1649. 4 vols. Cr. Svo.. 6j. each A History of the Commonwealth AND the Protectorate, 1649-1660. Vol. I., 1649-1651. With 14 Maps. Svo.,2i.r. Vol. II., 1651-1654. With 7 Maps. Svo. , 21J. What Gunpowder Plot Was. With 8 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., sj. Cromwell's Place in History. Founded on Si.x Lectures delivered in the University of Oxford. Crown Svo.. 3j. 6d. The Student's Histoeyof England. With 378 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , 121, Also in Three Volumes, price 45. each. Vol. I. B.C. 55-A.D. 1509. 173 Illus- trations. Vol. 11 1509- 1689 96 Illustrations. Vol. HI. 1639-18S5. 109 Illustrations, Greville. — A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV., King William IV., AND Queen Victoria. Bv Charles C. F. Greville, formerly Clerk of the Council. 8 vols. Crown 8vo., 3.f. 6d. each HARVARD HISTORICAL STUDIES: The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870. By W. E. B. Du Bois, Ph.D. Zm.,^s.(xl.. The Contest over the Ratifica- tion OF the Federal Constitu- tion IN Massachusetts. By S. B. Harding, A.M. Svo., bs. A Critical Study of Nullification IN South Carolina. By D. F. Houston, A.M. 8vo.,6j. Nominations for Elective Office IN THE United States. By Fred- erick W. Dallinger, A.m. Svo., 7s. 6d. A Bibliography of British Muni- cipal History, including Gilds and Parliamentary Representation. By Charles Gross. Ph.D. Svo, 12s. The Liberty and Free Soil Pas- ties IN the North-West. By Theodore C. Smith, Ph.D. 8vo., ys. 6d. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS.. History, Politics, Polity, Political Memoirs, &c. — continued. HiRYARD HISTORICAL STUDIES— cow/. The Provincial Governor in the English Colonies op North America By Evarts Bouteli. Greene. 8vo. , ys. 6d. The County Palatine of Durham : a Study in Constitutional History. By Gaillard Thomas Lapsley, Ph.D. 8vo., T.OS. 6d. *^* Other Volumes are in preparation. Hammond.— A Woman's Part in a Revolution. By Mrs. John Hays Hammond, Crown 8vo. , 2j. 6d. Historic To-wns.— Edited by E. A. Freeman, D.C.L., and Rev. William Hunt, M.A. With Maps and Plans. Crown 8vo., 3^. 6d. each. Bristol. By Rev. W. London. By Rev. W Hunt. Carlisle. By Mandell Creighlon, D.D. Cinque Ports. By Montagu Burrows. Colchester. By Rev. E. L. Cutts. Exeter. By Freeman. Hunter. — A India. By J . Loftie. Oxford. By Rev. C. W. Boase Winchester. By G. W. Kitchin, D.D. York. By Rev. James Raine. NewYorlt. By Theo- dore Roosevelt. E. A. Boston (U.S.). By ! Henry Cabot Lodge. History of British Sir William Wilson Hunter, K.C.S.I., M.A., LL.D. Vol I.— Introductory to the Overthrow of the English in the Spice .Archipelago, 1623. With 4 Maps. Bvo., i8j. Joyce (P. W., LL.D.). A Short History of Ireland, from the Earliest Times to 1603. Crown Bvo. , loj. 6d. A Child's History of Ireland, from the Earliest Times to the Death of O'Connell. With specially constructed Map and 160 Illustrations, including Facsimile in full colours of an illumin- ated page of the Gospel Book of MacDurnan, A.D. 850. Fcp. Bvo.. 3J. 6d. Kaye and Malleson.— History of the Indian Mutiny, 1857-1858. By Sir John W. Kaye and Colonel G. B. Malleson. With Analytical Index and Maps and Plans. 6 vols. Crown 8vo. , 3J, 6d. each. Kent.— The English Radicals: an Historical Sketch. By C. B. Roylance Kent. Crown 8vo. , js. bd. Lang.— The Companions of Pickle : Being a Sequel to ' Pickle the Spy '. By Andrew Lang. With4 Plata! Bvo.,i6j. Leeky (The Rt. Hon. William E. H.). History of England in the Eigh- teenth Century. Library Edition. 8 vols. Bvo. Vols. I. and II., 1700-1760, 36J. Vols. III. and IV., 1760-1784, 36.T. Vols. V. and VI., 1784-1793, 36,^. Vols. VII. and VIII., 1793-1B00, 36.?. Cabinet Edition. England. 7 vols. Cr, Bvo., 6s. each. IRELAND. s vols. Crown 8vo., 65. each. History of European Morals from Augustus to Charlemagne. 2 vols Crown 8vo. , I2J. History OF THE Rise and Influence OF THE Spirit of Rationalism in Europe. 2 vols. Crown 8vo. , 12J. Democracy and Liberty. Library Edition. 2 vols. Bvo., 36J. Cabinet Edition. 2 vols. Cr. 8vo.,l2j. XjO"well.— Governments and Parties IN Continental Europe. By A. Lawrence Lowell. 2 vols. Bvo., 21J. Lytton.— The History of Lord Lyt- ton's Indian Administration, from 1876-1BB0. Compiled from Lettersand Official Papers. Edited by Lady Betty Balfour. With Portrait and Map. Bvo., iZs. Macaulay (Lord). Complete Works. ' Albany ' Edition. With 12 Portraits. 12 vols. Large Crown 8vo. , 3J. 6d. each. ' Edinburgh' Edition. 8 vols. Bvo., 6i. each. Cabinet Edition. 16 vols. PostSvo,, History of England from the Ac- cession ok James the Second. Popular Edition. 2 vols. Cr. 8vo. , s.r. Student's Edit. 2 vols. Cr. 8vo.,i2i. People' s Edition. 4 vols. Cr. Bvo. ,i6j. ' Albany ' Edition. With 6 Portraits. 6 vols. Large Cr. Bvo. , y. bd. each. Cabinet Edition. Bvols. PostSvo. ,48^. ^ Edinburgh' Edition. 4 vols. 8vo., bs. each. Library Edition, s vols. Bvo., ^4. Critical and Historical Essays, WITH Lays of Ancient Rome, etc., in I volume. Popular Edition. Crown Bvo., 21. 6a;. Authorised Edition. Crown 8vo., Q.S. bd. , or gilt edges y. bd. ' Silver Library ' Edition. With Portrait and 4 lllustmtions to the ' Lays ' . Crown Bvo. , ■y. bd. 4 LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL H'ORLCS. History, Politics, Polity: Political Memoirs, &c Macaulay (Lord). — continued. Critical and Historical Essays. Student's Edition, I vol. Cr. 8vo.,6i. people's Edition. 2 vols. Cr. 8vo. , 8i. ^ Trevelvan' Edition. 2 vols. Crown 8vo., 95 Cabinet EditioTi. 4V0ls. PostSvo., 24J. ' Edinburgh ' Edition. 3 vols. 8vo. , 6s. each. Library Edition. 3 vols. 8vo. , 36J. Essays, which may be had separately, sewed, (>d. each ; cloth, k. each Frederick the Gieat. Ranke and Glad- stone. Lord Byron. Lord Clive. Lord Byron, and The Comic Dramatists of the Restoration. Wal- Addison and pole. Croker's Boswell's Johnson. Hallam's Constitu- tional History. Warren Hastings. The Earl of Chat- ham(Two Essays). Miscellaneous Wkitincs. People's Edition, i vol. Cr. 8vo., AS 6d. Library Edition. 2 vols. 8vo. -2ii. Miscellaneous Writings, Speeches AND Poems. Popular Editio7i. Crown 8vo., is. 6d. Cabinet Edition. 4 vols. PostSvo., -z^s. Selections from the Writings of Lord Macaulay. Edited, with Occasional Notes, by the Right Hon continued. Montague.— The Elements of Eng- lish Constitutional History. By F. C. Montague, M. A. Cr. Bvo. , 3^. 6d. Phillips. — South African Recol- lections. By Florence Phillips (Mrs. Lionel Phillips). With 37 Illus- trations from Photographs. 8vo. , yj. 61/. Po"well and Trevelyan. — The Peasants' Rising and the Lol- lards : a Collection of Unpublished Documents, forming an Appendix to 'England in the Age of Wycliffe'. Edited l3y Edgar Powell and G. M. Trevklyan. 8vo., 6s. net. E-ansome.— The Rise TiONAL Government By Cyril Ransome, 8vo. , 6s. OF Constitu- IN England. M. A. Crown Seebohm. — The English Village Community Examined in its Relations to the Manorial and Tribal Systems, &c. By Frederic Seebohm, LL.D. F.S.A. With 13 Maps and Plates. 8vo. , i6j. Sharpe. — London and the Kingdom: a History derived mainly from the Archives at Guildhall in the custody of the Corporation of the City of London. By Reginald R. Sharpe, D.C.L., Re- cords Clerk in the Office of the Town Clerk of the City of London. 3 vols. 8vo. , io.r. 6d. each. Sir G. O. Trevelyan , Bart , Cr. 8vo. , 6i. Maekinnon.— The History of ! Shaw.— A History of the English Edward the Third. By James ^ Church during the Civil Wars M.ACKiNNON, Ph.D., Lecturer on His-' and under the Commonwealth, tory in the University of St. Andrews. 8vo., l8i. May. — The Constitutional History OF England since the Accession of George III, 1760-1870. By Sir Thomas Erskine May, K.C.B. (Lord Farn- borough). 3 vols. Crown Svo. , i8j. Merivale (Charles, D.D.). History of the Romans under the Empire. 8 vols. Cr. Svo. , 31. 6d. each. The Fall of the Roman Republic: a Short History of the Last Century of the Commonwealth. i2mo., yj. 6t/. General History of Rome, from the Foundation of the City to the Fall of Augustulus, B.C. 753-A.D. 476. With 5 Maps. Crown Svo. , ys. 6d. 1640-1660. Litt.D. : By vols. William A. Shaw, 8vo. , 36J. Smith. — Carthage and the Cartha- ginians. By R. BoswORTH Smith, M.A., With Maps, Plans, &c. Cr. Svo. , 3^. 6d. Statham. — The History of the Castle, Town and Port of Dover. By the Rev. S. P. H. Statham. With 4 Plates and 13 lUus. Cr. Svo., los. 6d. Stephens. — A Historyofthe French Revolution. By H. Morse Stephens, Svo. Vols. L and XL, 18.1. each. Stuhbs.— History of the University OF Dublin, from its Foundation to the End of the Eighteenth Century. By J. W. Stubbs. Svo. , 12s. 6d. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. s History, Politics, Polity, Political Memoirs, Stc— continued. Sutherland. — The History of Australia and New Zealand, from 1606-1890. By Alexander Suther- land, M.A. , and Gkorge Suther- land, M.A. Crown 8vo. , 2j. 6d. Taylor. — A Student's Manual of the History of India. By Colonel Meadows Taylor, C.S.I. , &c. Cr. 8vo. , 7i. 6d. Todd. — Parliamentary Government INTHEBrITIShCOLONIES. By.^LPHEUS Todd, LL.D. 8vo. , 30^. net. Trevelyan. — The .American Revolu- tion. Part I. 1766-1776. By the Rt. Hon. Sir G. O. Trevelyan, Bart. 8vo., i6s. Trevelyan.— England in the Age of Wycliffe. By George Macaulay Trevelyan. 8vo. , i$s. Wakeman and Hassall.— Essays Introductory to the Study of English Constitutional History. Edited by Henry Offley Wakeman, M.A., and Arthur Hassall, M.A. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Walpole. — History of England from the Conclusion of the Great War in iBij to 1858. By Sir Spencer Walpole, K.C. B. 6 vols. Crown 8vo. , 6s. each. Wood-Martin. — Pagan Ireland: an Arclinsological Sketch. A Handbook of Irish Pre-Christian .'Antiquities. B)' W. G, Wood-Martin, M.R.I. A. With 512 IllListrations. Crown 8vo., ly. "Wylie (James Hamilton, M.A. ). History of England under Henry IV. 4 vols. Crown 8vo. Vol. I. , 1399-1404, 10s. 6d. Vol. II., 1405- 1406, \^s. {out of print). Vol. III., 1407-14111, 15J. Vol. IV., 141T-T413, 2TJ. The Council of Constance to the Death of John Hus : being the Ford Lectures delivered in the Uni- versity of O-xford in Lent Term, 1900. Crown Svo. , bs. net. Biography, Personal Memoirs, &c. Armstrong. — The Life and Letters OF Edmund J. Armstrong. Edited by G. F. Savage Armstrong. Fcp. Bvo., 7J. 6i/. Bacon.— The Letters and Life of Francis Bacon, including all his Occasional Works. Edited by James Spedding. 7 vols. Svo. , £4 4-t. Bageh.ot. — Biographical Studies. By Walter B agehot. Cr. Svo. , 3^. 6d. Carlyle. — Thomas Carlyle : a History ofhisLifc, ByjAMESANTHONYFROUDE. 1795-1835. 2 vols. Crown Svo. , 7J. 1834-1881. 2 vols. Crown Svo. , 7J. Cellini.— Chisel, Pen and Poignakd ; or, Benvenuto Cellini, his Times and his Contemporaries. I3y the Author of 'The Life of Sir Kenelm Digby,' ' The Life of a Prig,' etc. With 19 Illustra- tions. Crown Svo. , 5^- Crozier.— My Inner Life : being a Chapter in Personal Evolution and Auto- biography. ByJOHN Beattie Crozier, Author of 'CiviUzation and Progress,' etc. Svo., I4f. Dante.— The Life and Works of Dante Allighieri : being an Intro- duction to the Study of the ' Divina Commedia'. By the Rev. J. F. HoGAN, D.D., Professor, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. With Portrait. Svo. ,i2j. 6rf. Danton. — Life of Danton. By A. H. Beesly. With Portraits of Danton, his Mother, and an Illustration of the Home of his Family at Arcis. Crown Svo. , 6s. Duncan. — Admiral Duncan. By the Earl of Camperdown. With 3 Por- traits. Svo. , \6s. Erasmus. — Life and Letters of Erasmus. By James Anthony Froude. Crown Svo. , 3.?. 6d. Faraday. — Faraday as a Dis- coverer. By John Tyndall. Cr. Svo. , 3J. 6d. FOREIGN COURTS and FOREIGN HOMES. ByA. M. F. Crown Svo. , 6j. Fox. — The Early Historyof Charles James Fox. By the Right Hon. Sir G. O. Trevelyan, Bart. Library Edition. Svo. , i8j. Cheap Edition. Crown Svo. , 3J. 6d. Halifax.— The Life and Letters of Sir George Savile, Baronet, First Marquis of Halifax. By H. C. FoxcROFT. 2 vols. Svo. , 36.J. Hamilton.— Life of Sir William Hamilton. By R. P. Graves. Svo., 3V0IS. 15.1. each. Addendum. 8vo 6d. •iewed. 6 LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Biography, Personal Memoirs, &c. Havelock.— Memoirs of Sir Henry Havelock, K.C.B. By John Clark Marshman. Crown 8vo. , 3J. bd. Haweis. — My Musical Life. By the Rev. H. R, Haweis. With Portrait of Richard Wagner and 3 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 6j. net. Hiley. — Memories of Half a Cen- tury. By the Rev. W. R. Hii.ey, D.D., Vicar of Wighill, Tadcaster. With Portrait. 8vo., 15J. Jackson.— Stonewall Jackson and THE American Civil War. By Lieut. -Col. G. F. R. Henderson. With 2 Portraits and 33 Maps and Plans. 2 vols. 8vo. , 42J. Leslie.— The Life and Campaigns of Alexander Leslie, First Earl of Leven. By Charles Sanford Terry, M. A. With Maps and Plans. Svo. , i6j. Luther. — Life of Luther. By Julius Kostlin. With 62 Illustrations and 4 Facsimiles of MSS. Crown 8vo., ■y. 6d. Macaulay. — The Life and Letters OF Lord Macaulay. By the Right Hon. Sir G. O. Trevelyan, Bart., Popular Edit, i vol. Cr. Svo. , 2.J. 6d. Studevt' s E'ditio7i. i vol. Cr. Svo. , 6s. Cabinet Edition . 2vols. PostSvo., I2j. ' Edinburgh ' Edition, 2 vols. Svo. , bs. each. Library Edition. 2 vols. Svo. , 36^. Marbot. — The Memoirs of the Baron de Marbot. Translated froin the French. 2 vols. Crown Svo. , js. Max Miiller. — Auld Lang Syne. By the Right Hon. F. Ma.\- Mijller. FirstSeries. With Portrait. Svo., roj.6(/. Contents. — Musical Recollections — Liter- ary Recollections — Recollections of Royalties —Beggars. Second Series. My Indian Friends. Svo. , roj. 6t/. Morris.— The Life of William Morris. By J. W. Mackail. With 6 Portraits and 16 Illustrations by E. H. New. 2 vols. Svo., 325. Palgrave.— Francis Turner Pal- grave : his Journals, and Memories of his Life. By Gwenllian F. Pal- grave. With Portrait and Illustra- tion. *vo., i&s- dd. -continued. Pearson.— Charles Henry Pearson, Fellow of Oriel, and Education Minister in Victoria ; Author of ' National Life and Character '. iVIemo- rials by Himself, his Wife, and his Friends. Edited by W. Stebbing. With Portrait. Svo. , 14.?. Place.— The Life of Francis Place, 1771-1854. By Graham Wallas! M.A. With 2 Portraits. Svo., lat.. RAMAKKISHT^A : His Life and Sayings. By the Right Hon. F. Max MULLER. Crown Svo., 5J. Reeve. — Memoirs of the Life and Correspondence op Henry Reeve, C.B., late Editor of the 'Edinburgh Review,' and Registrar of the Privy Council. By John Knox Laughton, M.A. With 2 Portraits, avols. Svo.,28j. Romanes. — The Life and Letters OF George John Romanes, M.A, LL.D., F.R.S. Written and Edited by his Wife. With Portrait and 2 Illustrations. Cr. Svo. , (3s. Seebolim. — The Oxford Reformeks — JohnColet, Erasmus and Thomas More : a History of their Fellow- Work. By Frederic Seebohm. Svo. , 141. Shakespeare.— Outlines of the Life op Shakespeare. By J. 0. Halliwell-Phillipps. With Illustra- tions and Facsimiles. 2 vols. Royal 8vo., 2i.r. Shakespeare's True Life. ByjAs. Walter. With 500 Illustrations by Gerald E. Moira. Imp. Svo., 2ii. net. Stanley (Lady). The Girlhood of Maria Josepha HoLROYD (Lady Stanley of Alderly). Recorded in Letters of a Hundred Years Ago, from 1776-1796. Edited by J. H. Adeane. With 6 Portraits. Svo., i8j. The Early Married Life of Maiia Josepha, Lady Stanley, from 1796. Edited by J. H. ADEANE. With 10 Portraits and 3 Illustrations.. 8vo., i8j. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. 7 Biography, Personal Memoirs, &c Turgot.— The Life and Writings . OF Turcot, Comptroller-General of ^ France, 1774-1776. Edited for English Readers by W. Walker Stephens. With Portrait. 8vo., js. bd. Verney. — JVIemoirs of the Verney Family. Compiled from the Letters and Illustrated by the Portraits at Clay- den House. Vols. \. and W. During the Civil War. By Frances Parthenope Verney. With 38 Portraits, etc. Royal Svo., 4aj. -continued. Verney. — Memoirs of the Verney Family — contivued. Vol. III. During the Common- wealth. 1650- 1660. By Margaret M. Verney. With 10 Portraits, &c. Royal Svo. , 21J. Vol. IV. From the Restoration to THE Revolution. 1660 to 1696. By Margaret M. Verney. With II Portraits, etc. Royal Svo., 2i.f. Wellington.— Life of the Duke of Wellington. By the Rev. G. Gleig, M.A. Crown 8vo., 31. 6rf. R. Travel and Adventure, the Colonies, &c. Arnold.— Seas and Lands. By Sir Edwin Arnold. With 71 Illustrations. CroNvn Svo. , y. 6d. Baker (SirS. W.). Eight Years in Ceylon. With 6 Illustrations. Crown Svo. , y. 6d. The Rifle and the Hound in Cey- lon. With 6 Illustrations. Cr. Svo. , 3s. 6d. Ball (John). The Alpine Guide. Reconstructed and Revised on behalf of the Alpine Club, by W. A. B. Coolidge. Vol. I. The Western Alps ; The Alpine Region, South of the Rhone Valley, from the Col de Tenda to the Simplon Pass. With 9 New and Revised Maps. Crown Svo. , 12s. net. Hints and Notes, Practical and Scientific, for Travellers in the Alps ; being a Revision of the General Introduction to the 'Alpine Guide'. Crown Svo. , 3^. net. Bent— The Ruined Cities of Mash- onaland : being a Record of Excava- tion and Exploration in 1891. By J. Theodore Bent. With 117 Illustra- tions. Crown Svo. , 3s. 6d. BicknelL— Travel and Adventure IN Northern Queensland. By Arthur C. Bicknell. With 24 Plates and 22 Illustrations in the Te.xt. Svo., Brassey.— Voyages and Travels of Lord Brassey, K.C.B,, D.C.L., 1862- 1894. Arranged and Edited by Captam S. Easdley-Wilmot. 2 vols. Cr. Svo.. los. Brassey (The late Lady). A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam'; Our Home on the Ocean for Eleven Months. Cabinet Edition. With Map and 66 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., -js. bd. 'Silver Library' Edition. With 66 Illustrations. Crown Svo., y. bd. Popular Edition. With 60 Illustra- tions. 4to., bd. sewed, u. cloth. School Edition. With 37 Illustrations. Fcp., 2J. cloth, or 3.r.wllite parchment. Sunshine and Storm in the East. Cabinet Edition. With 2 Maps and 114 Illustrations. CrownSvo. ,7^.61/. Popular Edition. With 103 Illustra- tions. 4to. , bd. sewed, li. cloth. In the Trades, the Tropics, akd THE ' RoAiiiNG Forties '. Cabinet Edition. With Map and 220 Illustrations. Crown Svo. , js. bd. Bro'WTling.— A Girl's Wanderings IN Hungary. By H. Ellen Brown- ing. With Map and 20 Illustrations. Crown Svo. , -^s. bd. Froude (James A. ). Oceana : or England and her Colonies. Witli 9 Illustrations. Crown Svo., y- 6 f. Edited by R. L. Nettleship. Vols. I. and II. Philosophical Works. 8vo. , i6.r. each. Vol. III. Miscellanies. With Index to the three Volumes, and Memoir. 8vo., 21J, Lectures on the Principles of Political Obligation. With Pre- face by Bernard Bosanquet. 8vo. , Gurnhill.— The Morals of Suicide. By the Rev. J. Gurnhill, B.A. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Hodgson (Shadworth H.). Time and Space: a Metaphysical Essay. 8vo. , z.6s. The Theory of Practice : an Ethical Inquiry. 2 vols. 8vo. ,245. The Philosophy of Reflection. 2 vols. 8vo., 21J. The Metaphysic of Experience. Book I. General Analysis of Experi- ence. Book II. Positive Science. Book III. Analysis of Conscious Action. Book IV. The Real Universe. 4 vols. 8vo. , 36;. net. Hume.— The Philosophical Works of David Hume. Edited by T. PI. Green and T. H. Grose. 4V0IS. 8vo., 28i. Or separately, Essays. 2 vols. 14J. Treatise of Human Nature. 2 vols. 14?. James.— The Will to Believe, and other Essays in P pular Philosophy. By William James, M.D., LL.D., &c. Crown 8vo. , js. 6d. 14 LONGMANS AND GO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Mental, Moral, and Political Philosophy -continued. Justinian.— The Institutes of Jus- tinian : Latin Text, chiefly that of Huschke, with English Introduction, Translation, Notes, and Summary. By Thomas C. Sandars, M.A. 8vo. , i8j. Kant (Immanuel). Critique of Practicai Reason, and Other Works on the Theory of Ethics. Translated byT. K. Abbott, B.D. With Memoir, 8vo., i2j, 6rf. Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Ethics. Trans- lated byT. K. Abbott, B.D. Crown 8vo. , 3J. Introduction to Logic, and his Essay on the Mistaken Subtilty of the Four Figures. Translated by T. K. Abbott. 8vo. , bs. Kelly.— Government or Human Evolution.— Justice. By Edmund Kelly, M.A., F,G.S. Crown 8vo., yj. 6^. net. KlUiek. — Handbook to Mill's Sys- tem OF Logic. By Rev. A. H. Kil- LICK, M.A. Crown 8vo. , y. 6d. Ladd (George Trumbull). A Theory of Reality : an Essay in Metaphysical System upon the Basis of Human Cognitive Experience. Bvo- , i8j. Elements of Physiological Psy- chology. 8vo. , 2-LS. Outlines of Descriptive Psycho- logy ; a Text-Book of Mental Science for Colleges and Normal Schools. 8V0. , I2J. Outlines of Physiological Psy- chology. 8V0. , I2J. Pri mee of Psychology. Crown 8vo. , 5J. 6d. Leeky.— The Map of Life : Conduct and Character. By William Edward Hartpole Lecky. 8vo. , loj. dd. Lutosla"wski. — The Origin and Growth of Plato's Logic. With an Account of Plato's Style . and of the Chronology of his Writings. By Win- centy Lutoslawski. 8vo. ,2ij-. Max Miiller (F.). The Science of Thought. 8vo., 2ly. The Six Systems of Indian Philo- sophy. 8vo. , i8j. Mill.— Analysis of the Phenomena of THE Human Mind. By James Mill. 2 vols. 8vo. , 23j. Mill. (John Stuart). A System of Logic. Cr. 8vo., y. 6d. On Liberty. Crown 8vo. , i.r. ^d. Considerations on Representa- tive Government. Crown 8vo.,2j. Utilitarianism. 8vo. , zs. 6d. Examination of Sir William Hamilton's Philosophy. 8vo.,i6j. Nature, the Utility of Religion, AND Theism. Three Essays. 8vo,,jj, Monek.— An Introduction to Logic. By William Henry S. Monck, M.A. Crown 8vo. , ^s. Romanes.— Mind and Motion and Monism. By George John Romanes, LL.D. , F. R.S. Crown 8vo. , 4^. 6d. Stock.— Lectures in the Lyceum ; or, Aristotle's Ethics for English Readers. Edited by St. George Stock. Crown 8vo. , ys. 6d. Sully (James). The Human Mind ; a Text-book of Psychology. 2 vols. 8vo. , 2lj. Outlines of Psychology. Crown 8vo. , gs. The Teacher's Handbook of Psy- chology. Crown 8vo. , 6s. 6d. Studies of Childhood. 8vo., ios. 6ii. Children's Ways : being Selections from the Author's ' Studies of Child- hood '. With 25 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 4J. 6d. Sutherland. — The Origin and Growth of the Moral Instinct. By Alexander Sutherland, M.A. 2 vols. 8vo. , 28.r. 3"W"inburne. — Picture Logic: an Attempt to Popularise the Science of Reasoning. By Alfred James Swin- burne, M.A. With 23 Woodcuts. Crow n 8vo. , 2i. 6d. Webb.— The Veil of Isis : a Series ot Essays on Idealism. By Thomas E, Webb, LL.D., Q.C. 8vo., loi. 6d. Weber.— History of Philosophy. By Alfred Weher, Professor in the University of Strasburg, Translated by Frank 1 HILLY, Ph.D. 8vo., i6i. LONGMANS AND CO:S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS, xs Mental, Moral, and Political PhilosoTphy~con/mued. Zeller (Dr. Edward)— continued. Whately (Archbishop). Bacon's Essays. With Annotations. 8vo., I05. 6d. Elements of Logic Cr. 8vo.,4i. 6d. Elements of Rhetoric. Cr. 8vo., 4.r. 6d. Zeller (Dr. Edward). The Stoics, Epicureans, and Scep- tics. Translated by tlie Rev. O J. Reichel, M.A. Crown 8vo, , 15J. Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy. Translated by Sarah F. Alleyne and Evelyn Abbott, M.A., LL.D. Crown 8vo., 10s. 6d. Plato and the Older Academy. Translated by Sarah F. Alleyne and Alfred Goodwin, B, A. Crown 8vo., iSs. Socrates AND the Socr aticSchools. Translated by the Rev. O. J. Reichel, M.A, Crown 8vo. , 10s. 6d. Aristotle and the Earlier Peri patetics. Translated by B. F. C" CosTELLOE, M.A., and J. H. Mum' HEAD, M.A. 2 vols. Cr. 8vo. , 24J. " MANUALS OF CATHOLIC PHILOSOPHY. ( Stonyhurst Series. J A Manual of Political Economy. ByC. S. Devas, M.A. Cr. 8vo. , 6j. 6rf. First Principles of Knowledge, By John Rickaby, S.J. Crown 8vo., 5^. General Metaphysics. By John Rick- aby, S.J. Crown Bvo. , 5i. Logic. By Richard F. Clarke, S.J. Crown Bvo., 55. Moral Philosophy (Ethics and Natu- ral Law). By Joseph Rickaby, S.J. Crown 8vo., 5J. Natural Theology. By Bernard Boedder, S.J. Crown 8vo., 6i. bd. Psychology. By Michael Maker, S.J. Crown 8vo. , 6j. bd. History and Science of Language, &c. Davidson. — Leading and Important English Words : Explained and Ex- emplified. By William L. David- son, M.A. Fcp. 8vo., y. 6d. Parrar. — Language and Languages. By F. W. Farrar, D.D., Dean of Canterbury Crown Bvo., 6s. G-raham. — English Synonyms, Classi- fied and Explained : with Practical Exercises. By G. F. Graham. Fcap. Bvo., 6s. Max Miiller (F.). The Science of Language, Founded on Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution in 1861 and 1863. 2 vols. Crown Bvo., loi. Biographies of Words, and the Home of the Aryas. Crown Bvo., Roget. — Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Ex- pression of Ideas and assist in Literary Composition. By Peter Mark Roget, M.D.,F.R.S. With full Index. Crown Bvo. , loj. 6d. ■Whately.— English Synonyms. By E. Iane Whately. Fcap. 8vo., 3^. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Political Economy and Economics. Ashley. — English Economic History AND Theoky. By W. J. Ashley, M.A. Cr. 8vo., Part I., ^s. Part II., lot. 6d. Bagehot. — Economic Studies. By Walter Bagehot. '"r. 8vo. , y'6d. Brassey. — Papers and .Addresses ox Work and W.ages. By Lord Brassey. Edited by J. Pottek. and with Intro- duction by George Howell, Crown 8vo. , 55. Channing.— The Truth about .\gri- CULi URAL Depression : ,An PJconomic Study of the Evidence of the Royal Connmission. By Francis Allston Ch.anning, MP., one of the Commis- sion. Crown 8vo., 6s. Devas.— A Manual of Political Economy. By C. S. Devas, M,.\. Crown 8vo. , 6s. 6d. [MnnNa/s of Calho- He Philosofhv.) Jordan.— The Standard of V.m.ue. By William Leighton Jordan. Crown 8vo. , bs. Leslie. — Fss.vys on Political Eco- nomy. By T. E. Cliffe Leslie. Hon. LL.D. Dubl. 8vo., loj. bd. Maeleod (Henry Dunning). Economics for Beginners. Crown 8vo. , Q-S. The Elements of Economics. 2 vols. Crown 8vo. , 3^. bd. each. Bimetalism. 8vo., 5i. net. The Elements of Banking. Crown 8vo. , 3J". 6d. The Theory and Practice of Bank- ing. Vol. I. 8vo., I2J. Vol. II. t4j. Maeleod (Henry Dunning)— cok^. The Theory of Credit. 8vo. In I Vol., 30S. net; or separately, Vol. I. loj. neL Vol. II., Part I., ioj.net. Vol. II. Part II., IOJ-. net. Mill.— Political Economy. By John Stuart Mill. Popular Edition. Crown 8vo. , -^^d. Library Edition. 2 vols. Bvo. , 30^. Mulhall.— Industries and Wealth OF Nations. By Michael G. Mul- hall, F.S.S. With 32 Diagrams. Cr. - Bvo., 8j. 6//. Stephens.— Higher Life foe Work ING People : its Hindrances Discussed, An attempt to solve some pressing Social Problems, without injustice to Capital or Labour. By W. Walker Stephens. Crown Bvo, , '^s. 6d. Symes.— Political Economy. With a Supplementary Chapter on Socialism. ByJ. E.Symes,M.A. Crown Bvo., 2j.6rf. Toynbee.— Lectures on the In- dustrial Revolution of the 18th Century in England. By Arnold Toynbee. With a Memoir of the Author by Benjamin Jowett, D.D, 8vo, , loj. 6d. Webb (Sidney and Beatrice). The History of Trade Unionism. With Map and full Bibliography of the Subject. Bvo., i8.r. Industri.\l Democracy: a Study in Trade LJnionism. 2 vols. Bvo. , 25J. net. Problems of Modern Industry : h^ssays. B\o. , y.v. 6d. Wright. — Outline of Practical Sociology. With Special Reference to .American Conditions. By Carroll D. Wright, LL D. With 12 Maps and Diagrams. Crown Bvo. , 9J. Evolution, Anthropology, &c. Clodd (Edward). The Story of Creation : a Plain Ac- count of Evolution. With jj Illustra- tions. Crown ^wo. , 3.!. 6d. A Primer of Evolution ; being a Popular Abridged Edition of ' The Story of Creation '. With Illus- trations. Fcp. 8vo. , IS. 6d. I Lang (Andrew). Custom and Myth Usage and Belief, tions. Crown 8vo. Studies of Early With IS Illustra. 3s. 6d. Myth, Ritual, and Religion. 2 vols. Crown Bvo., ys. Modern Mythology : a Reply to Professor Max Miiller. 8vo., gx. LONGAfANS AND CO:S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. 17 Evolution, Anthropology, Sic.—continued. Romanes (George ]oii!:i)— continued. Part II. Post-Darwinian Ques- tions : Heredity and Utility, With Portrait of the Author and 5 Illus- trations. Cr. 8vo. , 10s. 6d. Part III. Post-Darwinian Ques- tions ; Isolation and Physiological Selection. Crown 8vo. , 55. An Examination of WeismannisiM. Crown 8vo. . 6s. Lubbock. — The Origin of Civilisa- tion and the Primitive Condition of Man. By Sir J. Lubbock, Bart., iVI. P. (Lord Avebury). With 5 Plates and 20 Illustrations. 8vo. , 18.J. Romanes (George John). Darwin, and After Darwin : an Ex- position of the Darwinian Theory, and a Discussion on Post-Darwinian Questions. Part I. The Darwinian Theory. With Portrait of Darwin and 125 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , loj. 6d. Essays. Edited by C. Lloyd IVIorgan, Principal of University College. Bristol. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Classical Literature, Translations, &c. Abbott. — Hellenica. A Collection of Essays on Greek Poetry, Philosophy, History, and Religion. Edited by Evelyn Abbott, M. A., LL.D. Crown i\o., Ts. 6d. .Slsehylus. — Eumenides of ^Eschy- LUS. With Metrical English Translation. By J. F. Davies. 8vo., ts. Aristophanes. — The Acharnians of Aristophanes, translated into Enghsli Verse. By R. Y. Tyrrell. Cr. 8vo. , is. Aristotle.— Youth and Old Age, Life and Death, and Respiration. Translated, with Introduction and Notes, by W. Ogle, M.A., M.D. 8vo., 7J. 6d. Becker (W. A.). Translated by the Rev. F. Metcalfe, B.D. Gallus : or, Roman Scenes in the Time of Augustus. With Notes and Ex- cursuses. With 26 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , 3J. 6d. 'Charicles ; or. Illustrations of the Private Life of the Ancient Greeks. With Notes and Excursuses. With 26 Illustrations. Crown Bvo. , 3^ . 6d. Butler. — The Authoress of the Odyssey, where and when She WROTE, who She was, the Use She MADE OF the Iliad, and how the Poem grew under her hands. By Samuel Butler, Author of ' Ere.whon,' &c. With 14 Illustrations and 4 Maps. Bvo. , loi. 6d. Campbell. — Religion in Greek Li- terature. By the Rev. Lewis Camp- bell, M.A., LL.D., Emeritus Professor of Greek, University of St. Andrews. 8vo. , ic^s. Cicero. — Cicero's Correspondence. By R. Y. Tyrrell. Vols. I., II., III. 8vo. , each I2J. Vol. IV., 155. Vol. v., 14J. Vol. VI., t2j. Hime. — Lucian, the Syrian Satir- ist. By Lieut. -Col. Henry W. L. Hime, (late) Royal Artillery. 8vo. , 5i. net. Contents. — i. Life of Lucian — 2. Classifi- cation of Lucian's Works — 3. The Limits of Satire — 4. Lucian's Philosophy and Re]i{,'ion — 5. Characteristics. Appendi.v : Lucian's Knowledge of Latin. Homer. The Iliad of Homer. Rendered into English Prose for the use of those that cannot read the original. By Samuel Butler, Author of ' Erewhon,' etc. Crown 8vo. , 75. 6d. The Odyssey of Homek. Done into English Verse. By William Morris. Crown Bvo., 6s. Horace.— The Works of Horace, rendered into English Prose. Witli Life, Introduction, and Notes. By William Coutts, M.A. Crown Bvo., 5^. net. LONGMANS ANb CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Classical Literature, Translations, &c. — continued. Lang. — HoMiiK and thk Epic. By Andrew Lang. Crown 8vo. , gj. net. Lucan.— The Pharsalia of Lucan, Translated into Blank Verse. By Sir Edward Ridley. 8vo. , i-|j. Mackail.— Select Epigrams from i THE Greek Anthology. By J. W. j Mackail. Edited with a Revised Text, [ Introduction, Translation, and Notes. ' 8vo. , i6j. Rich.— .A Dictionary of Roman and Greek Antiquities. By A. Rich, I B.A. With 2000 Woodcuts. Crown 8vo. , 6j. net. Sophocles. — Translated into English Verse. By Robert Whitelaw, M. A. , Assistant Master in Rugby School. Cr. 8vo., 8j. td. Virgil. The vEneid of Virgil. Translated into English Verse by John Coning- ton. Crown 8vo. , bs. The Poems of Virgil. Translated into English Prose by John Coning- TON. Crown 8vo. , 6j. The ^neids of Virgil. Done into English Verse. By William Morris. Crown 8vo. , 6i. The ^neid of Virgil, freely translated into English Blank Verse. By W, J. Thornhill. Crown Svo., 6s. net. The ^neid of Virgil. Translated into English Verse by . James Rhoades. Books I.- VI, Crown Svo. , ^j. Books VII.-XII. Crown Bvo., y. The Eclogues and Georgics of Virgil. Translated into English Prose by J. W. Mackail, Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford. i6mo., 55. Tyrrell. — Dublin Translations into Greek and Latin Verse. Edited by R. Y. Tyrrell. 8vo,, 6j. i Wilkins. — The Growth of the Homeric Poems. By G. Wilkins, Svo. , 6j. Poetry and the Drama, Armstrong (G. F. Savage), Poems : Lyrical and Dramatic. Fcp. 8vo. , 6j. King Saul. (The Tragedy of Israel, Part I. ) Fcp. Bvo. , y. King David. (The Tragedy of Israel, Part II.) Fcp. 8vo., bs. King Solomon. (The Tragedy of Israel, Part III.) Fcp. Svo. , ts. Ugone : a Tragedy. Fcp. Svo. , 6j. A Garland from Greece : Poems. Fcp. Svo. , 7J. bd. Stories of Wicklow : Poems. Fcp. Svo. , -]s. 6d. Mephistopheles in Broadcloth ; a Satire. Fcp. Svo. , 4.^. One in the Infinite: a Poem. Cr. Svo., 75. 6d. Armstrong. — The Poetical Works OF Edmund J. Armstrong. Fcp. Svo., ^s. Arnold. — The Light of the World; or, the Great Consummation. By Sir Edwin Arnold. With 14 Illustra- tions after Holman Hunt. Crown Svo., 6^. Barraud.~THE Lay of the Knights. By the Rev. C. V^. Barraud, S.J., Author of ' St. Thomas of Canterbury, and other Poems '. Crown 8vo. , 4r. Bell (Mrs. Hugh). Chamber Comedies : a Collection of Plays and Monologues for the Draw- ing Room. Crown Svo., 6j. Fairy Tale Plays, and HowtoAct Them. With 91 Diagrams and 52 Illustrations. Crown Svo., 31. 6d. Coleridge. — Selections FKOi;. With Introduction by Andrew Lang. With iS Illustrations by Patten Wilson. Crown Bvo. , 3J. 6d. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. 19 Poetry and the "[ivKXfm— continued. Goethe. — The First Part of the Tragedy of Faust in English. By Thos. E. Webb, LL.D., sometime Fellow of Trinity College ; Professor of Moral Philosophy in the University of Dublin, etc. New and Cheaper Edition, with The Death of Faust, from the Second Part. Crown 8vo. , (ss. (Jore-Booth. — Poems. By Eva Gore- Booth. Fcp. 8vo. , 5.;. Ingelo"W (Jean). Poetical Works. Complete in One Volume. Crown 8vo., 7.?. 6d. "Wagner. — The Nieelungen Ring. Done into English Verse by Reginald Rankin, B.A. , of the Inner Temple, Barrister-at-Law. Vol. I. Rhine Gold and Valkyrie. Fcp. Svo. , 4^. (td. 'Words'wortli. — Selected Poems. By Andrew Lang. With Photo- gravure Frontispiece of Rydal Mount. With 16 Illustrations and numerous Initial Letters. By Alfred Parsons, A. R.A. Crown Svo. , gilt edges, 3J. bd. "Words-wortli and Coleridge.— A Description of the Wordsworth and Coleridge Manuscripts in the Possession of Mr. T. Norton Long- man. Edited, mth Notes, by W. Hale White. With 3 Facsimile Reproduc- tions. 4to. , 10.?. 6d. Fiction, Humour, &c. Anstey. — Voces Populi. Reprinted fi-om ' Punch '. By F. Anstey, Author of ' Vice Versa '. First Series. With 20 Illustrations by J. Bernard Part- ridge. Crown Svo. , 3J. 6d. Beaconsfleld (The Earl of). Novels and Tales. Complete inn vols. Crown Svo Vivian Grey. TheY ungDuke,&c, Alroy, Ixion, &c. Contarini Fleming. &c. Tailored. Birt.- Bein IS. 6d. each. Sybil. Henrietta Temple. Venetia. Coningsby. Lothair. Endymion. Castle Czvargas : a Romance. Plain Story of the Romantic Adventures of Two -Brothers, Told by the Younger of Them. Edited by Archibald Birt. Crown 8vo. , 6s. 'Chola.'— A New Divinity, and other Stories of Hindu Life. By ' Chola'. Crown Svo., 2s, 6d. Chureliill.— Savrola : Revolution in Laurania. Spencer Churchill. a Tale of the By Winston Crown 8vo.,6j. Diderot. — Rameau's Nephew : a Translation from Diderot's Autographic Text. By Sylvia Margaret Hill. Crown Svo., 35. 6d. DougaU. — Beggars All. By L, Doug ALL. Crown Svo., 3J. 6d, Doyle (A. Conan). MicAH Clarke: a Tale of Monmouth's Rebelhon. With 10 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo., 3 J. 6d. The Captain of the Polestar, and other Tales. Cr. Svo. , 3J. 6d. The Refugees : a Tale of the Hugue- nots. With 25 Illustrations. Crown Svo. , 3.f. 6d. The Stark-Munro Letters. Cr. Svo. , 3-?. 6d. LONGMANS AND CO:S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Fiction, Humour, &c. — continued. Farrar (F. W., Dean of Canterbury). Darkness and Dawn : or, Scenes in the Days of Nero. An Historic Tale. Crown 8vo. , 65, net. Gathering Clouds : a Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom. Crown 8vo. , 6s. net. Fowler (Edith H.). The Young Pretenders. A Story of Child Life. With 12 Illustrations by Sir Philip Buene-Jone.';, Bart. Cr. 8vo., 6s. The Professor's Children. With 24 Illustrations by Ethel Kate Burgess. Crown Bvo. , 6s. Francis. — Yeoman Fleetwood. By M. E. Francis, Author of ' In a North- country Village,' etc. Cr. 8vo. , 6s. Froude.— The Two Chiefs of Dun- boy : an Irish Romance of the Last Century.. By James A. Froude. Cr. 8vo. , 3J. 6d. Grtirdon.— Memories and Fancies : Suffolk Tales and other Stories ; Fairy Legends ; Poems ; Miscellaneous Arti- cles. By the late Lady Camilla Gurdon, Author of 'Suffolk Folk- Lore '. Crown 8vo. , y. Haggard (H. Rider). Black Heart and White Heart, AND other Stories. With 33 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo. , 6s. SWALLOW : a Tale of the Great Trek. With 8 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , 6s. Dr. Therne. Crown 8vo., 3^. 6d. Heart of the World. With 15 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 35. 6d. Joan Haste. With 20 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , 3J. 6d. The People of the Mist. With 16 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 3J. 6d. Montezuma's Daughter. With 24 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 3^. 6d. She. With 32 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo., 3J. 6d, Allan Quatermain. With 31 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo. , y. 6d. MA'wa's Revenge. Crown 8vo. , i.r. 6^. Haggard (H. Klo-E.^)--continued. Colonel Quaritch, V.C. With Frontispiece and Vignette. Cr. 8vo. , 3.r. 6d. Cleopatra. With 29 Illustrations. Crown Bvo., 3^. 6d. Beatrice. With Frontispiece and Vignette. Crown 8vo. , 31. 6d. Eric Brighteves. With 51 Illustra- tions. Cr. 8vo., 35. 6./. Nada the Lily. With 23 Illustra- tions. Cr. 8vo., 3J. 6d. Allan's Wife. With 34 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , -^s. 6d. The Witch's Head. With 16 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo., 3j-. 6d. Mr. Meeson's Will. With 16 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo., 35. 6d. Dawn. With 16 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. Haggard and Lang. — The World's Desire. By H. Rider Haggard and Andrew Lang. With 27 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 35. 6d. Harte. — In the Carquinez Woods. By Bret Hartk. Cr. 8vo., 3^. 6d Hope. — The Heart of Princess OsRA. By Anthony Hope. With 9 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 3J. 6d. Jerome. — Sketches in Lavender: Blue and Green. By Jerome K. Jerome. Crown 8vo. , 3^. 6d. Joyce. — Old Celtic Romances. Twelve of the most beautiful of the Ancient Irish Romantic Tales. Trans- lated from the Gaelic. By P. W. Joyce, LL. D. Crown 8vo. , 35. 6d. Lang. — A Monk of Fife; a Story of the Days of Joan of Arc. Bv Andrew Lang. With 13 Illustrations bySELWYN Image. Crown 8vo. , 3J. 6d. Levett- Yeats (S.). The Chevalier d'Auriac. Crown 8vo. , 3J. 6d. The Heart of Denise, and other Tales. Crown 8vo. , 6s, 22 LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Fiction, Humour, &c. — continued. Lyall (Edna). The Autobiography of a Slander. Fcp. 8vo., IJ. sewed. Presentation Edition. With 20 Illus- trations by Lancelot Speed. Cr. 8vo. , 2j. 6d. net. The Autobiography of a Truth. Fcp. Svc, ij. sewed ; is. 6d. cloth. Doreen. The Story of a Singer. Cr. 8vo. . 6s. Wayfaring Men. Crown 8vo. , 6j-. Hope the Hermit ; a Romance of Borrowdale. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Mason and Lang.— Parson Kelly. By A. E. W. Mason and Andrew Lang. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Max MUller. — Deutsche Liebe (German Love) : Fragments from the Papers of an Alien. Collected by F. j Max Muller. Translated from the German by G. A. M. Crown 8vo. , ^s. Melville (G. J. Whyte). The Gladiators. i Holmby House. The Interpreter. Good for Nothing. The Queen's Maries. Kate Coventry. Digby Grand, General Bounce. Cr. 8vo. , IS. 6d. each. Merriman.— Flotsam : a Story of the Indian Mutiny. By Henry Seton Mer- riman. Crown 8vo., 3J. 6d. Morris (William). The Sundering Flood. Crown 8vo., js. 6d. The Water of the Wondrous Isles. Crown 8vo., js. 6d. The Well at the World's End. 2 vols., 8vo. , 28J. TheStoryoftheGlittering Plain, which has been also called The Land of the Living Men, or The Acre of the Undying. Square post 8vo. , 55. net. The Roots of the Mountains, wherein is told somewhat of the Lives of the Men of Burgdale, their Friends, their Neighbours, their Foemen, and their Fellows-in-Arms. Written in Prose and Verse. Square crown 8vo. , 8i, A Tale of the House of the Wolf- ings, and all the Kindreds of the Mark. Written in Prose and 'Verse. Square crown 8vo. , 6s. Morris {^asyAPM.)— continued. A Dream of John Ball, and a King's Lesson. i2mo.,ij, 6i. News from Nowhere ; or, An Epoch of Rest. Being some Chapters from an Utopian Romance. Post 8vo ij 6d. The Story of Grettjr the Strong. Translated from the Icelandic by 'EiRlKR MAGNiJssoN and William Morris. Crown 8vo., 55. net. *»* For Mr. William Morris's Poetical Works, see p. 19. Ife'wm.an (Cardinal). Loss and Gain : The Story of a Con- vert. Crown 8vo. Cabinet Edition, 6s. ; Popular Edition, 35. 6d. Callista : A Tale of the Third Cen- tury. Crown 8vo. Cabinet Edition, 6s. ; Popular Edition, 3J. 6d. Phillipps-"Wolley. — Snap ; a Legend of the Lone IVIountain. By C. Phil- lipps-Wolley. With 13 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 3^. 6d. Raymond (Walter). Two Men o' Mendip. Cr. 8vo., 6j. No Soul Above Money. Cr. 8vo,, bs. Reader. — Priestess and Queen: a Tale of the White Race of Mexico; being the Adventures of Ignigene and her Twenty-six Fair Maidens. By Emily E. Reader. Illustrated by Emily K. Reader. Crown Svc, 6j. Sewell (Elizabeth M.). A Glimpse of the World. Amy Herbert. Laneton Parsonage. Cleve Hall. Margaret Percival. Gertrude. Katharine Ashton. Home Life. The Earl's Daughter. After Life. The Experience of Life. Ursula. Ivors. Cr. 8vo., zs. 6d. each, cloth plain. 2i. (d. each, cloth extra, gilt edges. Somerville and Ross. -Some Ex- periences of an Irish R.M. By E. CE. Somerville and Martin Ross. With 31 Illustrations by E. CE. Somer- ville. Crown 8vo., 6s. Stebbing.— Probable Tales. Edited by William Stebbing. Crown 8vo., d. LONGA/AXS AXD CO:X SrA,\DARD AKD GENERAL WORJCS. 23 Fiction, Humour, &c. — continued. Stevenson (Robert Louis). The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyi.l AND Mr. Hyde. Fcp. 8vo., li. sewed, is. 6d. cloth. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll AND Mr. Hyde ; with Other Fables. Crown 8vo. , 3J. 6t/. More New Arabian Nights— The Dynamiter. By Robert Louis Stevenson and Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson. Crown 8vo. , 3j. 6d. The Wrong Box. By Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Oseourne. Crown Bvo. , y. 6d. Suttner. — Lay Down Your Arms {Die Waffeii Nieder) : The Autobio- graphy of Martha von Tilling. By Bertha von Suttner. Transliued by T. Holmes. Crown Bvo. , i.s. 6d. Taylor. — Early Italian Love- Stories. Taken from the Originals by Una Taylor. With 13 Illustrations by Henry J. Ford. Crown 410., ly. net. TroUope (Anthony). The Warden. Cr. Bvo., u. (>d. Barchester Towers. Cr. Bvo. , \s. 6d. Walford (L, B,). The Intruders. Crown Bvo., 2j. 6,/. Leddy Marget. Crown Bvo., zs. 6d. Iva Kildare : a Matrimonial Problem. Crown Bvo. , 6s. Mr. Smith : a Part of his Life. Crown 8vo. , 2J. 6d. The Baby's Grandmother. Crown 8vo., zs. 6d. "Walford (L. B.). — continued. Cousins. Crown Bvo. , 21. 6d. Troublesome Daughters. Bvo. , 2j. 6d. Pauline. Crown 8vo., zs. 6d. Dick Netherby. Crown Bvo., The History of a Week. Bvo. , 2j. 6d. A Stiff-necked Generation. Bvo. , '23. 6d. Nan, and other Stories. Cr. Bvo. The Mischief of Monica. 8vo. , 2s. 6d. The One Good Guest. Cr. Bvo. ' Ploughed,' and other Stories. Bvo. , 2j. 6d. The Matchmaker. Cr. 8vo. , Crown 2j. bd. Crown Crown 2J. 6d. Crown , 2.S. 6d. Crown 23. Sd. Ward.— One Poor Scruple, By Mrs. Wilfrid Ward. Crown Bvo., (is. Weyman (Stanley). Sophia. With Frontispiece. Crown Bvo. , bs. The House of the Wolf. With Frontispiece and Vignette. Cr. Bvo., 3^. 6d. A Gentleman of France. With Frontispiece and Vignette. Cr. 8vo., 6s. The Red Cockade. With Frontispiece and Vignette. Cr. Bvo. , 6s. Shrewshury. With 24 Illustrations by Claude A. Shepperson. Crown Bvo. , 6s. Popular Science (Natural History, &c.). Beddard. — The Structure and Classification of Birds. By Frank E. Bedd-ard, M.A., F.R.S., Prosector and Vice-Secretary of the Zoological Society of London. With 252 Illustra- tions. Bvo. , ZTS. net. Butler.— Our Household Insects. An Account of the Insect-Pests found in Dwelling-Houses. By Edward A. Butler, B.A., B.Sc. (Lond.). With 113 Illustrations. Crown Bvo., jr. 6if. Furneaux (W. ). The Outdoor World ; or. The Young Collector's Handbook. With iB Plates (16 of which are coloured) and S49 Illustrations in the Te.\t. Crown Bvo. , 6s. net. Butterflies and Moths (British). With 12 coloured Plates and 241 Illustrations in the Text. Crown Bvo., 6s. net. Life in Ponds and Streams. With 8 coloured Plates and 331 Illustra- tions in the Text. Cr. Bvo., 6j. net. 24 LONCnrA.VS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Popular Science (Natural History, &c.) — continued. Hartwig (Dr. George). The Sea and its Living Wonders. With 12 Plates and 303 Woodcuts. 8vo., 75. net. The Tropical World. With 8 Plates and 172 Woodcuts. 8vo. , 75. net. The Polar World. With 3 Maps, 8 Plates and 85 Woodcuts. 8vo. , ts. net. The Subterranean World. With 3 Maps and 80 Woodcuts. 8vo. ,7^. net. Heroes of the Polar World. With ig Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 2S. Wonders of the Tropical Forests. With 40 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 2J. Workers under the Ground. With 2Q Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 2J. Marvels over our Heads. With 29 Illustrations, Crown 8vo, , 2j. Sea Monsters and Sea Birds. With 75 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, , 2J. 6c/. Denizens of the Deep. With 117 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, , 2j. bd. Volcanoes and Earthquakes. With 30 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 2J, td. Wild Animals of the Tropics. With 66 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 3,1. bd. Helraholtz. — Popular Lectures on Scientific Subjects, By Hermann VON Helmholtz. With 68 Woodcuts. 2 vols. Crown 8vo. , 3J. bd. each. Hudson (W. H.). Nature in Downland. With 12 Plates and 14 Illustrations in the Text by A. D. McCormick. 8vo, , loj. bd. net. British Birds. With a Chapter on Structure and Classification by Frank E. Beddard, F.R.S. With 16 Plates (8 of which are Coloured), and over roo Illustrations in the Text, Crown 8vo. , 6j. net. Birds in London. With 17 Plates and 15 Illustrations in the Text, by Bryan Hook, A. D. McCormick, and from Photographs from Nature, by R. B, Lodge. 8vo., t2j. Proctor (Richard A.). Light Science for Leisure Hours, Familiar Essays on Scientific Subjects, Vol. I. Crown 8vo. , 3J. bd. Proctor (Richard h.)— continued. Rough Ways made Smooth. Fami- liar Essays on Scientific Subjects. Crown 8vo. , 3i. bd. Pleasant Ways in Science. Crown 8vo. , 35. bd. Nature Studies. By R. A. Pkoctoe, Grant Allen, A. Wilson, T. Fos- ter and E. Clodd. Cr. 8vo., y.bi. Leisure Readings, By R. A, Proc- tor, E. Clodd, A. Wilson, T. Foster, and A. C. Ranyard, Or. 8vo. , 3J. bd. *^j* For Mr. Proctor's other hooks see pp. 12 and 28, and Messrs. Longmans 6* Co. 's Catalogue of Scientific Works. Stanley. — A Familiar History of Birds. By E. Stanley, D.D,, for- merly Bishop of Norwich, With 160 Illustrations, Crown 8vo, , 35, bd. Wood (Rev. J. G,). Homes without Hands : a Descrip- tion of the Habitations of Animals, classed according to the Principle of Construction. With 140 Illustrations, 8vo. , 75, net. Insects at Home : a Popular Account of British Insects, their Structure, Habits and Transformations. With 700 Illustrations. 8vo., js. net. Out of Doors ; a Selection of Origi- nal Articles on Practical Natural History. With .11 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , 3J. bd. Strange Dwellings : a Descriptior of the Habitations of Animals abridged from ' Homes without Hands'. With 60 Illustrations, Cr 8vo. , 3.5. bd. Petland Revisited. With 33 Illus- trations. Cr. 8vo., 35. bd. Bird Life of the Bible. With 32 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , y. bd. Wonderful Nests. With 30 Illustra- tions. Crown 8vo. , y. bd. Homes under the Ground. With 28 Illustrations, Crown 8vo,, ji, M. Wild ANIMA1..S of the Bible. With 29 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 3s, 6d. ^ DoM).;sTic Animals of the Bible, J With 23 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , 3^. 6i The Branch Builders. With 28 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 2S. bd. Social Habitations and Para.sitic Nests. With 18 Illus. Cr, 8vo., n. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STAADAKD AND GENERAL WORKS. 25 Works of Reference. Gwilt.— An Encycloi'^dia of Archi- tecture. By Joseph GvviLT, F.S.A. With 1700 Engravings. Revised (1888), with Alterations and Considerable Addi- tions by W\'ATT Papworth. 8vo. 2ii. net. Maunder (Samuel). Biographical Treasury. With Sup- plement brought down to 18S9. By Rev. James Wood. Fcp. 8vo. , 6s. Treasury of Geography, Physical, Historical, Descriptive, and Political. With 7 Maps and 16 Plates. Fcp Bvo. , 6j. The Treasury of Bible Know- ledge. By the Rev. J. Ayre, M.A. With 5 Maps, 15 Plates, and 300 Woodcuts. Fcp. 8vo. , 6s. Treasury of Knowledge and Library OF Reference. Fcp. 8vo. , 6s. Historical Treasury : Fcp. 8vo., 6s. Maunder (Samuel)— MK/z««fa'. Scientific and Literary Treasury. Fcp. 8vo., 6s. The Treasury of Botany. Edited by J. LiNDLEY, F. R.S. , and T. Moore, F.L.S. With 274 Wood- cuts and 20 Steel Plates. 2 vols. Fcp. 8vo. , i_2s. Roget.-TH ES aurus OF EnglishWords AND Phrases. Classified and Ar- ranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and assist in Literary Composi- tion. By Peter Mark Roget, M.D., F. R. S. Recomposed throughout, en- larged and improved, partly from the Author's Notes and with a full Index, by the Author's Son, John Lewis ROGET. Crown 8vo. . 10s. 6d. Willieh. — Popular Tables for giving information for ascertaining the value of Lifehold, I^easehold, and Church Pro- perty, the Public Funds, &c. By Charles M. Willich, Edited by H. Bence Jones. Crown Bvo. , 10s. 6d. Children's Books. Buckland.— Two Little Runaways. Adapted from the French of Louis Desnoyers. By James Buckland. With no Illustrations by Cecil Aldin. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Crake (Rev. A. D.). Edwy the Fair ; or, the First Chro- nicleof^scendune. Crown 8vo. , is.6d. Alegar th e Da ne: or, the Second Chro- nicle of ^scendune. Cr. 8vo. , 2^. 6d. The Rival Heirs : being the Third and Last Chronicle of ^scendune. Crown 8vo. , 2j. 6d. The House of W.\lderne. A Tale of the Cloister and the Forest in the Days of the Barons' Wars. Crown 8vo. , 2.S. 6d. BRiAN FiTZ-CouNT. A Story of Wal- lingford Castle and Dorchester Abbey. Crown 8vo., 'zs. 6d. BCenty (G. A. ). — Edited by. Yule Logs : A Story-Book for Boys. By various Authors. With 61 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo., 6s. Yule Tide Yarns ; A Story-Hook for Boys. By various Authors. With 45 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 6s. With 138 .6s. With 100 With 99 Lang (Andrew)— Edited by. The Blue Fairy Book. Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , The Red Fairy Book. Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , The Green Fairy Book. Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 6s. The Yellow Fairy Book. With 104 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., The Pink Fairy Book. Illustrations. Crown 8vo. The Blue Poetry Book. Illustrations. Crown 8vo., The Blue Poetry Book. , 6s. With 67 6j. With too 6s. School Edition, without Illustrations. Fcp. 8vo. , 2J. 6d. The True Story Book. With 66 Illustrations. Crcwn Svo. , 6s. The Red True Story Book. With 100 Illustrations. Crown Svo. , 6s. The .Animal Story Book. With 67 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 6s. The Red Book of Animal Stories. With 6s Illustrations. Cr. 8vo., 6s. The Araiuan Nights Entertain- MICNTS. With 66 Illustrations. Crown Svo. , 6s. 26 LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENP.RAL WORKS. Children's Books Meade (L. T.). Daddy's Boy. With 8 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 3.f. 6rf. Deb and the Duchess. With 7 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo. , 3J. bd. The Bereskord Prize. With 7 Illus- trations. Crown 8vo. , 35. 6(7'. The House of Surprises. With 6 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 3J. 6d. -continued. Praeger (Rosamond). The Adventures of the Thbee Bold Babes : Hector, Honoria and Alisander. A Story in Pictures. With 24 Coloured Plates and 24 Outline Pictures. Oblong 410., y. bd. The Further Doings of the Three Bold Babes. With 24 Coloured Pictures and 24 Outline Pictures. Ob- long 4to. , 3J. 6d. Stevenson. — A Child's Garden of Verses. By Robert Louis Stevenson. Fcp. 8vo. , 55. Upton (Florence K,, and Bertha). The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a ' Golliwogg '. With 31 Coloured Plates and numerous Illustrations in the Text. Oblong 4to. , 6j. The Golliwogg's Bicycle Club. With 31 Coloured Plates and numerous Illustrations in the Text. Oblong 4to. , 6j. The Golliwogg at the Seaside. With 31 Coloured Plates and numerous Illustrations in the Text. Oblong 4to. , 6j. The Golliwogg in War. With 31 Coloured Plates. Oblong 410., ds. The Vege-Men's Revenge. With 31 Coloured Plates and numerous Illus- trations in the Text. Oblong 410., 6^. The Silver Crown 8vo. 3^. 6rf. Arnold's (Sir Edwin) Seas and Lands. With 71 Illustrations. 3J. 6tf. Bagehot's (W.) Biographical Studies. 3.1. bd. Bagehot's (W.) Economic Studies, y. 6d. Bagehot's (W.) Literary Studies. With Portrait. 3 vols. 35. 6d. each. Baker's (Sir S. W.) Eight Years in Ceylon. With 6 Illustrations, y. 6d. Baker's (Sir S. W.) Rifle and Hound in Ceylon. With 6 Illustrations. 3^. 6d. Baring-Gould's (Rev. S.) Curious Myths of the Middle Ages. 3/. 6d. Baring-Gould's (Rev. S.) Origin and Development ot Religious Belief. 2 vols. 35. 6d. each. Becker's (W. A.) Gallus : or, Roman .Scenes in the Time of Augustus. With 26 Illustrations. 35. 6d. Becker's (W. A.) Charioles : or, Illustra- tions of the Private Life of the Ancient Greeks. With 26 Illustrations. y.6d. Bent's (J. T.) The Ruined Cities of Ma- shonaland. With 117 Illustrations. 33. 6d. Library. each Volume. Brassey's (Lady) A Voyage in the' Sun- beam '. With 66 Illustrations. y.6d. Churchill's (W. S.) The Story of the Malakand Field Force, 1897. With 6 . Maps and Plans, y. 6d. Clodd's (E.) Story of Creation : a Plain Account of Evolution. With 77 Illus- trations, y. 6d. Conybeare (Rev. W. J.) and Howson's (Very Rev. J. S.) Life and Epistles of St. PauL With 46 Illustrations. y.6d. Dougall's ( L. ) Beggars All ; a Novel. y.6d. Doyle's (A.Conan) Micah Clarke. ATale of Monmouth's Rebellion. With 10 Illustrations, y. 6d. Doyle's (A. Conan) The Captain of the Polestar, and other Tales. 3^. 6d, Doyle's (A. Conan) The Refugees ; A Tale of the Huguenots. With 25 Illustrations. 3^. 6d. Doyle's (A. Conan) The Stark Monro Letters, y. 6d. Froude's (J. A.) The History of England, ; from the Fall of Wolsey to the Defeat ; of the Spanish Armada, rs vols, y. 6d. each. LONXiMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. 27 The Silver Library — continued. Froude's (J. A.) The English In Ireland. 3 vols. loj. 6a'. Froude's (J. A.) The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon. 3.5. bd. Froude's (J. A.) The Spanish Story of the Armada, and other Essays. 3^. bd. Froude's (J. A.) Short Studies on Great Subjects. 4 vols. 3.^. bd. each. Froude's (J. A.) Oceana, or England and Her Colonies. With 9 Illustra- tions. 3.f. bd. Froude's (J. A.) The Council of Trent. 3^. bd. FCoade's (J. A.) The Life and Letters of Erasmus. 3^. bd. Froude's (J. A.) Thomas Carlyle : a History of his Life. 1795-1835. 2 vols. js. i834-i88][. 2 vols. qs. Froude's (J, A.) Csesar : a Sketch. 35. bd. Froude's (J. A.) The Two Chiefs of Dun- boy: an Irish Romance of the Last Century. 3^. bd. Gleig's (Rev. G. R.) Life of the Dulie of Wellington. With Portrait. 35. bd. Greville's (C. C. F.) Journal of the Reigns of King George lY., King William IV., and Queen Victoria. 8 vols. , 3^. bd. each. Haggard's (H. R.) She : A History of Adventure. With 32 Illustrations. 3f. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Allan Quatermain. With 20 Illustrations, y. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Colonel Quaritch, V.C. : a Tale of Country Life. With Frontispiece and Vignette, y. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Cleopatra. With 29 Illustrations. 35. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Eric Brighteyes. With 51 Illustrations. 3^. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Beatrice. With Frontispiece and Vignette. 35. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Allan's Wife. With 34 Illustrations. 3^. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Heart of the World. With 15 Illustrations. 3^. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Montezuma's Daugh- ter. With 25 Illustrations, y. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) The Witch's Head. With 16 Illustrations, y. bd. Haggard's (H, R.) Mr. Meeson's Will. ■ With 16 Illustrations, y. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Nada the Lily. With 23 Illustrations, y. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Dawn. With 16 Illus- trations, y. bd. Haggard's (H. K.) The People of the Mist. With 16 Illustrations. 3^. bd. Haggard's (H. R.) Joan Haste. With 20 Illustrations. 3J. bd. Haggard (H, R.) and Lang's (A.) The World's Desire. With 27 Ulus. y. bd. Harte's (Bret) In the Carquinez Woods, and other Stories. 3.J. bd. Helmholtz's ( Herraannvon ) Popular Lec- tures on Scientiflc Subjects. With 68 Illustrations. 2 vols. y. bd. each. Hope's (Anthony) The Heart of Princess Osra. With 9 Illustrations. 3.;. bd. Hornung's (E. W.) The Unbidden Guest. 3.!. bd. Hewitt's (W.) Visits to Remarliable Places. With 8q Illustrations. 3^. 6t^. Jefferies'(B.) The Story of My Heart : My .\utobiogi'aphy. With Portrait. 31. bd. Jefferies' (R.) Field and Hedgerow. With Portrait. 3^. bd. Jefferies' (R.) Red Deer. With 17 Illus- trations, y. bd. Jefferies' (R.) Wood Magic: a Fable. With Frontispiece and Vignette by E. V. B. y. bd. Jefferies' (R.) The Toilers of the Field. With Portrait from the Bust in Salis- bury Cathedral, y. bd. Kaye (Sir J.) and Malleson's (Colonel) History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857-8. 6 vols. y. bd. each. Knight's (E. F.)The Cruise of the ' Alerte ' : the Narrative of a Search for Treasure on the Desert Island of Trinidad. With 2 Maps and 23 Illustrations. y. bd. Knight's (E. F.) Where Three Empires Meet : a Narrative of Recent Travel in Kashmir, Western Tibet, Baltistan, Gilgit. With a Map and 54 Illustra- tions, y. bd. Knight's (E. F.) The 'Falcon' on the Baltic : a Coasting Voyage from Hammersmith to Copenhagen in a Three-Ton Yacht. With Map and II Illustrations, y. bd. Kostlin's (J.) Life of Luther. With 62 Illustrations and 4 Facsimiles of MSS. y. bd. Lang's (A.) Angling Sketches. With 20 Illustrations, y. bd. Lang's (A.) Custom and Myth: Studies of Early Usage and Belief. 3.^. bd. Lang's (A.) Cock Lane and Common- Sense, y. bd. Lang's (A.) The Book of Dreams and Ghosts. 3.1. bd. 28 LONGMANS AND CO:S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. The Silver Library Lang's (A.) A Monk of Fife: a Story of the Days of Joan of Arc. With 13 Illustrations, y. 6d. Lang's (A.) Myth, Ritual, and Religion. 2 vols. yi. Lees (J. A.) and Clutterbuck's {W.J.)B.C. 1887, A Ramble in British Columbia. With Maps and 75 Illustrations, y. 6d. Levett-Yeats' (S.) The Chevalier D'Auriac. 3.T. Gd. Macaulay's (Lord) Complete Works. ' Albany ' Edition. With 12 Portraits. 12 vols. y. 6(/. each. Macaulay's (Lord) Essays and Lays of Ancient Rome, etc. With Portrait and 4 Illustrations to the ' Lays '. 3^. 6d. Macleod's (H. D.) Elements of Bank- ing. 3.1. 6d. Marbot's (Baron de) Memoirs. Trans- lated. 2 vols. 7.V. Marshman's (J.C.) Memoirs of Sir Henry Havelock. 35. 6d, Merivale's (Dean) History of the Romans under the Empire. 8 vols. 31. 61/. ea. Merriman's (H. S.) Flotsam : a Tale of the Indian Mutiny. 3J. 6d. Mill's (J. S.) Political Economy. 35. 6d. Mill's (J. S.) System of Logic. 3^. 6d. Milner's (Geo.) Country Pleasures: the Chronicle of a Year chiefly in a Gar- den. 3j. 6d. Hansen's (F.) The First Crossing of Greenland. With 142 Illustrations and a Map. 3^. 6d. Phillipps-WoIley's(C.) Snap: a Legend of the Lone Mountain. With 13 Illustrations. 3J. 6d, Proctor's (R. A.) The Orbs Around Us. 3.t. 6d, Proctor's (R. A.) The Expanse of Heaven. 3.J. 6d. Proctor's (E. A.) Light Science for Leisure Hours. First Series. 3^. 6d, Proctor's (R. A.) The Moon. 3,?. 6d. Proctor's (R. A.) Other Worlds than Ours. 35. 6d. -continued. Proctor's (R. A.) Our Place among Infl. nities : a Series of Essays contrasting our Little Abode in Space and Time with the Infinities around us, 35. ^d Proctor's (R. A.) Other Suns than Ours. y. 6d. Proctor's (R, A.) Rough Ways made Smooth. 3J. 6d. Proctor's (R. A.) Pleasant Ways in Science. 3J. 6d. Proctor's (R. A.) Myths and Marvels of Astronomy. 3,r. 6d. Proctor's ( R. A.) Nature Studies, js. 6d. Proctor's (R. A.) Leisure Readings. By R. A. Pkoctor, Edward Clodd, Andrew Wilson, Thomas Foster, and A. C. Ranyard. With Illustra- tions, y. 6d. Rossetti's (Maria F.) A Shadow of Dante. 3J. 6d. Smith's (R. Bosworth) Carthage and the Carthaginians. With Maps, Plans, &c. 35. 6d. Stanley's (Bishop) Familiar History of Birds. With 160 Illustrations. 3^. 6d. Stephen's (L.) The Playground of Europe (The Alps). With 4 Illustra- tions, y. 6d. Stevenson's (n. L.) The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; with other Fables, y. 6d. Stevenson (R. L.) and Osbourne's (LI.) The Wrong Box. y. 6d. Stevenson (Robt. Louis)and Stevenson's (Fanny van deGrift)MoreNewArabiaii Nights. — The Dynamiter, y. 6d. Trevelyan's (Sir G.O. ) The Early History of Charles James Fox. y. 6d. Weyman's (Stanley J.) The House of the Wolf: a Romance. 3^. 6d. Wood's (Rev. J. G.) Petland Revisited. With 33 Illustrations, y. 6d. Wood's (Rev. J. G.) Strange Dwellings. With 60 Illustrations, y. 6d. Wood's (Rev. J. G.) Out of Doors. With II Illustrations. 3.^. 6d. Cookery, Domestic Management, &c. Buekton. — Comfort and Cleanli- ness : The Servant and Mistress Question. By Mrs. CATHERINE M. BUCKTON. With 14 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., 2s. Aeton.— Modern Cookery. By Eliza Acton. With 150 Woodcuts. Fcp. 8vo. , 4J. 6d. Ashby. — Health in the Nursery. By Henry Ashby, M.D., F.R.C.P., Physician to the Manchester Children's Hospital. With 25 Illustrations. Cr. 8vo. , y. 6d. Bull (Thomas, M.D.). Hints to Mothers on the Managb- ment of their Health during the Period of Pregnancy. Fcp. 8vo., IS. 6d. LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. 29 Cookery, Domestic Management, Sic.—contimied. 5ull (Thomas, M.'D.)~continued. The Maternal Management of Children in Health andDisease. Fcp. 8vo., 15. 6d. )e Salis (Mrs.). Cakes and Confections a la Mode. Fcp. 8vo., IS. 6cl. Dogs ; a Manual for Amateurs. Fcp. 8vo., IS. 6d. Dressed Game and Poulirv X la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. , is, 6d. Dressed Vegetables X la Modk. Fcp. Bvo., I J. 6d. Drinks X la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. , is. 6d. Entrees X la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. , is. 6d. FloralDecorations. Fcp.Svo. ,Ti.6ii'. Gardening X la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. Part I. Vegetables, is. 6d. Part II. Fruits, is. 6d. National Viands X la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. , IS. 6d. New-laid Eggs. Fcp. 8vo., is. 6a'. Oysters X la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. , is. 6d. Soups and Dressed FishX la Mode. Fcp. 8vo., IS. 6d. He Salis (Mrs.) — continued. Savouries a LA Mode. Fcp. 8vo. ,ii. 6rf. Puddings and Pastry a la Mode. Fcp. 8vo. , IS. 6d. Sweets and Supper Dishes X la Mode. Fcp. Bvo., is. 6d. Tempting Dishes for Small In- comes. Fcp. 8vo., IS. 6d. Wrinkles and Notions for Every Household. Cr. 8vo., is. 6d. Lear.— Maigre Cookery. By H. I,. Sidney Lear. i6mo., 2s. Mann.— Manual of the Principles OF Practical Cookery. By E. E. Mann. Crown 8vo. , ij. Poole. — Cookery for the Diabetic. By W. H. and Mrs. Poole. With Preface by Dr. Pavy. Fcp. 8vo. , 2s. 6d. ■Walker. — A Book for Every Woman. By Jane H. Walker. Part I. The Management of Children in Health and out of Health. Cr. 8vo. , 2s. 6d. Part II. Woman in Health and out of Health. Crown 8vo, 2j. 6d. Miscellaneous and Critical Works. Essays and Sketches. Boyd (A. K. H.) ('A.K.H.B.')— continued. Our Little Life, Two Series. Cr. 8vo. , 3^. 6i/. each. OurHomelyComedy; andTragedy. Crown 8vo. , y. 6d. Recreations of a Country Parson. Three Series. Cr. 8vo. , y. 6d. eacli. Butler (Samuel). Erevvhon. Cr. 8vo., ss. The Fair Haven. A Work in Defence of the Miraculous Element in our Lord's Ministry. Cr. 8vo. , ys. 6d. Life and Habit. An Essay after a Completer View of Evolution. Cr. 8vo., 7s. 6d. Evolution, 0ld and New. Cr. 8vo., los. 6d. Alps and Sanctuaries of Piedmont and Canton Ticino. Illustrated. Pott 4to. , ios.6d. ■ Luck, or Cunning, as the Main Means of Org \nic Modification ? Cr, 8vo., 7s. 6d. Ex VOTO. An Account of the Sacro Monte or New Jerusalem at Varallo- Sesia. Crown 8vo.. los. 6d. Selections from Works, with Re- marks on Mr. G. J. Romanes' 'Mental Evolution in Animals,' and a Psalm of Montreal. Crown 8vo., yj. 6d. l.rnistrong. By Edmund J .Armstrong. Fcp. Svo. , 55. 3agehot.— Literary Studies. By Walter Bagehot. With Portrait. 3 vols. Crown 8vo. , 35. 6d. each. Baring-Gould. — Curious Myths of the Middle Ages. By Rev. S. Baring-Gould. Crown 8vo. , y. 6d. 3aynes. — Shakespeare Studies, and Other Essays. By the late Thomas Spencer Baynes, LL.B. , LL.D. With a Biographical Preface by Prof. Lewis Campbell. Crown 8vo. , 7s. 6d. Boyd (A. K. H.) (' A.K.H.B.'). And see MISCELLANEOUS THEOLO- GICAL WORKS, p. 32. Autumn Holidays of a Country Parson. Crown Bvo. , y. 6d. Commonplace Philosopher. Crown Svo. , 3^. 6d. Critical Essays of a Country Parson. Crown Bvo. , 3s. 6d. East Coast Days and Memories. Crown Bvo. , y. 6d. Landscapes, Churches and Mora- lities. Crown Bvo. , 3^. 6d. Leisure Hours in Town. Crown Svo. , y. bd. Lessons ofMiddle Age. Cr.Bvo.,3j.6fl. 30 LONGMANS AND CO.' S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Miscellaneous and Critical Wovk.%—co?itinued. Butler {^Ayi\JKi.)— continued. The Authoress op thk Odyssey, where and when she wrote, who She was, the Use She made of THE Iliad, and how the Poem GREW under Her hands. With 14 Illustrations. 8vo. , j.os. 6d. The Iliad of Homer. Rendered into English Prose for the use of those who cannot read the original. Crown 8vo., yj. 6d. Shakespeaue's Sonnets. Recon- sidered, and in part Rearranged, with Introductory Chapters and a Reprint of the Original 1609 Edition. 8vo. Calder.- -Accident in Factories : its DisLrifiution, Causation, Compensation, and Prevention. A Practical Guide to the Law and to the Safe-Guarding, Safe- Working, and Safe-Construction of Factory Machinery, Plant, and Premises. With 20 Tables and 124 Illustrations. By John Calder. Cr. 8vo. , js. 6d. net. CHARITIES REGISTER, THE AN- NUAL, AND DIGEST: being a Classified Register of Charities in or available in the ivletropolis. With an Introduction by C. S. Loch, Secretary to the Council of the Charity Organi- sation Society, London. 8vo. , 4J. Comparetti. — The Traditional Poetry of the Finns. By Domenico C0MP.4RETTI. Translated by Isabella M. .An'DERTON. With Introduction by Andrew L.1NG. 8vo. ,i6j. Dickinson. — King Arthur in Corn- wall. By W. HowsHip Dickinson, M.D. With 5 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. , 4-f. 6d. Evans. — The Ancient Stone Imple- ments, Weapons, and Ornaments OF Great Britain. By Sir Iohn Evans, K.C.B., D.C.L., LL.D., F. R.S. , etc. With 537 Illustrations. Medium 8vo. , 28.?. Haggard. — A Farmers' Year : being his Commonplace Book for 1898. By H. Rider Haggard. With 36 Illus- trations by G. Leon Little. Crown Svo, , js 6d. net. Hamlin.— A Text-Book of the His- tory OF Architecture. By A. D. F. Hamlin, A.M. With 229 Illustrations. Crown 3vo., js. 6d. Haweis. — Music and Morals. By the Rev. H. R. Haweis. With Portrait of the Author, and numerous Illustrations, Facsimilesand Diagrams. Cr.8vo., 6j.net. Hodgson. — Outcast' Essays and Verse Translations. By Shad- worth H. Hodgson, LL.D. Crown Hoenig.— Inquiries concerning the Tactics of the Future. Fourth Edition, 1894, of the 'Two Brig.ides', By Fritz Hoenig. With i Sketch iii the Text and 5 Maps. Translated by Captain H. M. Bower. Svo. , 15^. net. Hullah.— The History of Modern Mu.sic. By John Hullah. Zvo, is.dd. Jefferies (Richard). Field and Hedgerow. With Por- trait. Crown Svo. , 35. 6d. The Story of My Heart : my Auto- biography. With Portrait and New Preface by C. J. LONGMAN. Crown 8vo., 3J. 6d. Red Deer. With 17 Illustrations, Crown Svo., 3.J. 6d. The Toilers of the Field. With Portrait from the Bust in Salisbury Cathedral. Crown 8vo., 3.;. 6d. Wood Magic : a Fable. With Frontis- piece and Vignette by E. V. B. Or, 8vo., 3i. 6d. Jekyll (Gertrude). Wood and Garden : Notes and Thoughts, Practical and Critical, of a Working Amateur. With 71 Illus- trations from Photographs by the Author. Svo. , lOJ. 6d. net. Home and Garden : Notes and Thoughts, Practical and Critical, of a Worker in both. With 53 Illustra- tions from Photographs by the Author. Svo., loj. 6d. net. Jolinson. — The Patentee's Manual: a Treatise on the Law and Practice of Letters Patent. By J. & J. H. John- son, Patent Agents, &c. 8vo., loj. 6if. Joyce.— The Origin and HisroRY of Irish Names of Places. By P. W. Joyce, LL.D. 2 vols. Cr. Svo. , Si. each. Kingsley.— A History of French Art, 1100-1899. By Rose G. Kings- ley. 8vo. , I2J. 6d. net. Lang (.\NDREW). Letters to Dead Authors. Fcp, Svo. , 2j. 6d. net. Books and Book.men. With 2 Coloured Plates and 17 Illustrations. Fcp. 8vo. , 2i. 6d. net. Old Friends. Fcp. Svo., 2s. bi, nee Letters on Literature. Fcp. 8vo., 2j. 6d. net. , Essays in Little. With Portrait ol the Author. Crown Svo. , is. bd. Cock Lane and Common-Sense. ; Crown Svo. , 3.^. bd. i The Book of Dreams and Ghosts, J Crown Svo. , 3.?. bd. g Maofarren.— Lectures on Harmont, ': By Sir George A. Macfarhen. 8to,, LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. 31 Miscellaneous and Critical 'WoYk.s,~co?!tinued. Marquand and Frothingham. — A Text-Book of the History of Sculpture. By Allan Marquand, Ph.D. , and Arthur L. Frothingham, Junr. , Ph.D. With 113 lUustrations. Crown 8vo. , 6s. Max Miiller (The Right Hon. F.). India: What CAN IT Teach Us ? Cr. 8vo. , 5j. Chips from a German Workshop. Vol. I. Recent Essays and Addresses. Cr. 8vo., 5.!. Vol. II. Biographical Essays. Cr. Bvo. , 5i. Vol. III. Essays on Language and Literature. Cr. Bvo.. 5.^. Vol. IV. Essays on Mythology and Folk Lore. Crown 8vo. , y. Contributions to the Science of Mythology. 2 vols. 8vo. , 32.1. Milner. — Country Pleasures : the Chronicle of a Year chiefly in a Garden. By George Milner. Cr. 8vo. , y. 6d. Morris (William). Signs of Change. Seven Lectures delivered on various occasions. Post 8vo. , 45. 6d. Hopes and Fears for Art. Five Lec- tures delivered in Birmingham, Lon- don, etc., in 1878-1881. Crown 8vo. , 4J. 6(f. An Address Delivered at the Dis- tribution of Prizes to Students of the Birmingham Municipal School of Art on zist February, 1894. 8vo. , 2j. 6d. net. Art and the Beauty of the Earth ; a Lecture delivered at Burslem Town Hall, on October 13, i88r. _8vo., 2J. 6d. net. Some Hints on Pattern-Design- ing: a Lecture delivered at the Work- ing Men's College, London, on De- cember 10, 1881. 8vo., 2.V. erf. net. Arts and Crafts Essays. By Mem- bers of the Arts and Crafts E.xhibition Society. With a Preface by William Morris. Crown 8vo. , 2s. 6d. net. Polloek.— Jane Austen; her Con- temporaries and Herself. An Essay in Criticism. By Walter Herries Pol- lock. Crown Bvo., 3.1. 6d. net. Poore(GEORGE Vivian, M.D.,F.R.C. P.). Essays ON Rural Hygiene. With 13 Illustrations. Crown Svo., 65. 6d. The Dwelling House. With 36 Illustrations. Crown 8vo., y. bd. Ricliter. — Lectures on the Na- tional Gallery. By J. P. Richter. With 20 Plates and 7 Illustrations in the Te.xt. Crown 4to. , 9.^. Rossetti.— A Shadow of Dante : be- ing an Essay towards studying Himself, his World, and his Pilgrimage. By Maria Francesca Rossetti. Witii Frontispiece by Dante Gabriel Ros- setti. Crown Svo. , 3.1. bd. Soulsby (LucyH. M.). Stray Thoughts on Reading. Small Svo. , IS. bd. net. Stray Thoughts for Girls. i6mo., \s. bd. net. Stray Thoughts for Mothers and Teachers. Fcp. Svo., 2j. bd. net. Stray Thoughts for Invalids. iGmo. , 2j. net. Southey.— The Correspondence of Robert Southey with Caroline Bowles. Edited, with an Introduction, by Edward Dovi'DEN, LL.D. 8vo.,r4j. Stevens.— On the Stowage of Ships and their Cargoes. With Informa- tion regarding Freights, Charter-Parties, &c. By Robert White Stevens, Associate-Member of the Institute of Naval Architects. 8vo.. 215. Turner and Sutherland. — The Development of Australian Liter- ature. By Henry Gyles Turner and Alexander Sutherland. With Portraits and Illustrations. Cr. Svo. , 5^. Van Dyke.— A Te.xt-Buok on the History of Painting. By John C. Van Dyke. With no Illustrations. Crown Svo. , bs. "W"ar"wiek.— Progress in Women's Education in the British Empire : being the Report of Conferences and a Congress held in connection with the Educational Section, Victorian Era Ex- hibition. Edited by the Countess of Warwick. Crown Bvo. , 6i. "White. — An Examination of the Charge of Apostacy against Wordsworth. By W. Hale White, Editor of the ' Description of the Words- worth and Coleridge MSS. in the Pos- session of Mr. T. Norton Longman'. Crown Svo. , 3.^. bd. Willard. — History of Modern Italian Art. By Ashton Rollins Willard. With Pliotogravure Frontis- piece and 28 Full-page Illustrations. Bvo., iBj. net. 32 LONGMANS AND CO.'S STANDARD AND GENERAL WORKS. Miscellaneous Theological Works. *** Ear Chui ch ofE/igland and Roman Catholic Works see MESSRS. LONGMANS & Co 's Special Catalogues. Balfour.— The Foundations of Be- lief : being; Notes Introductory to the .Stiifiy of Theology. By the Right Hon. Arthur]. Balfour, M. P. 8vo.,i2j.6i;. Boyd (A. K. H.) (' A.K.H.B.'). Counsel and Comfort from a City Pulpit. Crown 8vo., 3^. 6d. Sunday Afternoons in the Parish Church of a Scottish University City. Crown 8vo., 3J. 6d. Changed Aspects of Unchanged Truths. Crown 8vo., 3.J. do". Graver Thoughts of a Country P.ARSON. Three Series. Crown Bvo. , ^s. 6d. each. Present Day Thoughts. CrownSvo., ^s. 6d. Seaside Musings. Ct.Swo., 3s. 6d. ' To Meet the Day ' through the Christian Year ; being a Te.\'t of Scrip- ture, witli an Original Meditation and a Short Selection in Verse for Every Day. Crown Bvo., 4J. 6d. Campbell. — Religion in Greek Literature. By the Rev. Lewis Campbell, M.A. , LL.D. , Emeritus Professor of Greek, University of St. Andrews. 8vo. , ic^s. Davidson.— Theism, as Grounded in Human Nature, Historically and Critic- ally Handled. Being the Burnett Lectures for 1892 and 1893, delivered at Aberdeen. By W. L. Davidson, M.A. , LL.D. 8vo., 15J. G-ibson. — The Abb6 de Lamennais and the Liberal Catholic Move- ment IN France. By the Hon. W. Gibson. With Portrait. 8vo., 12.V. 6d. Lang.— Modern Mythology : a Reply to Professor Max Miiller. By Andrew Lang. 8vo., gs. MacDonald (George), Unspoken Sermons. Three Series. Crown 8vo. . 35. 6d. each. The Miracles of Our Lord. Crown Svo. , 3J. 6d. Martineau (James). Hours of Thought on Sacred Things: Sermons. 2 Vols. Crown Svo. y. 6d. each. Endeavours after the Christian Life. Discourses. Cr. Svo. , 7.1. 6./. 2yyi,zl0\, THE ABERL^KEN Martineau (] ames)— continued. The Seat of Authority in Religion, 8vo. , 14s. Essays, Reviews, and Addresses. 4 Vols. Crown Svo. , 7.5. 6d. each. Home Prayers, with Two Services for Public Worship. Crown Svo. ji. 6d. Max Miiller (F.). The Si.x Systems of Indian Phil- osophy. Bvo., 18s. Contributions to the Science of Mythology. 2 vols. Bvo., 325. The Origin and Growth of Re- ligion, as illustrated by the Religions of India. The Hibbert Lectures, delivered at the Chapter House, Westminster Abbey, in 1878. Crown Bvo., 5J. Introduction to the Science of Religion : Four Lectures delivered at the Royal Institution. Cr. Bvo. , ^s. Natural Religion. The Gifford Lectures, delivered before the Uni- versity of Glasgow in 1888. Cr. Svo,, Physical Religion. The Gifford Lectures, delivered before the Uni- versity of Glasgow in 1890. Cr. Bvo., S-f- Anthropological Religion. TheGif- ford Lectures, delivered before the University of Glasgow in 1891. Cr. Svo. , 5J. Theosophy ; or, Psychological Reli- gion. The Gifford Lectures, delivered before the University of Glasgow in 1892. Cr. Bvo., ^s. Three Lectures on the VedAnta Philosophy, dehvered at the Royal Institution in March, 1894. 8vo., 51. Ramakwsha^a : His Life and Say. INGS. Crown Svo. , y, Romanes.— Thoughts on Religion. : By George J. Romanes, LL.D., ■ F. R.S. Crown Svo., 45. 6d. Vivekananda. — Yoga Philosophy ; Lectures delivered in New York, Winter of 1895-6, by the SWAMI VIVEKAN- ANDA, on Raja Yoga ; or. Conquering the Internal Nature ; also Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms, with Commentaries. Crown Bvo., 31. 6d. ^ Williamson. — The Great Law; J .\ Study of Religious Origins and of tlie Unity underlying them. By; William' Williamson. 8vo., !+!■ UNI\ERSITV I'HKSS LIMITED