1854]

PERSIA

5

it would be of advantage to be able to write and to refer to the Emperor's last letter.

With respect to the Persian Expedition' the Queen will not object to it as the Cabinet appears to have fully considered the matter, but she must say that she does not much like it in a moral point of view. We are just putting the Emperor of Russia under the ban for trying "to bring the Sultan to his senses" by the occupation of part of his territory after a diplomatic rupture, and are now going to do exactly the same thing to the Shah of Persia!

The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria.

LAEKEN, 9th January 1854.

MY DEAREST VICTORIA, I wrote you a most abominable scrawl on Friday, and think myself justified in boring you with a few words to-day.

The plot is thickening in every direction, and we may expect a great confusion. The dear old Duke used to say: "You cannot have a little war." The great politicians of the Press think differently. The Duke told me also once: "At the place where you are you will always have the power to force people to go to war." I have used that power to avoid complications, and I still think, blessed are the peacemakers.

How the Emperor could get himself and everybody else into this infernal scrape is quite incomprehensible; the more so as I remain convinced that he did not aim at conquest. We have very mild weather, and though you liked the cold, still for every purpose we must prefer warmth. Many hundred boats with coal are frozen up, and I am told that near two hundred ships are wanting to arrive at Antwerp.

I am much plagued also by little parliamentary nonsense of our own here, a storm in a bottle; this is the way of human kind, and in such cases it always pleases me to think that I am not bound to be always

1 Under the belief that Persia had declared war against Turkey, and that diplo matic relations between England and Persia were suspended, the Cabinet had agreed upon the occupation of the Island of Karak by a British force.

6

THE FRENCH ALLIANCE

[CHAP. XXIII

their working slave, and I cast a sly look at my beautiful villa on the Lake of Como, quite furnished. My beloved Victoria. Your devoted Uncle.

LEOPOLD R.

The King of the Belgians to Queen Victoria.

LAEKEN, 13th January 1854.

MY BELOVED VICTORIA,— I grieve to see how unjustly you are plagued, and how wonderfully untrue and passionate are the attacks of part of the Press. Abuse is somewhat the staff of life in England, everything, everybody is to be abused; it is a pity, as nothing more unproductive as this everlasting abuse can well. be imagined. As nothing ever gave the slightest opening to this abuse, it is to be hoped that it will be soon got over-the meeting of Parliament will now do good in this respect. As far as your few continental relations are concerned, I don't think they will be able to fix anything upon your faithful servant. I have done England at all times good services, in the sense of her best interests. I hold a position of great geographical importance for England just opposite the mouth of the Thames. Successes of vanity I am never fishing for in England, nor anywhere else. The only influence I may exercise is to prevent mischief where I can, which occasionally succeeds; if war can be avoided, and the same ends obtained, it is natural that THAT should be tried first. Many English superficial newspaper politicians imagine that threatening is the thing believe it the worst of all systems. The Emperor Nicholas and Menschikoff wanted by threatening the Turks to get certain things, and they have by that means got a very troublesome and expensive affair on their hands. I wish England too well to like to see it, but one of these days they will get into some scrape in the same way. The foolish accusation that we are doing all we can to break up the French Alliance is certainly the most absurd of all; if anything can be

1854]

THE COMTE DE CHAMBORD

7

for our local advantage, it is to see England and France closely allied, and for a long period for ever I should say.

I have heard, and that from the Prussian Quarter, that great efforts are making on the part of Russia, to gain over Louis Napoleon. I understand, however, that though Louis Napoleon is not anxious for war, that his opinion is favourable to the continuation of a good understanding with England. That it should be so is, I must say, highly desirable. The poor Orleans will be grieved and hurt by all these things. The death of the child of the poor Queen of Spain will not be a favourable omen for Spain.'.

With my best love to Albert. Believe me ever, my beloved Victoria, your truly devoted Uncle,

LEOPOLD R.

Queen Victoria to the Earl of Aberdeen.

WINDSOR CASTLE, 16th January 1854.

The Queen sends the answer she has this morning received from the Duc de Nemours, which she hopes is on the whole satisfactory as regards the reported visit of the Count de Chambord.2 The Duke does not see in so strong a light as we do, the danger of even the report being believed-probably from living so much out of the world as he does. What would Lord Aberdeen wish her to do farther, and what does he think can be done in the way of contradiction? The Queen wishes likewise to have Lord Aberdeen's opinion and advice on the following subjects. knows that we have invariably received the poor Orleans family (in particular our own near relations, the Nemours) from time to time here and in London, and that the Queen has always from the first year done this openly but unostentatiously. It is by no means

He

1 A daughter had been born to the Queen of Spain on the 5th of January, and lived only three days.

2 Son of the Duc de Berri, and known formerly as the Duc de Bordeaux. (See ante, vol. i. p. 619.) The Duc de Nemours denied all knowledge of the rumoured visit, and thought its importance had been exaggerated.

8

THE ORLEANS FAMILY

[CHAP. XXIII

her intention to change her conduct in this respectbut since the great noise caused by the "fusion" she thought it better not to invite the Nemours either to Osborne or here, hoping that by this time these tiresome rumours would have ceased. They have not, however, and we think that perhaps it would be wiser not to see them here, at any rate till after the meeting of Parliament, though it is very painful to the Queen to hurt their feelings by apparent neglect. Is Lord Aberdeen of this opinion, and does he think that it will not be misconstrued into an admission of having encouraged intrigues or of submission to the will and pleasure of Louis Napoleon?

For the Queen would never submit to such an accusation, nor would she continue (after the excitement is past) to exclude these poor exiles from occasional visits — which have been paid and received ever since '48, and which would be unworthy and ungenerous conduct.

Likewise does Lord Aberdeen think that a morning visit to the Duchess of Aumale to enquire after her health would be imprudent?

It goes very much against the Queen's feelings of generosity and kindness to neglect the poor exiles as she has done this winter, but the present moment is one of unparalleled excitement and of great political importance which requires great prudence and circumspection. There is an admirable article in the Morning Chronicle of to-day, taking quite the right line upon the infamous and now almost ridiculous attacks on the

Queen and Prince. Has Lord Aberdeen any idea who

could have written it?

The Queen sends a letter she has received from her Uncle, which may amuse and interest him. To make the statement of the Queen's intercourse with the Orleans family quite clear, she should add, that when the family visit the Queen, or she visits them, that it is put into the Court Circular, and this of course gets copied into country papers and foreign papers; but after consideration the Queen thought this the wiser course,

1854]

MR GLADSTONE'S ATTITUDE

for with all the spies who are no doubt about—if this were not done, and the Queen's visits and vice versâ, were suppressed and yet found out-it would give them an air of mystery which is just what we wish to avoid.

The Earl of Aberdeen to Queen Victoria.

LONDON, 17th January 1854.

With respect to your Majesty's custom of seeing the French Royal Family, Lord Aberdeen humbly thinks that there is no good reason for making any change. It has always taken place without parade or ostentation; and knowing, as Lord Aberdeen does, that no political object is in view, he would feel ashamed to advise your Majesty to do anything at variance with that sympathy which your Majesty has been careful to keep within the bounds of prudence and moderation.

Lord Aberdeen hopes that he may venture to congratulate your Majesty on the commencement of a change with respect to the newspaper attacks upon the Prince. He observed the article, to which your Majesty refers, in the Morning Chronicle of yesterday; and he believes he may certainly say that it was written by Mr Gladstone, although he would not wish it to be known. There was also a very sensible letter in the Standard of last night, signed D. C. L. This is the signature always assumed by Mr Alexander Hope,1 in his contributions to the Press, and Lord Aberdeen does not doubt that it is written by him. It is only a wonder to find it in such a quarter; and it shows some disposition on the part of that scurrilous paper to alter its course. There is perhaps no great objection to the papers dealing with the subject as they think proper, before the meeting of Parliament, provided the Times takes no part at present; for as this paper is

1 Mr A. J. Hope (afterwards Beresford-Hope), at this time out of Parliament, had written over the signature "D. C. L." a series of letters to the Press on the Papal claims.