ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Saturday, May 23, 1903. THE REAL QUEEN VICTORIA.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 120, 23 May 1903, Page 2

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Saturday, May 23, 1903. THE REAL QUEEN VICTORIA.

A curious circumstance is reported in connection with the publication of a second edition of Mr Sidney Lee's "Life of Qaeen Victoria." Mr Lee was the editor of that gigantic and truly superb work, "The National Dictionary of Biography," and it was understood that his Life of the late Qaeen would contain many interesting " side lights," derived from authentic sources, upon the personal characteristics of Her Majesty. The rumor proved correct, for, despite the fact that the book was dedicated to our present monarch, and that, presumably, King Edward had read the final proofs before giving his royal assent to the dedication, it was found when the book came to be published that it contained many passages to which the adjective "indiscreet" was freely applied. A second edition of the book has now been issued, in which most of the passages to which we refer are omitted. A London papor, The Outlook, gives, in a review, several of the excise 4. paragraphs, and some of these are so interesting that we condense them for the benefit of our roadere, the majority ol whom may probably not have an opportunity of seeing either the book or the review. Mr Lee quoted freely from letters which had been placed at his disposal. From these we learn, amongst other things, that Her Majesty detested Windsor and adored Balmoral, that she personally disliked Mr Glad stona, whilst on tha other hand she held Mr Disraeli, afterwards Lord Beaoonsfield, in peculiarly high esteem. Again, the letters prove that she feared "the growth of Radicalism," and openly rejoiced in every Conservative victory. Political reasons (says the Outlook in its review), which are still powerfully in operation, may account for the excision of so open an expression of sympathy with a party and a leader as is disclosed by the following two passages, which, appearing in the first edition of Me Lee's book, are conspicuous by their absence in the second: —"The result of the elections is astounding," she wrote on February 10, 1874. " What an important turn the elections have taken! It shows the country is not; Radical. What a triumph, too, Mr Disraeli has obtained, and what a good sign this largo Conservative majority is of the state of the country, which really required, as formerly, a strong Conservative party!" Again, she wrote a few days after reading the account of Lady Beaconsfleld's simple funeral at Hughenden: " He" (i c., Disraeli) "is a very fine example to set before us, in these days of want of affection and devotion and belief in what is true, unselfish, and chivalrous." There is very good reason to believe that Queen Victoria's dislike of Gladstone was largely due, in the first instance, to his action in removing the direct control of the Army from the Crown, She resented very, bitterly the action of the Gladstone Ministry in the matter of the abolition of Army pro motion by purchase, an action which is now held, and very properly, to have been a most just and righteous proceeding. Some one, not Mr Lee, once wrote that whereas " Gladstone treated the Queen as if she were the head of a department, Disraeli always treated her as a Queen, as The Ruler," "Dizzy," in plain English, knew women's weakness, a regard and liking for extreme deference, and being a clevex* writer, which Gladstone never was, played his part to perfection. Bat Her Majesty appears to have had a morbid dislike of Gladstone on a variety of grounds. She grumbled to Jaer correspondent of the complaints made in the press as to her habits of seclusion and wrote of the cruel, heartless way ia which the papers persecuted her. Also, she lamented that " tho words were not spoken by her Ministers (Gladstone and his colleagues) which were needed to mako the public understand that the Queen could not do nsore than human strength could bear." How she disliked Windsor—Royal Windsor—we learn in a letter in which she describes it as 'fohis gloomiest, saddest of places." She missed not only the scenery of Balmoral, but "the atmosphere of

loving affection and the hearty attachment of the people." Scotsmen may find pleasure in the lines quoted, but Englishmen, who know Windsor, will hardly agree as to it being " the gloomiest and saddest of places." All through the letters quoted by Mr Lee this predilection for Scotland keeps cropping up. Af fcer her illness in 1871, $he writes: " The sympathy in dear Scotland has been very great, and their press was the first to raise its voico in defence of a cruelly misunderstood woman. She will never forget it." Referring generally to the suppressed passages, The Outlook regards them as extracts from letters still in possession of some person or persons who probably lent thorn to Mr Lee to aid him in presenting a faithful picture of Queen Victoria, Whether, says our contemporary, a higher authority has intervened we can only guess. Bub there can bo little doubt thafc (he picture of the late Qaeen, so admirably and freely drawn, has suffered by the excisions made in the later issues of the book, and while author and publisher h&ve consented to the revision ai loyal subjects, they must, in common with the public, regret the spoiling nf a fine presentation of a great personality. Oliver Cromwell desired to have the warts on his face put in his picture; why should the characteristic and natural prejudices, the really human traits o£ a great Queen be toned down ? She was not less a Qaeen because she was a woman with a will and strong

opinions.