THE EARLY YEARS OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE CONSORT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 1789, 24 September 1867, Page 5

THE EARLY YEARS OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE CONSORT.

(From the Pall Mall Gazette, July 26.)

We have receiyed a copy of TJie Early Years of His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, a book which has been expected with great curiosity. "We do not propose to ente? upon a,criticism.; of the volume ; but we may say that it is compiled with a care and a dexterity which are creditable in a literary sense, and : that its importance and its interest are very great indeed. .

We are tpld in the preface that the ! volume was originally compiled under the Queen's direction, solely for private circulation amongst the members of her own family, or such other persons'as, from the relations in: which they had stood to Her Majesty or.to the Prince Consort himself, would naturally: be. interested, in the story of his early .days.., "As however, notwithstanding the : ? Ignited circulation to which it was intended to confine the volume, there was felt to be considerable danger of a copy being; surreptitiously obtained and published possibly in. a garbled form, the question, arose whether it might not be expedient to avert this danger by publishing It iii substantially' the' same.form as that in which it was first printed for private cir- j culation." Therefore the Queeii, believing that the free and unreserved expres- j sion which fche* volume contains of her own feelings, -as well as; those of the Prince, is such as, if made public (however unusual such publicity may be), will command the entire sympathy or good of everyone, whose sympathy ovgood opinion is io-be desired j" gave her consent to the pi^gentpubUpation." .. ' : After the preface* is printed a ' tr Letter to the .. Queen" by General Grey— : who compiled'the volume under Her Majesty's direction—arid then some introductory remarks Summarising, the conteata ,of the

work, .declaring how,, freely the Queen's memorarida have^ been; used, even those which relate .to her marriage and record her most sacred ( feelings.. From this introduction we also learn that< the translations of the Prince's letters, as they appear in the text, are for the most pa<rt by Princess Helena. The work itself begins .with a brief account of the Saxe Coburg family, and then proceeds to an account of the! Prince's immediate relatives at the time of his-birth in 1819. The most irteresting of these notes relaie to his mother. The Duchess (Princess Louise) was daughter of Augustus, last reigning Duke but one of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. The Queen says of her— "■ The Princess is described: as having been very handsome, though very small; fair, wifeh blue eyes ; and Prince Albert is said to have been extremely like her. . .• . . She was full of cleverness and talent; but the marriage was not a happy one, and a separation took place in 1824, when the young duchess finally left Coburg, and" never saw her children again. She died at St. Wendel in 1831; after a long and painful illness, in her thirtysecond year; ... " One of the first gifts he made to the Queen was a littlepinhe had received from her when a little child. Princess Louise (the Prince's fourth daughter^ and named after her grandmother) is said to be like her in face."

Why the marriage was unhappy, and what the cause of a separation so complete that the mother never saw her children afterwards, are not stated in these pages; nor is the2 unhappy lady often mentioned therein, though always with respect and affection. Abqut the Dowager Duchess of Coburg read very much more ; for she it was who gave to Prince Albert and to his elder bi-other Ernest the care that a mother should have given them, and from whose letters (chiefly written to her daughter the Duchess of Kent) almost all that is told us here of the Prince's childhood is taken. She seems to have been a most careful and affectionate old lady, and devotedly attachedto her boys. Her Majesty says of her :—

The Queen remembers her dear grandmother perfectly well. She, was a most remarkable woman, with a . most powerful energetic, almost masculine mind, accompanied with great tenderness of heart and extreme love for nature. The Prince told.the Queen that she had wished! earnestly that he should marry the Queen, arid as she died when her grandchildren (the Prince and Queen) were only twelve years old, she could have little guessed what a blessing she was preparing not only for this country but for the world at largel She was adored by her children, particularly by her sons ; King Leopold being her great favorite. She had fine and most expressive blue eyes, with the marked features and long nose inherited by most of her children and grandchildren." r From the letters of the Duchess we learn precisely when Prince Albert was born—how the accoucheuse Siebold had only been caUed at three. on a certain August morning, and : how at six "the little one gave has first cry in the world, and looked about like a little squirrel with a pair of large, black eyes ;" only the. eyes afterwards proved to be blue., MdmeJ Siebold, the accoucheuse here mentioned, had only three months before attended the • Duchess of Kent at the birth of itlie Princess Victoria. On the 22nd rof May, when Prince Albert was, barely eight months old,, his mother thus describes her children:— -. '"' Ernest est bien grand pour son age, vif et; intelligent.. Ses grands yeux noirs petillent d!esprit et de vivacite . . ... Albeit estsuperbe—d'une beaute extraordinaire ;: a de grands yeux blens, une tout petite bouche —un joli nez—et dcs fossettes a. chaque jove —il est grand et vif, et toujours gai. II a trois dents, et malsjrc qu'ii n'a que huit mois, il commence dcja a marcher. : ' The grandmother records more than once that Albert-is not a strong child, but very beautiful. " Little Alberinchen, with his large blue eyes and dimpled cheeks, is bewitching, forward, and quick as a weasel. Ernest is not nearly so pretty, only his intelligent brown eyes are very fine; but he is tall, active, and clever for his age." And again: "Albert is very handsome, but too slight for a boy; lively, very funny, all .good nature,, and, full of misclu'ef." , ft also appears thx,t the handsome fragile boy was very subject to attacks of croup—a matter which gave the grandmother great concern when, at four years old, Albert was removed with his brother from the care of the nurse to whom they had hitherto been entrusted, and handed over to the tutelage of Herr Florschutz, of Coburg. But as for the younger of the boys, we are told in one of the Quoen's memoranda, that "even ssa child he showed a great dislike to being in the charge of women, and rejoiced instead of sorrowing over the contemplated change. And Herr Florschutz seems to have been a careful, patient, and zealous man, whose chief concern during the fifteen years of .his tutorship was at the constant interruptions to study occasioned by the methodless and.changeful life of the Duke of Coburg. ' Herr Florschutz describes fhe young, Prince as easy to instriict,,_as.always of an intellectual and thoughtful turn, and yet fond of active sports and amusements. , " In these games with has brother and; his young companions his was the directing mind. Nor was he at times indisposed t& resort to force if fiis-wishes were not at - once complied with" —: a robust trait .in Ms character, which is mentioned, more than once. The late King of the Belgians, writing to the Queen in 186^ says of the young Prince's childhood— c< Arthur puts me most in mind of his looks intho3e days. He"was always an intelligent child, and held a certain sway over liis elder brother, who rather kindly submitted to it." ; There was not much" to record dnring the boyhood 61 the Princes. • " With the exception of the anforfcnjaate circumstanoes of tne jyeari,iß24j, resulted pijthe! separation, of theiy parents,. tHeir lives flowed on in a ; singularly even and unvarying, but at the same time very happy course. 5? Sonxe extracts are given from a journal kept by the,young Pririce,'as well as^ some letters of liis to. his father, written before <fte:''w;as six gears'old. '\Ve.niust, show; what the child's .iournal was lik

■~.»»)■ v W „ .. c :— .;" 26th/ Japuafy,— .^: ,' , We ie~ cited, a.nd I ,criefl "bec^usa I ppiild not say. my rep^titipp,' for I tiacVn'ot jjaidaitention.' .' ' ll' .I J, wa^ not nlioiyed 'tp. play ]af hex, dinner,: beGaus^-lVha^. caed: wixpsi.

peatrng. Then Parthenia came, and we talked French -with him. The little boy Mensel came and brought us ao.me black chalk, -with which we drew beautiful pictures." .:" 11th February, 1825.— . . . I was to recite something, but I did not wish; to do so ; that was not right, naughty!" :?':Bih April.— . . . . After dinner, we went to Ketschendorf, and from Ketschendorf we went to Seidmannsdorf. On the road, I cried. From Seidmanns^ dorf, we went home by the Eekartsberg. . f ~. Then we had a French lesson." "9th April.— .. . . I got up well and happy ; afterwards I had a fight with my brother. . ;. . After dinner, we went to the play. It was Wallenstein's 'Lager/ and they carried out a monk." " lOfch April.— ■.'... . I had another fight with my brother; that was not right." The letters are pretty simple letters, and charming to read, especially if. you happen to have little boys of your own. This- is one of them :— " 1825.—Dear Papa—The day before yesterday we went to seethe Hof-Marshal, and yesterday the Colonel. Our finches have such a fine house to live in. Think of me very often, and bring me a doll that nods its head.—.Your little Axbekt." There are other letters written by and about the young Prince as he grew older

and from these a very distinct idea may be gained of the innocent, healthful, studious life he led with his brothers. Herr Florschutz gives a long account of their manner of life at this time; and their cousin, Count Arthur Mensdorff, contributes his recollections of these days o£ youth. The Count's little memoir is "written with much effusion :— "Castle Einod, March 16, 1863.—1 was deeply touched by the receipt of your gracious present; the photographs, which are a real treasure to me, and the splendid book on the dear, great Albert: " The small prints representing you in your widow's dress have moved me deeply, and remind me sadly of the last happy days I spent with you in England

in 1848, when Albert, my dear Aunt, and the whole group of blooming children were gathered roxmd you. 1 hardly dare call them children now, for some of them are married Princes: and Princesses, w Tio scarcely remember their old cousin in the mountains of Styria. How terribly has all this changed ! How many noble arid beloved beings has it pleased the Almighty to call into His kingdom, leaving us behind—alone and deserted ! But what a dreadful heavy trial God has sent you, my broken hearted cousin ; and yet it is through His mercy and loving kindness that you have found strength to support the burden of this joyless life with such beautiful,. such exemplary resignation !, « . "Alexandrine has written to me that you wish me to write down all I can recollect of the early years of our beloved departed one. I will try and do so. ■ "Albert, as a child, was of a mild, benevolent disposition. It was. only what he thought unjust or dishonest that could make him angry. Thus, I recollect one day when we children, Albert, Ernest, Ferdinand, Augustus, Alexander, myself, and a few other boys (if I am not mistaken, Paul Wangenheim was one) were playing at the Rosenau, and some of us were to storm the old ruined tower on the side of the castle, which the others were to defend, one of us suggested that there was a place at the back by which we could get in without being seen, and thus capture; it without difficulty. Albert declared that 'this would be most unbecoming; in a Saxon knight, who should always attack the enemy in front;' and so we fought for the tcwer so honestly and vigorously that Albert, by, .mistake—for I was oil his side —gave me a blow upon the nose, of which.;! still bear the mark. I need not say how sorry he was for the wound he had given me. '...-' . . . "From his earliest infancy he was distinguished for.perfsct jnoral ; purity,fboth in word and in deed ; and to this he owed the sweetness of disposition so much ad-' mired by everyone. ~. . ■ Whilst still very young, his heart was feelirigly alive to the sufferings of the poor. I saw him one day give a beggar something "by stealth, when he told me riot to speak of it; ' for, when you give to the poor," he said > , £ you must, see that nobody knows of it.'" The memoir of Herr Elorschutz, who had the independence as well as the patience of a good tutor, artd who began the Prince's education at a time when he was child enough to be carried by his careful teacher -up and down stairs, is more valuable perhaps. From his collections, written after the Prince's death, we make the following extracts :—- ---"Up to his tenth year, Prince Albert usually rose between six and seven in summer and between seven and eight in winter. The lively. spirits with which he entered into the games of childhood, or the more serious occupations of youth, spoke the healthy tone of mind and body. The children breakfasted with their parents between nine and ten. The Duke himself summoned them to the meal, un-less-the breakfast was in the open air, in which case the task of conducting them to the place, seldom the same two days following, devolved on me '. ■ . . " Dinner, which, till his eleventh year, Prince Albert had. regularly alone-with his brother and tutor, was at one o'clock. Between four and five, when the Duke's dinner was over, he had to appear before the company, after which he paid a visit i.o his grandmother, the Dowager Duchess Augusta; and no morning passed, when at Gotha, without: a visit to his maternal grandmother, the Dachess Caroline of Saxe-Gotha-Alteuburg. At seven, o'clock the Prince supped, and was glad to retire to bed; as. soon after as possible. An irresistible feeling, of sleepiness would come over him in the evenktg, which lie ; found it difficult to resist even in after life; ai\d even his most cherished occupations or the liveliest games were at such times ineffectual to keep him awake. If prevented from going to bed, he would suddenly disappear, and was generally found sleeping quietly in the recess of the; windQY.', iov repose of some kind, . though but for a quarter of an hqixr, was then indispensable. On..one Occasion—the first time 1 was

' px'esen . t at his supper-r4he young Prince suddenly-.fell asleep: irad "tumbled off his .chaJv, but he was nothurfe, and coatinxied tp sleejj> quietly on the ground. . . . tAt sixi his. regular1 lessons commenced. .Atfirsii, only oue hour a day, froia hi&

seventh to his ninth year three hoursf— one before and another after breakfast,, and one in the afternoon; From Ms'nintlt to his eleventh year the time was ex* tended to four hours, but as two hour* of this time were given after breakfast^ they were too often interrupted by th* distance of the place at breakfast. Bodily exercisesl, also regulated at fixed hours* and amusement, filled up the rest of th^ day. .

' ( Thoirgh the Prince's health was gene-* ■ rally good, he had more than one illness* and was subject to serious and sometime* even alarming attacks of cronp, whichk the most trifling cause,-the slightest attack of cold, was sufficient to bring on. . . . These attacks of croup were off frequent recta-rence tip to the Prince's: tenth year, and often occasioned a hoarseness which lasted several days, and gaves him much annoyance. It is possible that, the remedies adopted: may have beenin--sufficient, but if, is well that some of t&e? measures proposed were not adopted,, such, for instance, as passing a hair througn the Prinse's throat! . ... " lii his early youth; Prince Albert was> very shy, and he had long, to straggler against this feeling.. He disliked visits', from strangers, and at their approach would run: to the furthest corner of the room,, aad cover his face with his hands j: nor was it possible to make him look u^y or speak a word. If his doing so was* insisted; upon, heresented to the xitmost,, screamingviolently. On one occasion, at a child's fancy ball given by the Duchess, Prince; Albert, then in his fifth; year,, was brought* down, and a little girl was selected as his partner; but when it came to his tunt to move od, after the. other dancers, nothin-j could induce him to stir, and his loua screams were heard echoing through the r00m.,, . . Even with his brother, the Prince showed, at this time, rather too strong a will of his own, and this disposition came out at times, even irx later years. Surpassing-his brother ia thoughtful earnestness, in. calm reflection and self-command, and evineingat tbesama? time more prudence in action, it was only . natural that his will should prevail; ; and when compliance with, it was not voluntarily yielded, he was sometimes disposed^ to have recourse to compulsion. The distinguishing characteristics, of the Prince^ disposition were his winning cheerfulness, and his endearing amiability. His disposition was always to take a cheerfuL view of life, and to see its best side. Hewas fond of fun and practical jokes, an<L on one occasion dr«w down a scoldingfrom his father, by getting his instructorin chemistry to fill a number of small glass ■ vessels, about the size of a pea, with sulphuretted hydrogen, which he threw about tha floor of the pitand boxes of the theatre, to the great annoyance and discomfiture ofc the audience, at whose confusiou he was., highly delighted." . '...'.

A love of practical joking, a remarkable* < faculty for mimicry, and a keen enjoyment. in its practice, are not much in accordance with the common idea of the Prince'scharacter ; Jbut their existence in him is. chronicled by every one who knew him as a boy or as a young man. After their confirmation fall these ceremonies they shared at the same time), the young princes went on a visit to Mecklen.burg, and thence for a tour through Berlin^. Prague, Vienna, and afterwards, accoia— " panied by their father, they visited England for the first time. There is nothin^inthe record of this tour till English ground is touched of any interest except to those .for whom the book was first written—the personal friends and intimates of the family. It was in May 1833----that Prince Albert first saw Londoo!

There is a letter here which records that, his first appearance was at a levee of the king's, " which was long and fatiguing^,, but very interesting." A. drawing-room^ a grand dinner, and a brilliant bait at Kensington Palace, followed—nofe very much to the Prince's . delight apparently ; for they brought late--hours, and he could never keep awake at night.... This - strange sleepiness vs& have before mentioned as characteristic* of his earliest years, and we are tolct that, " manfully as he strove against it^ he never entirely conquered the propensity."

Daring their stay in England.the Duke. and his sons were lodged at Kensington^, "and it was on this occasion that the Queen saw the Prince for the first time. They were both now seventeen years oKL —the. Queen completing her seventeenth year ~ during the visit, the Pric.ce threemonths, later." Scarcely anything is recorded of this visit, except a description, of the Prince as he then looked, which, is contributed in a memorandum by the Queen: —

"The Prince was at that time 'mucst shorter than his brother, already veryhandsome, but very stout, which, he entirely grew out of afterwards. He was most amiable, natural, unaffected, and. merry; full of interest in; everything-j. playing on the piano with the Princess, his. cousin; "drawing; in shorty constantly occupied. ■ He always paid the greatest attention to all he saw, and the- Queen remembers well how intently he listened to> the sermon preached in Sk Paul's, when he and his father and brother accompanied, the Dnchess of Kent aad the Princess there, on the occasion of the.' service attended by the children of the different charity schools. It is indeed rare to see a Prince, not yet seventeen years of age, bestowing such earnest attention on°a sermon."

Though; at this tittle the young people were unconscious that any project to unite them, existed, such a project hact long been entertained by the Prince's family—notably by his grandmother and by the King of the Belgians. But immediately xipon, the Princes visit.in 1838, the belief that the marriage.: was contemplated became general^an&v during his subsequent residence iv.Brussels (where helived with his brother gome ten months), the report was constantly prevalent. King; Leopold, therefore, " with the object ol diverting attention from the young Pnji-? ; cess," advised them to make a journey to ; Switzerland and the north of Italy. The. Princes were at this time at Bonn* auti the tour was to be made in the va^aiipEL j. Arother reason may hp.ve had it^j^^li% i with King Leopold. William ti^p«K^ was dead, and Victoria was^^^Sl^of England The letter which Ppp^fe^ wrote to congratulate his couajtt" B^asi;n6t be omitted here. We should state thrvt tliia is the first letter of tlxePriuce-'awhiclt we have in English. "Bonn, June 26, 1837.—5ty deacQ^fe Cougjri—l must wy}fe§ yg\\ % few l^at to.

present you my Bincerest felicitations on that great change which has taken place in your life. Sow you are 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 "but 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 favored them with till now ? Be assured that our minds are always with you. I will not be indiscreet and abuse your time. Believe me always, your Majesty's most obedient and faithful servant, • "Albert."

And on the 30th o£ July of the same year, the Prince writes thus to his father :—

"Uncle Leopold has written to me a great deal about England, and all that is going on there. United as all parties are in high praise of the young Queen, the more do they seem to "manoeuvre and intrigue with andagainst each other. On every side there is nothing but a network of cabals and intrigues, anjl parties are arrayed against each other in the most inexplicable manner."

. About the cabals and intrigues we hear more by-and-bye from the Queen's own pen. Prince Albert sent to his future wife a small book containing views of almost all the places he visited in Switzerland and Italy. From the Rigi he sent her a dried ■" rose dcs Alpes," and from Voltaire's house, at Ferney, a scrap of that philosopher's handwriting. ■" The whole of these," the Queen herself writes, "wereplaced ma smallalbum, with the datas at which each place was visited. in the Prince's handwriting ; and tin's album thje Queen now considers one of her greatest treasures, and never goes anywhere without it. Nothing had at that 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." The tour was very rapid, and its description occupies small space in the memoir. The Princes returned to Bonn early in November, arid there resumed their uninterrupted studies. The chief subjects of their studies now were Roman law, state rights, political economy, and the principles of finance: At the same /time they attended two courses of historical lectures by Lobell and A. W. yon Schlegel, and a philosophical Icetnre (anthropology and philosophy) by Fichte.. This, with a continued study of mod } crn languages, was occupation enough of the best kind. The •days passed away with nothing more, eventful than an accident in the riding--school : Prince Albert got his knee jammed between his horse and the wall-— the horse refusing a leap ; and we learn in a note by the Queen, that" the knee was severely injured, retaining a deep scar •ever after." „

. But an event of profound importance to the Prince was in preparation, though its progress is not very clearly seen in these pages. However, it was not to be -expected that every.detail fh such a xaatter as the contract of a Royal marriage should voluntarily be made known in the lifetime of one of the parties— the-wife, made widow. That the marriage was long contemplated by the Prince's friends from his infancy is obvious from many passages in this volume. And though^ as the Queen says more than once, nothing had passed between herself and her future husband till after the second visit of the Prince in 1839, it is clear that the project had been made familiar to both some' time before. We

have seen that the tour to Switzerland r and Italy (which was undertaken in May, 1838) was recommended by thd King of the Belgians, in order to divert public attention from the matter. Further on we cad :■—" It was probably in the early part of that year that the King, in writing to the Queen, first mentioned the idea of such a marriage ; and the proposal must liave been favorably received, for in March, 1838, the King writes to Baron Stockmar, and gives an account of the manner in which Prince. Albert had received the communication, which (of -course with the Queen's sanction) he had made to him." The King writes :•-- ---"I have had a long conversation with Albert, and have put the whole case honestly and kindly before Mm. He looks at the question from its most elevated and honorable 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. . . . I

found Mm very sensible on all these points. But one tiling lie observed with truth. cI am ready,' he said, 'to submit to this delay, if I have only some certain assurance to go upon. But if, after ■waiting, perhaps for three years, I Bhould find that the Queen no longer desired the marriage, it "would place me in a very ridiculous position, and would, to a certain extent, ruin all the prospects of my future life.'" . .. . - Both the Prince and his father seem to have objected from the first to the proposal for delay. In another letter to Baron Stockmar, dated the 12th of September, 1838 (just after the return from the tour), the King writes :— "The young gentlemen arrived here yesterday. Albert is much improved. He looks so much more manly, and from his * tournure' one might easily take him to be twenty-two or twenty-three." (At this time he was nineteen.) "I have spoken to Albert," he adds. . . . "What his father says upon the subject of the marriage is true. Albert is now past eighteen. If he waits till he is in his twenty-first, twenty-second, pr twentythird year, it .will be impossible for him to begin any new career, and his whole life would be marred, if the Queen should, change her mind." Reference to the delay is also made in a letter written by the Prince himself to Ms father on the 6thof March, 1838, : after a visit to the King of the Belgians at Brussels, when the King spoke fully with him as ,to his future prospects. "The Queen," says the Prince,' " had in no way altered her mind,' but; did not wish to marry, for spme 'time yet. To this' Her Majesty adds, writing of herself, "She thought herself still too young, and also wished the Prince to be older when he made Ms appearance in

England. In after years she often regretted this decision on her part, and constantly deplored the consequent delay of her marriage. Had she been engaged to the Prince a year sooner than she was, and had she married him at least six months earlier, she would have escaped many trials and troubles of different kinds"—a passage the significance of which is repeated and strengthened elsewhere in the book. But since the marriage had been put off for a while, the question arose as to the arrangement of the Prince's mode of life in the meantime. It was settled that for the first half-year he should remain at Bonn, and that afterwards he was to travel "in company with a well-informed young Englishman—a Mr Seymour."* This plan was carried out. In June of that year (1838) the coronation of the Queen took place, to which the Duke and Duchess of Coburg were invited—" the invitation being accepted by) the Duke, but declined by the Duchess." In December, the Prince set out for Italy. In February, he was joined at Florence by Lieutenant (now Major-General) Seymour, who describes the Prince as then " slight in figure and rather tall; his face singularly handsome and intelligent; his features regular and delicate; his complexion, which, later, from exposure to an Italian sun, became brown, was then fair and clear. He had, in addition to these advantages, a great look of goodness and distinction, which, young as he was in'years, impressed all who were fortunate enough to be thrown into his society." This is from a memorandum of General Seymour's recollections, written in 1863 by the Queen's command. The Prince seems to have spent his time in Italy very gaily : " I have lately thrown myself entirely into the whirl of society,' 5, he writes. AH the same; Italy disappointed the Prince — Rome especially ; and its Pontiff was not more awful to him than the city. Of^the country he says, "One contrives to taste extraordinarily little of the enjoyment which one there promises oneself. In many, many respects the country is far behind what one had expected. In the climate, in the scenery, in the study of the arts, one feels oneself most disagreeably disappointed." And of the Pope we have this notice :—

" Last Tuesday I had the honor of an interview with His Holiness. The old gentleman was very kind and civil. I remained with him nearly half an hour, shut up in a small room. We conversed in Italian on the influence the Egyptians had on Greek art, and that again on Roman art. The Pope asserted that the Greeks had taken their models from the Etruscans. In spite of his infallibility, 1' ventured to assert that they had derived their lessons in art from the Egyptians." In June, 1839, the Prince returned to Coburg. In October he made that eventful journey to England which decided the future current of his life. Though from a very early period (as we read here) 4' the hope expressed by the Dowager Duchess of Coburg had assumed the form of a definite idea that might some day be realised ;" and though as the Queen's journal records, "the Prince used to relate that when he was a child of three years old, his nurse always ;told him that he shonld marry the Queen, and that when he first thought of marrying at all he always thought of her"—the idea of such a union met with much opposition.

" The late King William IV. did everything in his power to discourage it. No less than five other marriages had been contemplated for the young Princess ; and the King, though he never mentioned the subject to the Princess herself, was especially anxious to bring about an alliance between her and the late Prince Alexander of the Netherlands, brother to the present King of Holland. In his anxiety to effect this object, lie did everything he could (though, as has been seen, ineffectually) to prevent the Duke of Coburg's visit to England in 1836, when he came over with his sons, and spent nearly four weeks at Kensington Palace with the I^uchess of Kent." And now, when this opposition was removed, the Queen herself seemed to hesitate, so that the Prince began to dread that she might change her mind. But we read here (in a passage wMch deserves particular attention on more accounts than • one)—

" The Queen says she never entertained any idea of this, and she afterwards repeatedly informed the Prince that she would never have married any one else. She expresses, however, great regret that she had not, after accession, kept up her correspondence with her cousin as she had done before ii

" 'Nor can the Queen now,' she adds, 'think without indignation against herself, of her wish to keep the Prince waiting for probably three or four years, at the risk of ruining all Ms prospects for life, until she might feel inclined to marry J And the Prince has since told her that he came over in 1839 with the intention of telling her that if she could not then make up her mind, she must understand that he could not'nofw wait for a decision, as he had done at a former period when this marriage was first talked about. The only excuse the Queen can make for herself, is in the fact that the sudden change from the secluded life at Kensington, to the independence of her position as Queen .Regnant, at the age of eighteen, put all ideas of marriage out of her mind, which she now most bitterly repents.'

"A worse school for a young girl, or one more detrimental to all natural feelings and affections, cannot well be imagined than the position of a Queeri at eighteen, without experience and without a husband to guide and support her. This the Queen can state from painful experience, and she thanks God that none of her dear daughters are exposed to such danger."

On the Bth of October the Prince set out from Brussels with a letter from Llie King of the Belgians to the Queen. Accompaied by his brother, the Prince arrived at Windsor on the 10th "at halfpast seven in the evening. They here met with the most cordial and affectionate

* The Queen adds in a note- 1-" Now MajorGeneral Seymour, C.8., lately of the Scots Fusilier Guards. " General Seymour was appointed Groom in Waiting to the Prince, and is now in the,same capacity with the Queen. The Prince told the Queen,, in after; years, how good a young man he was, and how anxious he had been to keep everything that was. bad or impure from approaching him, though, God knows, vice itself would ever have recoiled from the look alone of one who wore 'the lily of a blamelees life ;' but still it is pleasing to record such, conduct.' 1

reception by the Queen; who received them herself at the top of the staircase, and conducted them at once to the Duchess of Kent"

The three years that had passed since they were last in England had greatly improved their personal appearance. Tall and manly as both the Princes were in figure and deportment, Prince Albert was indeed eminently handsome; But there was also in his countenance a gentleness of expression, and a peculiar sweetness in his smile, with a look of deep thought and high intelligence in.his clear blue eye and expansive forehead, that added a charm to the, impression he produced in those who saw him, far beyond that derived from mere regularity or beauty of features.

The way of life at Windsor during the stay of the Princes is thus described i~ " The Queen breakfasting at the time in her own room, they afterwards paid her a visit there, and at two o'clock had luncheon with her and the Duchess of Kent. In the afternoon they all rode—the Queen and Duchess and the two Princes, with Lord Melbourne and most of the ladies arid gentlemen in attendance, forming a large cavalcade. There was a great dinner every evening, with a dance after it three times a week."

On the 15th there was an important interruption to the ordinary routine of the day. The Queen had told Lord Melbourne the day before, that she had made up her mind to the marriage, at which he expressed great satisfaction, and he said to her, as her Majesty states in her journal, " 'I think it will be very well received, for I hear that there is an anxiety now that it should be, and I am very glad of it;' adding, in quite a paternal tone, 'You 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 posi-> tion.'" . .

An intimation was : accordingly given to the Prince, through Baron Alvensleben, Master of the Horse to the Duke of Coburg, and long attached to his family, who had . accompanied the Prince to England, that the Queen wished to speak to him the next day. On that day, the 15th, the Prince had been out hunting early with his brother, but returned at twelve, and half an hour afterwards obeyed the Queen's summons to her room, where he found her alone. After a few minutes' conversation on other subjects, the Queen told him why she had sent for him : and we can well understand any little hesitation and delicacy they may have felt in doing so; for the Queen's position, making it imperative that any proposal of marriage should come first from her, must necessarily appear a painful one to those who, deriving their ideas on this subject from the practice of private life, are wont to look upon it as the privilege and happiness of a woman to have her hand sought in marriage, instead of having to offer it herself.

From the various letters of the Prince, we may learn his own feelings at this time. To Prince Lowensteinhe wrote:—

" Yes—l am ' now actually a bridegroom! and about the 4th of February hope to see myself united to her 1 love !

" You know how matters stood when I last saw you here. After that the sky was darkened more and more. The Queen declared to my uncle of Belgium that she wished the affair to be considered as broken off, and that for four years she could tMnk of no marriage. I went, therefore, with the quiet but firm resolution to declare, on my part, that I also, tired of the delay, withdrew entirely from the affair. It was not, however, thus ordained by Providence; for, on the second day after our arrival, the most friendly demonstrations w^ere directed towards me, and two days later I was secretly called to a private audience, in wMch the queen offered me her hand and heart."

And later he wrote to his grandfather, as follows:—

" The subject wMch has occupied us so much of late is at last settled.. The Queen sent for me alone to her room a few days ago, and declared to me, in a genuine outburst of love and affection (Ergusse yon SerzlichJceit uiid Liebe), that I had gained her whole heart, and would make her intensely happy {überglucldish) if I would make her the sacrifice of sharing her life with her, for she said she looked on it as a sacrifice ; the only thing which troubled her was that she did not think she was worthy of me. The joyous openness of manner in which she told me this quite enchanted me, and I was quite carried away by it. She is; really most good and amiable, and I am quite sure Heaven has not given me into evil hands, and that we shall be happy together. ' ."Since that moment Victoria does whatever she fancies I should wish or like, and we talk together a great deal about our future life, wMch she promises me to make as happy as possible. Oh, the future 1 does it not bring with it the moment when I shall have to take leave of my dear, dear home, and of you! I cannot think of that without deep melancholy taking possession of me. It was on the 15th October that Victoria made me this declaration; and I have hitherto shrunk from telling you ; but how does delay make it better ?"

We must also quote here the letter which the Queen wrote to the King of the Belgians upon the occasion?—

" Windsor Castle, 15th Oct., 1839.

"My Dearest Uncle—This letter will, I am sure, give you pleasure, for you have always shown and taken so warm an interest in all that concerns me. My mind is quite made up, and I told Albert this morning of it. The warm affection he showed me on learning this gave me great pleasure. He seems perfection, and I think that I have the prospect of very great happiness before me. I love him more than I can say, and shall'do everything in my power to render this sacrifice (for such in m$ opinion it is) as small as I can. He seems to have great tact—a very necessary. thing in his position, These last few days have passed like a dream to me, and I ani so much bewildered by it all that I know hardly how to write; but Ido feel very happy. It is absolutely necessary that this determination of mine should *be known to no one but yourself and to uncle Ernest until aftet the meeting of Parliament; as it would be considered, otherwise, neglectful on my part not to have assembled Pai'liament at once, to inform them of it. "Lord Melbourne, whom I have of

course consulted about the whote affair, quite approves my choice, and expresses great satisfaction at this event, which he thmks in every way highly desirable. Lord Melbourne acted in this business as he has always done towards me, with the greatest kindness and affection. We also think it better, and Albert quite approves of it, that we should be married very soon after Parliament meets, about the beginning of February. ' '• Pray, dearest uncle, forward these Wo letters to Uncle Ernest, to whom I beg you will enjoin strict secresy, and explain these details, which I have not time to do, and to faithful Stockmar. I think you might tell Louise of it, tut none of herfamily. "I! wish to keep the dear young gentleman here till the end of next month. Ernest's sincere pleasure gives me great delight. He does so adore dearest Albert. , "Ever, dealesb uncle, your devoted niece, »y # v,» The King replied that the Queen's choice had been "for these last years" his conviction of what would be best for her happiness :— " In your position, which may and will perhaps become in future even more difficult in a political point of view, you could not exist without having a happy and agreeable mterieur. And lam much deceived (which I think I am not) or you will find in Albert just the very qualities and disposition which are indispensable for your happiness, and which will suit your own character, temper, and mode of life.

"You say most amiably that you consider it a sacrifice on the part of Albert. This is true in many points, because his position will be a difficult one ; but much, I may say all, will depend on your affection for him. If you love him, and are kind to him, he will easily bear the bothers of his position; and there is a steadiness, and at the same time a cheerfulness in his character, which will facilitate this." ; • .

It only remained now to announce the marriajge; to the world. But here we must conclude for the present, leaving much that is exceedingly interesting for future detail. -•■.■-. ;