QUEEN VICTORIA TO ABDICATE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 948, 12 November 1879, Page 2

QUEEN VICTORIA TO ABDICATE.

The London correspondent of the Dundee Advertiser m a recent letter, alluding to the abdication of Queen Victoria, says :— " I have not hithorto alluded to these reports, but they have become so persistent that it would be useless longer to ignore their existence. It is said that for some time past Her Majesty's health has not been m a , very satisfactory state. The death of the Duchess of Hesse gave her a shook, from which she has not recovered, and the celebration of the marriage of the Duke of Connaught exercised a depressing influence on her health. The journey to Italy is not a mere holiday trip. Sir W. Jenner considered that a change of scene, and an altruist entire, absence from official duty of any kind, were necessary for the Queen, and that' is the reason she has burried herself on the secluded shores of an Italan lake. It is no doubt m consequence of the somewhat gloomy statements regarding Her Majesty's health which were passing m society, that the other reports connected with the succession of the throne are also current. It is said that, unless a considerable change m Her Majesty's health takes place, she will no longer be able to discharge the functions belong ing to the Sovereign of the old country, and rumour points to the possibility of an abdication. It is an undoubted faot that, since the departure of the Queen for Italy the Prime Minister has several times seen the Prince of Wales. On Tuesday he had an interview with His Royal Highness of more than an hour's duration, and the Prince would seem to be since to some extent discharging the duties of the Queen with regard to public affairs during her absence m Italy. In a matter where there is necessarily a good deal of speculation, it would be idle to make definite statements, but there are those who think that a somewhat startling surprise is m store for Parliment before the present session closes."