The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume I Part 106

DOWNING STREET, _26th August 1842._

Lord Stanley, with his humble duty, submits for your Majesty's perusal copies of three despatches, received yesterday from the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, detailing the unfortunate result of an attack made by a small party of your Majesty's troops upon the camp of the insurgent Boers at Natal; and also the copy of a despatch which Lord Stanley has sent in consequence to Sir George Napier,[76] which, he trusts, may meet your Majesty's approbation. Lord Stanley would have submitted the draft for your Majesty's approval previous to sending it, had not an opportunity presented itself of sending it off by a fast-sailing private s.h.i.+p which sailed this morning, the intelligence having only been received yesterday. The instructions sent to Sir George Napier, on the 10th of April, but not received when this unfortunate affair took place, were in substance not to attempt the subjugation of these people by direct force, but to warn them that their t.i.tles to the land which they occupy would not be recognised by your Majesty, that they would have no t.i.tle to claim protection from the aggression of the neighbouring tribes, to interdict communication between them and the settled parts of the Colony, and to prevent any intercourse by sea with foreign or British traders. The unfortunate event which has now occurred will render it necessary to take steps, as Sir George Napier has already done, for vindicating the power of your Majesty's Arms; but when that shall have been effected, Lord Stanley would still hope that a considerable number of these misguided men may be induced to return to their allegiance, and to the settled parts of your Majesty's dominions, and he feels confident that in such an event he will be fulfilling your Majesty's wishes in directing that they may be treated with all possible lenity.

All which is humbly submitted by your Majesty's most dutiful Servant and Subject,

STANLEY.

[Footnote 76: Sir George Napier (1784-1855) governed Cape Colony for seven years, and the Boers were extruded from Natal by him.]

_Queen Adelaide to Queen Victoria._

BUSHEY HOUSE, _7th September 1842._

MY DEAREST NIECE,--... Your Mamma's visit gave me great pleasure, and it has been a great treat to me to hear her sing again, and _so well_, which put me in mind of former happy days. I regret _much_ that she leaves me already this afternoon again, but the strong and powerful _magnet_ which you have left at the Castle draws her back, and I dare not keep her away from such treasures.

I beg you, my dearest Victoria, to give my affectionate love to dear Albert, and to believe me ever most devotedly, your very affectionate Aunt,

ADELAIDE.

[Pageheading: THE QUEEN VISITS SCOTLAND]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

TAYMOUTH,[77] _8th September 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--I make no excuses for not having written, as I know that you will understand that when one is travelling about and seeing so much that is _totally_ new, it is very difficult to find time to write....

Albert has told you already how successfully everything had gone off hitherto, and how much pleased we were with Edinburgh, which is an unique town in its way. We left Dalkeith on Monday, and lunched at Dupplin, Lord Kinnoul's, a pretty place with quite a new house, and which poor Lord Kinnoul displayed so well as to fall head over heels down a steep bank, and was proceeding down another, if Albert had not caught him; I did not see it, but Albert and I have nearly died with laughing at the _relation_ of it. From Dalkeith we went through Perth (which is _most_ beautifully situated on the Tay) to Scone Palace,[78]

Lord Mansfield's, where we slept; fine but rather gloomy. Yesterday morning (Tuesday) we left Scone and lunched at Dunkeld, the beginning of the Highlands, in a tent; _all_ the Highlanders in their fine dress, being encamped there, and with their old s.h.i.+elds and swords, looked very romantic; they were chiefly Lord Glenlyon's[79] men.

_He_, poor man! is suddenly become _totally_ blind, and it was very melancholy to see him do the _honours_, _not_ seeing _anything_. The situation of Dunkeld, down in a valley surrounded by wooded hills, is very, very pretty. From thence we proceeded to this enchanting and princely place; the whole drive here was beautiful. All Lord Breadalbane's[80] Highlanders, with himself at their head, and a battalion of the 92nd Highlanders, were drawn up in front of the House. In the evening the grounds were splendidly illuminated, and bonfires burning on the hills; and a number of Highlanders danced reels by torchlight, to the bagpipes, which was very wild and pretty....

[Footnote 77: Lord Breadalbane's house. The Queen left London on 29th August for Scotland by sea, reaching Edinburgh on 1st September.]

[Footnote 78: Scone Abbey was granted to Sir David Murray (afterwards Viscount Stormont) by James VI. of Scotland, whose cup-bearer he was, and whose life he saved.]

[Footnote 79: Afterwards George, sixth Duke of Atholl (1814-1864).]

[Footnote 80: John, second Marquis of Breadalbane, K.T.

(1796-1862).]

[Pageheading: DRUMMOND CASTLE]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Melbourne._

TAYMOUTH, _10th September 1842._

It has been long the Queen's intention to write to Lord Melbourne, but we have seen and done so much, it has been impossible. Everything has gone off so well at Edinburgh, Perth, and elsewhere. This is a princely and most beautiful place, and we have been entertained by Lord Breadalbane in a magnificent way. The Highland Volunteers, two hundred in number (without the officers), keeping guard, are encamped in the park; the whole place was twice splendidly illuminated, and the sport he gave the Prince out shooting was on the largest scale.

The Highlands and the mountains are too beautiful, and we _must_ come back for longer another time. The Queen will finish this letter at Drummond Castle,[81] as we leave this in half an hour.

_Drummond Castle, 11th._--We arrived here yesterday evening at seven, having had a most beautiful journey. We went with Lord Breadalbane up the Loch Tay (by water) to Ochmore[82] (I don't know _how_ it is written), a cottage belonging to Lord Breadalbane, close to Killin.

The morning was very fine, and the view indescribably beautiful; the mountains so high, and so wooded close to Killin. It is impossible to say how kind and attentive Lord Breadalbane and poor Lady Breadalbane (who is so wretchedly delicate) were to us. We were so sorry to go away, and might perhaps have managed to stay two days longer at Taymouth, were we not fearful of delaying our sea voyage back too much. However, we mean to visit him for longer another time; the Highlands are so beautiful, and so new to _me_, that we are most anxious to return there again.

The journey from Killin to Comrie was _most_ beautiful, and through such wild scenery--Glen Ogle, which of course Lord Melbourne knows--and then along Loch Ern. This house is quite a cottage, but the situation is fine, and the garden very beautiful. We leave this on Tuesday for Dalkeith[83] where we sleep, and re-embark the next day for _England_. We greatly admire the extreme beauty of Edinburgh; the situation as well as the town is most striking; and the Prince, who has seen so much, says it is the finest town he ever saw. Scone Palace (where we slept on Tuesday night) is fine, but gloomy; Perth is beautiful.

The Queen hopes Lord Melbourne is very well. The Prince begs to be remembered to him.

Dalkeith is a fine good house, and the park and grounds very pretty.

[Footnote 81: The seat of Lord Willoughby d'Eresby.]

[Footnote 82: It should be written Auchmore.]

[Footnote 83: The seat of the Duke of Buccleuch.]

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _20th September 1842._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Pray accept my best thanks for your kind letter of the 15th, which I received on Sat.u.r.day, the day of our arrival here.

Dearest Louise will have told you what I wrote to her. We had a speedy and prosperous voyage home of forty-eight hours, on board a fine large and very fast steamer, the _Trident_, belonging to the General Steam Navigation Company. We found our dear little Victoria so grown and so improved, and speaking so plain, and become so independent; I think really few children are as forward as she is. She is quite a dear little companion. The Baby is sadly backward, but also grown, and very strong. I am so distressed about dearest Louise's still coughing, but she tells me it is decreasing. Only pray let her give way to her grief; much crying, even if it makes her cough for the moment, can do her no real harm, but stifling and swallowing _grief_ (which she _cannot_ repress) gnaws at the very roots of life and undermines health. Ostend and sea-baths would, I should think, do her good.

I am very glad that you went to see the King of Prussia, and saw so many old friends; Fritz of Mecklenburg[84] is, you know, Albert's very dear friend; he is just arrived here.

Alexandrine's brother everybody praises; the whole family are handsome and well brought up.

The Archduke Frederic[85] comes here to-morrow for a week's visit.

Everybody praises him, and Ferdinand liked him very much; all Archduke Charles's[86] sons are said to be very well brought up. How I wish Archduke John[87] had come over here!

Now, dearest Uncle, adieu! and pray believe me, always, your most affectionate Niece,

VICTORIA R.

It would be _very_ kind of you if you would tell me if there is a chance of Augustus's marrying Clementine.[88] Don't believe I should say a word _against_ it; but I have heard so much about it that I should be really and sincerely glad to know a _little_ of the _truth_ from _you_.