The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Ii Part 105

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Derby._

OSBORNE, _21st December 1852._

The Queen has to acknowledge the receipt of Lord Derby's letter.

She has since read his Speech in the House of Lords announcing his resignation most attentively, and must express her doubts, whether that Speech was calculated to render easier the difficult task which has been thrown upon the Queen by the resignation of her late Government.[64]

[Footnote 64: Lord Derby severely attacked Lord Aberdeen, in his absence, and declared himself the victim of a factious combination.]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Aberdeen._

OSBORNE, _21st December 1852._

The Queen received Lord Aberdeen's letter early this morning, the contents of which have filled her with no little anxiety.

Still, she relies on the spirit of patriotism which she knows animates all the parties concerned, and which she feels sure will ultimately prevail over all difficulties, and enable a strong Government to be formed, which the country so earnestly demands and requires. The Queen is not surprised at Lord John Russell's fearing the fatigue of the Foreign Office, together with the lead in the House of Commons, which Lord Aberdeen's wish to show him entire confidence had prompted him to offer to Lord John; but _this_ difficulty, she trusts might easily be obviated. We intend leaving this place for Windsor to-morrow morning, and being there by two o'clock.

The Queen would wish to see Lord Aberdeen there in the course of the afternoon--either at three, four, or five--whichever time is most convenient to him, and requests him to let her find a line from him on her arrival, informing her of the hour at which he will come. Any letter, however, sent by the bag to-night or by a messenger will reach the Queen _here_ to-morrow morning, as we do not go before a quarter to ten, and the Queen trusts therefore that Lord Aberdeen will let her hear as soon as possible how matters stand.

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

OSBORNE, _21st December 1852._

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--Many thanks for your dear and kind letter of the 17th, which was as ever full of love and affection; but you know _very_ well that your affectionate child will never allow any mention of _your_ "leaving the premises." You know--too well--how sacred duties of any kind are, and above all, those of a King, and in these days; and how impossible it is for _us to s.h.i.+rk_ or abandon any of those duties which G.o.d has imposed on us.

You will have heard of our crisis, and of the resignation of the Government; its overthrow was inevitable; but we must now get a strong and durable Government, one combined of the best Conservatives and Liberals, which is what the country expects, demands, and requires.

Lord Aberdeen has undertaken the task, but I cannot yet announce, as I wish I could, the formation of the new Government. Ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

You will receive a small parcel for my dear Charlotte for Christmas Eve, and I have directed some prize Christmas beef to be forwarded to Leo, which I hope he will approve of.

[Pageheading: LORD DERBY'S JUSTIFICATION]

_The Earl of Derby to Queen Victoria._

ST JAMES'S SQUARE, _22nd December 1852._

Lord Derby, with his humble duty, learns with the deepest regret, by the note which he has just had the honour of receiving, that the statement which he felt it his duty to make in the House of Lords has appeared to your Majesty not calculated to render easier the difficult task which has been thrown upon your Majesty by the resignation of himself and his colleagues. Lord Derby begs humbly, but most sincerely, to a.s.sure your Majesty that nothing could have been farther from his intention than to let fall a single word which could increase the difficulties of the present position. He feels the full extent of those difficulties, and he may perhaps be forgiven if he entertains a strong opinion that a due appreciation of their magnitude might have been expected to have some weight with those Conservative statesmen, whose opposition thrown into the adverse scale turned the balance against your Majesty's servants, and rendered their retirement from office inevitable. Lord Derby does not affect to deny that he thinks he has some reason, personally and politically, to find fault with the course which they have pursued: but to suffer any such consideration to influence his public conduct, with regard to the Government now in process of formation, would be entirely at variance with his sense of public duty, and inconsistent with the deep grat.i.tude which he must ever feel for the confidence with which your Majesty has honoured him.

Lord Derby confesses himself at a loss to understand in what manner Lord Aberdeen can be enabled to reconcile the many and serious discrepancies, in matters both of Church and State, which would appear to exist among his presumed future colleagues; but it will give him unfeigned satisfaction to see these difficulties surmounted in such a sense as to enable him to give to the Government his independent support; and in the meantime it is his determination honestly to undertake the task, difficult as it must be, of keeping together a powerful Party, without the excitement of opposition to a Government by which their own leaders have been superseded, and of some members of which they think they have reason to complain; and even to induce that Party to give it their support, whenever they can do so consistently, with their own conscientious convictions.

[Pageheading: THE NEW GOVERNMENT]

_Memorandum by the Prince Albert._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _22nd December 1852._

We arrived here from Osborne at half-past one, and saw Lord Aberdeen at half-past five, who reported the progress he had made in the formation of his Government.

_The Chancellors.h.i.+p._--He had hoped to be able to offer to Lord St Leonards to remain, but Lord John Russell insisted, on the part of his Party (which he personally regretted to have to do), that the Chancellor should be a Liberal; Lord Aberdeen in consequence recommended Lord Cranworth.

_The Presidency of the Council._--The Duke of Newcastle, who might have done for Ireland, but whose presence in the House of Lords would be a great support to Lord Aberdeen.

_The Privy Seal._--The Duke of Argyll, to whom he had, however, not yet applied.

_The Secretaries of State._--It appeared that Lord Palmerston had repented of his decision, for he had addressed Lord Lansdowne, and told him that he gave him his proxy--putting himself entirely into his hands, feeling sure that he would take care of his honour. Lord Lansdowne, who had been throughout very kind in his exertions to bring about the junction of Parties, was now engaged to prevail upon him to take the Home Office. We congratulated Lord Aberdeen upon this symptom, which augured confidence in his success. Lord Aberdeen said that when he saw Lord Palmerston, who then declined office, nothing could have exceeded the expressions of his cordiality; he had even reminded him that in fact they were great friends (!!!) of sixty years' standing, having been at school together. We could not help laughing heartily at the _Harrow Boys_ and their friends.h.i.+p. The Foreign Office Lord John had again positively refused, contrary to the advice of all his friends, and to please Lady John. This arrangement failing, Lord Clarendon was to undertake it, but Lord Clarendon was now gone himself to try to persuade Lord, or rather Lady, John to accept--at least temporarily--declaring his readiness to take it off his hands at any time if he should find the work too heavy. Lord Aberdeen had no hope, however, of Lord Clarendon's success. Then there would come the grave Const.i.tutional Question of establis.h.i.+ng the novelty of a Leader in the House of Commons who held no office. Lord John had seen the danger of being exposed to the reproach that he had slipped into office without having gone through the popular ordeal of a re-election, and had proposed to obviate this by accepting the Stewards.h.i.+p of the Chiltern Hundreds, and then having himself re-elected for the City of London. But this would not meet all the objections, for it would still be considered unconst.i.tutional that he should lead the business of the Government in the House of Commons without the responsibility of office. The Leader of the House of Commons was an irresponsible person, and Lord John's saying: "I shall represent you (Lord Aberdeen) in the House of Commons," would be equally unconst.i.tutional. Lord John must therefore be prevailed upon to take the Chancellors.h.i.+p of the Duchy of Lancaster, though he felt no inclination to become the successor of Mr Christopher. Lord Aberdeen read a Memorandum of Lord John's, containing his political views on the crisis and the principles of the new Government, of which he is to send the Queen a copy.

_For the Colonial Office._--Lord Aberdeen wavered between Sir J.

Graham and Mr Gladstone; either could be this, or Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord John wished Sir James as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

We argued the greater capabilities of Sir James for the Administration of the Colonies, and Mr Gladstone for the Finances.

_Chancellor of the Exchequer_--therefore, Mr Gladstone.

_Admiralty_--Mr Sidney Herbert.

_Board of Control_--Sir C. Wood.

_Board of Trade_--Lord Granville.

_Board of Works_--Sir F. Baring.

(Baring and Wood being the two men whom Lord John had insisted on having on the Treasury Bench sitting by his side.)

_Postmaster_--Lord Canning.

_Secretary-at-War_--Mr Cardwell.

These would form the Cabinet. Upon Ireland no decision had been come to, though Lord Granville was generally pointed out as the best Lord-Lieutenant.

Lord Aberdeen was very much pleased with the entire confidence existing between him and Lord John. The Budget would be a formidable difficulty, as in fact the Government would be an Income Tax Government.

Lord Derby's intemperate and unconst.i.tutional behaviour would do no good to the Government; many of his friends were disgusted. Lord Clanwilliam had called his speech in the House of Lords "a great outrage." The Radicals might be conciliated in some of the lower Offices by the appointment of Mr Charles Villiers, Sir William Molesworth, and others.

[Pageheading: THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH]

_The Earl of Malmesbury to Queen Victoria._