The Letters of Queen Victoria Volume Iii Part 23

_Queen Victoria to the King of the Belgians._

BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _6th February 1855_.

MY DEAREST UNCLE,--We are here again for a few hours in order to try and facilitate the formation of a Government, which seemed almost hopeless.

Van de Weyer will have informed you of the successive failures of Lord Derby and _Lord John_ ... and of Lord Palmerston being now charged with the formation of a Government! I had _no_ other alternative. The Whigs _will_ join with him, and I have got hopes, _also_ the Peelites, which would be very important, and would tend to allay the _alarm_ which his name will, I fear, produce abroad.

I will leave this letter open to the last moment in the hope of giving you some decisive news before we return to Windsor....

I am a good deal worried and knocked up by all that has pa.s.sed; my nerves, which have suffered very severely this last year, have not been improved by what has pa.s.sed during this trying fortnight--for it _will_ be a _fortnight_ to-morrow that the beginning of the mischief began....

_Six o'clock p.m._--One word to say that _Lord Palmerston_ has just _kissed_ hands as _Prime_ Minister. ALL the _Peelites_ except poor dear Aberdeen (whom I am deeply grieved to lose) and the Duke of Newcastle, remain. It is _entirely_ Aberdeen's _doing_, and very patriotic and handsome of him. In haste, ever your devoted Niece,

VICTORIA R.

[Pageheading: A FAREWELL LETTER]

_Queen Victoria to the Earl of Aberdeen._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _7th February 1855_.

Though the Queen hopes to see Lord Aberdeen at six, she seizes the opportunity of approving the appointment of the Hon. and Rev. A.

Douglas[31] to the living of St Olave's, Southwark, to say what she hardly dares to do verbally without fearing to give way to her feelings; she wishes to say what a pang it is for her to separate from so kind and dear and valued a friend as Lord Aberdeen has ever been to her since she has known him. The day he became Prime Minister was a very happy one for her; and throughout his Ministry he has ever been the kindest and wisest adviser--one to whom she could apply on all and trifling occasions even. This she is sure he will still ever be. But the thought of losing him as her First Adviser in her Government is very painful. The pain is to a certain extent lessened by the knowledge of all he has done to further the formation of this Government, in so n.o.ble, loyal, and disinterested a manner, and by his friends retaining their posts, which is a great security against possible dangers. The Queen is sure that the Prince and herself may ever rely on his valuable support and advice in all times of difficulty, and she now concludes with the expression of her warmest thanks for all his kindness and devotion, as well as of her unalterable friends.h.i.+p and esteem for him, and with every wish for his health and happiness.

[Footnote 31: The Hon. Arthur Gascoigne Douglas (1827-1905), son of the nineteenth Earl of Morton; Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, 1883-1905.]

[Pageheading: LEADERs.h.i.+P OF THE LORDS]

[Pageheading: THE NEW CABINET]

_Viscount Palmerston to Queen Victoria._

PICCADILLY, _7th February 1855_.

Viscount Palmerston presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and begs to state that a difficulty has arisen in regard to the reconstruction of the Administration, which your Majesty might perhaps be able to a.s.sist in removing. It is considered by the Members of the proposed Cabinet to be a matter of great importance that Lord Lansdowne should not only be a Member of the Cabinet, but that he should also be the Organ of the Government in the House of Lords.

Viscount Palmerston pressed this upon Lord Lansdowne yesterday afternoon, and was under the impression that Lord Lansdowne had consented to be so acknowledged, with the understanding that Lord Granville, as President of the Council, should relieve him from the pressure of the daily business of the House, while Lord Clarendon would take the burthen of Foreign Office discussions, and that thus the ordinary duties of Leader of the House of Lords would be performed by others, while Lord Lansdowne would still be the directing chief, who would give a character and tone to the body. But Viscount Palmerston learns this morning from Lord Granville and Lord Bessborough that Lord Lansdowne does not so understand the matter, and is unwilling to a.s.sume the ostensible Leaders.h.i.+p, even upon the above-mentioned arrangement, and that he wishes Lord Granville to be the Leader in the House of Lords.

Lord Granville, however, with reason urges that there are many members of the House of Lords who would show to Lord Lansdowne, from his long standing and high political position, a deference which they would not show towards Lord Granville, so much younger a man. If Lord Lansdowne were in Town, Viscount Palmerston would have gone to him strongly to entreat him to be the person to announce in the House of Lords the formation of a Ministry, and to continue to be the organ of the Government in that House, at least till Easter, and upon such matters and occasions as might require the weight of his authority; but if your Majesty were to view the matter in the same light in which it has presented itself to Viscount Palmerston, to the Chancellor, to Lord Clarendon, to Lord Granville and others, and if your Majesty should think fit to express an opinion upon it to Lord Lansdowne, such an opinion would no doubt have great weight with Lord Lansdowne.

Viscount Palmerston submits a list of the proposed Cabinet. Until Sir George Grey returns to Town this afternoon from Portsmouth, whither he went yesterday evening to take leave of his son, who has a commission in the Rifles,[32] and was to embark this morning for the Crimea, Viscount Palmerston will not know whether he prefers the Colonial Office or the Home Office. Whichever of the two he chooses, Mr Herbert will take the other. Viscount Palmerston does not submit to your Majesty the name of any person for the office of Secretary at War, as he proposes that that office shall merge in the office of Secretary of State for the War Department, and Viscount Palmerston suspends for the present any recommendation to your Majesty for the office of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, as that office may be made available for giving strength either in the House of Lords or in the House of Commons according to circ.u.mstances.

PROPOSED CABINET.

_First Lord of Treasury_ Viscount PALMERSTON.

_Organ of the Government or_ } Marquis of LANSDOWNE.

_Leader of the House of Lords_} _Lord Chancellor_ Lord CRANWORTH.

_President of the Council_ Earl GRANVILLE.

_Privy Seal_ Duke of ARGYLL.

_Foreign Affairs_ Earl of CLARENDON.

_War Department_ Lord PANMURE.

_Home Office_ {Mr SIDNEY HERBERT { or Sir GEORGE GREY.

_Colonial Department_ {Sir GEORGE GREY or { Mr SIDNEY HERBERT.

_Admiralty_ Sir JAMES GRAHAM.

_Chancellor of Exchequer_ Mr GLADSTONE.

_India Board_ Sir CHARLES WOOD.

_Board of Works_ Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH.

_Post Office_ VISCOUNT CANNING.

[Footnote 32: George Henry Grey, afterwards Lieut.-Colonel of the Northumberland Militia, and Captain in the Grenadier Guards; father of the present Sir Edward Grey, M.P. He predeceased his father in 1874.]

_Queen Victoria to Viscount Palmerston._

WINDSOR CASTLE, _7th February 1855_.

The Queen has just received Lord Palmerston's letter with the List of the Government, which she approves. She entirely agrees with him in the view he takes with respect to Lord Lansdowne's position in the House of Lords, and will write to him on the subject. From what he said, however, the Queen would hope that he would not be disinclined to make the announcement of the Government as well as to take the lead on all occasions of great importance.[33]

The Queen approves that the office of Secretary at War should remain open at present; but as regards the question itself of these two offices, she reserves her judgment till the subject is submitted to her in a definite form.

[Footnote 33: Lord Lansdowne consented, on particular occasions only, to represent the Government, but claimed to be himself the judge of the expediency or necessity of his doing so. The ministerial life of this _doyen_ of the Whig Party spanned half a century, for he had, as Lord Henry Petty, been Chancellor of the Exchequer in the ministry of "All the Talents" in 1806-1807. Lord Granville now a.s.sumed the Liberal leaders.h.i.+p in the Lords, which, as Lord Fitzmaurice points out, he held, with a brief exception of three years, till his death in 1891].

[Pageheading: THE VIENNA CONFERENCE]

_The Earl of Clarendon to Queen Victoria._

_10th February 1855._

Lord Clarendon presents his humble duty to your Majesty, and humbly begs to say that, with the permission of Lord Palmerston, and at the urgent recommendation of Lord Aberdeen and Lord Lansdowne, he has made to Lord John Russell the proposal to act as our negotiator at Vienna, which your Majesty was pleased to sanction on Wednesday night.[34]

Lord Clarendon thinks, that whether the negotiations end in peace or are suddenly to be broken off, no man is so likely as Lord John to be approved by the Country for whichever course of proceeding he may adopt, and it will be a great advantage that the negotiator himself should be able to vindicate his own conduct in Parliament.

Lord Clarendon has this evening received a very kind and friendly answer from Lord John, who is disposed to accept, but desires another day to consider the proposal.

As our relations with the United States are of the utmost importance at this moment, and as they have rather improved of late, Lord Clarendon humbly hopes he may be excused if he ventures to suggest to your Majesty the expediency of inviting Mr Buchanan[35] to Windsor.