The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-16 00:00:00

THE LADY FLORA HASTINGS.

The following correspondence between the Queen, the
Dowager Marchioness of Hastings. and Lord Melbourne,
is published in the Morning Post of to-day :

TO THE EDITOR ON THE MORNING POST.

Stu—Being unable to reach the original calumniators
of my daughter, Lady Flora Hastings, and having received
no marks of public reparation from her Majesty's respon-
sible advisers, I consider it due to my personal and family
honour to show that I have sought it. lam reluctantly
obliged to have recourse to the publication of the following
letters.
The first letter in this correspondence, addressed to her
Majesty, would have been very incorrectly placed here,
had it not been for its official answer, and the report which
is in circulation that I had been guilty of writing an impro-
per letter, culled 66 An impertinent letter to the Queen."
With whom such an imputation originated (aso2o copy of
it has been given beyond my own family), may appear ex-
traordinary, but it is to me quite immaterial ; not so the re-
futation of a charge so serious.
Some other letters, received from and addressed to her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, arc not inserted,
although connected with the same dreadful subject, from a
wish to withhold, as far as possible, everything that would
unnecessarily associate her Royal Highnoss'a name with
these occurrences ; except the expression of my unalterable
respect and gratitude for her Royal Highness's conduct
towards my daughter, and her feeling towards myself.
E. HASTINGS and (Mure) LOUDOUN.
Loudoun Castle, April 8, 1839.

(COPIES.)

THE MARCHIONESS OF HASTINGS, COUNTESS OF LOUDOUN, TO

HER MAJESTY.

Loudoun Castle, March 7, 1839.

Madam,—lt is hardly to be imagined that your Majesty
should feel any surprise in receiving the present letter.
The anguish of E 1 mother's heart, under circumstances such
as mine, can only be understood by a mother. But no one
can be at a loss to know that loyalty to your Majesty, and
justice to my innocent child, demand from me an explicit
reference to your Majesty on the atrocious calumnies
and unblushing falsehoods against my daughter's
reputation, which the perpetrators have dared to
circulate, even in the Palace of the Sove:eign. I
have had the honour of remembering your . Majesty in
childhood; I am deeply and gratefully attached to your
admirable mother ; and I have cherished, in distance, ab-
sence, bad health, and many sorrows, a deep interest in
the real honour and glory of your reign. My husband
served his country honourably, and with devoted zeal, and
was particularly known to your Royal race ; and my own
family, during a long line, have been distinzuished as
faithful servants of their Kings. My grandfather lost
11;s life iii the service of his Sovereign. With so many
claiims on my feelings of old—although now unfa-
shionable—aristocracy, it is impossible to suppose me
capable of disrespect or want of loyalty towards
your Majesty—a feeling, Madam, not less unbecoming
towards you than repugnant to what I feel suitable in my-
self. But, I trust, a sense of morality, is not yet so callous
a thing as not to be held in some due respect even in the
sight of a thoughtless world, and to justify my appealing
directly to your Majesty to refute, by some act,
calculated to mark year indignant sense of the slan-
der which some person or persons have ventured to
cast in your Majesty's presence upon my daughter,
and betrayed your Majesty to follow up by a course
of proceeding, such as was, no doubt, done on their part
with a wish to try to degrade the victim of their
persecution. It is my duty respectfully to call your Ma-
jesty's attention to its being not more important for my
daughter, than essentially consonant to your Majesty's
honour and justice, not to suffer the criminal inventor of
such falsehoods to remain witt•out discovery. To a fem'ale
Sovereign especially women of all ranks in Britain look,
with confidence, for protection, and (notwithstanding the
difference of their rank) for sympathy. To such honest
feelings of respect (for they take their origin in that), I
ought not to suppose your Majesty indifferent—far less can
I imagine that, as your Majesty increases in years, you will
not feel, Madam, more and more the value of that estimate
of your high place, which would make no one doubt your
commanding reparation (as far as reparation can be made)
for an infamous calumny, as not less incumbent as an act
of necessary morality in the case of the public, as it as-
suredly is to the individual who so severely suffers fro I.
such do"amation. This is not a matter that can or will be
hushed up, and it is all-important that no time should be
lost in calling the culpable to account- With this appeal
to your Majesty's upright feelings, I have the honour to be,
Madam, your Majesty's dutiful subject and servant,
(Signed)
F. HASTINGS and (More) LOUDOUN.

Loudoun Castle, March 8, 1839.
My Lord—l trouble your Lordship tNith the enclosed
letter, in order to ensure its immediate and safe delivery.,
and I have to request yeu will present it yourself to her
Majesty.—l have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed)
F. HASTINGS and (More) LOUDOUN.
To Viscount Melbourne, &c.

South-street, March 11, 1839,

Madam—l have this morning received your Ladyship's
letter of 'the Bth instant, together with a letter addressed
to the Queeu, which letter I will lose no time in laying
before her Majesty; and I remain, Madam, your Lady-
ship's faithful and obedient servant,
(Signed) MELBOURNE.
The Marchioness of Hastings, &c.

Downing-street, March 12, 1839.
Madam—According to your Ladyship's desire, I have
delivered to her Majesty your letter of the 7th instant.
The allowance which her_Majesty is anxious to make for
the natUral feelings of a mother upon such an occasion
tended to diminish that surprise which could not be other-
wise than excited by the tone and substance of your Lady-
ship's
letter.
ller Majesty commands me to convey to your Ladyship
the expression of her deep concern at the unfortunate cir-
cum3tances which have recently taken place. Her Ma-
jesty hastened to seize the first opportunity of testifying to
Lady Flora Hastings her conviction of the error of the
impression which had prevailed; and her Majesty is still
most desirous to do everything in her power to soothe the
feelings of Lady Flora and ' her family, which must have
been painfully affected by the events which have occurred.
1 have the honour to remain, Madam, your Ladysh;p's
obedient and humble servant,
(Signed). MELBOURNE.
The Marchioness Dowager of Hastin'lgEs,Laßeo .
&c.
URNE

Loudoun Castle, March 10, 1839.
My Lord—When I observe that no steps are taken to
repair, as far as reparation is possible, the indignity offered,.
three weeks ago, to my daughter, within the precincts of
her ,Majesty's Palace, your Lordship cannot be surprised
at receiving this letter from me. I am told that, as the
responsible adviser of the Sovereign, your Lordship con-
siders it as your constitutional right to appoint and to
dismiss her Majesty's Household. As it is known to
be your Lordship's principle, I address myself to you,
on whom the sacred trust and heavy responsibility
rest, of marking respect for good order, and punish-
ing abuse. The nature and the manner of the course
pursued in this atrocious conspiracy (for it admits of
no other name) were unexampled, and yet Sir James Clark
remains her Majesty's Physician. I claim at your hands,
my Lord, as a mark of public justice, the removal of Sir
James Clark.

I am, my Lord, your Lordship's most humble servant,
(Signed) F. fIASTINGS and (lure) LOUDOUN.
To the Right lion. Lord Viscount Melbourne.

South.strect, March 17, 1839,

Madam,—Late yesterday evening, the 16th inst., I had
the honour of reccivir g your Ladyship's letter of the 10th
inst. from Loudoun Castle. I n-ark these dates in order
to acquit myself of any delay or neglect in replying to your
Ladyship's communication.
The demand which your Ladyship's letter makes upon
me is so unprecedented and objectionable that even the re.
spect due to your Ladyship's sex, rank, family, and cha-
racter would not justify me in more, if, indeed, it authorises
so much, than acknowledging that letter for the sole par:
pose of acquainting your Ladyship that I have received
it.—l have the honour to remain, Madam, with the highest
respect, yonr Ladyship's obedient and humble servant,
k Signed) MELBOURNE.
The Marchioness Dowager of Hastings, &c.

Loudoun Castle, March lb, 1839.
My Lord,—Any expression of her Majesty's sorrow for
the late occurrences is consolatory to me.
If the Queen wishes any explanation of any part of my
letter, which, from a dubious expression in your Lordship's
I am uncertain ot, I am quite ready to give it.
If her Majesty had been thoroughly aware of all the cir-
cumstances of the case, "the tone and substance" of my
letter could not have excited any surprise. Although a
woman, the oath of allegiance, which I have taken to her
Majesty, is as dear to me as to any man ; Ad to that,
and the true circumstances of the late transactions, I refer
your Lordship.—l am, my Lord, your Lordship's most
humble servant,
(Signed) F. HASTINGS and (Nlure) LOUDOUN.
The Right Hon. Lord Visct. Melbourne &c.

South-street, March 18, 1839.
Madam—l have the honour of acknowledging your La-
dyship's letter of the 15th instant, which I received yester-
day morning.
I neither had, nor have, it in command to express a wish
for any explanation of your Ladyship's letter addressed to
her 'Majesty, nor any part of it.
I have the honour to remain, Madam,
With high respect,
Your Ladyship's bumble and obedient servant,
( Signed) MELBOURNE.
The Most Noble the Marchioness Dowager
of Hastings.