Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-08-21
QUEEN vIcToRIA,s BOOK.
~ fha TT 1T niasEishiI 10 : aas dsssisEes
From the London Tines. July r.


From the London Times. July III
3 We announce this morning the pub.
iication Of q volume which vii be read
rby The English nstion with loyal inter
est. 1t Is 1 Gcopious history Of the early
years of 4hs late, Prince Consoft. en-
ricfed ibr,I Innraer0us memorandS rom
.her MsieEsS's Aown hand. containing
fhe most tunkss6fEed description of-tke
NE 4sfd character Of the Prince, eAnd
even laying open to Us in great meas
s1re the pHgEte thu1ghts and feelings
Iof the Quesh herself during the period
f6Fef which the, volume extends. It
was efiffnanys oompiisd by General
Gray, under her Msjesty's direction,
asolslJf for private eirculatieu among
the members Of her own family or such
other persons as, from the relation in
whoa they had stood to her Majesty
Arthe Prince eousort himselff would
naturally be interested in the story, OF
his early days Notwithstanding this
EprtVacy, however, some fear was 'enteE-
tanned lest copyof the volume might
,vurfeb fisionsig u OBJ tanned, and published
ia q earbled form, and it,Tasr thought
that Ii might be prudent 70 avert this
1isiger.isf It. will be SEEM therefore,
That her Msjesty has condescended TO
take hsr subjects unreseryedly into her
ensah hdepce. She opens her heart %
ihem in, this volume and throws her
Isslf upon fheif sympathy. #t
~ tHE ROYAL coURTsHIP AND MARRIAGE,
nH Long before this time the
nroiect of marriage with the queen
Victoria had been afoat in the minds
Of many of the Princes family. In
deed, when only little child he had
been told that such . union ras des-
tined for him. Nothing, noWeFer,
passed between the Queen and Prdnee
On the subject until after the second
visit of the latter in 1889. But the
King of the .Belgians had openly
-broached the subject before that time !;
ait was probably in the early part OF
that year that the King, in writing 70
the Queen, first mentioned the idea OF
such marriage ! and the proposal must
have been faVorahly received, Tor IN
March, 1888, the King writes TO Baron
-Stockmar, and gives an account OF the
manner in which Prince Albert had re-
tceived the communication which lof
course with the Queens sanctien1, J, he
had made to him. e'.-
The King writes. ] have had long
consultation with Albert. and have put
the case honestly and kindly before
him. He looked at the question from
its most elevated and honorable point
of view. He considers that troubles
are inseparabIe from all human posi-
tions, and that therefore, if one must
Be subject to plaques and snnoyances.
1t is better to be for some great and
worthy object, than for trifies and mis-
cries. l have told HIM that his great
yoofh would make i necessary to post
pOne the marriage for a'fsw years; =
1 found him very sensible on all these
points. But one thing he observed
with truth. lam ready" he said, ito
submit to this delay, If ] have some
certain assurance to 60 upon. But if,
after waiting. perhaps, fc- three years,
l should find that the Queen no longer
tdesired the marriage, it would place
me in 8 very ridiculous position, and
would, 70 9 certain extent, ruin the
lDrcspecfs Of my fntess life.y >. j 8
+ The Queen, It would seem, Wished
fer DELAY. She "did not wish to marry
| for some time yet" Her Majesty says,
writing of herself, "she thought herself
tatiR oooyoeng, AID also wished the
Prince St6 Be oldei when he made his
tappesrance in England. In after years
| she often regretted this decision on her
part, and constantly deplored the con.
seQuent delay of her marriage. Had
she been engaged to the Prince year
sooner than she was, and had she mar.
,rled him at least six months earlier, she
tWould have escaped many trials and
troubles of different kinds" The
Prince and his father seem to have OBJ.
liected from the first TO the proposal fol
delay. In . letter to Baron Stockmar
4 dated the l2sh Of September, 1888, (jusi
after the return from the tour) the
King of the Belgians, writes:
/ The young gentleman arrived here
| Yesterday n Albert is mRch improved.
Hs ioofSs 70 mach more manly, and
from his tOurnsre one might easily take
him to be twenty-five or tWenty-three.
| fat this'tlme be was not nineteen.l
thave spoken to Albert The adds)
What his father says upon the
of the marriage is true. Albert
lis nov psst eightsen.i If be waits till
the is in his twenty-frst, twenty-second
| or tRenty-third year, it win be impos-
sible for him 70 begin any nav, career,
md his whole life would be naarred Il
the Queen should change her mind.
A delay, however: was fixed upon,
and it was during this delay that Prince
Albert paid the visit 10 Italy, of which
We have Just spoken. The Prince re-
turned TO Coburg in June, 1889, and in
October Of that year paid his second
and decisive visit to England. He
seems TO have feared that the Queen
was likely to change her mind. and
that-when she asked for delay she per
haps pleaded for release from her en-
gagement altogether. Let the Queens
ourv ,rordu apnpbofin ond not ~ rha