The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-11-30
Queen Victoria,s Book.

Inc long tAiNftel No4ullc. lftfErCN uilicr the
directions Of Queen Victoria. and entitled d. The
Early Years of His Royal Highness the Prince
COnsOrt. has just appeared IN London. Ii was
prepared under the superintendent Of the Queen,
by Lieutcnant-Gene the Hon. {. Grey. The
translation of the princes letters are, with n few
merely verbal corrections, by the Princess Helena.
The New York Tribune publishes the following
summary of the contents of the book:
The possibility of a marriage between the
Queen and the Prince was. il seems. tOndly looked
forward 10 by the DowagCr Duchess OF CObUrg
from a very early period. and the Prince used 10
relate that when he was q child of three years
old, his nurse always told him that he should
marry the Queen and that when he first thought
Of marrying at all, he always thought OF her.
" the children grew up this idea was warmly
encouraged by the King Of the Bclgians, from
whom. indeed, the Queen first heard Of 1t but
the idea of such a marriage met with much OPP
position, and the la-e King William ". did
everything in his power 10 discourage it No
fewer than five other marriages had been contem-
plated for the Young Princess and the Hing.
though he never mentioned tie subject - the
Princess herself, was especially anxious 10 bring
about an alliance between her and the late Prince
Alexander If the Netherlands, brother u the
( present King of Holland. In his anxiety 10 effect
this object tie did everything lie could, though
Intellectually. TO prevent the Duke y: Coburg's
visit To England in 1896. when he came over with
his sons and spent nearly four weeks at hensing-
ton Ialacc with the Duchess of Kent. Queen
A4tAAlAt III AlltE NtAIr. SAAA ~ TIC NetNH tint a.
she lad told the King that it was her own earnest
wish To marry her cousin. and that her OWN hap
piness depended on it, he would ut once have
given up his opposition To 1t. n he was very fond
of and always very kind To ms niece. II was
then that the Queen and Prince met for the first
time, and her majesty thus records her impress
siOns of the visit:
The Prince was at that time much shorter
than his brother, already very handsome, but
very stout. which he entirely grew out of after
ward He WAS mnSf aupiail. pa.urnl una tigsfal
and merry-full of interest in everything, playing
on the piano with the Princess, his cousin-draw-
ing; III short, constantly occupied. lie always
paid the greatest attention To all lac saw. and the
Queen remembered well how intently he listened
to the sermon preached in st. Paul's, where he
and lis father and brother accompanied the
Duchess of Kent and the Princess there on the
occasion of the service attended by the children
of the different charity schools. Ii il indeed rars
TO see a Prince, not yet seventeen years of age,
bestOwing such earnest attention on Il sermon.
Ii was probably IN the earlier part of 1888 that
the King of the Belgians, III writing to the Queen,
first suggested the idea of such marriage. Both
the Prince and his father seem to have objected
from the first TO the proposal that a few years
should elapse before the marriage should take
place, he being then eighteen years of age. L
am ready he said to King Leopold, To submit
TO this delay, if have only some certain assur-
ance to 90 upon. But, if after waiting perhaps
for three years | should find that the Queen no
longer desires the marriage, it would place me in
a very ridiculous position, and would To Il certain
extent, ruin all the prospects of my future life
The Queen says she never entertained any idea of
this, and she afterwards repeatedly informed the
Prince that she never would have married any
one else. She expresses, however, great regret
that she had not alter her accession kept up her
correspondence with her cousin Us she had done
before it.
"Nor can the Queen now," she adds, think
Indignation against herself of her wish 10
keep the Prince waiting for probably three years,
at the risk of running all his prospects for life, or
until she might feel inclined to marry and the
Prince has since tod her that he came over in
1889 with the intention of telling her that if she
could not then make up her mind she must under
stand that Inc could not now wait for u decision,
rs he had done at Il former period when this mar
riage was first talked about. The only excuse
the Queen cnn make for herself is in the fact that
the sudden change from the secluded life AT Ken
to the independence of her position as
Queen regnant, ut the age of eighteen, put all
ideas of marriage out of her mind, which she now
most bitterly repents. a worse school for a
girl. or one more detrimental TO all natural feel
and affections, cannot well be imagined than
the position of Il Queen at eighteen without ex-
and without n husband to guide and
protect her. This the Queen can state from
painful experience, and she thanks God tina; none
Of her dear daughters are exposed To such danger"
In October, 1889, the visit to England was
paid which decided the fate of the young Princes
1IlnCt -AlDeTI WIS accompanied Nv his
and both were charged with n letter from
the King of the Belgians to the Queen, in which
he recommended them To her kindness.
The volume then proceeds to describe the recep-
given by the Queen to the Princes, and the
of life Mt Windsor during their stay. They
arrived on the 10th of October, and on the 18th
he Queen told Lord Melbourne that she had
made up her mind to the marriage. The ~courtier
statesman expressed his great satisfaction. An :
was given to the Prince that the Queen &
lad wished to speak to him the next day. On /
hat day, the 18th, the Prince had been out hunt I
NJ With his brother, bat returned ut II, and n
ialf an hour attcrward obeycd the Queens sum- I
mons to her room, where he found her alone. d
after n few minutes conversation on other SUBJ 9
Gets. the Queen told him WHY she had sent for {.
i'm, and we can well understand, writes Cen f
raj Grey, any little hesitation and dclicacy she Y
have felt in doing 50 for the Queens position Il
1t imperative that any proposal of mar b
should come first from her. must necessarily
pVear a Painful one To those who, deriving their II
icas ON this subject from tie practice of private n
ic, are wont to look on it rs the privilege and 4
appineSs OF n woman to have her hand sought in ii
marriage instead of having 10 offer 1t herself =
he Queen herself says that the Prince received 4
or offer, without hesitation, and with the II
EARNEST demonstrations of kindness and afiec-
ion.' The Queen told him to fetch his brother L
,rnest. which he did. h
The Queen announces what had taken place in p
ne following letter to the King of Belgium a
W ANArf NbNtAt- ~ - COY III II
-ncle This letter will, l am sure, give YOU ii
leasure, for you have always shown and taken C,
warm an interest in all that concerns me. NY VI
lind is quite made up, and | told Albert this 81
corning of it. The warm affection he showed me 1
n learning this gave me great pleasure. He Ct
ems perfection, and | think that | have the nj
of very great happiness before me. j
We him more than | can say, and shall do every VI
ling in my power TO render this sacrifice (for IN
lch in my opinion it is) az small as | can. He CT
ems 10 have great tact, n very necessary thing =
his position. These last few DAYS have passed :
- L. z. IL L ALI :. -uM.LL n,LLllanl :