Smyrna times., 1867-08-21
SCELLAN US.
Queen Vict0ria's C0urtship.

1t is generally known that Queen Victoria
has written a life of her late husband Prince
Albert. The book was intended when first writ
ten merely for private distribution among the
relatives of the royal household, but the
Queen has consented to let it go to tho world
at large. 1t is soon to be published by Har-
per l. Bro, and from HHper's Weekly we
take the following account of her courship,
complied from her book:
Before Victoria had fairly entered her teens
it was quite sure that unless she died young
she would wear the British crown. Her uncle,
King William V. had not, and was not likely
to have, any legitimate children, though while
Duke of Clarence he had fathered more than
one Fitz-C Clarence" OF course there was
great anxiety as to the m arriage of the heir
presumptive. Before she was seventeen years
old five husbands had been proposed for her.
| Her uncle, the King, favored Dutch Prince.
Wise old Leopold of Belgium fixed his eye upon
his nephew, Albert of SAKE GOtha, as poor a
Prince as had blue blood in his veins. Leo
! pOld had been in that condition himself, and
he had good reason to appreciate the advan-
| tage OF marrying a daughter Of England A
quarter of century before he had espoused
the Princess Charlotte, and pension of $780,
| 600 (E50,000) year had been settled upon
him. His consort had died not long after the
marriage, but the pension was duly paid. He
| had already received some six millions of dol
lars and, as he lived for another quarter of a
century, he made in all something more than
twelve millions OF dollars by his lHcky Co
! burg match" Leopold was most anxious that
| his clever young nephew Albert should be the
husband of Victoria, and he had more to do
| than any other person in bringing about the
match. He was continually sounding. the
praises of his favOrite nephew. As early as
1886 Albert, then only seventeen years OF age,
! but looking FIVE years older, accompanied by
his brother, went to England. TO friend of
his own age he confded in strict secrecy that
he was going to make the acquaintance of the
Princess Victoria, and if they liked each other
they were to become engaged The princes,
two as fine young fellows as one would be like
ly to see anywhere, remained for a month as
guests of the mother of the Princess. The
Queen in this book writes Of the favorable im-
preston which Albert then made upon her,
Nothing, however, seems then to have been
said about the marriage, at least between the
two young persons. Yet there appears to have
been sort of tacit understanding that this
should sometime happen. But the pear was
not ripe for plucking, and wise Leopold sent
his nephew away to pursue. his education.
For three years following Victoria and Albert
do not appear to have met, or even to have
corresponded. Meanwhile King William died,
and Victoria, girl of eighteen, succeeded to
the crown. According to her own statement,
here printed, but really written for her own
children, the young Queen came near being
spoiled by her new dignity. Leopold had, in
T the meanwhile, been busy, and had gained
from the young Queen sort of assent to the
marriage. Only she would not have it take
place for several years. The Prince was too
young he was few months her junior, and
she wanted her freedom for a while she
was but twenty. She had, indeed, given I'm
{ Gle Leopold to understand that she would some
day marry Albert; but now she would not
marry any body within less than ten years.
Albert took the matter rather philosophically.
/" | will, he said, submit to the delay, if l
have only some certain assurance to 60 upon
but it, after waiting, perhaps for, three years,
| should find that the Queen no longer desired
the marriage, it would place me in very ridi-
culous position" Prince Albert, writing to
his trusted cousin the Prince of Lowenstein,
tells how the matter stood. He says: "The
Queen declare to my uncle of Belgium that she
wished the affair to be considered as broken
of, and that for four years she could think OF
no marriage. | went, therefore, with the quiet
but firm determination to declare on my part
that also, tired of the delay, withdrew en-
tirely from the affair.
But luckily wise Leopold looked q little more
! deeply into things. Albert, who three years
before had been pretty fellow, had grown into
aremarkably attractive young man. Wise Leo
pold judged that he had better go in person tc
England and see the Sovereign Lady to whom
he had already been half-engaged. Late in 1873!
he, with his faithful brother Ernest, went tc
, England TO be precise in dates, they reach,
ed Windsor Castle on Thursday, the 10th Of
October, 1889. Handsome Albert came, saw,
and conquered. In two days the young Queen
aame-not old in years, for neither of them
had vet seen twenty On the fourth day--the
precise date being October Is, 1889, Alber!
received an intimation that the Queen wished